Masquerades - Kate Novak [135]
Durgar, who knelt beside a bloodied but still breathing member of House Athagdal, looked up at Alias. "Follow the golem," he ordered her. "I will follow when I can. Go with Alias," he instructed three of his watchmen, who stood by uncertainly.
Alias dashed from the Tower with the watch behind her.
The injured golem was halfway down the Tower hill, moving northwest. Alias had no trouble keeping up with the monster, which even at top speed was ponderously slow. The swordswoman remained behind it and instructed the watch to do likewise. With mounting excitement, she realized the golem may actually lead her back to its point of origin-the Faceless's new lair.
Alias was just wondering what had happened to Dragonbait when Victor ran up beside her, sword in hand.
"You shouldn't be here," she said vehemently.
"I have to see where the golem goes. As long as I don't let myself get cornered, I can always outrun it," the nobleman argued.
Alias nodded, unable to counter Victor's logic or his desire to see this through to the end.
The golem moved through the streets without incident. Any nobles that were left in the city were no doubt at home piling furniture in front of the doors, and no one else in the streets was so foolish as to challenge the monster.
Finally the golem halted before a ramshackle warehouse near the House Urdo docks. It banged once on the door, which swung open, bathing the golem in a yellow glow. The monster disappeared inside.
Alias ordered Victor and the watchmen to remain at the warehouse gate as she crept up to the door. The golem stood just inside, unmoving, as if awaiting instructions. Alias slipped past the creature, turned about, and tapped on its chest with the tip of her sword. The creature loomed over her, but remained perfectly still.
The swordswoman waved for the others to join her. Alias kept an eye on the golem as Victor entered the room, but the noble's appearance did not reactivate the monster. Its Wiling spree was over for the time being.
The room was a cavernous vault. In the center stood a great table of ebony stone glittering with veins of gold, a twin to the one in the Night Masters' last conference room. Most of the ten chairs surrounding it were pushed out, a few overturned, but the tenth chair remained against the table. What appeared to be a man was slumped in the chair. The man's face was obscured by
some strange magic, which blurred its features like rain damages a chalk portrait. A bloodstain clotted his robes. He was as immobile as the golem.
On the table before the figure lay a sheet of paper. Scrawled in blood was the message, "Death to all who betray and defy our will, noble or common, Night Mask or outsider. So say the Night Masters."
As Alias was examining the sheet of paper, Durgar entered. He had battled the golems until they were no longer a threat, then spent his last remaining energies casting magical curative spells on the wounded. The old priest looked drained, but he would not, Alias realized, forsake what he perceived to be his duty.
Durgar stepped forward and took the paper from Alias's hand. He scowled angrily at the words. Without ceremony, his face as emotionless as the golems', the priest ran his hand down the dead figure's face. A jingling mask of threaded coins came away in his hand.
The illusory blur of the Faceless became the features of Croamarkh Luer Dhostar.
Alias reached out to steady Victor, who swayed in shock and gasped, "Sweet Mystra! It can't really be true."
Durgar collapsed into the nearest empty chair, dropping the mask onto the table and cradling his head in his hands. "The croamarkh in league with the Night Masks. I can't believe it," the old priest whispered.
"It's true, Your Reverence," Alias said. "We have other evidence linking him to them. No doubt they turned on him for some perceived betrayal. Perhaps they decided to turn their golems loose against the nobles, but Lord Luer fought against them. Perhaps the golems perceived he was a noble and turned on him first. Perhaps-"