Элейн Каннингем - Thornhold

She couldn’t deny the child this, nor could she leave her here alone. “Come, then,” she said, and led the way down into the street.

Bronwyn almost stumbled over the paladin. He had taken terrible head wounds, and her gaze didn’t linger on his face, but there was no mistaking that blue and white tabard. A wave of relief swept over her, only slightly darkened by guilt. It did not seem right, to be glad that a “good man”—for he would certainly be regarded as such—had been brutally slain.

They found Ebenezer at the toy store, kicking through the rubble and swearing with impressive creativity. He broke off in mid curse when he saw Cara at Bronwyn’s side. “You kept her here?” he demanded incredulously.

“She wouldn’t go,” Bronwyn responded.

The dwarf shook his head. “Lacks for nothing but a beard, that one. Well, I’ve got some bad news. You’ve got ten guesses, and there’s your first clue.”

He pointed to the back door. The body of an elderly elf stood sentry at the door, pinned to the wooden beam by what might have been his own sword. Inside the store lay two more elf corpses and the remains of five orcs. The elves had fought with a fervor all out of proportion to the apparent value of their wares.

Bronwyn stepped over a gray-skinned female orc and began to survey the devastation. The shelves had been tossed down, and toys littered the floor. Dolls and wooden carts and carved farm animals had been tossed contemptuously aside. Bronwyn noted that there were no small bows and arrows, no wooden swords, no slingshots or miniature catapults. In short, all the toys that trained youngsters for the art of war had been taken.

It was an odd sort of plundering, and from Bronwyn’s point of view, the worse possible situation. She sifted and kicked through the rubble, but she had no more luck than Ebenezer.

“I’m-a gonna take a look around outside,” the dwarf said. “There’s stuff dropped all over. Those orcs were in a hurry. Might be I can find it here. Or—” he broke off suddenly and shrugged.

Bronwyn caught the dissonant note, but was too distracted to dwell on it. “Fine,” she muttered. She kept looking, turning over every bit of wood, every scrap of cloth and paper, until she finally had to admit the truth.

The Fenrisbane was gone.

Defeated, she sank down onto an overturned shelf.

“But you’re dead !” Cara protested.

Bronwyn jerked around to face the open door. There stood another paladin, a tall, fair-haired young man who matched the description she’d heard from Cara, Alice, and Danilo. This was the paladin who had stolen Cara from her foster family, who had followed Bronwyn to Waterdeep, then to Summit Hall. He simply did not quit. Like a troll, he just picked up the pieces and kept coming. Exasperation swept through Bronwyn.

“What the hell are you?” she demanded.

“I am Algorind of Tyr, and it is my duty to take this child back to the Order of the Knights of Samular for proper fosterage.”

“You did that once,” Bronwyn snapped. “It didn’t turn out so well. I found her on a ship, bound for the slave markets of the south. You will take this child only when I’m too dead to stop you.”

The young man looked saddened, but determined. “Lies will not help you. It is not my wish to harm you, but I will take the child. It would be better if you returned with me to the order to answer for your crimes of theft and treason. Perhaps doing so will bring you peace.”

“I don’t lie.” Fury swept through Bronwyn, and she went for her knife. “But I’d be happy to do what you say, just as soon as you turn that sword of yours point up and sit down on it hard.”

Algorind colored, but did not flinch. “It is plain that you are no fit guardian for a child.” he said. “Stand aside, or face Tyr’s justice.”

“No!’

Cara’s small, piping voice startled them both. She walked forward, placing her small body between the armed paladin and Bronwyn. “Don’t hurt Bronwyn. I’ll come with you.”

“Cara, don’t!” Bronwyn appealed. “Just leave. Now! ”

The girl shook her head stubbornly. “I won’t leave you here with him.” She walked toward Algorind, holding out her tiny hand.

The paladin watched as the child approached. She was pale, but trusting. She came close and placed her hand in his. “I will go with you and not give you any trouble, but first you must answer a question. Will you give me your word on this, and keep it?”

The paladin gave her a puzzled look. “I am pledged to always keep my word.”

“Well, that’s fine, then. Here’s the question: what is my raven’s name?”

Algorind was not greatly gifted with imagination, but he dredged his memory for names that he had heard given to such birds. “I do not know. Midnight? Blackwing? Po?”

“No, no,” Cara said impatiently. She withdrew her hand from his, then held it in a fist over Algorind’s palm. “What do you call a cat who lives in a shop?”

“A shop’s cat, I suppose.”

As soon as he spoke the words, she opened her hand. A large, red gem tumbled into his palm. Instantly he felt himself being sucked away, as if by a strong wind.

Algorind tried to fight it, using every vestige of his iron will and his disciplined strength. To no avail. The ransacked shop began to blur and fade, and a sound like an angry sea began to crescendo in his ears. Above the tumult, Algorind heard the merry music of the child’s laughter. His fading vision fell upon the treacherous woman. She was on her knees beside the child, her arms around the girl and her face both glad and proud.

And then it all disappeared, and Algorind’s world became a terrible, terrifying white whirl. He was taken away, torn away from his duty by some treacherous magic.

The tunnel that lay between Danilo’s posh townhouse and Blackstaff Tower was a great convenience. In Danilo’s opinion, it was becoming too damned convenient. He strode down the tunnel to answer his third summons in a tenday.

The tunnel ended in a magical gate. Danilo murmured the phrase that enabled him to pass, then walked through the apparently solid stone wall and into Khelben’s study.

The archmage was painting again, which was certainly a sign of duress. Danilo glanced at the canvas. It was a seascape, with livid streaks of lightning darting down from a heap of billowing purple clouds. Despite the pending sky, the sea was an inexplicably calm shade of green.

“An interesting work, Uncle. Might I name it? ‘Umberlee having a nightmare’ is one that comes to mind.”

Khelben stabbed a paint brush in his direction, splattering him with dabs of purple paint. The fury on the archmage’s face convinced Danilo that it might be unwise to protest the matter.

“What possessed you to do such a stupid, orc-brained thing?”

Danilo lifted one shoulder. “You will have to be more specific. I do a great many stupid, orc-brained things.”

The archmage dug in the pocket of his artist’s smock and took out a bright blue stone. “What is this?”

Bluffing was hopeless, but Danilo gave it a try. “A topaz?”

The archmage snorted angrily. “Gemstones. You gave the child enspelled gemstones and taught her to use them. You have done some foolish things in your life—”

“But this is not one of them,” Danilo cut in. “Cara is just a child. She’s smarter than most, but few people of any age have the sort of enemies she’s collected. A paladin saw her outside Bronwyn’s shop and gave chase. My agents saw to it that the watch was called and the would-be abductor of children summarily dealt with.”

“Yes, I know,” groused Khelben. “And thank you very much for your quick thinking. As a result, I still have Piergeiron’s boot print on the back of my breeches.”