The Ebony Eye by Jeff Sampson

Author:Jeff Sampson [Sampson, Jeff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-7869-4255-8
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Publishing
Published: 2007-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Sindri couldn’t take his eyes off of the spiraled screw that spanned the distance between the floor of the gnome’s cavern and the ceiling above. The propellerlike fan rose and fell in a steady rhythm, the vents above swirling fresh air all around the cavern. It was one of the most amazing things he’d ever seen.

“I’d ask if you’re catching flies, but I’m pretty sure there’s none down here to catch.”

Sindri spun around, his slack-jawed expression quickly transforming to a giant smile. “Tayt, you’re up!”

The girl stood in front of her tent, looking a bit worse for wear. Bags had formed under her gray eyes and her short black hair was slick with feverish sweat. But beyond the bloodstained bandage around her neck, she seemed mostly all right.

Blinking as she took in the scenery, Tayt shuffled over to Sindri. “Wow, would you look at this place,” she said.

“Yeah, impressive, isn’t it?”

Tayt’s expression turned to stone. “Yes, though I’d find it more impressive if I didn’t know it was built by slaves.”

Sindri’s smile faded away as he turned to follow Tayt’s gaze. The rotating gears, the multileveled workbenches teeming with white-haired gnomes tinkering with gadgets, the strange glowing bulbs—none of it seemed quite as enchanting when Tayt put it like that.

“Yeah,” Sindri said. “But the gnomes, they’ve been making do. They even found a way to grow some plants using artificial light and little planters. But Wilden and I turned down their offerings of a meal anyway. I didn’t feel right about eating some of what little they had.”

Gingerly touching her stomach, Tayt looked like she was trying not to grimace. Clenching her jaw, she stood straight and walked past Sindri. “Where’s Wilden?”

“He’s up there talking with Tom.” Sindri pointed to the nearest workbench, which was a three-leveled structure made of wood that reminded him of a fancy, opened jewelry box he once found in Cairngorn Keep. Several of the thin gnomes sat atop a piece of metal on the second level, pounding at it with hammers to shape it into a gear. On the third level, Wilden stood with the bearded gnome they’d come to know as Tom.

Sindri grinned and tugged at her sleeve. “Now that you’re back up we can go to the temple!”

Tayt closed her eyes and stood still, and Sindri felt a flash of guilt. He knew how hard it had been for her to come back to the keep, to be betrayed by Nell, and then to have to almost die at the hands of the gorgon she’d escaped when she was younger. She was doing it all for him and it wasn’t fair how much pain she was going through.

“Hey.” Sindri came to her side and tugged at her shirt again. “It’s all right if you need to wait a little while.”

Tayt opened her eyes and stared out at the room. Again Sindri followed her gaze. She appeared to be looking at a small cluster of emaciated gnomes speaking in their quick chatter as they washed rags in a tub of dirty water.

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