The Queen of Stone_ Thorn of Breland - Keith Baker [41]
Beren turned to face her. His eyes were haunted, lost in the past; she’d never seen him look so grim. “I hope so, Nyrielle. But I’m afraid. I’ve been trying to forget who we’re dealing with … what we’re dealing with. These aren’t women. They aren’t just monsters. Harpies or medusas I could fight, though I didn’t do so well before.
“These are the daughters of one of the first evils of Eberron. They’ve destroyed heroes, outwitted the greatest minds of Galifar. Tonight I’ll be face to face with Sora Katra. Tomorrow I’ll be negotiating with her. We couldn’t ignore this invitation. We all hoped Droaam would collapse on itself, and it hasn’t. But I am afraid, Nyrielle. I still see those bones when I close my eyes, and I feel that worse is yet to come.”
A sudden rap sounded on the door, and both Thorn and Beren startled. The door opened and Toli stepped inside.
“Our escort has arrived, Lord Beren. The feast is about to begin.”
“Very well, Toli,” Beren said. He extended an arm to Thorn. “Lady Tam, would you accompany me? I think this is a good night to have the company of friends, and I should like to drink to the memory of Grenn, and those fallen before him.”
She took his hand. “Of course, Lord Beren. And I hope that before we leave this place we will be able to lay their spirits to rest.”
Arm in arm, torches held in front of them, they walked out of the chamber. Then Thorn remembered that Toli had mentioned an escort.
“Good evening, Lord Beren.” Drul Kantar was at least three feet taller than Toli, and his blue skin shimmered in the light of the cold fire. His canines were long and sharp, inlaid with silver sigils. “I hope you are well. I know my lady is looking forward to your meeting. Her sister has told us much about you.”
Beren glanced toward Thorn, and she saw the flicker of doubt in his eyes. But if he was afraid, he forced it from his countenance. “Wonderful,” he said, grinning at the oni. “Lead the way—just promise me there’ll be something to drink at the other end.”
“Have no fear,” Kantar said. “At least, not about that.”
He laughed to show it was a joke, but somehow, Thorn couldn’t bring herself to join him.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The Great Crag
Droaam
Eyre 18, 998 YK
The halls of the Great Crag were wide and tall, built to accommodate giants. Like the entry hall, the walls were unnaturally smooth … yet the angles were irregular, with no signs of block or seam. It appeared more like the burrow of a giant worm than something carved by humanoids.
Drul Kantar was accompanied by ogre guards, and Thorn saw many more of them as they marched through the curving halls. Thorn had encountered ogres before. During the Last War, the dragonmarked House Tharashk had brokered the services of monstrous mercenaries, and a small but significant population of ogre laborers still lived in Sharn and Wroat, where they used their great strength to haul vast weight.
Still, with the exception of a memorable battle in Sharn, she’d rarely been so close to so many ogres, and she’d never really noticed just how bestial they were. She’d always thought of an ogre as a large human, but with the chance to study one up close, she saw many differences. The arms of the ogre were far longer and bulkier than those of a man, while its legs were shorter. The knuckles of the creature brushed the floor, and if its hands were free, she’d almost expect it to move on all fours. Both of their ogre guards, though, carried heavy axes with long, jagged blades. Each ogre’s head was a massive, wedge-shaped snout, almost half as large as its torso. Long, pointed ears and a mane of matted brown hair gave the creature a lupine look. Thorn could easily imagine the ogre dropping to all fours and howling at the night sky.
Drul Kantar was something quite different. His arms, too, were longer than his legs, but his bearing was more human. And despite the horns and the two short tusks rising from his lower jaw, Kantar’s head was more like that of a man. He was even handsome, in a craggy, barbaric way. Thorn had recognized his nature by his