Sword of the Gods - Bruce R. Cordell [57]
Demascus said, “Regardless of what I was before, it’s not who I am now.”
“But maybe you can be so again,” said Chant. “If you find your sword. It’s either that, or … you could turn your back on it all, and start fresh. Throw away the Veil, leave Airspur, and never look back.”
“But then I’ll never really know who I was,” protested Demascus.
Riltana leaned forward. “Or figure out what the Veil meant by you falling into sin. What’d you get up to?”
Demascus rubbed his brow as if trying to massage away an incipient headache. He said, “In my very first memory, I was strangling a priest with the Veil. A priest whose name was Tarsis, I think. A priest of Oghma.”
“Oh,” said Riltana.
Chant asked, “Was this Tarsis the one the avatar wanted you to dispatch?”
“No. Tarsis was the one who introduced me to the avatar. The name the avatar gave me to deal with was Undryl Yannathar. Who also means nothing to me.”
Chant shrugged and Riltana said, “Never heard it before either.”
Quiet again descended on the shop. Chant didn’t know what else to say, so he just studied … the deva.
Demascus stood up suddenly. “I should go.”
“Go where?” said Chant.
“Away from here, until I can figure out what’s going on. I feel as if my head’s in danger of exploding. And I shouldn’t drag either of you into my problems.”
“I dragged myself into it by stealing your scarf, you idiot,” said Riltana. “And then Kalkan tried to kill me. No one puts a hit on me and gets away with it. In my line of work, you can’t let people walk over you. And I bet you he’s your nemesis too! Don’t walk away from help I’m happy to give you free of charge.”
“And I,” said Chant, “have far too much to gain, in knowledge alone, to not help you figure out what it’s all about.” On the other hand, he didn’t say, I hope that your mysterious nemesis doesn’t decide to even the odds by taking out your newest associates first. I’ve got enough people scheming for my skin.
Riltana snorted and said, “Not to mention the prestige you’d gain for palling around with a divine assassin.”
“What’re you talking about?” Chant frowned at the woman.
“I know the circles you run in, Morven. People you interact with make my petty thievery look like child’s play.”
His face felt warm. But he didn’t gainsay Riltana. Instead, he stared at Demascus and said, “So it looks like you’ve got some allies in this. If you really want to untangle your past, you’ll manage it quicker and easier with our aid.”
Demascus blew out a long breath. He finally said, “You’re right. Thank you.”
“Good, now sit down,” said Riltana. “Because I want to know what that four-armed creature was that attacked us after you found me in the caves.”
Demascus shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Chant didn’t want to tell Demascus or Riltana about his own troubles; it was none of their business! But he’d been bitten enough to know holding secrets too tightly from friends was asking for it. He said, “Listen. I’ve made a few enemies myself. One so fierce you could call him my nemesis.”
“Really,” said Riltana, but in a way that suggested she wasn’t the least surprised.
“But they’re mostly street thugs, not monsters like what came after us. Not that I think that’s relevant to the demon that ambushed us. I think we have to assume it was something meant to find and dispatch Demascus.”
Demascus said, “The thing in the Sepulcher was like a more powerful version of the thing that attacked me when I woke up at the shrine. It even croaked something out about the Elder Elemental Eye when it attacked us, and we know the Cabal was involved with that.”
She nodded, then mused, “It’s still hard to believe the Cabal Motherhouse is destroyed.”
“Saw it with my own two eyes,” said Chant. “Anyhow, if the Cabal was somehow involved with the Cult of the Elder Elemental Eye, then perhaps it’s no wonder. The Elder Elemental Eye is nothing to trifle with, no matter how bat-crap crazy you are.”
“And now,” said Riltana, “your Veil has apparently exhausted its ability to communicate. We’re out of leads. Until the next demon shows up