Song of the Saurials - Kate Novak [86]
Finder released Olive's shoulders and tugged playfully at the diamond earring.
"You are such a stubborn woman," he said. "Trust me. I'm going to get us out of here alive, and I won't let anything happen to Akabar, but I need your help."
Olive looked up into the bard's blue eyes. She felt like a moth drawn to a candle. She was probably always going to end up being drawn into Finder's schemes-at least, until she got burned in one of them, like a moth in a candle flame.
"Here," she said, handing him his dagger. "I found it in the tunnels. You may need it."
Finder's face lit up at the sight of the heirloom weapon. "You really are my little Lady Luck, aren't you?" he said, taking the weapon.
"Maybe that's why you have so little luck," Olive bantered.
"When you have talent like mine," the bard boasted, "a little luck is all you need."
Olive shook her head disapprovingly. "Let's just get this little tea party over with," she muttered.
Finder removed a light stone from the wall and gave it to the halfling to hold.
He held his dagger out in his right hand and took up Olive's free hand in his left. "Stay close," he ordered, leading her to the door.
You're so bright, what moth could resist? Olive thought ruefully.
Finder traced the treble clef symbol with his finger. The door opened inward a foot. The orcs in the corridor immediately began to shriek and holler. Finder jerked Olive through the door and whistled three notes. The door slammed shut behind them.
Six especially large orcs with loaded crossbows blocked their way. There must have been at least another twenty sitting in the corridor beyond. The monsters squinted in the light of the stone Olive held up, but they could obviously see well enough to shoot at the human and the halfling.
Undaunted by the numbers of the enemy, Finder took charge immediately. In a fighting stance, with his dagger flashing in the light, he snarled at the assembled orcs.
"Take us to Xaran!" he ordered.
The orcs growled. The largest one snarled at Finder in common, "Throw down your weapons-and that light, too."
Finder stepped close to the orc who had spoken. Ignoring the crossbow bolt pointed at his belly, he snarled back, "You will take us to Xaran as we are, or I will see that Xaran punishes you for your insolence."
The monster cursed in orcish. Olive, wearing the magic earring, understood the words clearly, though she wished she hadn't. The large orc turned his back on Finder and walked down the corridor. Finder followed behind, close enough to smell the stench of the creature's clothing as he pulled Olive behind him.
Some of the orcs ran ahead and disappeared through the gap in the corridor wall, dashing down the tunnel beyond to alert the rest of their tribe. Most of the orcs waited for their leader and the prisoner to pass, then they stood up and followed. Olive could see them pointing at her and hear them whispering foul words and feel their eyes on her.
Just before they stepped through the gap in the wall, another especially large orc blocked the leader's path and said in orcish. "Xaran is only interested in the bard. We were promised any treasure he brought out of the magic room. By rights, the little one is ours." The other orcs rumbled approvingly.
The leader of the orcs turned to Finder. "My brother is right. Xaran is interested in only you. Leave the halfling behind," he ordered.
Olive suddenly remembered what it was like to be her old, terrified self again.
She clung to Finder's hand but did her best not to whimper.
Finder looked over both the leader orc and his brother with obvious disdain.
"She's mine," he said.
"Xaran does not care about the halfling," the leader said. "He will not punish us if we do not bring her"
"But I will," Finder barked in orcish. "Slowly," he added threateningly.
The leader orc snarled, but he turned and led them on. His brother eyed Finder with hostility. Finder returned the look with an even fiercer one, an undisguised hatred that startled the orc into stepping backward.
Finder squeezed through the gap in