Slowly and steadily, like a wasp larva gnawing on its host, the erinyes had made herself a home. The Black Claw Thieves’ Guild was nowutterly beneath her domination, and with the sword Blackrazor, they had liquidated all resistance in Trigol’s underworld. With the underworld held inher grasp, Saala could begin to make the city entirely her own. She looked out across the rooftops as they were lit by a golden dawn and gave a quiet, predatory smile.
Trigol held two treasures, two keys that could be used to unlock a civil war. Here in the early morning by the river, the erinyes planned to seize those keys and let the violence flow.
Beside her, a dozen of the Black Claw thieves lay watching in the shadows. The guild leader had been placed utterly under Saala’s magicaldomination. It took concentration, but the thief now acted as Saala’s puppet,behaving only as his mistress saw fit.
He made an admirable tool. Fast and skilled, he was capable of wielding Blackrazor, which the erinyes was not. Made by an enemy race, the sword would burn her if she held it, but the guildmaster was the perfect species and temperament to use the weapon. Without glancing at the man, the erinyes stood and opened her pure white wings.
“You will remain here for one hour, until I have created adiversion. Let the riot draw the guards away. When their magic weapons are taken from their vaults, slip inside. No one will guard an empty vault.” Saala waspleased with the elegant simplicity of her plan. “We shall steal their treasuresfrom the inside out. When the weapons are returned to the vaults, take them and run.”
Senior thieves gathered at her side. Saala laid down a map for the leaders of her two groups and pointed to the maze of sewer openings and tunnels that laced their way beneath Trigol’s streets.
“First group, enter the temple of the river god Geshtai. Yourescape gate is beneath the water, ten feet from the docks. It is marked by the red and yellow buoy. Swim upward into sewer branch nine.” The woman’s hands wereperfect-long, slim, and flawless as she pointed to her maps.
“Second group, slip into the temple of the craft god Bleredd.Your escape is behind the chimney of the bakeries, a secret entrance leading to sewer line twenty-one.”
She rolled away the map and handed it to her attendant, the guildmaster. At the man’s side, Blackrazor gibbered in its scabbard as ithungered for fresh souls.
“This vantage point overlooks both escape routes. Blackrazorremains here to cover your escapes. We will meet back at the guild hall.” Theerinyes flicked a look of cold, professional evaluation across the faces of the two dozen assembled thieves.
The men had all dressed as priests of the two temples down below. Those who were to raid the Geshtai temple were dressed as the rival priests of Bleredd. Those who raided Bleredd were likewise dressed as priests of Geshtai.
“You will not loot bodies. You will not touch any othertreasures. Each temple has a single item on which they place great value: their gods’ weapons. Geshtai’s priesthood has a magic trident named Wave. Bleredd hasa magic hammer called Whelm. Do not touch the metal. Do not attempt to wield the weapons. Steal them, leave behind a holy symbol of the opposing temple, and get out. Leave none of your own party behind, dead or alive.”
The trick was a sure way to start a most promising little war.
Over the past few years, the two temples had grown at a fantastic rate under the patronage of wealthy refugees. Their private armies, their unruly worshipers, and their arrogance had kept Trigol shaking with street brawls and occasional murders for the best part of a year.
With their precious relics stolen, the two temples would begin an outright civil war. The thieves guilds could stir the pot, and Saala would reap the rewards of a city in chaos. Blackrazor would let them tip the balance and become makers of kings. Saala would pull the strings of a new puppet, and the city would be hers.
All in all, it promised to be a beautiful day.
8
For Escalla, Cinders, and the Justicar, the morning hadmellowed into the beginnings of a lovely golden day. The sorcerers’ supply shopshad yielded no information, so the investigation hovered at a dead end. Making the best of their circumstances, they made their way down to the riverside markets and organized some breakfast. Sprawled out in a warm beam of sun, Cinders sucked upon a coal and made satisfied little noises. With fried fish wrapped in warm bread, Jus and Escalla sat in a quiet niche beside a jetty. Fully visible, Escalla lounged against the Justicar and enjoyed the morning sun.
“Did you find any clues at that supply shop?”
“No. They say they have a professional code. They won’t passon information about their customers.” The ranger watched a river skiff driftingslowly down the stream. “If worse comes to worst, we can hide you inside a shopto watch for the guy.”
“Wizards have a habit of seeing through my invisibility.”
“Yes, I suppose so.” Jus scratched his stubbled head and laidhis worries aside. Breakfast was good, and the sun was warm. To Escalla’s eyes,he actually looked relaxed.
Cinders-now recovered from the trauma of his bath the nightbefore-soaked up the sun. He happily flopped his tail from side to side as Jusbrushed his pelt to a shine. Escalla watched the Justicar as he petted Cinders’grinning skull. The sight seemed so ludicrously homey that she smiled.
Escalla stretched and looked up at the Justicar. “So, Jus,where did Cinders come from, anyway?”
“Found him during the war.” Big and mellow, Jus proffered atub of garlic sauce to the faerie girl. “Got him off a paladin.”
“A paladin?” Escalla stood and leaned upon theJusticar’s shoulder. “Aren’t they usually good guys?”
“This one thought that tanning a hell hound and keeping himas a tormentable trophy was a good joke.” Jus warmly scratched Cindersunderneath the jaw. “He thought wrong.”
Escalla blinked. “So what happened?”
“I killed him.”
The faerie raised her brows in surprise. “You killed apaladin?”
The Justicar quietly stroked his hell hound’s ear. “I don’tcare if they claim to be good or evil. You pick on something helpless, and one day you might just have to explain yourself to me.”
With a little laugh, the faerie looked fondly at her companion. “Oh, man, you are 50 harsh!”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
The morning sun was warm, and the river proved to be a remarkably relaxing view. Escalla lay flat on her back upon Cinders’ fur,spread her wings, and watched the clouds drift past in a bright blue sky.
“Oooh, I’m comatose. Gimme a jug of wine and just bury mehere!”
“Too much work to do.” Jus drew a few inches of his swordfrom its sheath, contemplated honing the already razor-sharp blade, then decided to leave it until evening. “You seem too clever to be a thief. Tell me, whatmade you take up crime?”
Escalla gave a sigh. She watched the clouds and quite suddenly looked a little sad. “I was living in the bilges of a big, leaky barge.I sold three really dumb bits of information to some guy I scarcely knew and blew my amassed fortune on wine, faerie cakes, and tangerines.”
“Why were you living on the barge?”
“The barge?” Escalla suddenly looked a little blank. With herface falling, she gazed up at the sky with a saddened stare. “Let’s just saythat for some of us, being a lovable icon of forest fun is… unfulfilling.It’s only when you try to be different that you realize just how vicious nicepeople can really be.”
Beneath Escalla’s bottom, Cinders wagged his tail. Cinderslikes faerie.
“Thank you, Cinders.” Escalla patted the hell hound’s fur.“You’re a weird guy, and I like you too.”
The Justicar deliberately kept from meeting Escalla’s eye. Hepatted Cinders’ skull, then reached into his backpack and unwrapped a littlegift for the faerie.