Elminster's Daughter - Ed Greenwood [145]
Elminster chuckled, took up her tankard, and laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be up in the Tower preparing evenfeast when ye're done. Florin has probably worn his sword-edge dull slicing edibles by now. I'm not much of a family, lass, but ye're welcome, whenever."
Narnra gave him a strange look and waved at the pool. "There aren't-snakes or biting turtles or anything like that, are there?"
"Nay," Elminster told her, as he conjured up a fluffy robe, towels, and slippers, and bent with a grunt to lay them out on a handy rock. "I asked the beast that eats them to depart when ye arrived, and it did."
She gave him a longer look, until he turned and added, "Trust me."
"I'm learning to," she said with a lopsided smile. "Don't make me regret it. Please."
"Well, if ye'd like to toss your clothes onto yon rock, I'll snatch them away with a spell and give them a wash whilst ye're soaking-because they certainly need it. Knives and all, mind. I'll be careful not to let things rust. Oh, and the little blades ye keep hidden in thy hair, too they're starting to tarnish."
Narnra gave her father quite another look and said, "If you trick me…"
"I'll be overcome with remorse," he said with a grin and strolled off, his pipe floating after him.
Narnra watched him go, shaking her head. Well, at least she had an interesting father. When she heard the Tower door close, she disrobed, carefully putting her gear where he'd indicated-all but one knife with its sheath, which she laid ready at the water's edge.
She lifted the stone Elminster had pointed out, scooped up some flakes of soap, and waded in.
The water was wonderful.
* * * * *
"B'gads, what if they find us here?" Bezrar muttered. "What tale do we tell them then? "
"That we're thinking of importing some new sort of shingles from-from Alaghon, and had to see if the barracks roofs would ever be a market for us," his partner Surth hissed. "If you shut up for once, perhaps they won't find us here!"
They both froze, there on the roof of the largest Purple Dragon barracks in Marsember, as at least a dozen dragons-each larger than any barracks, and far more impressive-swooped past, in a mighty hurry to get to somewhere in the city!
The great wyrms passed over the barracks so low that Malakar Surth, the taller of the two swindlers, could almost have touched one of those vast and scaled underbellies by standing tall and leaping upward.
He chose not to do so. It seemed more sensible to faint instead.
Twenty-Two
A LITTLE VICTORY
Sometimes, all you can do is take what little victory you can.
Sorbraun Swordmantle
Seventy Summers A Purple Dragon:
One Loyal Warrior's Tale
Year of the Prince
"Stand easy," Laspeera murmured. "Whatever happens, we've War Wizards enough to keep you both safe."
Filfaeril and Alusair gave her identical sighs. "Speera, it's not that," the Steel Regent exclaimed, armor gleaming. "It's how many loyal folk this will cost us-and how many noble families who lose their young hotheads here will turn against us. When will Cormyr stop bleeding? "
"Here they come," Caladnei muttered, stepping back, as many men stalked into the dimly lit hall, drawn swords glittering in the light of her conjured light.
"Hail, Ladies Obarskyr," one of them called in a grand and cultured voice. "Your attendance-even with so many of your mages-gratifies us. We desire to discuss the future of our fair real-"
The noble staggered forward to fall on his face with a cough and lie still, sword ringing on the tiles. His fellows whirled around with shouts of anger.
Many men in robes were fading into visibility out of empty air-Thayans! Harnrim Starangh glared coldly around Thundae-rlyn Hall and commanded his fellow Red Wizards, "Kill them all-yon women first. Let no one leave alive!"
* * * * *
Bezrar and Surth came back to Marsember at about the same time, with damp and misty air singing past their ears as a grand rooftop-all spires and skylights-rushed up to meet them. They were… oh, gods… in the grip of great talons.
Talons that were attached