Amber and Blood - Margaret Weis [101]
“I will be … in a moment.” Rhys grimaced. He was starting to regain some feeling in his hands and feet. “Don’t let go of Atta!”
“I have her, Rhys,” Nightshade said. He had wound his hand in the long fur at her neck. To his surprise, the dog had not tried to attack the grown-up Mina. Perhaps Atta was now as confused as the kender.
Galdar held Mina tightly and glared at them all defiantly, as though daring any of them to try to take her from him.
“Mina!” he said brokenly, “I came to find you—That is, Sargas sent me—”
“Never mind that now!” Mina said sharply. She pulled away from him, looked up at him. “We have no time, Galdar. Sanction is under siege. The Solamnic knights have it surrounded. I must go there, take command. I will break the siege.”
Her amber eyes flared. “Why do you just stand there? Where is my horse? My weapon? Where are my troops? You must fetch them, Galdar, bring them to me. We don’t have much time. The battle will be lost …”
Galdar blinked in astonishment. “Er … don’t you remember, Mina? You won the battle. You broke the siege of Sanction. Beckard’s Cut—”
She frowned at him and said sharply, “I don’t know what’s got into you, Galdar. Stop wasting my time with such foolery and obey my command.”
“Mina,” Galdar said uneasily, “the siege of Sanction happened long ago during the War of Souls. The war is over. The One God lost. Don’t you remember, Mina? The other gods cast Takhisis out, made her mortal—”
“They killed her,” Mina said softly. Her amber eyes glittered beneath sharply slanting brows. “They were jealous of my Queen, envious of her power. The mortals of this world adored her. They sang her name. The other gods couldn’t allow that, and so they destroyed her.”
Galdar tried to speak a couple of times without success, then he said awkwardly, “They sang your name, Mina.”
Her amber eyes shone, illuminated from within.
“You’re right,” she said, smiling. “They did sing my name.”
Galdar licked his lips. He looked about, as though seeking help. Finding none, he cleared his throat with a rumble and launched into a much-rehearsed speech, talking quickly, without inflection, in haste to reach the end.
“This elf is Valthonis. He used to be Paladine, the leader of the pantheon of gods, the instigator of the fall of Queen Takhisis. My god, Sargas, hopes that you will accept Valthonis as his gift and that you will take your just revenge upon the traitor who brought down … your … our Queen. In return, Sargas hopes you will think well of the him and … and … that you will …”
Galdar stopped. He stared at Mina, stricken.
“That I will what, Galdar?” Mina demanded. “Sargas hopes I will think well of him and I will what?”
“Become his ally,” Galdar said at last.
“You mean—become one of his generals?” Mina asked, frowning. “But I can’t. I am not a minotaur.”
Galdar couldn’t answer her question. He looked about again for help, and this time he found it.
Valthonis answered him. “Sargas want you to become the Queen of Darkness, Mina.”
Mina laughed, as though at some rich jest. Then she saw no one else was laughing. “Galdar, why do you look so glum? That’s funny. Me? The Queen of Darkness!”
Galdar rubbed his muzzle and blinked his eyes rapidly and gazed out somewhere over her head.
“Galdar!” said Mina, suddenly angry. “That is funny!”
“Is the minotaur right, Rhys?” Nightshade asked in a smothered whisper. “Is that elf really Paladine? I always wanted to meet Paladine. Do you think you could intro—”
“Hush, my friend,” said Rhys softly. He rose to his feet, moving fluidly, quietly, trying not to draw attention to himself. “Keep hold of Atta.”
Nightshade took a firm grip on the dog. Eyeing the Walking God, the kender whispered into Atta’s ear, “I expected him to be a lot taller—”
Rhys picked up the emmide and the scrip. He tied the scrip to the top of the staff, then padded across the stone floor, the dust slithering beneath his feet. He came to stand to one side and a little in front of Valthonis.
“This man knows the way to Godshome, Mina,” Rhys said.
Mina’s amber eyes, laden with trapped souls so that