Sentinelspire - Mark Sehestedt [126]
"Y-yes," said Lewan, and he took an involuntary step away from the old druid.
"Yes! Yes, of course you have." His voice lowered, calming, becoming almost kind again. "But my dear boy, it was all a lie. Sauk gave you just enough truth to cloak Talieth's lies. From the beginning. Talieth has used you. She even sent a spy into your bed to corrupt you."
Lewan's heart lurched at the look of shock that passed over Berun's face. Both his master and the half-elf turned their gaze on Ulaan.
"What is this?" said Berun "I…" said Lewan. "It… it isn't what you think."
"No?" said Chereth. He glared at Ulaan. "You stand in this holy place and tell my son that you were not sent to his bed by your mistress to gain his sympathies and spy upon him?"
Fear lit in Ulaan's eyes. "Lewan-"
"Do not look to him!" said Chereth. "You have defiled him enough already. Trained in the arts of murder and seduction. What better way to get close to your victim?" Chereth turned to Lewan. "Talieth sent her to you to turn you to their cause. To stop me. To stop the world from returning to purity. To murder me and continue their little cult of death dealing. Once they were done with you, she'd have tossed you out… or worse."
"No!" said Ulaan. "At first, that's all it was. Duty. But now, we-
"Lies!" said Chereth. "Even now her honeyed tongue drips its poison. She is nothing more than a seductress, using you to get what she wants." The half-elf faced Ulaan, a look of malice twisting his features. He raised his staff and shouted, "Ebeneth!"
"Wait!" Lewan shouted, but it was too late.
The plants and vines struck. Some rose up and twisted like snakes, while others lashed like whips. The thickest struck Ulaan's side, knocking her off her feet, and a thick tangle of leaves and creepers caught her and twisted. More and more wrapped around her, binding her tight. With a flick of the old druid's staff, the vines dragged her back to him until they held her only a few paces away. She thrashed and kicked and screamed, but succeeded only in amassing a crisscross of scrapes and cuts across her skin.
Berun stepped forward. "Master Chereth, what-?"
"Even now she betrays us!" said Chereth. He shook his staff at Ulaan. "Did you think I would not know. Did you?"
Ulaan shrieked and thrashed. Blood streaked her face.
"Stop it!" said Lewan. "Stop! You're hurting her!"
"Do you know what she has done?" said Chereth. "The die is cast. She has used her little trinket"-the half-elf stepped forward, reached amidst the vines into Ulaan's shirt, and pulled out a silver chain upon which hung a red jewel -"to summon the assassins to rescue her conniving mistress." He released the jewel and it fell back against the girl's chest.
Lewan remembered Ulaan stumbling upon the stairs. He had heard her murmuring something. A signal. A cry for help.
"Release her!" said Lewan. "Please. Please, I beg you!"
"I can sense them now," said Chereth. His gaze seemed distant, and he gave no sign that he'd even heard Lewan. "In the courtyard. They are setting fire to my gardens." He chuckled. "They think that will protect them. Fools. Soon they will burn, and all they hold precious-and all the world will be my garden."
Ulaan stopped screaming. Her breath came in ragged gasps. Her eyes, pleading, looked to Lewan, then at Chereth.
"Still," said Chereth, "I cannot have them interfering. Berun, my son, I fear we cannot perform the last rite until dawn, when the stars and planets align, pulling upon Faerыn to release the energies I need."
"If all the assassins have come," said Berun, "we cannot withstand them all. They are too many." His voice sounded oddly flat. Emotionless and… resigned.
"We need not do anything," said Chereth, "save perhaps listen to the screams of the dying."
The druid raised his staff again and half-closed his eyes. Lewan heard him murmuring something. He looked