Stardeep_ The Dungeons - Bruce R. Cordell [19]
Gage, Sathra, and her men watched with various degrees of horror as the glove quickly ate the trapped shadow creature, leaving nothing behind but a final, whispery cry of pain. The thief was aghast, but ttied not to teveal his shock on his face.
"So you see, Sathra," said Gage, getting his voice undet control, "send me all the lightless souls you want. I can defeat them. And my demon glove enjoys sucking down living flesh twice as much as unmoored souls."
The woman glared, her eyes narrowing as she considered. The confident, cruel expressions on her thugs' faces were gone. Mutters of uncertainty broke out behind Sathra. Good. But his display and bluff would only hold them, not defeat them. He knew his gauntlet had a hard limit on its daily wakefulness, and even then, it could eat only one man or shadow at a time. Gage had to use their moments of confusion to find a way out. He backed up anothet step until he stood next to Angul's open case.
"Angul! "whispered Gage. "I know you can hear me. Listen. Allow me to wield you, and I'll return you to Kiril! These before you are the enemy; they stole you, not me. Let me wield you against them, and we both can get home. Deal?"
Sathra finally said, "Impressive trick. Binding a shadow to my own is expensive. But I've got more than one. Can you eat all of them at once? And deal with all my men while fending me off, too? Shall we find out?" Sathra had hit upon his earlier conclusion, damn her guess.
The thugs at her back didn't look happy at their mistress's proposed experiment, especially those in the first rank. But Sathra's instincts weren't wrong.
The thief ignored the crime lord, focusing instead on his only hope for salvation. "Angul, be calm… don't burn me, all right?" he whispered urgently to the blade. Would the sword take his deal? Gage reached out his left hand, ungloved and raw. Deal or no, he didn't want to antagonize Angul with another demon-gloved grasp.
"Stop that!" yelled Sathra.
She raised her arms toward the ceiling, then brought them down in a sinuous movement, mimicking an ocean wave. Her halo of flickering darkness tore away, becoming a wave of whispering shadow that ctested toward Gage. Her men yelled and followed in the shadow's wake.
Gage snatched Angul and thrust its point toward the ceiling. Blue fite bloomed, bright as day, driving back darkness. Gage suddenly felt the strength moral certainty lends-felt it as if he'd always owned it. Tears broke from his eyes as all the failings of his life were laid bare, revealed in the sword's unrelenting light. Did he have Angul in his grip, or did the sword grip him?
These weren't his thoughts! He lived his life according to a code all his own. The enchanted blade sought to pervert his self-image. He wouldn't allow it! Gage wtestled with the feelings of remorse and repentance seeded by the blade. As he struggled, Sathra's shadow-surge foundered in Angul's sun-bright flame. Foundered, wavered, and began to evaporate like mist.
Sathra growled and with a gesture, dispersed the dark flock. She screamed, "Kill the man and get the burning sword, gods damn you!"
The men in the front rank flinched at her curse but launched themselves toward Gage. Gage remained still, transfixed with unsought enlightenment.
Those in the rear rank leveled crossbows, already cocked. The volley of bolts broke Gage's deadlock. Angul ceased its btainwashing ambush to sweep the air of iron bolts, deflecting all but the one that plunged into Gage's thigh.
He tensed with expected pain, but none came.
Your pain does not serve me yet.
The thief gasped as his legs, as if of their own impetus, ptopelled him toward Laothkund's crime lord. The offending, evil, blasphemous female would