7x04
Savina cradled Tavi's head in her lap and looked down at his closed eyes. She stroked his cheek, allowing what healing energy she had left to spill from her fingertips into him. His skin beneath her hand was rough, streaked with sweat and blood, and she thought he had never looked more handsome as he rested there in her lap …
His eyes opened, hazy at first, and then they locked onto hers. She smiled.
"You won," she told him.
He smiled back, a little bemused. "I – I don't remember that part."
"You were wonderful," she said.
They looked at each other. Smiling.
Then Tavi shifted his gaze and sat up. "Where's Rose?" he asked.
"I'm here," said Rose, who had entered the room with the rest of the dwarves. Tavi jumped up and hurried over to her. Savina stood as well, dusting off the skirts of her robes. She tried to admire Tavi's dutiful attention to his sister. But she missed him – the feeling of his cheek beneath her hand – even though he was just across the room.
Nearby, the young Sovereign woman was staring down at Lurx's body with a dispassionate expression, as if memorizing the sight of his corpse.
"It's – it's very nice to meet you," ventured Savina.
"We have not met," the woman corrected her, not unkindly. "I am Nyoko, an Adept of our Lord Kettenek."
I've read about Adepts, recalled Savina. Was it in True Travels and Adventures of Captain Ambitioso di Cambio? After he falls in love with the Sovereign noblewoman, Adepts sing for them at dinner … I think they're like bards …
She smiled politely at the Sovereign woman. "I'm Savina di Infusino, one of the Daughters of the Givers of Life."
"I am honored to meet you, Savina-san." Nyoko bowed.
Tavi led Rose over. "Signor Octavian di Raprezzi, at your service," he said, at his most formal. Nyoko introduced herself and bowed. The others introduced themselves in turn, each receiving a bow from Nyoko.
"What is your preferred manner of address?" asked Twiggy, with her typical blend of decorum and inquisitiveness.
Nyoko looked startled at first, as if forgetting that such a thing wasn't self-evident to them. "Honored Adept would be appropriate," she said. It was impossible to mistake the lofty tone that came into her voice – this woman, though she was only a few years older than Savina, was accustomed to receiving respect. Savina herself, raised from birth amid the careful hierarchies of Pol Henna, tentatively slotted Nyoko into the party's rank beneath herself and the other nobles, but above Kormick and Mena: like a commoner who'd reached high authority in one of the Temples.
". . . but since we've already shed blood together," Nyoko continued, her tone immediately relaxing, "that seems a bit formal."
There was a stir at the back of the room. A little dwarven boy – Thurran – was shepherding four emaciated dwarves out of the tunnel the derro had forced them to dig. Thurran urged the men along, chattering encouragements. Arden had been loitering near the tunnel entrance and smiled encouragingly at them, too, but when they ducked their heads and wouldn't meet her gaze, her smile faded. She shook her head, turned, and walked away.
"Thurran!" Sertani cried out, glimpsing her son. She took two steps as if she was going to run to the boy, but then checked herself. Instead, she stood, waiting, as Thurran bounced over to her: "Mother! Did you see that? Did you see what I did? I helped save everybody!"
Sertani knelt down to his level. "Come here, son," she said. As Thurran stepped close, she put one hand on his shoulder and, with the other, handed him a small stone pendant: a family emblem that she must have taken from her husband's body. Thurran fell silent. He looked at her and she nodded.
"You are Lord Rockminder now," she whispered. Thurran's lip trembled, but he made no sound.
After a moment, Mena spoke. "You have already done great credit to your father's memory, Thurran. You joined in a battle that you could have avoided, and that is an honorable thing."
Thurran put the pendant around his neck and drew himself up straight. "Thank you, ma'am," he said to Mena. He was being brave, but he clearly didn't know what to do next. Savina wanted to gather the boy in her arms and hug him, but she knew that the dwarves – Thurran included – would find that insulting: Thurran was the head of his household, and heads of households did not get compassionate hugs from near-strangers.
"We should find Jalissi and Mirtal and leave this place," said Sertani.
"Yes," said Thurran. "Let's do that."
"Wise boy," said Mena.
"But first," said Kormick, "let me suggest that we take a little time for looting and pillaging. I've already found two bags of gold pieces and a potion of some kind." He tossed two bags at Savina. Startled, she caught one; the other fell at her feet with a jangle of coins. He really is a very strange Justicar, she thought, as Kormick tossed a stoppered bottle to Twiggy.
After a quick search of the room, they found themselves in possession of eight hundred gold pieces, a power jewel, and the potion, which Twiggy identified as a life-giving elixir.
"And now," said Mena, "Let us adopt the wisdom of Thurran and leave this place."
"I'll make sure things are still quiet out in the hall," volunteered Kormick. He readied a warhammer and walked out of the room.
As they waited for him to return, Twiggy turned to Nyoko. "If I may ask, how did you end up here?"
###
Kormick walked down the hall toward the closed door he'd seen earlier, the one with the faint sound of water coming from behind it. He was in no hurry, and this time, he noticed that the stonework of the tunnel grew abruptly smoother near the closed door: evidence that true craftspeople, not the derro or their slaves, had carved this tunnel. Interesting. As he drew close to the shut door, Kormick heard the water again, but now there was something else. A scuffling and stomping. A faint rattle of chains. Grunts.
Kormick put his hand on the door handle and turned it very, very gently. He put one eye to the narrow opening he'd made.
He saw a square room filled with finely carved stone benches facing a wall bearing an ornate symbol. Above the symbol, a fountain of water burbled out of the wall. The symbol itself was hard to make out, exactly, because it was obscured by the bruised, terrified dwarven woman who was chained to it. It was also obscured by the crowd of undead humans shuffling toward her and reaching for her.
Ah, yes, Kormick thought. Zombies. Just what this day of endless delights was missing.
As he shifted position to count the creatures, the warhammer on his left side thumped against the doorframe. Almost as one, the zombies' dull-eyed heads cranked around to focus on him.
Silly me. Usually it's the slave's job to give away our position.
Kormick hollered back down the hall: "Hey, kids! Zombies!"
Then he shoved the door wide open and strode in. Jumping onto one of the chapel's pews, he raised his warhammers, his white Justicar's robes furling back as magical energy crackled between the weapons' heads. "Nothing personal," he told them, "but you're out past curfew."
He released the energy, which shot out and struck two of them. As they staggered, two more zombies shambled forward, attempting to flank Kormick, but he swung the hammers in dizzying arcs and struck both of them also. His new magical bracers pumped strength into his arms and he pounded the closest creature once more for good measure.
There was an instant's pause as the undead reeled. Then they began to surround him.
He craned his neck to shout down the hall again: "Um, zombies!"
Savina cradled Tavi's head in her lap and looked down at his closed eyes. She stroked his cheek, allowing what healing energy she had left to spill from her fingertips into him. His skin beneath her hand was rough, streaked with sweat and blood, and she thought he had never looked more handsome as he rested there in her lap …
His eyes opened, hazy at first, and then they locked onto hers. She smiled.
"You won," she told him.
He smiled back, a little bemused. "I – I don't remember that part."
"You were wonderful," she said.
They looked at each other. Smiling.
Then Tavi shifted his gaze and sat up. "Where's Rose?" he asked.
"I'm here," said Rose, who had entered the room with the rest of the dwarves. Tavi jumped up and hurried over to her. Savina stood as well, dusting off the skirts of her robes. She tried to admire Tavi's dutiful attention to his sister. But she missed him – the feeling of his cheek beneath her hand – even though he was just across the room.
Nearby, the young Sovereign woman was staring down at Lurx's body with a dispassionate expression, as if memorizing the sight of his corpse.
"It's – it's very nice to meet you," ventured Savina.
"We have not met," the woman corrected her, not unkindly. "I am Nyoko, an Adept of our Lord Kettenek."
I've read about Adepts, recalled Savina. Was it in True Travels and Adventures of Captain Ambitioso di Cambio? After he falls in love with the Sovereign noblewoman, Adepts sing for them at dinner … I think they're like bards …
She smiled politely at the Sovereign woman. "I'm Savina di Infusino, one of the Daughters of the Givers of Life."
"I am honored to meet you, Savina-san." Nyoko bowed.
Tavi led Rose over. "Signor Octavian di Raprezzi, at your service," he said, at his most formal. Nyoko introduced herself and bowed. The others introduced themselves in turn, each receiving a bow from Nyoko.
"What is your preferred manner of address?" asked Twiggy, with her typical blend of decorum and inquisitiveness.
Nyoko looked startled at first, as if forgetting that such a thing wasn't self-evident to them. "Honored Adept would be appropriate," she said. It was impossible to mistake the lofty tone that came into her voice – this woman, though she was only a few years older than Savina, was accustomed to receiving respect. Savina herself, raised from birth amid the careful hierarchies of Pol Henna, tentatively slotted Nyoko into the party's rank beneath herself and the other nobles, but above Kormick and Mena: like a commoner who'd reached high authority in one of the Temples.
". . . but since we've already shed blood together," Nyoko continued, her tone immediately relaxing, "that seems a bit formal."
There was a stir at the back of the room. A little dwarven boy – Thurran – was shepherding four emaciated dwarves out of the tunnel the derro had forced them to dig. Thurran urged the men along, chattering encouragements. Arden had been loitering near the tunnel entrance and smiled encouragingly at them, too, but when they ducked their heads and wouldn't meet her gaze, her smile faded. She shook her head, turned, and walked away.
"Thurran!" Sertani cried out, glimpsing her son. She took two steps as if she was going to run to the boy, but then checked herself. Instead, she stood, waiting, as Thurran bounced over to her: "Mother! Did you see that? Did you see what I did? I helped save everybody!"
Sertani knelt down to his level. "Come here, son," she said. As Thurran stepped close, she put one hand on his shoulder and, with the other, handed him a small stone pendant: a family emblem that she must have taken from her husband's body. Thurran fell silent. He looked at her and she nodded.
"You are Lord Rockminder now," she whispered. Thurran's lip trembled, but he made no sound.
After a moment, Mena spoke. "You have already done great credit to your father's memory, Thurran. You joined in a battle that you could have avoided, and that is an honorable thing."
Thurran put the pendant around his neck and drew himself up straight. "Thank you, ma'am," he said to Mena. He was being brave, but he clearly didn't know what to do next. Savina wanted to gather the boy in her arms and hug him, but she knew that the dwarves – Thurran included – would find that insulting: Thurran was the head of his household, and heads of households did not get compassionate hugs from near-strangers.
"We should find Jalissi and Mirtal and leave this place," said Sertani.
"Yes," said Thurran. "Let's do that."
"Wise boy," said Mena.
"But first," said Kormick, "let me suggest that we take a little time for looting and pillaging. I've already found two bags of gold pieces and a potion of some kind." He tossed two bags at Savina. Startled, she caught one; the other fell at her feet with a jangle of coins. He really is a very strange Justicar, she thought, as Kormick tossed a stoppered bottle to Twiggy.
After a quick search of the room, they found themselves in possession of eight hundred gold pieces, a power jewel, and the potion, which Twiggy identified as a life-giving elixir.
"And now," said Mena, "Let us adopt the wisdom of Thurran and leave this place."
"I'll make sure things are still quiet out in the hall," volunteered Kormick. He readied a warhammer and walked out of the room.
As they waited for him to return, Twiggy turned to Nyoko. "If I may ask, how did you end up here?"
###
Kormick walked down the hall toward the closed door he'd seen earlier, the one with the faint sound of water coming from behind it. He was in no hurry, and this time, he noticed that the stonework of the tunnel grew abruptly smoother near the closed door: evidence that true craftspeople, not the derro or their slaves, had carved this tunnel. Interesting. As he drew close to the shut door, Kormick heard the water again, but now there was something else. A scuffling and stomping. A faint rattle of chains. Grunts.
Kormick put his hand on the door handle and turned it very, very gently. He put one eye to the narrow opening he'd made.
He saw a square room filled with finely carved stone benches facing a wall bearing an ornate symbol. Above the symbol, a fountain of water burbled out of the wall. The symbol itself was hard to make out, exactly, because it was obscured by the bruised, terrified dwarven woman who was chained to it. It was also obscured by the crowd of undead humans shuffling toward her and reaching for her.
Ah, yes, Kormick thought. Zombies. Just what this day of endless delights was missing.
As he shifted position to count the creatures, the warhammer on his left side thumped against the doorframe. Almost as one, the zombies' dull-eyed heads cranked around to focus on him.
Silly me. Usually it's the slave's job to give away our position.
Kormick hollered back down the hall: "Hey, kids! Zombies!"
Then he shoved the door wide open and strode in. Jumping onto one of the chapel's pews, he raised his warhammers, his white Justicar's robes furling back as magical energy crackled between the weapons' heads. "Nothing personal," he told them, "but you're out past curfew."
He released the energy, which shot out and struck two of them. As they staggered, two more zombies shambled forward, attempting to flank Kormick, but he swung the hammers in dizzying arcs and struck both of them also. His new magical bracers pumped strength into his arms and he pounded the closest creature once more for good measure.
There was an instant's pause as the undead reeled. Then they began to surround him.
He craned his neck to shout down the hall again: "Um, zombies!"
