Queen of the Depths by Byers Richard Lee

Author:Byers, Richard Lee [Byers, Richard Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780786937370
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Published: 2005-09-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

What.”

Diero Agosto asked, “will the shalarin do now?”

“I don’t know,” the spy answered through gritted teeth, his bruised, scabby, bloodstained face glistening with sweat. He lay spread-eagled on the long, splintery table that was the rack, wrists and ankles wrapped in sturdy leather cuffs.

“Will she return here?”

“I doubt it. You made it clear you won’t help her. But I don’t know.”

From the corner of his eye, Diero saw the dragonkin take hold of the windlass. From his stance, it was plain he meant to give it a vigorous turn or two.

The wearer of purple rounded on the hulking reptile. Annoyance made his voice shrill: “No! I didn’t tell you to do that.”

The creature grunted. “Want truth, right?” Diero sighed. “He’s telling the truth. He did from the start.”

As far as the wizard was concerned, his fellow Turmian had behaved with admirable good sense. He had nothing to reveal that would cause additional problems for his superiors or his people, so why not speak and spare himself unnecessary pain? It was simply his misfortune that candor couldn’t forestall all of it. Diero had still needed to torture him for a while, just to make sure his story didn’t change as the agony tore away at him.

The dragonkin shook its head. “Lying, I think.”

It verged on being comical, in an irritating sort of way. “You just want to cripple him, so he’s of no use except as food.”

“Well … hungry! Can’t eat beans, peas, and other muck humans grow. Can’t hardly fish, or somebody sailing by sees us. Don’t hardly get any of slaves, when they die—dragons always take.”

Diero sighed in grudging sympathy. “I know it’s difficult, being on short rations. I assure you, I have my own problems and frustrations.” Such as the constant need to pander to Eshcaz’s vanity, demeaning work for one of the ablest magicians for hundreds of miles around. “But it will all be worth it when we rule Faerun as the dracoliches’ deputies.”

“Hope so,” the dragonkin grumbled.

“Well, to reach that joyful tomorrow, we must observe some discipline today. Look at the arms and shoulders on this one. He can do a lot of carving before the work breaks him down.” Diero studied the reptile’s lizardlike features. It was tricky to interpret dragonkin expressions, but he was finally picking up the knack. “So I can count on you to give him to the overseers with his limbs still in their sockets?”

The torturer bared its fangs, but in such a way as to convey disappointment, not defiance. “Yes.”

ŚŠŚŚŠŚ•ŠŚŚŠ• ŚŠŚ

Tu’ala’keth lingered in the niche in the bedrock long after Eshcaz wearied of fishing for her and flew away, and she was still there when night darkened the waters. For she felt she had nowhere else to go.

Her burns, whip cuts, and bruised ribs smarted. She could have eased the discomfort with a prayer, but chose to endure it instead. It seemed a fitting if insufficient rebuke for her misplaced self-assurance and general ineptitude.

The worst of it was that Anton had readily predicted the fiasco, and she’d ignored him.

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