Azure bonds - Kate Novak [17]
"I heard that the dragon has chewed up another adventuring company since the caravan."
"Yes. Well, in the caravan with Ruskettle was a merchant who brought me an eyewitness account of the attack. Ruskettle tried to sing the beast into submission, the mark of a great bard. The beast apparently liked the music, but instead of submitting, took Ruskettle in her claws and headed back for her lair. Suzail sent out a group of adventurers in retaliation, but they were, as you said, chewed up. I did, however, manage to obtain from the survivors the location of the monster's lair and a secret 'back door' into it. My question for you is: Will you help a sage who is desperate to avoid breaking his youngest daughter's heart?"
Alias thought for a moment, then asked, "You want the dragon dead?"
"I want the bard, Ruskettle, to play at my daughter's wedding," the sage responded. "Clerics of Suzail want the dragon dead. Deal with them if you want to kill dragons."
Alias shook her head. "I'd rather sneak in, reappropriate your bard, and sneak out. I prefer to leave dragonslaying to those in good standing with their gods."
"It's agreed, then," said the sage. "I'll take time out from the wedding preparations. There are a million-and-one things to do yet, but Leona, my wife, can handle them better than I. Besides, I'll feel more useful helping you find out what those sigils mean. In the meantime, you'll bring me my bard. Let's see that arm."
Dimswart drew Alias over to his desk. He opened up a fat volume to an empty page, and with a pen and astonishing skill, quickly copied the insignias on Alias's sword arm. "None of these are familiar to you?" he asked.
"I've seen one of them on a card carried by assassins who, I believe, intended only to capture me."
"Really? How very interesting. Very interesting."
"Now, where do I find your dragon?"
"The merchant I mentioned before will take you there. He has some interest in helping free this bard as well." The sage called out, "Come on in, Akash," and a figure breezed in-clad in a familiar crimson robe striped with white.
Akabar Bel Akash bowed formally. "We meet again, lady. As I told you, Sir Dimswart, she would leap at the opportunity to aid us." The Turmishman beamed with pleasure.
Alias scowled, first at him, then at the sage. Akabar ignored her glare. Dimswart, having revealed the source of his information, arched his eyebrows like a stage magician demonstrating the trickery behind his feats.
Dragonbait, realizing no one was interested in smoking, blew out the burning brand he'd been playing with and threw it into the fireplace.
4
Akabar and the Back Door
Alias shivered in the damp darkness of the cavern and silently wished the vengeance of Tyr and Tempus down on the heads of Akabar and Dimswart and even Winefiddle for getting her into this predicament. And while they were at it, thrice-damn that mysterious lizard and damn thrice more the demon-spawn who branded her!
The mystical sigils glowed like stained glass on a murky day, illuminating Alias so that she stood out like a beacon in the pitch dark of the cold, dripping cave. When she exhaled, the streams of her breath danced like small azure elementals before her eyes.
At the beginning of her vigil, Alias had kept the treacherous arm with its glowing brands beneath her cloak. She was waiting for the merchant-mage, Akabar, to return from scouting out the passages leading to the dragon's lair. After spending a half-hour huddled in the dark, though, it occurred to her that most dwellers of this cold, wet, limbo would be able to see the heat from her body and smell her above-world scent while she remained blind. Dumb, dumb, dumb, she chided herself and cast aside the cloak. At least now she could see anything that attacked her.
Where is that damned mage? she wondered for the half a hundredth time. Tymora! He could have scouted from here to Sembia by now. How far can this cavern go?
She knew her impatience had little to do with how long the mage was taking. Mostly it had to do with not