Ren swallowed to avoid the temptation to whisper in contrast to Shal's brazenness. "What-what were you going to say?" he asked nervously.
She finished the thought. "Cadorna didn't say anything about a wizard, either in his family or among the gnolls."
"I think he would've said something if he knew," Ren reasoned out loud. "If I'd taken a tighter grip on that door, I'd be dead from the charge. If he could help it, I don't think Cadorna would've risked having us die before we could get the treasure."
"Cadorna knew from the map only that there was a treasure," said Shal, agreeing. "He probably didn't know the thing was wizard-locked." Shal gasped as she turned and faced the opposite wall for the first time. Painted on the wall were two coiled snake emblems identical to the one she had seen on the armband of Ranthor's murderer. Her eyes widened, and she started breathing with a rapidity that frightened both Ren and Tarl.
"What is it, Shal? What's wrong?" asked Tarl hurriedly.
Ren reached out and touched Shal on the shoulder, much as she had touched his a moment ago.
Shal pointed, but for a moment she couldn't say anything, and when she did speak, it was not in her recently acquired rich, husky voice, but in a breathless, almost childlike stammer. "The symbol-the s-snake… It's like the one… Ranthor's k-killer wore. It stabbed him again and again… Cadorna was right. The gnoll… the half-gnoll outside… He m-must be Ranthor's killer! He must be a magic-user. And that must be his sign!"
Ren rested his hands on both of Shal's shoulders and spoke calmly, firmly. "Shal, the gnoll leader could be Ranthor's killer, but that sign-the coiled snake-is common in these parts. I've seen it all over the place. And I doubt that any gnoll or even half-gnoll has ever been inside this room. Look around. There's not a scrap of trash anywhere, and other than the coiling snakes-which are admittedly pretty ugly-this place doesn't look too bad. Compared to the stuff outside-the bright green curtains and all-this just doesn't look like a place where gnolls have been."
Shal glanced from side to side, then turned her head and began to take slow, deep breaths. Ren was right. The room showed no sign of gnoll occupation. In fact, it was practically dust-free, an indication that the wizard lock had probably not been opened any time recently. Shal knew from experience that a wizard's chambers normally get dusty when they're in regular use, not when they're vacant. She didn't know immediately what to make of the signs before her. But she did know that she no longer cared if the killer was human, humanoid, or monster, a half-gnoll or the ruler of the land. She was going to find him regardless and avenge her master's death. Shal reached up, touched Ren's hands with her own, and lowered them from her shoulders. "Let's get what we came for," she said, composed once again.
The vault proved to be well hidden. It wasn't until Shal cast a Detect Magic spell that a sizable emerald-colored square began to glow on the wall. A simple cantrip opened the door, which apparently was not wizard-locked because it was so carefully hidden that it didn't seem necessary. When they entered the vault, it took only a glance to realize that the Cadorna family treasure was still intact. Several bricks of gold bullion shone brilliantly, even in the dull, unnatural light from the wand. Behind them were a forged gold brooch inlaid with coral and ivory, several gold and silver chains, and a superbly preserved, shatter-glaze vase, obviously an ancient piece from the Eastern Realms. There was also a chain-mail vest, a splendid example of the finest dwarven workmanship. Ren's eyes gleamed when he saw it, but Tarl cast Ren a withering look that spoiled his taste for the garment. On further examination, the vest proved to be of a size for a dwarf, anyhow, and would be of no use to Ren.
In one corner of the vault were two gold armbands and a locket, both embossed with the coiled snake design they had seen on the wall outside the vault. Shal looked questioningly at Ren as he picked up the three pieces. "Cadorna?"
"I'll only say what I did before. This is a common symbol in these parts. You'd probably do well to look it up in that library we passed by-some other day, of course."
Shal said no more. She slipped the vase and the armor into the Cloth of Many Pockets. The bullion and jewelry, Ren and Tarl divided up and placed in their packs.
The three left the wizard's chamber as quietly as they had entered. Outside, they were greeted by the reassuring snores of the gnoll leader and his mates. Just as they were about to step from behind the curtain, however, a deafening gong sounded in the courtyard, and squeals and screams resounded from one end of the compound to the other.
They could see nothing from where they stood, plastered tight against the wall behind the curtain, but they could hear the chaos in the room beyond when the gnoll leader leaped from his bed, kicking females out of his way as he scrambled to reach the courtyard. Then they heard scrambling noises as the dozen or so gnoll mates pushed and shoved their way out the door after him.
"Can you call that horse of yours out?" asked Ren.
Shal nodded.
"Good. Just as soon as we clear the door, you two mount up and get out of here while the camp is still in an uproar. I'll act as a decoy till you can get across the courtyard. You can count on the gnolls to fight in lines like fools. I'll manage somehow to dodge my way past them, but be ready to pick me up!"
Shal and Tarl followed Ren's instructions without hesitation. In moments, they were mounted on Cerulean's broad back, plowing through the center of the courtyard in the midst of the chaos. Shal held the Staff of Power out at just the right height to clip the tall gnolls in the neck as they approached, sending them to the ground like so many ninepins. Others who managed to duck under the staff reached up, grabbing, trying to stop the big horse, but Cerulean was relentless. Tarl, in the meantime, was swinging his hammer with passion.
At that moment, the air was pierced by a loud war whoop, and Ren emerged into the courtyard, brandishing his twin daggers. Immediately several disorganized groups of gnolls began to advance toward him. Ren knew that the key to fighting gnolls was to avoid getting hit. The creatures were big and gangly and awkward in their movements, but when they connected, the person at the receiving end of a blow seldom got up. In a blur of motion, Ren began to dodge, duck, and knife his way through the lines. One gnoll got hold of his shoulder and shoved him down roughly, so that his elbow jammed hard into the rocky ground. It took all of Ren's presence of mind and willpower to ignore the pain and jump quickly back to his feet, but before he could get free, a gnoll's spiked cudgel slammed into his left hand, goring through flesh and bone and pulverizing the flat of his hand with its impact.
The pain was like a massive electrical charge that jolted through Ren's body. He felt as if his insides were going to burst, just as air would explode from a burst balloon. He could no longer react rationally, but fought on in a frantic, instinctive, uninhibited frenzy. Pain and fear drove him forward with a fury that was frightening. With his good hand, he drew out a short sword and wielded it with such a vengeance that he emasculated one gnoll with a swing, then gashed partway through the belly of another with his next. Even the bloodthirsty gnolls grew wary, and Ren sensed that he had to keep moving while he retained the advantage. As he started to dart across the courtyard, he came face to face with the huge gnoll chieftain.
Obviously Cadorna hadn't lied about the ancestry of the gnoll leader. Ren had never seen such a creature. The chieftain had the ungainly height of a gnoll, coupled with the bulk of a brawny human. Ren might well have mistaken him for a giant, were it not for his face. A man's nose protruded like a wart from a hyena snout, and pink human lips framed slavering canine teeth. But it was the eyes that were most terrible of all. They were unnaturally large, wide-rimmed and wide-set like a gnoll's, but they bore the searing intelligence of a human being-a sick, crazed human being. The creature bore a monstrous double-edged sword and a long, sharp dagger.