The City of Towers

CHAPTER 22

Well, that certainly cleared things up.” Daine said, kicking a piece of rubble. When they’d left the temple, the ogress was nowhere to be seen. However, the people of Malleon’s Gate were beginning to stir. Bands of goblins were setting off for the workhouses, and up the street a few bugbears were wrestling on a stoop. “Lei and Pierce are supposed to go have a family reunion, you should start turning over stones, and I should get ready to suffer a big loss. And we’ve got three days to sort all this out before we’re out on the street.”

“I don’t know,” Jode said. “I thought it was worth doing. When’s the last time you saw a sphinx? I wonder if she participates in the races.”

Lei had taken the darkwood staff from Pierce, and they had been walking in silence. Now she spoke again, though her thoughts seemed distant. “I don’t think so. Back when I was studying in Sharn, I remember hearing a story about a Morgrave expedition bringing a sphinx to the city.”

“Where’d she come from?” Jode asked. “Droaam?”

“Xen’drik, I think.”

Xen’drik was a continent to the south, a land of secrets and mysteries. Daine had never been there, but he knew it was said to be the homeland of the elves, and the home of an ancient civilization of giants that had been destroyed millennia before the rise of humanity.

“A group of explorers found her in the jungles,” Lei continued, “or she found them, depending on how you look at it. As I heard the story, the sphinx said she’d been waiting for the explorers and that she would be returning to Sharn with them. They took her along because you don’t meet a sphinx every day. Supposedly she was hidden away at the university, talking to sages about Xen’drik. No one ever said anything about a temple in Malleon’s Gate. That I know for certain.”

“So do you think that we should give any weight to this?” Daine asked.

“I don’t know. She knew we were here. She knew who we were. And Uncle Jura seemed to take her seriously, for whatever reason.”

“The ogress wasn’t there when we left,” Jode said.

“Yes, I think we all noticed that,” Daine said.

“I was just wondering if you’d ever seen a female minotaur before. Is it easy to tell the genders apart?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

“Never mind. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

Daine began to protest, then he looked down the street and the words died in his throat. Three hobgoblin warriors were spread out across the street, all wearing the spiked leather armor common to Darguun. Stealing a glance over his shoulder, he saw a bugbear and two more hobgoblins stepping out into the street behind them.

“Hold,” he said quietly. His comrades paused in mid stride, and they formed a loose circle to guard their backs. “Tsash ghaal’dar!” Daine called out, hailing them in the Goblin tongue. “Strength to your arms.”

The hobgoblins seemed slightly surprised to hear their own language. One of the warriors in front stepped for ward. Hobgoblins stood between the tiny goblins and massive bugbears in height and build. While they lacked the inhuman strength of the bugbears, hobgoblins were tough and quick. This wasn’t one of the largest hobgoblins Daine had dealt with, but he moved with a sinister grace. He had striped his black armor with streaks of crimson. An odd design, but that wasn’t what disturbed Daine. The hobgoblin carried a heavy chain studded with spikes. A chainmaster. Daine cursed under his breath. He had fought Darguul chainmasters before, and they weren’t pleasant memories.

“What brings you to this place, outsider?” said the hobgoblin.

“I could ask the same, chainmaster,” Daine said, continuing to speak in Goblin. He had served with Darguuls both before and after he’d joined the army of Cyre, and he could tell that these five were looking for a fight. But there were many ways he could make it difficult for them. “This is not the land of the Ghaal’dar. What brings you to a city of men?”

“Your failure, homeless one. With your land destroyed, the other humans have called a halt to battle. There is no war to the north, and so we have come here. Perhaps you can pay for the mistakes of your country.”

Daine felt his anger growing. “Who failed first? Our greatest mistake was trusting the honor of the Ghaal’dar. Your ancestors were paid to protect the nation of Cyre, and you turned on those who trusted you.”

The hobgoblin bared his teeth and set the end of his chain whirling. But as Daine had hoped, the other warriors held back. Daine had made this an argument between the two of them, a contest of honor. One way or another, the leader needed to prove himself against Daine before the others would support him.

“It was always our land,” the chainmaster said. “Your kind stole it long ago. Our king has reclaimed what was ours by right!”

The other warriors nodded, but Daine had anticipated this response. “My ancestors claimed this land with fire and sword, and the Ghaal’dar fled before them. Is treachery the only way you can win it back?”

The hobgoblin hissed and sent his chain spinning forward, but Daine was ready. In one move, he leaped up and over the chain and lunged for the hobgoblin, blades in hand. Stepping backward to keep Daine at a distance, the hobgoblin shifted his grip and the chain came whirling out again, catching Daine’s sword and pulling it free. But Daine had fought chainmasters before, and he’d expected this move. Sword now gone, he lashed out with his dagger, and the adamantine blade sliced through the steel links as if they were cloth. A second slash scattered spiked links across the street, leaving the warrior holding a tiny scrap of chain.

Daine raised the point of the dagger and kept it in line with the hobgoblin as he knelt to recover his longsword, pulling it free from the entangling chain.

“I hope this time you will have the honor to admit your defeat,” said Daine, smiling.

Perhaps it was the smile that did it. Perhaps he’d overestimated the honor of the Ghaal’dar hobgoblins. Whatever the case, Daine realized he’d pushed things too far. The hobgoblin flung the remnants of his shattered chain, and as Daine side-stepped away, his opponent drew a jagged broadsword.

“Shaarat’kor!” he cried. This goaded his companions into action. The warriors began to circle Daine and his allies, searching for an opening.

“Stand ready!” Daine said, sliding into guard and waiting for the charge.

But the attack never came. A high female voice called out in Goblin, interrupting the battle. “Leave him alone, Jhaakat! Leave him be unless you plan to drink your own blood!”

The hobgoblin hissed, but he paused and looked over his shoulder to the source of the source of the voice. Daine stole a glance as well and blinked in surprise. The speaker was the goblin girl he’d met on the lift from Deni’yas-the thief who had stolen his purse.

“Begone, girl!” the hobgoblin snapped. “This is business of the Ghaal’dar. No place for cityfolk who have long lost touch with our ways.”

“You are in my home, Jhaakat, and you do not know our ways. We know better than to drink poisoned korluaat, but I’ve seen a number of you Darguuls make that mistake. Besides, the Stone Eye wants to see him. Perhaps you’d like to explain the delay?”

Jhaakat looked askance at that. The other hobgoblins lowered their weapons and took a step back. “Fine,” said the hobgoblin. “Take him.” He looked at Daine, spat at the ground, then turned and walked away.

“Daine,” Lei whispered. “As someone who doesn’t speak Goblin, would you tell me what is going on?”

“I’m still trying to figure that out,” he said. He looked over to the little girl. “It seems that there’s more to you than meets the eye,” he said in the common tongue of Galifar. “I suppose I should thank you for helping us. I’m not in the habit of being rescued by thieves.”

Looking at her now, it was clear that the girl had been playing a role on the lift. Daine remembered hearing that the short-lived goblinoids matured faster than humans, and clearly the girl’s wide-eyed “I just wanted to see the sky” burbling had been an act. He’d been thinking of her as a child of six, but her level gaze had the focus of a young adult.

“You saved me on the lift,” she said in the tongue of Galifar. Her voice was so childish and sweet that it was difficult to take her seriously. “And you did give me all that money. It was the least I could do.”

“I didn’t exactly give you that money.”

“I know … but you had it just hanging there. And I know you saw me.” She looked at Jode, who grinned. “I thought you just didn’t want to give it to me in front of the guards.”

“What did you just do?” Lei asked. “Who are you?”

The girl studied Lei carefully. “I’m Rhazala. Those mean Darguuls sleep at my father’s hostel, so they know better than to cross me. And I told them someone important wants to see you.”

Daine nodded. “Well, thanks, Rhazala. Since I imagine you don’t have the money any more, I guess we’ll just have to call it even and be on our way.”

“You can’t do that!”

“Why not?”

“I told you. Someone important wants to see you.”

“You weren’t just making that up?”

“You don’t joke about the Stone Eye. If you don’t come, I don’t know what he’ll do to me.”

Daine sighed and looked at the other three. “Well, I suppose we can take a few more minutes before following up on all of our other leads. What do you think?”

There were general nods of assent.

He turned back to Rhazala. “Fine. Lead on.”

The people of Malleon’s Gate seemed to know Rhazala. Many waved as the goblin girl passed by. Others looked away or studiously ignored the girl and her traveling companions. As they continued deeper into the district, they began to see more statues-a hobgoblin warrior in full armor, his flail broken off halfway up the handle; an angry bugbear with one arm missing; a pair of goblins encrusted with mildew and mold.

“I’ll give you one guess as to what old ‘Stone Eye’ is,” Jode murmured, touching his eye and then pointing to one of the statues.

“A medusa, you think?” Daine frowned. “But the girl said ‘he.’”

“You listen to too many stories. Where do you think little medusas come from? Phoenix eggs?”

“Wonderful.”

Rhazala stopped at an old, run-down building-a tavern with boards over the windows, seemingly abandoned for centuries. There were two doors, one sized for goblins, gnomes, and halflings, and the other large enough to admit an ogre. The girl tapped out a complex pattern of knocks on the larger door, and a moment later it slid open. Rhazala stepped inside and motioned for them to follow.

The door guards were tall, powerful humanoids covered with shaggy, spotted fur. Their heads featured long canine ears, glowing green eyes, and long snouts filled with sharp teeth. Gnolls, Daine guessed, though he’d never actually seen one before. Gnolls were natives of the land of Droaam to the west. Droaam was the home of harpies and trolls, and according to bedtime stories these were the least of its terrors. The last werewolves were said to lurk in the depths of the forests of Droaam, and the barren Byeshk Mountains were home to medusas, basilisks, and other horrible creatures. A gnoll might be a match for a bugbear, if not as bright, and the presence of the gnolls hinted at greater horrors that might lie deeper in the building.

Rhazala exchanged a few words with the door guards, speaking in a language he didn’t know. After an exchange of snarls and grunts, she led them deeper into the old inn. The common room of the inn had been transformed into a barracks. Gnolls, goblins, and even a few ogres were sitting on pallets spread around the room, sharpening weapons and sharing stories or jokes. Rhalaza led them through the common room and the kitchen, back to what must have once been the innkeeper’s quarters. A lone figure stood before a small shrine constructed from strange, inhuman bones. The stranger, shrouded in a long, hooded cloak of green wool, was facing away from them. The back of the hood seemed to shift slightly as they entered, and despite the raucous chatter from the common room, Daine heard a hiss.

“Lord Kasslak?” Rhazala said. “I’ve brought them.”

The stranger rose and turned around. His hood was pulled down to cover his eyes and upper face, but Jode had clearly guessed correctly. Where Kasslak’s skin was exposed, it was covered with coppery scales, and a few vipers were peering out of the depths of the hood. Daine and the others dropped their eyes, and Daine’s hand went to the hilt of his sword.

“There is no need to draw your sword. I mean you no harm … at this time,” the medusa said. His voice was smooth and sibilant.

Can he see through the eyes of his snakes? Daine wondered. He’d never really considered the relationship between a medusa and its mane of serpents.

“Glad to hear it,” Daine said.

“Please, be seated.” The medusa gestured at the chairs scattered around the room. “I am Kasslak. I’m afraid I don’t know your names.”

Daine sat down. “I’m Daine, and my companions are Lei, Jode, and Pierce.”

“A pleasure,” Kasslak said, dipping his hooded head. “Rhazala, you may stay, but please close the door.” He walked over to a desk set against the northern wall and idly shifted a few sheets of parchment while he talked. “Sharn was built by the hands of the goblins, and Malleon’s Gate has been their home for centuries. The goblins have long been mistreated by humanity and its cousins, but nonetheless, a balance had been struck. That changed with the rise of Darguun, as the larger and more powerful goblinoids emerged from their mountain fortresses to spread across the land. The Darguuls have their own traditions, and over the last few decades the balance of power has been lost.”

“And where do medusas fit into this history lesson?” Daine asked. “I’m no sage, but I didn’t think that you were part of the same family tree.”

“Patience.” A serpent peered around the cowl and hissed softly. “As the Darguuls have come from the east, we of Droaam have come from the west. Since before the age of Galifar we have been seen as monsters, and in truth, our history has been one of violence and bloodshed. But this has changed over the last century. As war tore your nations apart, the Daughters of Sora Kell called us together, uniting the warlords under one banner. The Daughters saw great promise in commerce with your kind, and indeed, many of your people sought our warriors for their strength in battle.”

Daine could attest to this. While he’d mainly fought in the south, he’d heard tales of ogre irregulars fighting along the western front, and they hadn’t been pleasant stories.

“But we have much to offer besides our power in battle. The Daughters have sent us east to work with your dragonmarked houses and forge new bonds between our nations.”

“Does this involve us somehow?”

Two snakes hissed this time, but Kasslak’s voice was as smooth and emotionless as ever. “Ogres, trolls, hobgoblins, bugbears … there is fire in the blood of these races, and conflict is in their nature. But it does not serve our purposes to fight one another. The Sharn Watch has long left this area alone, but someone needs to maintain order. This is my role. Should there be trouble in the district, I wish to know the source of it and if I can put an end to it.”

Daine began to see what was going on. “Well, that’s kind of you. And don’t think we don’t appreciate it. But those Darguuls were just looking for trouble. I don’t think there’s anything unusual there.”

“Nor do I. But the Sharn Watch came into the district in search of you-the first time in three years that they’ve set foot in the Gate. And I understand that you entered the broken temple. Yet here you are … alive.”

“That’s a surprise?”

“I see you know little about the history of our home. That may explain why you went to the temple to begin with. In any case, I would like to know your business with the Watch, and whether we should be expecting them to return. I also wish to know why you entered the broken temple, and how you survived the experience.”

“And I’d like a magic ring that grants wishes,” Daine said.

The medusa’s snakes hissed angrily, but the goblin girl laughed. Kasslak stood and walked toward Daine. “You are refusing to answer?”

Daine took a deep breath then stood and faced Kasslak, all too aware of the deadly gaze hidden behind a flimsy hood. “It’s good that you’re trying to keep this place under control, and I’m glad I didn’t have to sully my blade with hobgoblin blood back on the street. But I can’t answer your questions. I don’t know why the Watch broke the rules and came in here after me. I’d tell you if I did. As for what happened in the temple … it sounds to me like you should know better than to ask.”

There was a long pause. Daine could almost feel the medusa’s eyes locked onto him from beneath the green hood, and he wondered if he could draw his sword and strike before Kasslak could pull back his hood. Then the medusa let out his breath in a long hiss. “You may go. Rhazala will see you safely to the edge.”

Daine turned to the door then paused. “Kasslak …” he said. “Do you keep basilisks?”

“Basilisks are dangerous creatures,” the medusa said. “What use would I have for one?”

“I was just wondering if a basilisk might have disappeared around three weeks ago,” Daine said. “Or at least, one of its eyes. Anyhow, if you want to talk about it, I suggest you drop by the Manticore in High Walls. We won’t be coming back here again.”