“We’ve been quiet enough,” Maera replied. “Besides, ifsomething had been that close, either you or the mage would have detected it, wouldn’t you?”
“Probably,” Malowan conceded reluctantly, “but our magic isnot infinite. Someone could have crept in and away again without us noticing, though it is unlikely.”
“Well,” Agya interrupted, “tell you what, just before Iopened that spy-bit, there was somethin out there-not in th’ open, morelike clear across. First off, I caught an echo, then p’raps whatever it was wentbehind some door, ’cause was not so loud and no echo. But I did catch someonespeakin’ what sounded like Giantish, like it was bellowin’ orders. But th’ otherdin’t have words.”
“What exactly did you hear?” Malowan asked.
“Ah, wait,” Agya said and shut her eyes to concentrate. “Goorzh, nigheye! Zharhoye!”
To Lhors’ surprise, it sounded like the guttural, spittingsound of Giantish. “’Tis all I could catch aright.”
“How’d you know that,” Lhors asked, “if you don’t understandgiant-talk?”
“I don’t understand it,” the girl retorted.
Malowan cleared his throat, defusing a potential spat. “Agyadoesn’t read. Like many who don’t, she has excellent recall of sounds-even wordswhose meaning she doesn’t know.”
Agya waved that aside. “So? It means-well, what?”
“It is an order,” Nemis said. “‘Stay put, you brute, andguard!’ As if the giant spoke to a pet.” He looked to Malowan, who was pressedagainst the east wall, eyes closed.
“I sense incredible evil, despair, pain, and anger. I thinkthe giant may be a cell guard, and there is a beast to aid him in that task.”
“Beast?” Agya looked unhappy. “Like Jufas’ monkey? It weren’t no pet. It bit people, nasty creature, gave ’em awful fever. Jufasnearly got kilt when th’ brute jumped ’im wi’ no warnin’ at all.”
Rowan nodded. “That is the worst of wild beasts being kept infetters. Bears and apes will usually leave you alone in the wild. Kept prisoner and tormented-well, they act no worse than any of us would in their place.”
“P’raps,” Agya said. Lhors didn’t think she sounded convincedat all. “But any kept ’ere won’t be yer wild, free things as leaves usalone, will they?”
“Agya,” Malowan murmured and laid a hand on her shoulder.“Unfortunately, you are right. Beasts here will be pent and angry or trained toattack. And Vlandar, there are three or four other pent-up brutes to the west-Iam nearly certain they are manticores, and it will do us no good to go after them. Remember where we are in the northwestern corner of the Steading. The west door may not lead anywhere but to a trap.”
“I agree,” Vlandar said. “Better to avoid manticoresaltogether. The sting from their tails is said to be bad.”
Nemis laughed, but his eyes weren’t amused. “Call it lethal.”
Vlandar nodded. “Yes, I know. We go the other way, then.”
When he turned to pick up his armor, Agya cleared her throat. “Wait. If y’ask me, we better learn ’xactly what’s there. I mean, what’s yonsounded mad to me and prob’ly not fussy if its dinner’s still alive. Seems senseto me if someone takes a look proper-like.”
“We have Nemis-” Vlandar began.
The girl shook her head. “Aye, and we have Mal-both of ’emfor magic. But sir, we need a real search. ’Tis no time to be trustin’ only tomagic.” She eyed Malowan sidelong. “’Member when you looked in th’ thievesguildhall for Mobwef and nearly got skewered?”
“I did not,” the paladin replied with dignity, “nearlyget skewered. I merely-”
“’E had a noble’s spellstone e’d stolt,” the girl remindedhim sharply, “and it was good enough that you wasn’t aware of ’im. Someone might’ave a thing like that ’ere.”
“And you would see him?” Nemis asked mildly.
Lhors thought the mage was holding back temper-but only justfrom the way his eyes looked.
“No,” she replied, “but I might smell ’im. Back in th’ city,Mobwef and ’is crew weren’t much for baths. Things ’ere ain’t either. I smeltMobwef and warned Mal. Any of us go search out there first, it’s me.” Her facewas a study in frustration. Probably, Lhors thought, she didn’t have use wordsas persuasion very often. “Master thief Mobwef, ’e had a rule back in th’ city.Job gets tricky so’s you maybe lose a thief or so, don’t risk th’ good onesor your green ’prentices neither, or them’s as don’t have experience in th’kind of place they’re robbing. Pick so th’ loss won’t hurt yer guild, but stilluse one who knows ’is job.”
“She’s saying,” Malowan added tiredly, “that she and Lhorsare the most expendable of us all, but that Lhors wasn’t raised in a city andshe was. She won’t be fazed by stone mazes.”
“That’s it,” Agya replied then settled back on her heels. She spared a glanceat Lhors, but then divided her attention between Malowan and Vlandar.
Like I’m of no account, thought Lhors, like what shesays matters-not what Vlandar decides! His face felt hot, and he hoped hissudden anger didn’t show. Oh, for a chance to see her out in hill country whereshe can feel as lost and useless as I do, he raged internally. I’ll show theskinny little-
He knelt and busied himself rearranging things in his pack. It wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t at least three years younger, so set onherself, and so gods-blasted self-sufficient.
Agya’s voice tightened the back of his neck. “Stone and darkby themselves don’ scare me. I’m little, a thief, and good at it too. If not,I’d be dead by now. And ’member you tested me back in city. I can go ’bout aplace I ain’t been afore and give you a proper map of it.”
“I’m persuaded,” Vlandar said as she paused for breath. “Iknow you can help me map this place, but Mal will go with you.” He held up ahand when she would have protested. “Do not argue with your commander. Rememberthat Mal has weapons and other skills that you may want if that beast attacks you.”
Lhors turned back as Agya nodded. She seemed pale and momentarily beyond speech. Vlandar, the youth thought with some satisfaction, must have done that on purpose. Wisely, too. It would do no good if any of them went out there so overconfident that he or she died. His father had warned him against overconfidence on the hunt.
Malowan and Nemis were already pressing aside a panel on the north wall that the mage had found earlier. The panel slid aside, revealing a heavy iron wheel. Khlened and Vlandar had to work hard to get it moving. Lhors gaped as the east wall of the little chamber slowly lifted into the ceiling. The whole system must have been recently oiled, because everything moved smoothly and in silence.
The chamber beyond the door stretched for some distance north and east. The south wall and most of the cavelike ceiling were lost in gloom.
Malowan gazed around for a long moment, then touched Agya’sarm. “There is a door almost straight across. Do you see it?”
“A bit of light,” the girl agreed in a low voice, “andthere”-she pointed just north of the light-“maybe another passage.”
The paladin met Vlandar’s eyes. “Let the door down behind us.Nemis will know when we need it raised again.”
The warrior nodded and clasped his arm. “Trithereon’s cloakcover you.”
The two slipped from the little chamber. Vlandar waited long enough to be sure that some guard hadn’t spotted them, then he and Khlenedlowered the door.
11
Faced with nothing better to do in the quiet dark, Lhors satand watched Nemis go through his supplies. The mage’s hands were steady and hismien thoughtful as he brought out the bottles he’d taken in the maids’ quarters.He seemed to be testing them, though he never removed any of the stoppers. Lhors wanted to ask how he did that, but he felt a little foolish around the self-contained Nemis. The man’s story about dark elves had made little sense tohim, but it sounded frightening and the tale had certainly upset the rangers.