A Dragon's Ascension - Ed Greenwood [59]
There-again! The human fool was holding the scepter openly in his hand, now, as he ran on, shirt torn away from one shoulder by branches, panting in deep, exhausted groans, stumbling like a drunken man in his weariness. Perhaps it'd be better to draw back a bit, and lurk unseen, before this Flaeros broke something in his fleeing. Let the lad catch his breath, rest, and then-
The winged serpent swooped around a tree that was as large around as a small cottage, over one gigantic bough, and then under the nex-
The two boughs clapped together like slashing blades, and then drew apart a little. The snake writhed in shuddering agony, half-crushed and transfixed between them on many thorny spikes that hadn't been there moments before. Branches that had sharp cutting edges like swordblades whipped out and back, and severed sections of snake plopped down onto a moss-cloaked stone. A humanlike hand was protruding from the tree there-and from a ring on one of its fingers fire erupted. The sections of snake sizzled in that cone of snarling flames, seared, and then crumbled into ash-as the two branches slowly bent down to thrust the rest of the winged serpent into the stream of fire.
In a matter of moments the snake was all blackened, shapeless ash.
Abruptly the flames were gone, and the branches silently melted back into something slate-gray and headless that boasted two stumpy legs. Those legs stamped on the ashes, and then took a stride-and half the tree quietly walked away.
Flaeros Delcamper was several tree-cloaked hills away by then, blundering into trees in his terror and exhaustion, and so missed seeing these makings of a very fine terror ballad. He would have been fervently thankful to know that the walking thing wasn't headed in his direction at all. Yet he might well have been almost as alarmed if apprised of other lurking beasts of the forest, that he was now much closer to. For bards as for others, life remains a process of stumbling blindly between perils.
"Yes, there are windows behind all of those shutters," Tonthan "Gold-cloak" said solemnly. "Rest assured: mere are no other rooms here save the taproom and jakes below us. No passages, secret or otherwise. We've chosen a good place for our shared purposes. You may speak freely."
He waved a hand that glittered and gleamed with fat gold rings crowned by thumb-sized gems at the empty chairs drawn up around the table. "By all means examine the underside of the table, the floor, and the ceiling; we'll not be offended. Sit where you like, and on the chairs of your choosing."
The representatives from the Isles of Ieirembor regarded him expressionlessly, and then did all of those things, lingering for some time at their examination of the seats and backs of all the chairs. Tonthan and the other wealthy Sirl merchants waited patiently, goblets in hand-and when the Ieiremborans were seated, brought decanters and empty glasses to the table, silently offering them.
Just as silently the Ieiremborans refused that offering. Their heads then turned to regard one of their number, a large, dark-haired man with fierce and full eyebrows, who put the knuckles of one of his hands under his chin, stared at all of the Sirl merchants across from him, one at a time, and with a total lack of expression on his face said, "We are met this day because we of the Isles seek revenge on Ezendor Blackgult, who dared to try to conquer us, and did much harm in failing at that. We seek your sponsorship in working that revenge."
Tonthan nodded over the rim of his glass. "And the intended form of this revenge?"
"The death of Blackgult-dealt openly, by red war, not by poison or a night-hurled dagger. All Aglirta must know why he falls-and know also that we can at will strike to the very heart of their land."
Tonthan steepled his fingers wordlessly and looked at one of his fellow merchants-a man in yellow silks with large, dark eyes and a curving, short-spike beard on the end of his chin. "Sathbrar?"
Sathbrar leaned forward. "It was our assumption that your revenge would not end with Blackgult's