Elminster_ The Making of a Mage - Ed Greenwood [39]
The swordmaster turned away, keeping Thelorn Selemban carefully at his side. They went back to the bar together.
Farl and El exchanged glances. Farl sketched the swell of an imaginary bosom with one hand, pointed at the curtain, and then jerked his thumb at himself. El blinked slowly, once, and then pointed toward the jakes and touched his own chest. Farl nodded, and El set out across the room to where he could relieve himself. If there was going to be creeping about or fighting, he'd best be more at ease.
Had it been like this before the magelords came to Hastarl? Shouldering and slipping his way through drunken revelers into the dimly lit privy area, El wondered what the Wench had been like when his grandfather sat on the Stag Throne. Were all men of power as cruel as the two nobles who'd almost begun a battle here? And just how were they more honorable-or more villainous-than Farl and Eladar the Dark, two young and impudent rooftop thieves?
Just who stands better in the eyes of the gods-a magelord, a dandified noble, or a thief? What's the choice between the lot of them? The first two have more influence to do ill, and the thief is at least honest or open about what he does… hmm… perhaps these would not be safe questions to ask a priest or sage in Hastarl. The foul-smelling trough in front of him had no ready answers either, and he'd best get back out there before Farl did something reckless. If they were going to have all the armsmen in the city out looking for them, he wanted to know about it…
When he returned along the far wall, Farl was sitting beside the curtain. He caught El's eye and then slipped smoothly behind it, keeping low. El took his seat, noted that the couple beside him were well beyond noticing what anyone else was doing, and followed.
The two friends lay still, side by side and unseen on the dark carpeted floor, as the gasps in the dimly lit alcove grew louder and more urgent. Farl crawled slowly forward as the amorous sounds built to a height, and reached up silently to lift the glass of wine-complimentary with hire of the alcove, its surface thick with settled dust-from its usual spot. Deftly he tossed its contents over the lamp-wick.
The alcove was plunged into sudden, hissing darkness. El-minster rose from the carpet like a vengeful, striking snake and plunged one hand over the dandy's mouth from behind, reaching to stifle the man into slumber with the other.
Farl's hands were already over the Shadow's mouth. She jerked and burbled under him, fighting for breath enough to scream, but her eyes widened when she recognized the man atop her and she stopped struggling. Elminster saw one of her slim hands cease its clawing, and reach up to stroke Farl's shoulder. Then he had no time left to spare for looking at anyone except the noble under him.
Jansibal was oiled and perfumed, slippery under Elminster's hands. He'd never known the hard hours and harsh battle that the youth from Heldon had felt-but he was shorter and heavier, and fury lent him strength. He threw himself sideways, dragging Elminster with him, and tried to bite the fingers that were smothering him.
Elminster drew back one arm, dagger-hilt foremost, and slugged the noble hard on the jaw. Jansibal's head snapped around, spittle and blood flying together. The dandy gave a little grunt, shook his head-and toppled over sideways on the bed, knocked senseless. One open eye stared up unseeing at Elminster; satisfied, El spun to look behind them and be sure no one had noticed the sudden dousing of the light behind the curtain, or heard the brief, unloving sounds. The hubbub of folk drinking continued unabated-and sudden soft sounds from beside him proclaimed that Farl was taking full advantage of the noble's generous payment to Shandathe. The gold coins lay on the floor around, freed when Otharr had torn open her bodice; El ignored them to bend closer over the entwined couple, and delicately free a single distinctive earring from where the Shadow's hair curled around her ear.
Shandathe freed her lips from Farl's long enough