Depths of Madness - Erik Scott De Bie [19]
It did not seem possible that they were alone. This tomb might have been carved a millennium past, but those bloody stains were fresh. Twilight kept her guard up as she headed toward the opening to another catacomb. Outside the aura of magelight, her attunement to the shadows took over, and she could see in the darkness.
The next room looked as empty as the first, devoid of bodies as if the interred dead had withered, been stolen, or-most unsettling-walked away. She didn't enter the room, but searched along the door for traps or magical wards.
A ten count yielded a series of scorch marks along the inside of the portal, as well as a series of sigils inscribed faintly along the stone doorframe. Twilight tentatively examined them with her fingers and concentrated, seeking the resonance within the lettering. She felt nothing. A magical ward had once bound this portal, but its power had been long exhausted.
Just behind her, Twilight sensed a presence.
She peered into the gloom, ostensibly planning their route, all the while observing her companion without her eyes. She could not hear breathing or feel a heartbeat. Then, on her own count of five, she spun and bent her knees for a lunge.
"Gah!" Liet stumbled back, startled. "My-my apologies!"
How he had kept so quiet, Twilight could only wonder. She supposed she must have been more intent upon the door than she thought.
"Sneak up on many lasses, do you?" Twilight reached to help Liet to his feet.
"Uh, no, not as such," he said, climbing up. When he had risen, he looked at her awkwardly. His face was red. "I wanted… to talk to you… about…"
"What?" she asked. And this boy was almost thirty years of age? She'd thought humans became adults before twenty. Well, no matter-she was sure no elf would call her mature for her age.
Liet's eyes widened. "Oh, ah, nothing, then…" "I see," Twilight said, allowing a little danger in her voice. He gave her a helpless grin, and shielded himself with his hands.
Twilight had to smile at that. He might have been immature, but he didn't suffer from stupidity-or plainness, for that matter.
She slapped Liet's cheek lightly. "Now pay attention, boy," she said. "Look with more than your eyes." "Eh?" Liet asked.
"I'll show you." She took his hand and pointed him toward the chamber. They gazed into the darkness. Liet's grasp was tight, and Twilight found she enjoyed it.
Enjoyed it too much. She dropped his hand.
Davoren grumbled something under his breath, too soft for Taslin to hear.
"What was that?" Slip asked brightly. She looked at her mace, then down at Gargan's bare foot, as though comparing the weapon and his toe.
"Why do we wait here?" the warlock asked. He nodded at Twilight and Liet. "Does she know something, or do they merely wish to be alone, I wonder?"
"Pettiness toward a boy, Lord Hellsheart?" Taslin asked. "Are you jealous of him?" She looked at Asson, who smiled at her. "Or of her, perhaps?"
The warlock whirled, outraged. Asson grinned, and Slip's mouth became an O.
"Jealous of her authority, that is," Taslin finished, to a chuckle and a snicker.
Davoren scowled. "She is a liar," he said. "Do not trust her."
"How do you know?" Slip asked, stealing what Taslin had been thinking.
The warlock's lips pressed into a line, and his blood red eyes narrowed at Twilight. "Look at the way she claims to represent the interests of all, yet obviously favors that one."
Taslin looked at them, standing close, looking into the darkness. As she and Asson watched, Twilight took Liet's hand for a breath, then dropped it, as though realizing she was being watched.
Slip looked back. "Nay," she said. "Not seeing it."
Davoren sighed. "She lies," he said. "She is hiding something. What of her mark? Her sword? That jewel she wears at her neck? Surely those, at least, mean something."
Taslin stared hard at him. "You know Twilight?"
"The golden goddess speaks!" Davoren said. "Very well. I shall-"
Then