“Good idea.” Lydia grinned ruefully. “I can go all day on sea or land, but these cobblestones are cursed hard on the feet!”
“It is going to look rather suspicious if we all march into an inn together,” Naitachal pointed out. “We’re not exactly an ordinary mix of people.”
“That’s no problem to me.” Tich’ki laughed, fluttering her wings. “All I need is a window, and I’m in!”
“The same is true of Naitachal and me,” Eliathanis added. “We are elves, not clumsy humans.”
“Ill remind you of that the next time you trip over something,” Lydia muttered.
“I never—”
The bardling held up a warning hand. “First we find an inn. Then we quarrel!”
That got grudging chuckles from everyone.
Well, what do you know? the pleased Kevin told himself. Maybe I am starting to get the knack of being a leader! But before he could congratulate himself too much, a shout from the far side of the square made them all start and whirl.
Oh-no, not now.
“Well, well,” murmured Lydia. “Look who found us. It’s the Gang of Things.”
“Ugly, aren’t they?” Tich’ki mocked. “Bet they make even uglier corpses.”
Kevin couldn’t be so casual about it. Somewhere along the way. Empty Eyes had picked up a few more supporters. “There are ten of them,” he pointed out to Lydia and Tich’ki, “and only five of us.”
“They are also,” the warrior woman reminded Kevin, “nicely within bowshot.” She nocked arrow to bow in one swift, fluid movement. “Come on,” Lydia taunted the enemy. “Come and die.”
“You have only the one bow, woman,” Empty Eyes purred. “And I have some tricks of my own.”
Faster than a striking snake, he thrust out his hand, shouting out a savage Word of Power. Lydia cried out in shock as her bowstring snapped in two.
“That’s better,” Empty Eyes said. “Take them!”
Kevin had barely enough time to whip out his sword before the gang was upon them. They’ve got swords! a startled part of his mind noted. What’s a street gang doing with something as expensive as swords?
They had to be in someone’s pay. Selden? No, he had the guards at his beck and call. Then who ... ?
No time to worry about it. Ten against five was terrible odds, no matter what Lydia and Tich’ki thought.
Naitachal had summoned up his sorcerous black blade again—but Empty Eyes only laughed, moving to counter its attack with a dead gray blade of his own. Naitachal’s eyes widened in surprise and the other elf laughed anew.
“That’s right. Dark Elf. Some of us have played with sorcery, too.”
Kevin lost the rest of chat conversation as a sinuous being that seemed some unholy cross of man and snake lunged at him, sword in scaly hand. The bardling parried, two-handed, just in time, the shock of impact shivering all the way up to his shoulders. He staggered back, closely followed by his foe, who moved every bit as fluidly and unpredictably as a serpent.
I don’t know what style of fencing he’s using! I—I’ve never seen it before and I don’t know how—
Kevin’s frantic thought ended in a gasp as he came up hard against the rim of the fountain. The being grinned at him, a flash of alarmingly sharp fangs, and lunged yet again. Trapped, Kevin did the only thing he could, and leaped up onto the rim, slashing down at the being, who was cutting savagely at his legs. Suddenly inspired, Kevin sprang aside and down, into (he wide basin of the fountain, just as the being lunged. The creature’s blade danged harshly against stone, and Kevin, remembering the bandit back in the rocky gorge, hastily brought his foot down on the flat of the blade as hard as he could.
There was a gratifying snap. The being hissed—his tongue narrow and forked as that of a snake—and hurled the broken sword at Kevin’s head. The bardling ducked, tripped over rubble in the basin, and went flat, narrowly missing cracking his skull against stone. Before he could catch his breath, the being came hurling down at him. The bardling grabbed a sinuous wrist, slippery with scales, and kicked upward. The being went flying over Kevin’s head, landing with a crash on the cobblestones. The bardling scrambled out of the fountain, thinking in delighted wonder. Hey, that really does work!
He wound up just behind the grim Naitachal and Empty Eyes, even as the Dark Elf countered a vicious cut at his head. As sorcerous black and gray blades clashed together, fountains of blood red sparks flew up, casting an eerie, fiery glow over the square.
“Sorcerous games,” Naitachal panted. “Some of us haven’t let those games destroy our souls.”
“Souls?” Empty Eyes taunted. “What are human things like souls for such as we?”
“You are not like me, you pathetic thing! You. who’ve forgotten your own kind!”
“No more than you, Dark Elf,” Empty Eyes retorted, and lunged.
Once more, fiery sparks lit up the square. Kevin glanced up at the surrounding houses. Didn’t anyone hear or see what was going on? Didn’t anyone care?
Someone did. From one side came the sound of running footsteps and the dashing of mail.
“Oh hell,” Lydia said. “Just what we needed: the guards. Come on, guys, no time for heroics now. Let’s get out of here!”
The gang, equally illegal, thought the same thing, scattering in all directions. Empty Eyes, panting, paused long enough to hurl his gray sword at Naitachal, but the Dark Elf struck it cleanly with his black blade. Both sorcerous things blazed up in a blinding surge of bloody light and were gone. Oh, blast, Kevin thought, why was I looking that way just then ?
Vision dazzled, afterimages dancing before his eyes, Kevin staggered away as best he could, stumbling over the broken cobblestones. He gasped when someone grabbed his arm and tried to strike out, but a familiar voice said:
“It’s me. Lydia. It’s all right, kid, I had my head turned away. I can still see where I’m going.”
Unfortunately, so could the guards. And a whole troop of them was flooding into the square, weapons drawn, far too many to fight.
“Damn,” Lydia muttered. “Selden really is out for blood. No worse damage to a politician than injured pride.” She looked over the grim, well-armed troop and sighed. “I hate to simply surrender, particularly since Selden isn’t going to make things comfortable for us, but ...”
“Then don’t,” Tich’ki snapped.
Hovering in mid-air, wings a blur, she stared at the guards, shouting out twisting, intricate, commanding Words in the fairy tongue, her eyes blazing green fire.
And to Kevin’s amazement, the guards stopped in their tracks, blinking in confusion.
“Where’d they go ...?”
“Coulda sworn they were here a minute ago ...”
“Who ... ? Who are we looking for ... ?”
“Don’t know ... can’t remember ..—Hey, come on, guys! Day’s not getting any younger, and we have a city to cover!”
With that, the guards turned and marched away.
“I don’t believe it,” the bardling gasped. “Tich’ki, what did you—Tich’ki!”
She came tumbling down into his arms, panting—For a moment Kevin gingerly held her small body, astonished at how light she was, even for her small size. Of course she’s light! he realized. Tich’ki’s a winged creature; she has to be lightweight if she’s going to get off the ground. Probably has hollow bones, like a bird or—