Obsidian Ridge - Jess Lebow [73]
The Claw drew in a little closer.
"I hear you," said the hoofed man. He stopped walking, but he did not turn around. "You will not surprise me."
The Claw stepped out from behind the stalagmite. "I mean you no harm. I am just looking for someone."
"You have found someone," said the man.
"I am looking for a woman," said the Claw. "A princess."
The man's ears perked up. "A princess? What ever would a princess be doing in a place like this?"
"If you have seen her, just tell me which direction to head," said the Claw. "Then I will leave you alone and be on my way."
"Now why would I want you to do that?" asked the man, finally turning around, revealing a woman's silhouetted face emblazoned in gold on the front of his robes-the symbol for the temple of Waukeen.
His face was long, like the snout of a wolf, only much more compact. Sharpened teeth jutted out from under his curled lips as he spoke. A pair of short horns shot out from his forehead, and he held his blade easily in one hairy hand, dangling at his side.
"I do not wish to fight you," said the Claw.
"Who said anything about a fight?" The man stood still for a moment, eyeing the Claw. "Do you know who I am?"
The Claw shook his head. The man looked familiar somehow, but he didn't recognize him. "I don't think so."
The man stepped closer. "Well then you should get to know me," he said.
With lightning speed the man's blade left his side, whispering as it cut the air.
The Claw only had time to raise his gauntlets to block the strike. His right hand connected with the man's sword, followed by a harmonious clang and clatter as all four blades broke free and dropped to the cave floor. The horned man's sword came to a rest at his side, unblemished.
The Claw stumbled back in shock. The high wizard Ellhimar had constructed those gauntlets. Nothing had ever so much as tarnished the edge, yet this stranger's sword had taken the blades clean off.
"Who are you?" asked the Claw.
"It will come to you," replied the horned man.
A cold chill ran down the Claw's spine. His voice did sound familiar.
The horned man's blade whispered again as it split the air.
The Claw dodged back, careful not to risk his remaining gauntlet. The sword slipped past, just missing his face, and the horned man brought it around again, this time in a flat arc. The Claw dodged again, throwing himself against the mossy cave wall. The blade missed his face, but this time the razor tip bit into his mask, slicing it away from cheekbone to cheekbone, just below both eyes. A brief flash filled the chamber as the magic inside failed, and the bottom half slipped away, dropping to the cave floor and revealing his rugged face and blond hair.
The horned man lowered his blade. "Well, well, well," he said, obviously pleased with himself. "If it isn't Quinn, King Korox's bodyguard."
Quinn lifted his right hand to his exposed chin. Though it was his own flesh, it felt stubbly and strange. His second life had been revealed-incongruous halves of the same whole. He knew the Cellar was full of many dangers, but this was not one he had considered.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Arch Magus Xeries downed the last drop of wine in his goblet and looked out over the edge of his citadel onto Shalane Lake. The moon reflected on the water's surface as it rose-a long, shimmering band of pale yellow light.
He took a deep breath, thinking about what he was about to do. This had been his home, had been the land he wanted to rule alongside his wife. That dream had never come to pass. His disfigurement and the loss of his beloved had ended his hopes for ever becoming king.
Now Xeries stood high above the valley, looking down on what at one time he had most coveted. Would seeing this place in ruins make him happy? Probably not. It wasn't Erlkazar that was withholding from him the thing he now desired.
It was the man who ruled Erlkazar who had everything Xeries wanted.
And that man now needed