The Dagger of Trust by Chris Willrich

Author:Chris Willrich [Willrich, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-60125-615-7
Publisher: Paizo Publishing, LLC
Published: 2014-01-25T16:00:00+00:00

At first the song did nothing. The Smoke-Tongued rushed their fog-distracted opponents, knocking many over. Several ran to the helm, where Oakstave was trying to steer while confounded by images of woe.

Gideon sang on.

They eat sharks and whales and wolves and bats ...

"Eh?" said Grizzendell, shaking his head and looking away from his pale mirror image. "That's 'The Rat Song'...this is no time for 'The Rat Song'!"

"No!" Corvine said. "Gideon's right. We need to break the fog's grip! Sing, bards! If you know the song, sing!"

Captain Tambour himself took up the challenge, singing of how Taldor's rats were better than Andoran's rats, or Galt's.

The ridiculous song went on for many a stanza, with Taldor's ship rats challenging all comers, and Taldor's shanty composers challenging the limits of rhymes for "rats." The crew took heart and resumed battle, even as the Smoke-Tongued shouted back calls for liberty and freedom, sounding like perverse caricatures of Andorens.

Corvine, not knowing the Rat Song, cast what Gideon recognized as a spell of loathing, something she used at times to dispatch unwanted suitors.

Up in the rigging, the Maestro suddenly looked up at Ozrif and said, "Get away from me! No! You disgust me!"

"What?" said Ozrif, pausing in the midst of "The Rat Song." "What did I do?"

"Just catch him!" said Viridia, between lines about how Taldan rats beat Katapesh's rats. Ozrif leapt onto the mainmast. Hissing, the Maestro abandoned it.

Even as Gideon believed the tide was turning, he heard a lurch as Riposte scraped something hard on the river bottom. The Smoke-Tongued redoubled their efforts, perhaps sensing that this was their final opportunity.

Suddenly the Smoke-Tongued named Tyndron loomed right in front of Gideon with a cutlass.

Gideon's voice faltered. The scarred elf jabbed and flourished with a contemptuous style, demonstrating just how badly Gideon was outmatched. Gideon dove past the sailor, drawing his dagger as he rolled back to his feet, seeking some advantage.

Dimly, he wondered what drove an elf from the paradises they made for themselves in such lands as green Kyonin, and what wanderlust or sorrow kept them away. A very old snatch of song came to him, and he gasped it out.

All the stars will fall

And all the land will gray

Before Iadara welcomes us

Unto its breast to stay...

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.