Instead she spat venomously, "Because CaptainRhynn Oriandis wants you destroyed, you gods-rotted bloodsucker."
Jander's soft gasp made the Shark's hatred-blackenedheart skip a beat.
The fool believes me!
Her face contorted in a grimace that she thought was asmile as she left the vampire alone to agonize until nightfall.
For a place of death, the City of the Dead was verypopular with the living. Many generations and many classes of Waterdhavianscrumbled to dust side-by-side in pauper's graves and gorgeously carvedmausoleums: warriors, sea captains, merchants, commoners. The struggles theyhad with one another in life ceased to matter as, united in their mortality,they slept the final sleep. Waving grass, shady trees, and beautiful statueslent the place an aura of tranquility. During the day, the little" city" was a peaceful haven for visitors. Night, however, brought adifferent class of people to the cemetery-those who conducted business besttransacted under the vague light of the moon and stars, business handled bypeople who did not want witnesses.
The centerpiece of the necropolis was a giant monumenterected only a few years past. Designed to pay tribute to the originalsettlers of Waterdeep, the statue was a gorgeous work of art. Dozens ofindividual stone carvings, depicting life-sized warriors battling with allmanner of nonhuman adversaries, comprised the sixty-foot high monument. Wide atthe base, it narrowed with each level until a lone hero stood atop the fray.Frozen forever at the moment of greatest action, orcs speared theiradversaries, doughty swordsmen slew bugbears, and heroes and monsters alikedied in a variety of dramatic poses.
There the vampire had met Maia several months before,plying her unsavory trade. There he hoped to see her again that night.
Jander came in elf form, walking, but leaving no footprints.He stopped as he neared the monument. A pale white ring encircled the grandstatue, and the pungent scent of garlic filled the cold night air. There came asound of muffled sobbing, and he glanced upward. With deliberate irony, theShark had tied the barmaid to a conquering stonework hero, who stood atop themountain of fighters, arms raised in victory. The girl was lashed securely withrope at hands and feet. A piece of cloth shoved in her mouth stifled words, butnot her sounds of fear.
Jander walked slowly around the ring of garlic untilhe came to a two-foot wide gap in the otherwise unbreachable barrier. He hesitatedonly an instant before stepping into the circle. It was obviously a trap, butwhat choice did he have?
At the base of the monument Jander cried out and fell.His foot had been caught in a cleverly concealed, sharp-jawed animal trap madeof wood, not steel. And when he hit the ground, a second trap clamped on one ofhis hands. Holy water soaked the traps' jagged teeth. Steam and blood hissedfrom the vampire's wounds, glittering black in the moonlight.
With his good hand, Jander splintered the wood thatbit into ankle and wrist. On his feet at once, he glanced around, expecting asecond attack. None came.
He moved toward the statue more cautiously, his eyeson the snow in front of him rather than the monument itself. There were severalmore concealed traps waiting to close upon him. Treading delicately, he avoidedthem.
"I'm here, Maia," he called. "You'resafe now."
The stone figure in front of him was a warrior womanwith a single braid of long hair. He reached out to it, prepared to begin theclimb up to Maia. But the statue smiled and sprang to life. The illusion shed,the Shark drew a small crossbow and fired a wooden shaft directly at Jander'schest. She was no more than two yards away.
Jander grunted at the impact, but the shaft bouncedoff his body and fell to the grass.
The Shark gasped. The vampire smiled and tapped hischest with a golden forefinger. It clinked. Too late, the Shark recalled thechain mail shirt she had seen in Jander's cottage. She pulled down her hood,safely invisible, and jumped aside. The vampire's hand closed on her cloak,but she yanked it out of his grasp and began to run.
Jander followed without pause.
It took the Shark a moment to realize the blooderdidn't need to see her to follow her churning tracks in the snow. At once sheleaped straight up, seized the mighty arm of a stone orc, and hauled herselfatop it. She scrambled to the left, balanced precariously on a helmeted headand a stone shoulder, then she paused, holding her breath.
For a time, the golden vampire stood as still as astatue himself, gazing about as if he could penetrate the magic that concealedher by sheer force of will. His gaze traveled over and past her. Then Janderturned and began to climb.
When he had gotten halfway up the monument, the Sharklowered herself to the ground as quietly as she could. She readjusted the hoodof her cape, making sure it would not slip off as she moved. She hoped shecould complete her task before the vampire noticed her telltale footprints.
Hastening to the circle of garlic, she closed theopening with the remainder of the bulbs she had with her. He had no escape-hecouldn't even fly over the ring. She returned to the statue and followed thevampire up.
His movements were swift and sure, but not unnaturallyso. Jander was taking great care not to reveal his true nature to Maia. Thusfar, his deception was to the Shark's advantage. She followed at her own briskpace, climbing up the battling warriors as easily as if they were limbs of aparticularly gnarled tree.
He had reached the top. There was silence, and theShark knew that the blooder was staring at the holy symbols she'd drapedacross Maia's body. Carefully, quietly, the hunter continued to climb,listening all the while.
"Lathander, protect me!" came Maia'sfear-shrill voice as Jander pulled the gag from her mouth. "Don't kill me!Please! She-she told me what you are. I'll do whatever you want, but, please,don't kill me!"
Stunned silence. The Shark pulled herself up over adying archer, awaiting the blooder's response with malicious glee.
"No, Maia," came Jander's voice, filled withan ancient weariness. "I won't kill you. I just… here, let me set youfree."
The Shark was able to see him. Safely invisible, shewatched, tense, as Jander moved to untie the hands of the still-hystericalyoung girl. He successfully freed her hands and knelt to work at the knots thatbound her ankles. Light exploded from the small pink medallion hidden in thefolds of Maia's skirts. The Shark's spell had worked beautifully.
The vampire flung his arms up to shield his eyes,stumbled, and hurtled off the monument. The Shark hastened forward. One handgripping a dying troll, the hunter watched Jander's fall. His body shimmered,recasting itself into a small brown bat. He began to fly back up to the top.
Behind her, the Shark heard Maia sob as she workedloose the knots. Then, whimpering, the barmaid started the climb down from themonument. The Shark ignored her. Maia had served her purpose.
Instead, the hunter kept her attention focused on thevampire. Leaning out precariously over the raised stone swords and bracedjavelins that pointed up from below, she clung to the troll statue and withdrewa small pouch from her pocket. Grains of wheat fell in a shower over the bat.It was the Shark's favorite trick to play on a vampire in bat form. The grainwould confuse the vermin's senses, making it fly wildly. And that would givethe Shark a chance to prepare another, more deadly attack.
But Jander did not veer off. The little bat flittedcrazily for a moment, then continued moving directly for the Shark's face. Nocloak of invisibility could protect her from the heightened senses provided tothe vampire in his bat form. She could see the vermin's tiny,sharp-toothed jaws opening as it approached her eyes.