Guild Wars_ Ghosts of Ascalon - Matt Forbeck [124]
“Then what are you going to do with it?” said Dougal, looking around. Perhaps if he could grab a rock, he might be able to stun her at a distance. It seemed a pitiful chance.
“The Flame Legion,” said Riona brightly now. “I’m going to give it to the Flame Legion.”
“What?” Dougal almost shouted.
“Think of it, Dougal,” said Riona. “If the Flame Legion gained the Claw, there would be a civil war. The charr women, like Ember, would rebel at once, but there would be enough of those charr in the other legions who would follow a new Khan-Ur to schism the legions. The charr would collapse in a civil war, and we could break the siege, pitting one side against the other. The humans would be able to retake Ascalon. We would be able to retake Ascalon!”
Dougal’s mind raced, and he said, “So you caught that Flame Legion soldier after all.”
“And made a deal,” said Riona.
“The others trusted you,” said Dougal. “Killeen, Kranxx, Gullik, even Ember.”
“Why should we care? They’re not even human,” Riona scoffed at him. “I’m a true daughter of Ebonhawke. You should be a true son. You know what happens to Ebonhawke if the queen and this truce faction manage to forge some kind of agreement? We lose. It’s only a matter of time before the charr betray us and Ebonhawke falls.”
Dougal gawked at her. “I trusted you too. You helped me believe.”
“I thought I trusted you,” said Riona. “I really did. I thought you were smart enough to see how things were. Everything I knew about you, from when you and the others deserted me, told me I could convince you. But no, you are still haunted by your late wife. Wife! When you told me, I knew it would be near impossible to convince you: you’re still in love with a dead woman. That’s why you really came here, isn’t it?”
“We can talk,” said Dougal, mentally planning handholds on the slick wall. He set down the bag of platinum coins. It would just slow him down.
“We can’t,” said Riona. “When I was attacked by ghosts, you called out her name, not mine. You still love her, Dougal. You came here to find her. And now I’m leaving you with her. Both of you can remain together in death.”
Riona laughed, but her laugh turned into a scream of pain and surprise. Her silhouette disappeared from the top of the pit. There was a feral growl and the clash of metal on metal.
Dougal ran to the base of the wall and started climbing. He did not know if he could make it in time or what he would do once he reached the top.
But he knew one thing. Ember Doomforge was still alive.
Dougal dug his fingers into the wall and climbed faster and faster. To keep from slipping, he stabbed his fingers into the crumbling masonry over and over again. He scraped his hands raw forcing handholds in his race to reach the top.
He could hear Ember clearly now: “Traitor!” she bellowed, and there was the clash of metal again. Dougal redoubled his effort.
Dougal clawed his way to the top of the pit in time to see Riona standing, facing the charr. Parts of her bright armor had been ripped away, and she had claw marks along her exposed arms. Ember was worse off: her heavy blade was knocked aside and she clutched her bleeding midsection, struggling to hold her insides together.
As Dougal watched, Ember managed a curse, spitting blood, and dropped to her knees, then fell forward. Dougal climbed over the edge and rose to his feet as a nasty grin split Riona’s face. “It always makes me so happy to see a charr die.”
Dougal’s ebony blade sprang from its sheath, and he held it before him, his raw fingers smearing its hilt. “Don’t make me hurt you, Riona,” he said. “Just give me the Claw.”
Riona wheeled, surprised by Dougal’s appearance. As he watched, her expression turned from rage to a softness. “Dougal,