City of Towers_ The Dreaming Dark - Keith Baker [71]
Daine could attest to this. While he’d mainly fought in the south, he’d heard tales of ogre irregulars fighting along the western front, and they hadn’t been pleasant stories.
“But we have much to offer besides our power in battle. The Daughters have sent us east to work with your dragonmarked houses and forge new bonds between our nations.”
“Does this involve us somehow?”
Two snakes hissed this time, but Kasslak’s voice was as smooth and emotionless as ever. “Ogres, trolls, hobgoblins, bugbears … there is fire in the blood of these races, and conflict is in their nature. But it does not serve our purposes to fight one another. The Sharn Watch has long left this area alone, but someone needs to maintain order. This is my role. Should there be trouble in the district, I wish to know the source of it and if I can put an end to it.”
Daine began to see what was going on. “Well, that’s kind of you. And don’t think we don’t appreciate it. But those Darguuls were just looking for trouble. I don’t think there’s anything unusual there.”
“Nor do I. But the Sharn Watch came into the district in search of you—the first time in three years that they’ve set foot in the Gate. And I understand that you entered the broken temple. Yet here you are … alive.”
“That’s a surprise?”
“I see you know little about the history of our home. That may explain why you went to the temple to begin with. In any case, I would like to know your business with the Watch, and whether we should be expecting them to return. I also wish to know why you entered the broken temple, and how you survived the experience.”
“And I’d like a magic ring that grants wishes,” Daine said.
The medusa’s snakes hissed angrily, but the goblin girl laughed. Kasslak stood and walked toward Daine. “You are refusing to answer?”
Daine took a deep breath then stood and faced Kasslak, all too aware of the deadly gaze hidden behind a flimsy hood. “It’s good that you’re trying to keep this place under control, and I’m glad I didn’t have to sully my blade with hobgoblin blood back on the street. But I can’t answer your questions. I don’t know why the Watch broke the rules and came in here after me. I’d tell you if I did. As for what happened in the temple … it sounds to me like you should know better than to ask.”
There was a long pause. Daine could almost feel the medusa’s eyes locked onto him from beneath the green hood, and he wondered if he could draw his sword and strike before Kasslak could pull back his hood. Then the medusa let out his breath in a long hiss. “You may go. Rhazala will see you safely to the edge.”
Daine turned to the door then paused. “Kasslak …” he said. “Do you keep basilisks?”
“Basilisks are dangerous creatures,” the medusa said. “What use would I have for one?”
“I was just wondering if a basilisk might have disappeared around three weeks ago,” Daine said. “Or at least, one of its eyes. Anyhow, if you want to talk about it, I suggest you drop by the Manticore in High Walls. We won’t be coming back here again.”
Rhazala led the way through the streets of Malleon’s Gate. As before the inhabitants gave her a wide berth. Clearly she was known to be an emissary of the medusa, and Daine wondered what she had done to earn her place in his band. It was still difficult to take her seriously. Half the time she was skipping through the streets, and the other half she was singing nonsense songs in Goblin. But having seen her at the brawl, Daine wondered how much of this was part of her pose.
They passed a group of goblins painting gargoyle silhouettes onto strips of gray cloth. “It’s for Eight Winds,” Rhazala explained, tapping a band of gray cloth wrapped around her wrist. “Carralag will win this year. Wait and see.”
Jode was cheerful as always, and he chattered