[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
cloth decorated with embroidered skulls that hung on both sides of the saddle.
The druid was an accomplished equestrian, having often ridden the wild horses
of Faerun, but this mount unsettled him. It was trained for war, it walked
with practiced, measured steps, and it lacked the spirit of the wild horses.
When he was finished being Szass
Tam's pawn, he intended to leave it behind.
Galvin had left his scimitar with the lich, but not by choice. The Zulkir of
Necromancy insisted the druid carry an enchanted blade, a long sword that
would make him a more stalwart opponent against Maligor's minions. Further, he
worried the druid by explaining that there may be some forces under Maligor's
control that could only be harmed by magical spells or weapons. Galvin
preferred the feel of his own weapon, which seemed an extension of his own
hand, but he wasn't in a position to argue with Szass Tam.
Brenna was the least affected by the lich's demands. Her attire was simpler.
Being a wizard and unable to wear armor because it could interfere with her
spell-casting, she had been provided with an arcane defense silver etched
golden bracers that fit high on her forearms and felt as light as parchment.
Page 103
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
The lich claimed they afforded almost as much protection as the plate Wynter
wore. Brenna was skeptical, but she accepted them sullenly, finding some
consolation in the fact she didn't have to leave any of her possessions behind
with Szass Tam.
She had a harder time stomaching the charcoal-black robe he gave her. It was
too large, falling in folds about her feet, and the shoulder seams extended
several inches down her upper arms. The neckline, cuffs, and hem were trimmed
with bits of bone. From the cut and the lingering scent of perfume in the
fabric, she knew it was a woman's robe, and she wondered what the previous
owner had been like. She must have been six feet tall and twice Brenna's
girth. The enchantress got goosebumps thinking about the garment and
considered shedding it and putting on something different. However, she
suspected Szass Tam was watching them somehow, and for some reason, he seemed
insistent the trio dress in a grim fashion and display his markings.
Her mount was slight but muscular, a young gray riding horse with a long,
jet-black mane and an ebon saddle. She hoped she would be able to release it
outside of Thay once they had fulfilled their agreement with the lich. She
didn't want something so spirited to be trapped inside this country.
Brenna thought a moment, watching Wynter lead the cortege. She doubted her
horse really would have a chance at freedom, uncertain as she was whether
Wynter, Galvin, or she would either. She was convinced that her fate would be
grim death at the hands of Maligor's forces or eternal servitude to the lich.
If they survived their encounter with Maligor, she didn't believe Szass Tam
would let them go. Success would make them too valuable as puppets and too
knowledgable as free men.
Wynter and Galvin had remained silent since they left Szass Tam's keep a
half-hour ago. To keep her mind from dwelling on the glum possibilities,
Brenna studied the terrain. Even by daylight, the land near
Szass Tam's keep looked dead. The ground was flat, the trees that dotted it
were twisted and black. Only weeds grew, and they were the thorny kind.
As the miles floated by and they moved farther from the lich's property, the
land changed dramatically.
Tall grasses grew on the plain, and there was an abundance of trees and
bushes. In the distance to the west, north, and south, the enchantress saw
precise rows of citrus trees, looking like dark green stripes on the land. She
tried to imagine what this land would look like without the Red Wizards'
influence. It would probably be barren, she decided, like the ground near
Szass Tam's keep.
Brenna wondered what Galvin was thinking about the lich, perhaps, or Maligor.
The Harpers were likely to be taking this worse than she was, she thought,
knowing that Wynter and Galvin claimed allegiance only to themselves and to
the Harpers, and they were not bound by civil responsibilities beyond what
they decided to accept such as this mission into Thay. Their forced loyalty to
Szass Tam, even though supposedly temporary, must be causing them great inner
turmoil. Brenna had found herself in situations before in which she had to
follow the majority dictates of the Aglarond council, even though she didn't
agree with them. Although those dictates were never evil, she tried to tell
herself this current dilemma was similar to those experiences. She tried to
believe that.
Brenna wished the Harpers hadn't agreed to investigate the evil country and
cursed herself for not staying back in Aglarond. But if she hadn't kept
herself entrenched in political events at home, she wouldn't have cared what
the Red Wizards were up to, and she'd never have known the two Harpers. She
wished she had shown Galvin more understanding earlier. Melancholy reflections
continued to flood her mind until
she noticed Galvin was talking.
"At least you could talk about it." The druid was speaking to Wynter.
"Talk about what?" Wynter's voice was hard to catch, as he spoke straight
Page 104
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
ahead and was a half-dozen yards in front of Brenna. "Talk about this country?
The lich? I remember my father fearing Szass Tam, yet all the while hoping the
slave plantation would come under his influence. My father wanted to work for
Szass Tam. The Red Wizard who controlled my father's plantation wasn't as
powerful as the lich. I'm not sure any Red Wizard in Thay, or any wizard
anywhere else in Faerun, for that matter, is that powerful. And now here we
are working for Szass Tam. I can imagine quite a few people in this
gods-forsaken country actually envy us."
"The lich isn't all-powerful," Galvin interjected. The druid rode up even with
the centaur to make the conversation easier. "If he was, he would have taken
over Thay years ago. Besides, he's dead. I would think that limits him."
"Don't kid yourself, Galvin. Szass Tam is more powerful dead than he ever was
alive. Humans and centaurs are mortal. And any mortal, unless he has enough
magic behind him, isn't a part of the world long enough to have any lasting
power." The centaur swiveled his human torso to face the druid. "Some of the
Red Wizards are very old, my friend. Centuries old. Time has given them power,
and Szass Tam has existed longer than any of them."
"If he's so powerful," Galvin pressed, "why doesn't he deal with Maligor
himself, and why hasn't he taken over this whole stinking country? If he's so
powerful, he doesn't need us."
Wynter paused a moment, as if trying to get the wording right. "Because he can
keep his hands clean by using puppets like us to do his work."
Brenna had ridden up near the Harpers and had been listening intently. "Maybe
he's just waiting a few centuries until the time is right to strike," she
offered.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]