The Nether Scroll - Lynn Abbey [32]
"What about Lady Mantis?" Dru asked. "I got a look at your face when the goblin spoke that name. If you're in trouble, Tiep, you'd be wisest to tell us everything right now."
Tiep stiffened. "No trouble," he insisted, not altogether convincingly.
Dru thought fast. What they needed to do was get out of Parnast quickly, before discomfort became disaster. He missed the first part of what Tiep had to say about the goblin's lady.
"… tall, and always wears white. Her hair's white, too, with brown stripes, not up and down, but crosswise."
"Lady Mantis sounds more like Lady Owl to me," Galimer judged. "A woman alone in the woods with a goblin-unusual, yes, but not unthinkable, if she's a wizard, or more than a wizard. I saw you ring the dog-face early on. Anything come of that?"
"Sheemzher's a goblin. I've never measured a goblin. I didn't sense anything extraordinary-nothing like a stripe-haired woman pretending to be something she wasn't. I believe that he's a servant… a minion. I took a walk to Weathercote this morning. You know how a place feels when it feels too peaceful?"
Galimer nodded.
"The forest around here has that feel."
"Forget the forest! Last I heard we had Zhentarim trouble," Rozt'a fumed. "Forget the dog-face and his bug-lady. Forget everything except that he claims he saw Amarandaris looking angry after you left. Are we going to slip out of here tonight?" She confronted Tiep. "You've gotten way too friendly, way too fast with this Manya and her family. They know you're just passing through. There wasn't any good reason for her father to be telling you his life story, or was there?"
The youth screwed his lips into a scowl. "Maybe he didn't want me thinking that his life hadn't been exciting. Look, are we going to cut and run?"
"Tiep!" Rozt'a roared.
"Well, if we're not, and you're done taking my life apart, I'd like to go out-"
His voice faded before he got to the where and why parts of his desire. Dru caught questioning glances from Rozt'a and Galimer.
"We're not running," Dru decided. "If we run once, we'll be running forever. We'll find a way to ride out of here with our heads up."
"I'll try the merchants again tomorrow," Galimer offered. "Now that I know what we're up against, I might have better luck."
"So, can I go out?" Tiep interrupted Galimer. "And what about the blue-eyes? Can I trade for the boxes?"
Rozt'a planted herself in front of the door. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Is her word final?" Tiep appealed to Dru and Galimer.
Galimer said, "Yes. You're staying here."
Druhallen surprised himself by saying, "No. What's cut, stays cut. If you're not telling the truth, you're the one who has to live with yourself."
The youth grimaced the way youths had grimaced at their elders since the dawn of time. "I'm fine. What about the blue-eyes? Can I trade?"
That was Galimer's decision alone. The gold-haired wizard studied the rafters, doing calculations in his head. "Against your own share or in common?"
"Common," Tiep said eagerly. "They're good boxes, Galimer. You'd agree if you'd seen them. And not too big. I can nest 'em behind my saddle. It's a good trade."
"All right, you've got your blue-eyes, but not a genuine Cormyr stamp. Give them the usual Zhentarim counterfeits. Odds on, they wouldn't know a true Cormyr coin if it rose up and bit them on the nose. If they do, offer five true-silver falcons and not a thumb more."
"Not a thumb!" Tiep agreed.
Rozt'a looked like a storm about to break, but she stepped aside to let Tiep untie her latch knot. She held the door and her tongue until he was gone.
"What's the matter with the two of you? You know he's not after wooden boxes! I've half a mind to follow him."
Dru cleared his throat. "Go after him now, and Longfingers and I will decide how we're getting out of here while you're both gone."
Rozt'a slammed the door shut. "All right. What's your plan?"
5
1 Eleint, the Year of the Banner
(1368 DR)
Parnast, Weathercote