The Howling Delve - Jaleigh Johnson [96]
"You still don't understand," said Aazen. "My choice was made a long time ago. I cannot disobey my father. He is all I have."
"You had mel" Anger and long-buried resentment sparked to life within Kail. "You could have started a new life. You could have escaped him."
"As you escaped your father?" Aazen said coldly. "Where has your freedom-the freedom /won for you-brought you, Kali? Right back to Amn and the arms of the merchants, right back to the edge of death, only this time, I won't be there to save you."
"It's not the same."
"Oh, but it is," said Aazen bitterly. "Our deeds are unforgivable, I grant you. I have no illusions about my life. But your father was as ruthless a murderer as mine."
"No."
"His actions sprang from the same darkness of heart. Why do you think friendship blossomed so easily between them? They were two similar creatures who came into conflict with one another."
"My father was nothing like Balram!" Kail spat.
"He was brought down, crippled long before death, but if he'd been left unchecked, his cruelties might have come to rival Balram's. Yet you've devoted your life to avenging him and restoring what he lost through his own folly. You never gave half so much thought to Haig's legacy, did you? How terrified you must have been to even face his memory."
"You know nothing of Haig."
"But I know you, Kail. You stand before me in a cage as complex and binding as my own, and you have the gall to promise to free me?" Aazen laughed. "We are both trapped. We can only claw at each other from our prisons. The loser in this contest may end up being the fortunate one."
"Is that the way it's to be, then?" said Kali sadly. "Is that what you tmly want, Aazen?"
The question seemed to stit his friend, and for a breath something faltered in Aazen's gaze. Kail took a step forward, but Aazen recoiled, falling behind the men with bows. "Kill him," he said cleaily.
At close range, the arrows were a blur. Kail only saw the twin jets of flame. The missiles burned up in mid-flight.
Meisha matetialized next to Kail, het eyes red as she stated down the bowmen. His friends appeared in a swarm as Dantane's invisibility cloak fell away.
Garavin swung his maul, smashing aside the bows. Theit bearers fell back out of reach of the massive weapon and broke their protective flank around Aazen. Borl ran alongside his master, snarling and herding them into a corner of the room.
Morgan and Laerin fought side by side with swotds and daggers. They formed a rough wall for Meisha and Dantane to cast spells behind while Kali separated from the group and chased after Aazen.
Two heads of white-gold hair met him as Isslun and her twin crowded him from Aazen's othet side.
"Never turn down two at once," sang Isslun as the twins attacked in unison. She slashed high, almost lazily, aiming for Kail's throat. Her sister ducked under the strike and came up in a burst of speed at his guard.
Kali crouched, sweeping aside Aliyea's blade. "How you survived the years since our last meeting"-he came up under her sword, forcing her to follow him back to his feet-"is a mystery." He danced to one side, spinning so that Isslun was between him and Aliyea's attack. "They've been hard years, though, haven't they?" he taunted. He slashed his swotd in a mimic of Isslun's strike, tracing the line of a white scar running along the woman's jaw. Isslun flinched, and Kali came at her. He shifted his grip, changed the direction of his swing and cut a much deeper line across Isslun's stomach. She let out a shocked gasp, clutching at her abdomen.
Aliyea shouted her sistet's name in rage. She drew a dagger from her belt and hurled it over her sister's shoulder as Isslun crumpled to the floor. Kail spun away, but the fang sunk into his arm, and pierced through to the other side of the muscle. Pain tan a fire trail up his arm. Kali dropped back, kicking out with his foot to sweep Aliyea's legs out from under her as she charged him. She fell, but she grabbed the dagger hilt protruding from Kail's