Stormlight - Ed Greenwood [61]
Storm nodded. "Wearing the shape of a Zhent or Cult wizard, it seems."
Ergluth looked down at what she held. "So he was a Harper."
TheBard of Shadowdale shook her head. "I doubt it. Sympathetic to the Way of the Harp, perhaps, but I'd have known if he was in our ranks. And this was laid at his throat with no chain or pin to hold it there. No, this is another taunt to me-a double thrust."
Ergluth raised a brow. "A death and Harper blame for it?"
Storm shook her head again. "Two deaths; this one, and whatever Harper he slew to get this." She handed him the pin "Put this in a place of stone, far from things that can bum or folk who can be affected by magic-a dungeon cell will do. I'm going hunting."
"How does one hunt a shapeshifer?" Ergluth asked grimly. "He could be anyone in the kingdom!"
Storm turned to look at him. "Not quite. I've raised a barrier he cannot pass-at least, not without my knowing it He can be anyone only in Firefall Keep."
"You've shut him in here with us," one of the Purple Dragons gasped.
Storm's eyes met his. "That's right," she said softly. "I'm very much afraid some of us will soon learn what the phrase 'died for the good of the realm' really means."
*****
Not far away, Shayna Summerstar trembled in the darkness against a wall, staring again and again at the blood on her fingertips.
WELL DONE. WASH IT AWAY AND BE AT PEACE. SEE HOW EASY IT IS TO SLAY?
I hate it. I hated tricking that old man.
IT WAS NECESSARY.
Why?
I WANTED YOU TO-THAT’S WHY.
Shayna shivered again, but said nothing.
NOW COME TO ME. YOU'LL FIND ME MUCH BETTER COMPANY THAN AN OLD, OVERWEIGHT STEWARD.
Shayna bit her lip, felt a protest well up within her-and then found herself pushing away from the wall and walking toward him. There was a deliberate strut to her stride as she went, swaying her hips like a tavern-dancer.
She could not even scream in protest. When she came around a corner two hallways later and looked into the eyes of a startled guard, she winked, smiled, and then strutted provocatively past him. He did not see the blood on her hand. She took the stairs beyond two steps at a time, hurrying to be with her waiting, smiling master.
Her Dark Master.
Ten
TO DREAM OF A DRAGON
Storm yawned once more and stumbled, bruising her shoulder against the passage wall. "Careful, lady," the guard just behind her said, reaching out a hand.
"Aye. You should get some sleep," said Ergluth, at her elbow.
Storm shook her head. "I don't need… can't need…"
Then it struck her. Of course she'd need sleep, now, like any other mortal, with Mystra's silver fire flowing out of her endlessly to fuel the barrier. That was why she was so exhausted, her legs rubbery and blundering. For the first time in centuries, she desperately needed sleep
"You're right," she said abruptly, and handed her to the nearest guard. "It's…" She lifted her head, trying to remember where her bed was.
"We're heading there now," the boldshield told her. When she gave him a hard look, he shrugged and added, "It's along our way."
Wearily, Storm nodded. It seemed only a moment later that she was dropping the bar into place across the inside of her closed door, yawning once more, and turning to make sure the room was empty of lurking shapeshifters.
It was, or seemed to be. Storm shucked her glove, unlaced and kicked off her boots, undid her sword belt and let it fall, and hauled the tunic off over her head. The rest could wait.
The bed felt so soft… With an effort, Storm sat up, blinked sleep from her eyes for just a few moments longer, and carefully cast two of the precious spells she had left. Wards flickered into glowing life around the bed, shimmering where the silver tire streamed out through them. No spell, and no body-however it changed its shape-should be able to reach her now.
Storm sighed, shook her head at the thought that she couldn't cower in a bed for very long… and then she was swimming in warm white mists.
Dark things loomed out of them as she moved forward, flying now. The black fingers of giants, frozen into vainly reaching stone