The Queen of Stone_ Thorn of Breland - Keith Baker [12]
“So I don’t need to steal a statue,” Thorn said. “I just need to find a statue, kidnap the queen of the medusas, force her to reverse a curse, and smuggle a legendary warrior out of Droaam, all without causing an international incident.”
Yes. Sheshka’s death is an acceptable loss, provided Breland can’t be blamed for it.
“Oh, that was the only thing I was worried about.” Thorn’s mind raced as she considered the variables. This was what she’d been trained for, and after months of rehabilitation at the Citadel, it was good to have a challenge. “I don’t suppose you’ve got some sort of trick hidden in your pommel for protecting me from a medusa’s gaze?”
You’ ll be protected.
“Is there a ‘how’ somewhere in this conversation?”
No. We both have our orders, Lantern Thorn. I am to give you the information you need, when I decide you are ready to receive it.
The angry spark was burning in the shards again. “And why is that? Why do I suddenly have a metal nursemaid?”
There were some at the Citadel who were concerned about you returning to the field so soon after the incident at Far Passage. Master Zane hoped that this book would be a false lead, and that you would not have to undertake this mission. However, even with your injuries, he believes you are best suited to the task.
“So you’re keeping secrets from me for my own good.”
You’re angry, the cold voice whispered. Is that normal for you?
Thorn cursed under her breath, but she knew the dagger was right. The memories of Far Passage, the pain of the stones … they were playing games with her emotions. This wasn’t who she was. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She thought of her father, of the smile on his face when he saw her after a long absence. She thought of the mission and the challenges she had to overcome. The pain receded, and she was herself again.
“Reconnaissance is first priority,” she said. “I’ll need the information if I’m going to manage the rescue … and I think we’ll have to leave quickly once it’s done.”
I concur.
“Is there anything else I need to know tonight?”
There is nothing more that I may say.
Thorn narrowed her eyes. “That’s not quite an answer, is it?”
Steel said nothing.
“That’s fine. I need the sleep. I think tomorrow will be an interesting day.”
Thorn closed the shutter on the lantern, and the room fell into darkness. Through the blinds of the windows, the moonlight cast purple shadows across the floor.
CHAPTER FIVE
The City of Graywall Droaam
Eyre 12, 998 YK
The laughter of ghosts woke Thorn from her sleep and she sat up. As her thoughts cleared, she realized that the laughter wasn’t a remnant of her nightmare … it was a sound outside her window.
Gnolls. Lots of gnolls. Thorn reached for her shiftweave and gauntlets.
“Delegates of foreign lands!” The voice was curt and rough, loud enough to echo across the plaza. “Present yourselves! We leave with the setting moon!”
Thorn relaxed. The manticore hadn’t betrayed her, and the Pact hadn’t tracked her to the Calabas. This was simply business; this was why she was in Droaam.
For a thousand years, the land to the west of Breland had been a savage frontier. Trolls lurked in mountain passes while harpies and wyverns circled the peaks. Many bold warriors traveled west to slay horrors in the name of Galifar; few returned. But over the centuries, these monsters posed little threat to the lands beyond the Graywall Mountains. The creatures weren’t organized. Warlords laid claim to land and then fought the other monsters to hold it. Now and again, a flight of harpies or pack of worgs would venture east to prey on human settlers, but for the most part the monsters had more interest in battling their own kind.