Hand of Fire by Ed Greenwood

Author:Ed Greenwood
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Magic, Canadian, Fantasy fiction, General, Fiction, Fantasy, Forgotten realms (Imaginary place), Good and evil
ISBN: 9780786936465
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Published: 2005-04-01T04:00:00+00:00

13: Death and Dark Surprises

Life holds moments of joy and glee and glory. Try to brand them into your memories, to take out and clutch close and comfort in when life serves up its far more abundant harvests: of fear, cold, loneliness, rage, death and dark surprises.

Tessaril Winter, Lady Lord of Eveningstar

No Greater Honour: My Service To the Dragon

Year of the Crown

The wagons were rolling along the Trade Way into the bright morning of another day. Arauntar and the other guards spurred their horses up and down the rumbling line with renewed vigor after an uneventful night. The Black-rocks looked as wild and windswept and empty of beasts as ever on all sides of Voldovan's caravan, as Narm sat on the wagonperch beside Shandril and gave her his four hundred and sixth anxious sidelong look since awakening.

This time, Shandril looked back at him and snapped,

"Are you going to do that all the way to Waterdeep?

Tis me! Shan, not some crawling, shiny-scaled monster!"

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, by way of reply.

Shandril abruptly looked away, saying nothing, and they sat side by side in silence for a time as the wagon bounced and rumbled on.

There came an especially violent crash and lurch, and Narm flung his arm around his lady as he always did. This time Shandril clung to him when the rocking of the wagon subsided and murmured into his chest, "The spellfire: I'm starting to dream of it, now, just blazing away endlessly. It boils up in me, making me hot, and drives me awake… and when I waken, I find it leaking out of my fingers, as little flames."

"I know," Narm replied, even more quietly. "That's why yon blanket was wet this morn. It started to smolder and woke me. I dunked it in the firebucket."

"Without waking me? The bucket must've been right beside you!"

"That's where it's been these last few nights… ever since you scorched me."

Shandril gasped and stared up into his face. "I – you never told me!"

Narm gave her a thin smile. "Why? To keep you awake worrying about it, or have you insist on sleeping outside the wagon or somewhere else where I couldn't touch you or guard you? How would that help either of us?"

They stared at each other for what seemed like a very long time, as the wagon rocked and rumbled, before Shandril asked pleadingly, "Narm, what am I going to do?”

Narm opened his mouth twice, then closed it again before uttering a word. They both knew he had no answer to give her.

*******

"Patience," Korthauvar Hammantle murmured, leaning forward over a crystal ball that mirrored the whirling glow of his still-forming farscrying spell.

"The Cult warriors lie in wait, and the caravan has almost reached them. Whatever befalls, our tarrying is almost at an end. It won't be long now."

Hlael Toraunt threw up his hands with a loud sigh.

"Cult warriors!" he echoed. "Swordheads who serve the Dragon-worshipers, not us! Drauthtar's not going to like this!"

"Pray let me be the judge of what Drauthtar

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