Storm of the Dead - Lisa Smedman [10]
Kвras drew his second dagger. Valdar likewise drew steel. Kвras leaped forward. Thrust.
His target dodged aside. Valdar slashed, but Kвras barked out a one-word prayer. A shield of magical energy caught the blade and turned it aside.
The two males circled each other warily, each realizing he was evenly matched.
"Kill me and you'll be trapped here," Valdar said. His free hand flicked to the side. "Like them."
Kвras didn't need to look. He'd already noted the two drow corpses that lay nearby: one bled out from slit wrists, the other bone-thin from starvation. Each wore a black mask.
He continued to circle Valdar-a motion that allowed him to take in all of the cavern without shifting his attention from his opponent. Valdar just might be telling the truth: the cavern had no visible exits. And Kвras couldn't teleport.
"You're a Nightshadow," Valdar said. A statement, rather than a question. He'd obviously recognized Kвras's prayer.
Kвras watched his opponent closely. When Valdar lunged, he twisted aside. Kвras slashed, but the other male also danced nimbly away.
"Do you know who I am?" Valdar asked.
"I was told you must die. Who you are is not my concern."
"I'm a Nightshadow, like yourself. But not just any cleric. I'm the one who opened the gate between Vhaeraun's and Eilistraee's domains." Valdar gestured at the darkstones that lined the cavern. "This is where it was done."
Kвras couldn't help but reply. "If that's true, you're a traitor," he spat.
"Not at all. I merely did as Vhaeraun commanded." He nodded at the dagger in Kвras's fist and made a tsk noise. "And this is the reward I get."
"You did as Eilistraee commanded," Kвras corrected. "But that doesn't matter any more. I serve her, now."
"It was a priestess who ordered my assassination?" Valdar asked. His surprise seemed genuine. "But I thought…"
Kвras lunged. His target parried. The daggers clashed, and both males sprang away. Kвras circled, watching for another opening.
Valdar gave Kвras a scornful look. "You allow females to order you about? What kind of Nightshadow are you?"
Kвras felt his jaw muscles tighten. "One who now pays homage to the Masked Lady."
"The Masked Lord, you mean. It was Vhaeraun who killed Eilistraee. The priestesses are lying when they say it was the other way around."
Kвras couldn't let that pass without comment. "Then why is it you're not attacking me with your prayers? I'll tell you why; because Eilistraee won't grant you the spells to harm me." He nodded at the other male's dagger. "You're left with only one weapon: steel."
Valdar smiled. "In that regard, I'd say we're evenly matched. But now that we've taken each other's measure, I'd rather speak to you than stab you. And why?" He lowered his dagger slightly. "Because Vhaeraun still has need of you."
Kвras refused to be taken in by so obvious a feint.
"I assure you," Valdar continued, his dagger still lowered. "I'm telling the truth. Eilistraee is dead. Vhaeraun lives."
Bitterness welled in Kвras. "Then why have our most potent spells been stripped from us? Why is it that Eilistraee's priestesses have all the power, while we've lost ours?" He could hear the ache in his own voice. He was giving too much away, but he didn't care. "Why must I dance and sing instead of meditating in shadow and silence?"
Valdar nodded, as if in sympathy. "I know exactly how you feel. That first month, after I opened the gate, guilt nearly consumed me. Then I saw the shadows behind the light."
Both still held their weapons, but for the moment, they exchanged only stares. Valdar spoke first. "The priestesses are teaching that