Masquerades - Kate Novak [24]
"Just how good are they?" the Faceless asked.
"They were each able to defeat me in combat, albeit not without some minor help. That's why I died in their service. Champion's skills are unsurpassed among his own people. This Alias, though, is the luckiest sell-sword I've ever witnessed in battle. Lady Luck, the goddess Tymora, must keep an eye on her."
"How can they be scried?" the Faceless asked.
"As far as I know, they cannot. Apparently there's some enchantment cast on Alias that hides her from friends and enemies alike. Even King Azoun's wizard Vangerda-hast couldn't locate her."
"Do they have any Harper connections?"
"It's possible. Neither Alias nor the saurial wore the Harpers' little pin, but the saurial said Elminster the Sage had given Alias a magical stone, and a bard told me Alias had taught her certain songs, which I recognized as belonging to Finder Wyvernspur."
"Who?"
"Finder Wyvernspur. He was a Harper, one of the founders of the Harper revival in the north three centuries back. Fell into disgrace, I believe."
"So would you say this woman and her companion would be formidable foes?"
"Foes. You don't want them as foes, milord. They are not going to be frightened or defeated by mere thieves. They fight dragons and ancient gods and live."
The Faceless drummed his fingers on the ledge around the pool of water. "If they are as dangerous as you say, then perhaps they would make useful allies," he suggested.
The air all about the cavern rang with laughter. The Faceless scowled. "I fail to see the humor," he barked.
"I forgot, your language does not carry the subtleties of my own. I'll explain slowly enough for your mammalian brain to comprehend. As I said, the saurial warrior's true name translates roughly as 'Champion of Justice.' In other words, he serves the god Tyr. I called him a noble warrior because he has dedicated himself to Tyr's noble cause."
"Like a paladin?" the Faceless asked in surprise.
"Not like one, is one. Or would be if he were human. Saurials with such dedications have gifts similar to human paladins," Mist explained.
"Including the Sight?" the Faceless queried.
"The near equivalent," said the dragon, "More akin to my own race's ability to detect the unseen. He discerns the roiling mass of an individual's thoughts, feelings, and desires that make up the soul and the spirit, and is able to divine with a certain accuracy the individual's intentions. It is called shensight. I don't imagine he would have remained with Alias all these years unless the shensight of her was pleasing to him. He called her his soul's sister.
"So you see, I do not think they will become allied with you. Here I give you advice unbidden, milord," the dragon's dead spirit offered. "Do not pursue them, as I did, down the path to your own destruction. They are like gale winds or floodwaters. You must stay out of their path and wait them out."
"That may not be possible. They rescued Jamal the Thespian tonight, indicating they must be involved with her somehow. Knowing Jamal, she will use them to encourage the people to interfere with my plans. I must use them to further my plans, and I know just how to bring them to serve me."
"The Night Masks who serve you are all motivated by their greed, their cruelty, their sloth, and their arrogance. These two have none of these traits," the dragon's skull argued. "What can you possibly offer them?"
"The chance to serve the cause of justice."
The dragon skull remained silent. Mist had long ago learned not to argue with the Faceless's mad-sounding schemes.
The Faceless slammed his fist into the palm of his hand. "A powerful force this Alias may be, but I know now how to bring her to rein. And when the time comes, I will destroy her."
Five
House Dhostar
Mintassan offered Alias and Dragonbait quarters in his own home, but I Alias, uncomfortable with accepting