Elminster's Daughter - Ed Greenwood [92]
The thief, who'd bent over to busily rub hands and ankles, shaking out her limbs as if her body felt unfamiliar to her, did not reply.
"Narnra," Caladnei continued, "you stand in the Palace of the Purple Dragon in Suzail, in the realm of Cormyr. As such, you're utterly within my power. Should not mere prudence lead you to some measure of polite cooperation, whatever your personal feelings toward us?"
The thief straightened up to give Caladnei a cold, considering look then glanced over at Laspeera and Rhauligan. They gazed patiently back at her, faces impassive.
Narnra tossed her head and glared at Caladnei. "You have an audience for your grand speeches," she said, nodding at the man who'd captured her and the woman whose spell had paralyzed her. "What d'you want of me?"
"Answers. A few civil, honest, and generous-with-what-you-know answers," the Mage Royal replied.
Narnra sighed. "I can't think what precious things I might know that could possibly be of any use to you. You're not planning to become the terror of purses in Trades Ward, are you?"
"No," Caladnei replied in a dry voice. "There! You see? An answer, and so easily and swiftly given, too. Try it for a short time, do well at it-and you'll be free to go."
"Go where?" Narnra snarled. "Out into the streets of your city, to starve? Or be pounced on by the next of your soldiers who doesn't like the look of me? 'Oh, sir, I'm just a thief from Water-deep-that's right, a thief-and I've just been talking with your Mage Royal, and she'-oh, aye, I'm sure they'll believe me!"
"Do you love Waterdeep so much?"
"What? Is this one of your questions? Could you not have found a traveling merchant, and ask-"
"Do you love Waterdeep so much?"
Narnra flung up her hands. "I know Waterdeep," she snarled. " 'Tis my home, the only place I know, where I know how to get something to eat, where…"
She fell silent, eyes narrowing.
Caladnei was smiling. "You see? Honest answers are not so hard, once you begin. Do it twice or thrice, and you'll have found the habit."
Narnra gave her a dark look and hugged herself as if she were cold. "Wizards are so clever," she muttered. "I sometimes wonder how better off we'd all be without them."
That earned her wry smiles from all three Cormyreans, and Caladnei's voice was almost gentle as she asked, "Have you many friends in Waterdeep, with whom you talk? Share gossip with?"
Narnra hunched her head down and said nothing.
The Mage Royal frowned. "Enough of this," she murmured. '"Time-and past time-for enforced truth." She muttered an incantation and traced a pattern with her fingertips.
There was a sudden flash of blue-white fire, and she drew her head back as if burned. "She's protected," Caladnei murmured, and cast a glance at Laspeera.
Who shrugged and asked softly, "Elminster?" as she raised her own hands and worked the same spell.
Seven blue-white stars flashed and spun very briefly around the young Waterdhavian, who seemed in a trance.
"Mystra," the Mage Royal whispered and looked at Laspeera again, almost helplessly this time.
The older War Wizard gave her another shrug. "So try the hard way, Gala. We can only try spells as they seem necessary… and see."
Caladnei nodded unhappily, drew in a deep breath, glanced at Rhauligan-who smiled grimly and gave her a nod of approval, and asked, "Narnra? How do you hear the news merchants bring, when they come to Waterdeep in their caravans? Do local wits cry news aloud in taverns in return for coins?"
Silence.
"Narnra?"
The thief's reply was to burst into a sudden sprint toward Caladnei, dodging twice. The Mage Royal flung up a hand to signal Rhauligan-who was already moving-to keep clear and worked a swift, muttered spell.
One blue-white star, whirling away… and winking out.
Narnra plucked for a dagger to hurl and ruin the casting but found her sheath empty and instead tried to duck around Caladnei-who politely stepped aside.
"The door," the sorceress told the hard-running thief firmly, "is not an option."
Narnra put her head down, growled, and ran. Invisible fingers