Neversfall - Ed Gentry [72]
"Always too clever for your own good, weren't you?" he said, adjusting his grip on his axe.
"The Maquar wizard?" Adeenya asked.
"Aye," Marlke replied, a grin creeping onto his face.
"Who are the attackers to you? Why would you help them?"
The dwarf laughed as he circled to his right, spinning the axe in his hand. The head of the weapon caught one of the few beams of light in the room, and the resulting flash caused her to squint for a moment. Marlke leaped forward at that instant with a sweeping blow. She avoided the thrust with a twist of her body.
"They're nothing to me," he said, circling to his left.
Adeenya matched his pace and counter-circled. "Then why help them?"
"Why? For the coin, of course. Why else? Well… that and their help with killing my uncle," the dwarf said.
Adeenya knew that Marlke was the only heir to the Gemstone Chaka's ruler. Were the venerable Stoutgut patron to die, Marlke would inherit complete control of the Gemstone Chaka's considerable holdings, not the least of which were their newly discovered mine and a seat on the ruling council.
"Why not just betray your uncle and kill him yourself? You're more than capable," she spat.
Marlke rolled his eyes and said, "Oh, yes, clean and easy is your view of me, isn't it?"
He stepped in, drawing the axe across her body in a short span. The blade bit at her armor, catching enough to send her into a half-spin. She recovered her feet and responded with a wide blow.
"Ah, but there's so much more at stake. That's your problem," Marlke said. "You're so busy fussing over the details of a thing, you can't see the big picture. Well, hear me when I tell you things are never that simple."
"You'll forgive me if the lessons of a mad killer don't hold much weight with me," she said, feigning another strike.
The dwarf did not oblige her attempt and merely chuckled. "See, there you go again!" he said, slowing his pace and changing directions. "A lesson is a thing to pay heed to, no matter where it comes from. And what's so mad about making coin?" "Blood coin," she said.
"Don't be so dramatic," the dwarf replied, ceasing his circling. "You've spent your fair share of the stuff that your daddy earned."
Adeenya centered herself on him and stopped. Marlke gave her a grin before charging, pulling the axe back for a swipe. She drove forward to meet his charge until she saw his swing come toward her from behind his back. His face showed the strain of power he was putting into the blow. Her sword was no match to parry the axe with the dwarPs full strength behind it. Adeenya threw herself on her side, the world tilting in her eyes as she plummeted to the floor. The axe rang against the stone floor where she had been only a moment before. She landed hard on her right shoulder but twisted immediately to her back. She drove her short sword into the dwarPs belly between two horizontal bands of his layered armor before rolling away and finding her feet.
Marlke let go of his axe, the weapon clattering on the floor, and placed his hands on his wound as he staggered back. Adeenya came forward with her sword drawn back, ready to cleave his head from his shoulders if he came after her again. The dwarf stumbled and slid to the floor. Adeenya heard the door open behind her. Marlke's face turned from pain to amusement as his eyes looked past her. She spared a glance over her shoulder to see Jhoqo closing the door behind him.
"You've done well," the Maquar urir said.
"Thanks, but she got me pretty good," Marlke said.
Jhoqo shook his head and walked to stand next to Adeenya. "I am sorry you were betrayed by this filthy ojbadu," Jhoqo said to her.
Adeenya caught her breath, befuddled by the dwarfs answer to the man. She turned her gaze from Jhoqo's kind face to see Marlke coming to his feet, his brow furrowed. His eyes were not on her but on Jhoqo. She turned to look at the Maquar but suddenly her head was falling forward and a sharp pain shot across her neck. She hit the floor, face first, her head bouncing