Lakashtai led them onto the street, which was loosely cobbled with an odd assortment of stones. The population was even more diverse than that of Sharn, and Daine could hear shouted conversations in three different languages. A pair of ragged goblins were arguing with a perfumed gnome woman dressed in bright silks; as the travelers passed by, the goblins drew knives and a gem-tipped wand appeared in the hand of the gnome. No one else spared a glance for the encounter, and Lakashtai caught Daine’s arm even as he reached for his sword.
“This is not a place to go looking for trouble,” she said.
He ground his teeth and pulled free from her grip but kept walking. A moment later, they heard the fwoosh! of magical fire and the distinctive smell of burning goblin.
“Do we have a plan, Lakashtai,” Daine said, “or are we just walking the streets until we run afoul of the local gnomes?”
“First, we need shelter,” Lakashtai said. “Then we need a guide. As you’ve seen, the streets of Stormreach are no place for strangers. As for your affliction, that will take time. I doubt the answer lies within the city itself, but someone here may hold the key. There are a few people I planned on speaking to when I thought I was coming alone. They know much of the mysteries of the land, and this would be the best place to start.”
“Will we be staying with one of these friends of yours?” Daine said. He kept his eyes on the crowd; a tall man wrapped in a hooded black cloak caught his eye.
“None of these people are my friends,” Lakashtai said, a smile drifting across her lips, “and I think it would be most unwise to put ourselves in their debt.”
“Great,” Lei put in, “so when it comes to shelter, do you even know where you’re going?”
“I have a general idea,” Lakashtai said. “While I have never been here, others of my kind have. Through our shared link to Kashtai, I can draw on traces of their memories. I think we’ll find a reasonable inn down here.”
“Great.” Daine caught Pierce’s eye and shifted his head; the warforged nodded slightly and drifted back to take up the rear. “Good food, you think?”
“I am afraid I am not qualified to judge such things,” Lakashtai replied. “I am certain you would consider my diet to be quite bland.”
As Lakashtai was talking, Daine bumped into Lei. When she glanced at him, Daine rubbed the palm of his left hand with his index and forefinger. Web, he mouthed silently.
Lei looked surprised but slid a hand into one of the pockets of her pack, coming up with a small clay disk.
“What’s Kashtai have to say right now?” Daine said.
“It is not so simple, Daine. She does not speak in words. Her memories … they simply rise to the surface when needed. She is part of me.”
“Well, not to question her guidance, but let’s try a shortcut.” Daine put an arm on Lakashtai’s shoulder and steered her down an alleyway off the main street.
Lakashtai resisted at first, then shrugged and allowed Daine to lead the way. With a careful glance back Daine saw that the man in the dark cloak had followed as well-and he had a friend, likewise shrouded in black, with the distinctive shape of a shortsword visible in the folds of his cloak.
Not a problem, Daine thought. Two we can handle. Just a little further.
He was prepared for two, even three. He hadn’t counted on five.
Just as Daine was preparing to turn on the two men shadowing them, three new figures stepped out of the shadows that lay ahead. They were dressed alike in loose black cloaks and robes hemmed in labyrinthine patterns of silver thread, faces hidden beneath hoods and silver veils. The man in the lead held a long, curved blade that appeared to be carved from a single piece of glass, and there was a glitter of chainmail beneath his cloak. The woman at his side held a blade of steel. These two were blocking the alleyway, but Daine caught a glimpse of the woman behind them and didn’t like what he saw. She carried no weapons but held a crystal in one hand. Daine knew enough to recognize someone used to using magic in battle.
Daine cursed. These back alleys were a maze, and he’d chosen at random-how could these strangers have predicted his path?
“Lakashtai?” he said. “From now on, we’re letting Kashtai choose the path.”
CHAPTER 15
Servants of the darkness,” Lakashtai hissed, her voice even colder than usual. “You know not what you do. Forsake your foolish path and turn away from your masters, while your souls are yet your own.” A wave of coercive force accompanied her words-even Daine felt a momentary compulsion to do as she commanded, but if the strangers were affected by her words or her power, they gave no sign of it.
“It is you who have turned away from the light,” called the man with the crystal sword. His voice was soft and clear, with an unfamiliar accent that gave a sibilance to his words. “We did not come to this place in search of you, lost one, but my lady came to me in dreams and warned me of your arrival.”
“Feel like introducing us?” Daine said quietly. He hadn’t drawn his sword yet; so much about Lakashtai was a mystery, and for all he knew these were second cousins.
“Warriors of Riedra,” she said. “I give you this last chance. Leave. Now. For my wrath is as fearful as any nightmare.”
“Mine too,” Lei muttered, keeping her eyes on the soldiers behind them.
“You underestimate your power, katesh. Our lords are all-knowing, and they have not left us unprepared.”
The sparkling crystal shard in his companion’s hand flared with a burst of red light, and Lakashtai cried out in pain. She dropped to one knee, her face a mask of concentration and agony. Daine’s hands flew to the hilts of his weapons, but the stranger spoke again before he could draw them-and even though he knew his thoughts were being manipulated, Daine felt compelled to hear him out.
“Surrender, fool,” he said. “You cannot fight our power. It is you alone that we seek. Come with us now, and we leave your companions alive-even the foolish katesh. Do battle and we take you still, and their deaths are agonizing and slow.”
“All right,” Daine said quietly, turning to Lei and letting his eyes flicker back over her shoulder. “I’d hate for my friends to get tangled up in something that doesn’t concern them.” He looked at Pierce, tilting his head slightly. “Sorry, old friend, it’s for the best. Just let me do what I have to do.”
Pierce nodded solemnly.
Daine looked at Lakashtai. Her eyes were still closed, her teeth clenched, and her face was beaded with sweat. “Whatever you’re doing to her, stop. Now.”
“You are in no position to bargain. She will recover when we leave this place.”
“Thanks, that’s very reassuring, but those are my terms. If that’s not good enough for you, I guess we’d better fight.”
The man’s eyes narrowed in the shadows of his hood. For a moment, Daine thought that he would refuse, but finally he nodded. “Very well.”
The light from the crystal faded. Lakashtai slumped to the ground, catching herself with one hand. Daine glanced down at her; she simply nodded.
“Very well,” said Daine.
He held out his hands and slowly walked toward the Riedrans. It had been an age since Daine had turned his thoughts to any higher power, but for a moment he considered a prayer to the Flame. In the end, he put his trust in himself.
The woman on his left sheathed her sword and produced a set of man ac les. T hey were formed of crimson glass, and Daine could see no apparent locking mechanism-but it was the linking chain that caught his eye.
Perfect.
He held out his arms. As the woman leaned forward, he reached out-grabbing the chain and twisting to the side, tearing it from her hands. As he spun to the side he felt the tremble in the air as three arrows passed, catching the Riedran soldier in the chest and knocking her off her feet. There was no time for Daine to glance over at Pierce: continuing his motion, he lashed out with the manacles, wrapping the light chain around the crystal blade of the Riedran spokesman. The soldier tried to pull away, but Daine was too swift, too strong; one powerful blow sent the blade to the ground.