Sentinelspire - Mark Sehestedt [74]
The man smiled and gave a slight bow. "Forgive me again," he said. "Though you have been a guest in my home for some days, I have not yet greeted you-though I understand you have been partaking of my hospitality. Well met, Lewan."
"Your… house?" said Lewan. "You mean, you're…"
"The Old Man of the Mountain. Master of Sentinelspire."
Lewan's mouth went dry, and his heart began to hammer again. "Uh… w-well met, Master. Thank you for your, um… hospitality. Your daughter the Lady Talieth has made me most comfortable."
"Has she?" The Old Man chuckled. "She does like them young, but I would have thought you were a bit young even for her."
Lewan blushed and averted his eyes. "That was not my meaning, my lord! I-"
"And now," the Old Man cut him off, "I must ask your forgiveness a third time. I know what you meant, young man. I was simply having a bit of fun. But I am glad you have met Talieth, for it is she about which we must speak. She and the half-orc and their little… what would be the word?"
"Word, my lord?"
"You and I have just met, Lewan. I am trying to mind my manners, as they say. Put a polite term to their very impolite… plotting."
"Plotting, lord?"
The Old Man frowned. "Don't dither with me, boy. You're an honest young man. Your master brought you up right. Six days in my fortress, and you are already practicing the arts of deceit. Please allow me to be brutally honest with you, Lewan. You're no good at it. Don't try. Remain true to yourself."
He knows, Lewan thought. Knows it all. Knows Talieth is trying to stop him. Knows Sauk is in on it. Knows I'm helping them. He might even know the bargain I've struck. Lewan's fear paled into something approaching sheer terror at that, and he thought, Oh, Ulaan…
"I've not come to kill you, boy," said the Old Man. "And your girl is safe from me."
Lewan's eyes widened and his mouth dropped.
The Old Man threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, dear boy! Don't look so shocked. I'm no wizard, reading your thoughts like a tome. You wear your thoughts plain on your face. However…" The good humor left the Old Man's face and he looked down on Lewan with utmost solemnity. "I will not tell you not to fear. Be very afraid, Lewan. Talieth and her little conspiracy… well, I'll forsake politeness for bluntness on this point. They are lying to you. They are using you. Do not trust them."
Doubt began to course through Lewan, like a poison slowly working its way through the veins. It occurred to him to wonder why he had never seriously questioned Talieth's tale or her motives. True enough, a large part of it at first was that he'd believed himself a prisoner without much choice. But there were the earthquakes, that plume of steam from the mountaintop earlier, and the Old Man was a lord of assassins, after all, a master of murderers. Then the obvious question occurred to Lewan.
"Why-?"
"Why haven't I done something about it?" Lewan nodded, unable to speak.
The Old Man shook his head. "Well, let me just say that the time is not yet right." "The… time?"
"Let me guess," said the Old Man. "Talieth, Sauk, maybe even a few of the other blades, have told you that I have gone quite mad and am intent on destroying all they hold dear. To assure your sympathies, they have probably even told you that my nefarious plans will destroy all you hold dear as well. Do I hit close to the mark?"
Lewan said nothing and had to force himself not to nod. He didn't know who or what to believe.
"Truth is a rare gift, Lewan," said the Old Man, "but I will give it to you now. I am not out to destroy the world, but to save it-save it from Talieth and those like her, whose greed and ambition would destroy anyone and anything that gets in their way."
The sounds of crickets and night birds began to fill the wood, as Lewan simply sat there, staring into the pool. In the past tenday, his entire world had been cracked. He felt raw, drained, and utterly and completely confused. He put his head in his hands, and without looking up, he said, "Why are you telling me all this? What if I don't