Hand of Fire - Ed Greenwood [46]
He was suddenly gazing into two eyes that blazed with tiny flames. "Or you'll do what, sir?" Shandril asked softly. "The man who stands between me and my Narm can expect to be ashes in a very short time.
If none of you swaggering blades will bring me my Narm, go and get Orthil Voldovan, and I'll see if I can make him more reasonable. Or I could just go do a little wagon-searching of my own, gentle sirs – and any man who tried to stop me wouldn't have to worry about brigands on the morrow… or ever again."
"Keep back, witch!" Mulgar snarled. The three guards hastily retreated, swords flashing up to menace her, and glanced this way and that for shields – or any handy cover.
"Sit you here, lass," Arauntar growled. "I'll go fetch Narm or Orthil for you. There's no need for flames or anyone hurt."
Shandril sighed and sat down on her wagon-perch, seeming suddenly small, young, and very close to tears. "Arauntar, you've no idea how many times I've said that these past few months – and how many folk have refused to listen to me and died." She waved a hand at Sarlor, Tarth, and Mulgar and added, "Don't make me add these three fools to my bonereckoning. Please."
Strangely, no one laughed or scoffed. Arauntar merely nodded and strode hastily off into the night.
The three guards lowered their swords and stared expressionlessly at Shandril, who sighed again and idly shaped a sword of flame from her fingertips.
Sarlor eyed it and started to curse softly, but Tarth slapped him to silence. Mulgar deliberately sheathed his own sword, made the downward, spreading gesture of flat, open hands that means "Enough. Let there be peace here between us," and slowly turned around to watch the night again. After a moment, Tarth also turned to take up that watch, but it was a long and wary time ere Sarlor reluctantly took his eyes off the fire-witch.
He looked swiftly back over his shoulder at her twice, thereafter, but she never moved from where she sat on the wagon-perch, head resting morosely on arms clasped around her knees… like many a young girl he'd seen brooding by firelight.
*******
"Well?"
Besmer emitted a little moan and whispered,
"Please, Lady, don't… don't toy with me. We must wait here."
"Besmer," the soft voice in his ear asked calmly,
"what did you intend to do to me, when we first met?
Rob me… or something more?"
The thief started to shake. "Uh – I – just rob you, Lady! Truly!"
"Besmer, you're a terrible liar. What if I'd been ugly, and a man, armored so heavily that your blade couldn't touch me but so trammeled that you could snatch my purse at will? Is stealing coins how you eat?"
"M-mostly, Lady. That and… jobs for the Master."
"How much does such work win you, in a tenday?"
"Sometimes much." She waited, and reluctantly he added, "Sometimes little: a few coppers, a silver falcon."
A slender hand came around in front of his face.
Between its fingers were four gold coins. "I pay well for good guides," his captor said calmly, "if they give me no trouble and offer me no treachery.
Remember that." The hand vanished again.
Besmer swallowed, and – his mind a-whirl – saw many possible treacheries. He also saw vividly the perils the Master of the Shadows could visit upon him for his guiding this night, or being bested by this mysterious woman, or just on a whim…
"You're thinking of whether you'll survive to spend any coins I give you, after bringing me here," the Lady's soft voice said from behind him. "You're wondering if you can hide those coins and somehow live to spend them – if you can flee Scornubel at all.
You're wondering what you can do to me if this damned cord is ever not around your neck. All of these things are as plain as the light of highsun.
What I don't know is whether you want to leave Scornubel… or if it's just too much a part of Besmer for you to dare."
Her words hung in the silence between them.
He licked his lips, swallowed – so much sweat was pouring down his face that it was dripping off his nose and chin – and whispered, "I don't want to, but now I'll have to or die. I can see that."