Mistress of the Night - Don Bassingthwaite [125]
He'd seen Variance speak freely to the beasts, but the mastiff gave no sign of having understood him. It crouched low, moving closer, but at an angle that forced Keph to step away from the wall if he wanted to keep his distance from the beast. Its growl was deep and menacing. Keph twisted around, walking backward so he could keep an eye on it.
"Stay back," he repeated.
He juggled the book into his left hand so he could reach for Quick with his right… instinct again. The Selunites still had the damned rapier! He gasped out a curse and brandished the book like a shield.
The shadow mastiff darted forward.
Keph yelped and thrust out the book.
"Get back!" he yelled-
Except that the words that emerged from his lips weren't his. With a sudden, hideous rush, the whispers of the book came together, blasting through the weakness of his fear to tear across his soul, and out of his mouth. Keph shouted words that grated on his ears for a fleeting moment before vanishing like bad dreams.
The shadow mastiff let out a howling wail as its body smeared out against the darkness and evaporated into a wisp of dark smoke.
Burning pain seared through Keph's hand. With a howl of his own, he tossed the book back into his right hand and stared at his left. A silvery character branded his thumb-one of the characters from the black slates. He stared at it then at the book.
It seemed lighter than it had moments before. The whispers had receded slightly in his head.
He swallowed hard.
"Variance!"
Feena stalked around to the east side of Moonshadow Hall. If Bolan had commanded the attack on the temple's south, it made sense that Variance should have commanded the attack from the east. When Feena fought the Sharrans on the rooftop, that had been the direction the dark priestess's prayers had come from as well.
"Variance!" she roared again. "Come out!"
Behind her, Julith raced to keep up. Feena moved just slowly enough to allow her the chance to keep pace. Prayers of moonlight overhead cast bright, colorless pools down onto the streets and alleys around the temple walls-but in the shadows between buildings, darkness lay deep. Feena stopped and spun around, her arms raised.
"Variance, come out! I know you're here!"
A sudden whiff of shadowstuff, much like the mastiffs, caught her nose. She whirled.
Shadows parted down a side street and a tall Calishite woman stepped into a patch of moonlight. Dusky pale skin, plain black clothes, long dark hair… the only color about Variance was the purple wink of the amethyst ring on one finger.
Though she held the sharp steel ring of a chakram in her right hand casually, her eyes were intense.
"Your continued interference is unexpected and unwelcome."
"So was your attempt to turn Yhaunn against me by sending a shadow mastiff to mutilate Cyrume's body."
Variance's eyebrows rose slightly and she said, "You guessed."
"With Keph's help." Feena jerked her head at Julith and the younger priestess nodded. She slipped down the side street, keeping wide around to one side of Variance. Feena began to circle the other way. "Where is Keph? What have you done with him?"
"He's performing a special service for Shar."
"You lie," Feena growled. "You kidnapped him. He wouldn't help you or Shar."
Variance's gaze flickered to Julith, then settled back on Feena. "You've broken my enchantment as well, then. You are extraordinary. You speak as a beast. And I saw you fight the shadow mastiffs-your form flows like water. Selune's touch is strong upon you." Her eyes narrowed. "New Moon?" she asked.
Feena caught her breath and growled, "How do you know about the New Moon Pact?"
Variance laughed and said, "Shar's archives hold many secrets-especially the lore of her enemies. And the New Moon Pact is an old enemy to the Mistress of the Night. It was old when Netheril fell." Feena caught the subtle movement as she tensed. "Your defeat will be a pleasure."
"You're already defeated, Variance," called Julith. "Your cultists are captured. Your beasts are gone."
"Girl," Variance hissed without turning around,