Viperhand - Douglas Niles [105]
"Shoot, fools! He's getting away!" Darien's shrill scream followed Hal through the door as he turned and darted into the safety of the secret passage. Tears of frustration and rage choked him, and he didn't even see Poshtli pull the portal shut behind them.
From the chronicles of Colon:
In dreams, may we find the hope and promise that etudes us awake.
Again the feathered snake came to me in my s!eep. The golden couatl, brilliant of plume and mighty of power, circles about, taunting with his near presence, frustrating me as he vanishes before daybreak.
And so the couatl remains a dream, a fantasy specter of hope and significance, all the more miserable because of its empty promise. The clouds of doom gather around Nexal, and the city prepares to bathe in blood.
O couatl, harbinger of the Plumed One, we need more than your promise now!
TO HOLD THE MOON
Three bearded legionnaires threw Erixitl against a wall with enough force to drive the air from her lungs. Gasping, she faced them-not afraid, but bitterly disappointed. One of them pulled her stone knife-her only weapon-from her belt. A fourth walked up to her and scowled into her face.
"What d'you got under them feathers?" he demanded. The Cloak of One Plume covered her shoulders and her back. He reached a hand to its clasp to tear it away. Suddenly a blue spark crackled from the cloak, and he drew his blistered hand away.
"Ouch! Helm's curses, she's a witch!"
Erix was as surprised as the legionnaire. A growing sense of despair seized her, and she took little pleasure in the protection. True, it hid her pouch, but the only thing that contained was the tiny bottle of potion she had insisted Hal let her carry-a potion that frightened her too much to ever allow her to drink it.
"That was Halloran!" she heard one of the men say. "The bastard fought like a demon!"
"Killed Garney, he did," grunted another. Their eyes settled, murderously, back on Erixitl,
Halloran! She struggled to contain her grief. They had failed. Did he live? Had they escaped? Lost in her despair, she didn't notice the captain-general's entrance until the black-bearded leader stood before her, his dark eyes smoldering.
"You were the translator at Palul," Cordell stated, his voice vaguely accusing, confident of its assertion.
"Yes," Erixitl replied, seeing no point in denial. Around her, a menacing ring of legionnaires glowered, brandishing weapons, all but growling for her blood. Cordell stood before her, with the cloaked elfmage at his side.
"Why did you come here?" demanded the general.
"We were lost," Erix answered, forcing her voice to remain calm.
"These questions are a waste of time!" snapped Darien. "Kill the wench now and be done with it."
"Wait!" Cordell raised a hand, mildly reproving. "You sought Naltecona, did you not? To free him, perhaps?"
Erixitl shook her head, but she could see that the man didn't believe her.
Suddenly another figure elbowed his way through the men-at-arms. A grim-faced Alvarro reported to Cordell.
"That son of a whore killed six men, wounded a dozen more!" The man's tones were incredulous. Then his eyes fell upon Erixitl, and a crooked grin twisted Alvarro's mouth. "But I see we have his woman."
The way he said "woman" sent daggers of fear along Erix-itl's spine. Darien, too, noticed the inflection, though no one saw her smile within the shadows of her hood.
"His woman?" Cordell repeated in surprise.
Alvarro stopped, thinking fast. He hadn't told Cordell the full story of his encounter with Hal and Erix together, outside of Palul.
"Yeah," he explained quickly. "When he killed Vane, he was trying to get to her. Must have quite a thing for her." The red-bearded man looked at Erixitl's lithe femininity like a hungry animal. "Can't say I blame him!"
Cordell looked at the captain in mild annoyance, then turned back to Erixitl. "If he came for you once, perhaps he'll do so again. We'll keep you here for now. Perhaps you'll bring us bigger game."
"Kill her!" Darien spat. "He'll still come. He won't