Guild Wars_ Edge of Destiny - J. Robert King [64]
As your queen, I could forbid you to do this thing, but I have seen you defeat a legion of charr. I have seen you slay devourers and destroyers, centaurs and ettins and worse. If anyone could defeat the Dragonspawn, it would be you.
So, I will not forbid it. I will trade fear for hope and look forward to congratulating you on this latest and greatest of your victories.
Your queen,
Jennah
THE CALM BEFORE
Two weeks later, an amazing group passed through the Hoelbrak asura gate. First came Eir Stegalkin, her head breaking through the magical membrane beside the head of Rytlock Brimstone. The woman and the charr marched side by side, pulling a wagon behind them. The wagon was fully loaded, with a tarp strapped across its contents. On the tarp sat Snaff, looking quite satisfied, and Zojja, looking somewhat sour. On one side of the wagon walked Logan Thackeray in his much-scarred armor, and on the other side strolled Caithe of the Firstborn. Behind the conveyance loped the dire wolf Garm.
As this group emerged from the gate, the norn guards spread out in a semicircle around them. Two guards stepped before the wagon, planted spear butts in the road, and leaned the points toward Eir and Rytlock.
“Halt, there, Eir Stegalkin, by order of Knut Whitebear!” demanded a tall guard with blond braids.
Eir halted.
“Chilly welcome,” Rytlock noted, looking impressed.
“Tell Knut Whitebear that I have returned with a band of warriors to slay the Dragonspawn,” Eir ordered.
The guard nodded and turned to go but caught himself. “I give the orders here.”
“Go tell him.”
The guard’s eyes locked with hers in a staring contest that he quickly lost. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do.” He handed his spear to the guard beside him and stormed off. “We’ll see about this.”
The other guard, his hair dirty white like glacial runoff, hitched his chin at the wagon. “What’ve you got in there?”
“Provisions,” Eir said simply.
“Like what?”
“Like meat. Charr eat meat.”
The charr flashed a smile.
The guard stared at Rytlock. “You look familiar. Are you a gladiator?”
Rytlock’s smile only deepened. “One-third of Edge of Steel.”
“Edge of Steel!” the guard said, smacking himself in the head. “Of course! You’re famous. Everybody was talking about you, coming and going through the gate—so I went and saw you. Incredible! When you killed that destroyer harpy—”
“Racogorrix, yeah,” Rytlock supplied, hitching a claw over his shoulder. “That was Logan—”
“I thought the crowd was going to tear the place down!” the guard enthused. His eyebrows suddenly knitted. “Hey, did I hear something about you guys losing a match?”
It was Eir’s turn to smile. “We beat them.”
“You? You three? You and these two?”
“We’re geniuses,” Snaff explained.
Eir nodded. “We three and the dire wolf. We’re called Dragonspawn’s Destiny.”
“Yeah. Whoa! You beat Edge of Steel, and they joined up with you? That would make you, like, Edge of Dragonspawn’s Steely Destiny . . . uh, what do you call yourselves?”
“Destiny’s Edge,” Eir supplied.
Just then, the first guard returned, followed by a broad norn warrior with much scarred skin. Knut Whitebear’s eyes were black pits beneath his glowering brows.
Before he could speak, the second guard blurted, “Do you know who this is?”
“Eir Stegalkin,” Knut said, addressing her.
“Not just her, but these are Destiny’s Edge—the best gladiators ever with the band that beat them!”
Knut ignored the guard. “This is your band?”
Eir met his gaze. “Rytlock is a Blood Legion soldier, and Logan has fought for Queen Jennah. They, with Caithe, one of the firstborn sylvari, slew an ogre chiefling, his warband, and his hyenas. They killed devourers and destroyers and went undefeated in the arena in Lion’s Arch—”
“But the rest of these are the same hapless creatures you took before—”
“The rest of these defeated this undefeated team in combat not two weeks ago,” Eir said flatly.
Knut nodded, impressed, but doubt