Keith Baker - The Shattered Land

“Well, that was worthwhile,” he said to Lakashtai. “After all, we only killed a priest and robbed a temple, and what did we get? To leave with our lives. Sovereigns be praised.”

Lakashtai said nothing, but Daine had spent enough time with her to spot the faint smile.

“What? You’re not disappointed?”

“Be silent,” she said, though her tone was gentle. “You should be grateful to Master Hassalac for sparing you after you harmed his guard. Merely meeting him was honor enough for the price that we paid.”

“… Sure.”

Eventually, they came to the gate of shadows. “You go,” rasped the guardian.

Daine turned to Lakashtai. “So. There’s a good chance your friends are waiting for us out there.”

“Agreed.”

“You’re always appearing out of nowhere-is that some sort of a kalashtar trick?”

“It is a discipline I have learned, yes. I can cloud the perceptions of others, so they overlook my presence, but I cannot extend this shield to protect you.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Daine said. “Supposedly I’m the one they’re looking for, so hopefully they won’t even care if they do see you. Now, I want you to go through first. Do … whatever it is you do. Get away from the doorway. Count to ten, slowly, and then start screaming at the top of your lungs.”

“Screaming?”

It was hard to imagine the serene kalashtar in a panic, but Daine didn’t want to argue. “Yes. Scream. Murder, fight, thief, whatever. Draw a crowd. They’ll focus their attention on me, trust me on this. As soon as there are enough people around, we break off and head for the Ship’s Cat together. This isn’t an assassination; they want me alive. As long as there are people around, they can’t grab me.”

“As you wish.” Lakashtai gave a slight bow to their reptilian escort. She walked into the shadow and disappeared from view.

Daine smiled at the guard. “Well, thanks. You’ve been a great help. Let me see if I have something for you …” He fumbled with his leather pouch, and produced a pair of copper coins. “Here,” he said, tossing them to the guard.

The creature let go of its halberd with one hand to catch the coins, but Daine had deliberately thrown too low, and the coins clattered to the floor. The guard bent over to pick them up.

And Daine charged.

He slammed into the creature with all the strength he could muster. The lizardman was far stronger than Daine, but he was caught completely off balance. It fell, tumbling backwards-and the two of them went through the gate together.

The moment of transition was unpleasant, but Daine held his focus with grim determination. The next thing he knew, he was in Stormreach, the sun bright overhead. The guardian was sprawled on the ground, and nearby a woman was screaming.

Luckily for Daine, the guard had dropped its halberd in the melee, but the creature had long talons and jaws that looked strong enough to bite through bone. It rose to its feet with a roar. Daine ducked under the first swipe, but the second caught him along the ribs; his chainmail took the worst of it, but his side burned where the claws had left bloody furrows. He continued to dodge and weave, leaping out of the path of the creature’s blows and slowly circling around it. Finally, he was back in position. He leaned against the marble pillar, doing his best to appear exhausted and out of energy-not something that required much effort. Sensing victory, the beast charged forward, roaring in triumph.

Daine threw himself out of the way, revealing the gate of shadows.

The creature was moving too quickly to stop, and it disappeared into the darkness. The instant it was gone, Daine dove off the stone platform and into the crowd that had gathered to watch the fight, heading toward the place he’d heard Lakashtai. If there were Riedrans about, the crowd held them at bay. Daine found Lakashtai with Gerrion and grabbed her arm.

“Let’s go. Gerrion, back to the Ship’s Cat-and main roads only.”

Behind them, there was a roar as the angry creature burst back out of the gateway. Daine didn’t look back as they hurried down the street.

“Hassalac said no blood,” he muttered to Lakashtai. “He didn’t say anything about bruises.”

Lei and Pierce were playing sundown in the common room when they arrived. Pierce was fully restored, and Lei had even cleaned his mithral plates. He rose as Daine entered.

“Is there trouble?”

Daine shrugged. “As far as I can tell, all we’ve done today is make enemies.”

“Not at all,” Lakashtai said. “We have accomplished exactly what I expected.”

Daine frowned. “What? Hassalac threw us out.”

“Of course.”

“So what was the point?”

“Because now,” Lakashtai said with a smile, “we can break into the vault.”

It had all begun so well.

“Get up, damn you!” Daine grabbed Lei’s shoulders and shook her, but she did not respond; her neck lolled against the floor. A bolt of energy punched a skull-sized crater in the wall behind him, the ray missed him by less than an inch, and his skin tingled from the passage of the beam.

It’s my fault. She came because of me …

Two hours ago they’d been in the Ship’s Cat. He could still taste the meat and ale, and hear Lei’s laughter in the back of his mind.

Now she was dead.

“I can’t take this sober.” Daine gestured to the innkeeper, and three cats followed the motion in silent unison.

“You must,” Lakashtai said. “We leave as soon as you have collected your belongings.”

“No. We don’t.” Daine turned to the shifter matron. “Good food. Strong drink. I don’t care what it is. She’s paying.”

“Daine. This is not a matter for discussion.”

“You’re right, Lakashtai, it’s not.” Daine took a seat at the table. Lei glanced at Pierce, but neither said a word. “We go when we’re all ready to go, and this time, you tell us the plan from beginning to end.”

“You’re a soldier, Daine. You know there are times when a general has to keep secrets.”

“How many times have I heard that before? When did we join your army?”

“When my enemy chose to attack you. You aren’t in the army, Daine-you are the battlefield.”

Lei snorted. “You keep saying that, but why? What could your doom and darkness possibly want from Daine?”

“We cannot afford to find out.”

“That’s convenient for you, isn’t it?” Lei remained in her seat, but Daine could feel her mounting frustration from across the table. “We’re fighting a war against your enemy for reasons only you understand. You’ve got us robbing temples, killing priests, and now fighting sorcerers. Lucky for us the law seems even more lax here than in Sharn. What’s next? Overthrowing a king?”

Lakashtai was as imperturbable as ever. “If you had to kill a king to save your friend, would you?”

“How do I know any of this is to help Daine?”

“Enough!” Daine slammed a fist into the table. “If you want us to keep going with this, Lakashtai, we need answers. We’re going to rob Hassalac? Fine, but I want to know why. You say this is for my benefit-how, exactly? Use small words.” He glanced at Gerrion. “Isn’t this a job for an actual thief?”

“I don’t know who you’ve been listening to. I’m just a guide,” the gray man said with a smile.

Lakashtai ignored the comment. “Gerrion has other duties to attend to. It is Lei’s skills that will be required for this task.”

The conversation was brought to a halt by the arrival of Harysh with Daine’s lunch. The ale was served hot, mixed with honey and cloves. A large plate held boiled roots, dark brown bread, and a large empty space. With some surprise, Daine noticed a few strips of red meat floating off the right side of the platter.