Azure bonds - Kate Novak [85]
"I fail to see why any woman, bard or no, would hang around a human female if she were so powerful and posed such a threat. Would this human female have a short, dragon guardian and a human mage for companions?"
"It would make a good tale," Phalse agreed.
"Personally, were I this woman," Olive said, "I would seek to put great distance between me and the human female in question, having been warned that she poses such a danger. What could possibly encourage the woman in your tale to remain near this dangerous human female?"
"Well, for one thing, this woman wanted to do the right thing and help these powers find this human female before she did anymore horrible things. This woman who was a bard was brave and clever enough to manage it."
Phalse shoved his remaining stacks of coins toward the others. One of the stacks toppled, and the slender coins bounced and rolled about the floor in a mercantile dance. Phalse did not interrupt their ringing, clattering music. He simply continued to smile.
As Olive watched the spilled coins, her mind raced toward a decision. She had no reason to doubt this "tale" was not a true one, and several incidents supported it. Alias had, by her own admission, attempted to murder a priest and later, right before Olive's very eyes, tried to assassinate a Cormyrian nobleman. Who knows what else she had done? Olive thought. The tale would explain why Alias chose to travel north to Yulash and avoid Westgate, as well.
If her ladyship's road leads to imprisonment and not treasure, Olive realized, this would be a good time to begin saving for the inevitable rainy day. Besides, the sell-sword knows a lot of interesting songs. Naturally, we'll have to come to a parting of the ways in the future. She sings just a little too well, and she sings for free-very unprofessional. I have enough problems without adding competition from my own bodyguard to the list.
"If I'm to wear this ring myself," the bard said, "I have to know what it's for. I'm no fool."
"The ring will let these powers know your location at all times, so they won't lose track of the human female's trail. Then these powers can all close in on her at once, making her capture a little less… messy."
"Is that all?"
"That is sufficient. For the moment."
"If these powers are so powerful, why don't they just use scrying magic to keep track of her?"
"Alas, something very peculiar about the woman prevents them or anyone else from doing so."
"How'd you-um-this stranger know where to look for her to offer the woman bard this ring then?"
"The human woman is known to frequent certain haunts. These were staked out by various agents, including the humble stranger."
"Couldn't they plant the ring on the human female?" Olive asked.
"No," Phalse explained. "It must be carried by a halfl-by the woman who was a bard."
"What makes this humble stranger so certain that the woman who's a bard won't accept his offer and then throw away the ring and leave the company of this dangerous human female?"
"In that case, she could easily be found by serving magic, and she would be dealt with… accordingly."
"The woman who was a bard might develop doubts about the humble stranger's motives and throw away the ring and remain in the company of the human female"
"In that case, eventually, the powers seeking out the human female will find some other way of tracking her. Then the woman who is a bard will realize she should have kept her end of the bargain. Alas, by then it may be too late, since the servants these powers might have to employ to capture the human female are neither gentle nor kindly beings. And the humble stranger would not be inclined to intervene on behalf of the woman who was a bard to ensure her safety." Phalse's smile was now as wide as a cat's, revealing a mouth full of sharpened teeth.
"You're not a halfling," Olive said, a note of surprise escaping into her