Forgotten Realms - [Double Diamond Triangle Saga 08] - Easy Betrayals by Richard Baker (epub)

Author:Richard Baker (epub)
Format: epub
Published: 2013-12-07T16:00:00+00:00

“At least the thrice-damned storm’s letting up,” muttered Rings, blundering through knee-deep sand and shattered walls of old brown stone. He’d fought his way clear of two more encounters with the ancient dead who watched the city, becoming completely disoriented in the process, but as the storm abated, the withered brown mummies had taken their rest. The dwarf didn’t consider himself superstitious or particularly sensitive to the supernatural, but he could feel the retreat of the evil presence that haunted the ruins. Whatever it was, it was content to watch for a time.

He came to a narrow intersection and considered the streets in front of him, trying to choose. “Which way now?”

“Rings!” The dwarf whirled at the shout. Staggering through the sand-choked alleyway to his left, Jacob appeared, sword in hand. The curly-haired warrior bled freely from a nasty cut high on his head and favored his left leg with an awkward limp, but his clear blue eyes showed no sign of defeat. “I thought you dead!”

“Me, too,” the dwarf answered. He raised his axe defensively, eying the human suspiciously. “You’re not Eidola in disguise, are you?”

Jacob looked up sharply, then winced. “Damn. Forgot about that. You might be Eidola, too.”

“Well, I know I’m not,” Rings growled, “But I guess you’d have no way to know if I’m telling the truth. Now, how would Belgin sort this out?” He thought a moment, and then said, “Open your gorget and show me that you don’t have a rope around your neck, and I’ll do the same.”

Jacob rolled his eyes, but he complied. Rings grunted, then undid his own collar to show that his own neck was bare. “Satisfied?” the Tyrian warrior asked.

“That’ll do. Any idea where Belgin and Miltiades are?”

“No, but I was thinking that I’d start with the last building they went into.”

Rings nodded. “They’re probably long gone, but it’s worth a look. Which way is it?”

“I thought dwarves didn’t get lost,” Jacob laughed coldly.

“Underground we don’t,” Rings snapped. “At night, in a sandstorm, in a set of ruins I’ve never seen before today, yes—I can get lost.”

“The palace is straight ahead,” Jacob said. Hefting his heavy war blade again, he set off down the street, moving fast. Rings had to trot to keep up with his long-legged stride. He glowered at the human’s back, but Jacob paid him no more attention.

The Tyrian’s intuition was correct; they traveled about fifty yards down the alley and found themselves at a narrow courtyard or portico. The back side of the column-bordered palace loomed over an open space littered with broken masonry. Rings looked around nervously, but there was no more sign of the undead.

“Look here,” said Jacob. He pointed at a disordered line of shallow dimples in the sand, crossing and re-crossing a small but steep drift. “Someone’s footsteps.”

“They must be fresh. The wind would’ve covered them if they’d been here long.” Rings followed the steps to a gaping dark archway in the stone building ahead. By one side of the door a crude chalk mark caught his eye.

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