James Wyatt - In the Claws of the Tiger

Janik opened his mouth and closed it again, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

“I think you might be right, as much as I hate to admit it. But what makes you think this Fleshrender is the spirit possessing Maija?”

“Two things,” Krael said, “neither one more than a gut feeling. First, there’s the kind of magic Maija used in Karrnath. I suppose any fiend might use such spells, but they seem particularly well suited to one called the Fleshrender. Second, consider the connection to the Ramethene Sword. Like it or not, Janik, I think you released that fiend when you pulled the Ramethene Sword from its place.”

“I don’t like it, but I can’t argue that right now. So-we have a name for our enemy-though not a very pleasant name. How do we get the Fleshrender out of Maija’s body?”

“First, we get out of here,” Krael said.

“We?” Dania said. “I don’t plan on letting you out of here alive, let alone helping you escape.”

Krael looked distinctly uncomfortable and Janik felt a strange twinge in his chest. A large part of him agreed with Dania. Krael had caused him so much misery and difficulty over the last few months, to say nothing of the previous fifteen years, that helping him and accepting his help in return seemed unthinkable. At the same time, he couldn’t avoid seeing himself in Krael’s situation: helpless and at the mercy of his worst enemies. Krael had been cooperative, and, well, useful-probably because he knew he needed the help of his enemies if he was to escape.

More than that, though, Janik somehow felt that Krael wasn’t fundamentally different from himself. He had not seduced Maija away from him-Janik had grown so used to blaming Krael for what happened that he had a hard time separating his anger at Krael from his despair over Maija. And he was here for the same reason that Janik was: to claim revenge against the fiend that had destroyed his life. They had some common goals, both in the short term and in long-range pursuits.

“You need me,” Krael said. “You’ll never find your way out of here without my help, and you’ll never find Maija.”

“She might very well find us if we escape from here,” Janik said.

“And she’ll overpower you again, probably kill you this time,” Krael said. “With me and Sever along, you’ve got a fighting chance.”

“I don’t think so,” Dania said. “Now that I know what we’re facing, I think our victory depends entirely on my ability to force this Fleshrender out of Maija’s body. Two extra swords aren’t likely to make the difference-assuming we can recover our weapons.”

“Both of us are very effective without weapons.”

“Krael, stop begging,” Janik said. “It’s embarrassing.”

Krael visibly bit back another sarcastic retort and looked away, toward the door.

“Seems to me it’s an open question how any of us will escape, whether we decide to help each other or not,” Janik said. “But it’s certain that sitting in here arguing with each other isn’t going to get anyone out of this room.”

Dania looked at the floor. “Sorry, Janik.”

“Auftane, how’s your patient?”

“I’m fine, Janik,” Mathas said. “Tired, but fine.”

“Glad to hear it, old friend,” Janik said with a warm smile. He fought down the lump in his throat and turned back to Auftane. “Would you have a look at the door and see if there’s any way you can open it?”

“Sever’s tried that, too,” Krael said.

“Not to judge too hastily based on Sever’s appearance, but I suspect that Auftane is capable of more subtlety,” Janik said.

“Agreed, Martell,” the warforged sneered. “All I can say is that the door’s too strong for me.”

“And that probably means it’s too strong for any of us to break down, but my hope is that Auftane can find another way to open it.”

The dwarf was peering into a tiny hole near the right edge of the door, about halfway up its iron surface. “I suspect this is the other side of the keyhole,” he said, “but it’s too small to get at the mechanism.”

“I believe the door is barred as well,” Sever added. “Your lockpicks won’t lift the bar, Khunnam.”

“He’s right, Janik,” Auftane said, shrugging his shoulders.

Janik ran his fingers through his hair and stared at the door in silence for a moment. Finally, he sighed and shook his head. “Auftane, why don’t you take a look at Krael’s manacles. I want an assessment first, before you open them. Mathas, can you help him?”

“I’ll try.”

Auftane and Mathas huddled together behind Krael, examining the strange blue metal bonds as Sever watched over their shoulders. Janik stepped over to Dania, who had her head cocked as if she were listening to something outside the room.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she said. “What are you thinking?”

Janik took her arm and drew her a few steps away from the others-as far as the tiny cell would allow. “What if Krael is our only way out of here?” he whispered to her.

Dania pursed her lips and crossed her arms. “There has to be another way,” she said.

“We’d all like there to be another way, but no law of the universe says a means of escape must exist, let alone a second choice. What if he’s the only way?”

“Do you think there’s the slimmest chance we can trust him?” Dania said. “The instant he gets those manacles off, what’s to stop him from turning to mist, slipping under the door, and leaving us here to rot?”

“I can’t think of anything,” Janik said, frowning.

“Janik?” Auftane called, standing up behind Krael.

“Yes?”

Staying behind Krael and out of his line of sight, Auftane pointed at the manacles and bobbed his head, an exaggerated expression of confidence on his face. Janik nodded his understanding and turned to Dania.

He lowered his voice further. “Assuming we can extract a convincing oath from Krael that he’ll help us if we help him, are you willing to go along with that?”

“Are you asking me whether I can accept the lesser evil of helping him get free for the sake of the greater good of defeating Maija?”

“I guess so, yes.”

Dania sighed. “I have to bring him to reckoning for the evil he’s done, Janik. I have to. But if that happens after we’ve freed Maija from this Fleshrender’s grip, I can live with that.”

“Thank you,” Janik said, clasping Dania’s shoulder before turning to the vampire. “Krael?”

“Have you reached a verdict?” Krael said. “Decided my fate?”

“Your fate’s up to you, Krael,” Janik said, “though Dania assures me that she has a particular vision of it in mind. But in the short term, let’s discuss what we can do for each other.”

“A good idea,” Krael said, eyeing Dania.

“Auftane here is confident that he can release you from these manacles. He’s no doubt motivated by the opportunity to study them in more detail.”

“I’m pleased to hear that.”

“So we can set you free, and we ask for our freedom in exchange. We get you out of the manacles, you go under the door and open it from the other side. At that point, we’re even.”

“That sounds fair,” Krael said.

“However,” Janik continued, “once we’re all out that door, I don’t think we’re done with each other, as much as we all might like to be. We have a goal in common, to extract our revenge from the Fleshrender. I’m not at all confident that we’ll go about that in the same way.”

“Whatever do you mean?” Krael asked.

“I mean that while Dania might be able to force the spirit out of Maija’s body, I suspect you’re more likely to force the spirit out by killing Maija. That’s not an acceptable approach.”