Song of the Saurials - Kate Novak [85]
"The elves have a saying: 'May you hear as clear as a diamond.' How's your hearing, Olive?"
Olive looked at Finder with a touch of confusion. Then it dawned on her. "You're speaking elvish!" she exclaimed. "I understood you perfectly! The earring's magic, too!"
Finder nodded. "You should be able to understand most of the languages of the Realms with it," he explained. "Still angry at me?"
"I should be," Olive said haughtily.
"I know. But are you?" he asked.
Olive sighed and shook her head from side to side.
Finder smiled and took a gulp of water from Olive's water flask. "Olive," he began, "is that all Flattery's image said-that he cleaned out the lab, and I should be dead?"
"That was it," Olive lied. "Then he sent the spokes of disintegration around the room and cropped off my hair."
Finder ran a finger along the strip of soft, auburn fuzz that was all that was left of Olive's hair on the crown of her head. "I suppose being short has its advantages," the bard joked feebly.
Olive sniffed. "So does crawling around on your belly, but its not very dignified," she said.
"Olive, will you give it a rest?" the bard growled. "We haven't any choice but to deal with Xaran."
"No, I will not," Olive replied, stamping her foot. Her anger returned instantly. She couldn't allow herself to be bribed by diamonds, magic or not.
"You cannot make a deal with a beholder," she told Finder. "Didn't you learn anything after Cassana and Phalse left you to rot in Cassana's dungeon?"
"Olive, we are not exactly negotiating from a position of strength," the bard said, indicating the empty room with a wave of his hand. "We haven't even got a potion of healing for your shoulder."
"You didn't know that before, when you started dealing with Xaran," Olive accused him.
"Immortality is nothing to sneeze at," Finder said angrily.
"Fine!" Olive snapped. "Swallow it whole. I hope you choke on it."
"Oh, for-" Finder broke off and sighed. "By now, immortality is a negotiating point I'll probably have to relinquish. There's nothing here I can offer him, and I have no intention of spending another year building simulacrums for evil monsters."
"So you're going to sell out Akabar just so you can get out of here alive?"
Olive asked.
"So we can get out of here, Olive," Finder said.
"I'll make my deals with a dagger," the halfling said.
"My, but haven't you gotten proud and brave in the past year?" Finder said sarcastically.
"I had a good teacher," Olive sputtered. "At least, I thought I did."
The side of Finder's face twitched as if he'd been slapped. He grabbed the halfling by her shoulders and pulled her close so their faces were only inches apart. Olive flinched from the pain in her wounded shoulder, but didn't say a word.
"Listen to me, Olive Ruskettle," Finder demanded. "There is no dishonor in surviving. You may manage to kill a few orcs, but they'll get you in the end.
They won't kill you right away, though. Oh, no. You're an attractive female, and the fact that you're small won't protect you one bit. They'll find that all the more amusing. You know what sort of monsters they are."
Olive shuddered and the blood drained from her face, but she wouldn't concede.
"I won't let you betray Akabar," she said, holding back a sob. "Xaran must have some way to make sure you don't cheat on any deal you make. Suppose he charms you with one of his magic eyes? Then you won't have much of a choice."
"I doubt Xaran's enchantments would have any power over me," Finder said.
"Xaran could put a magic choking collar around you in case you didn't come back, or send a party of orcs to escort us, or use me for a hostage."
"I won't leave here without you, and whatever guarantees Xaran decides to use, we'11 find a way around them," Finder assured her. "Besides, Xaran only said he wanted something Akabar had, not that he wanted to kill him. Suppose Akabar wants to sell this thing, whatever it is, to Xaran. Hmm?"
"Akabar is a cloth merchant. What's a beholder going to do with cloth? Hang curtains in the orcs' warren?"