In the Claws of the Tiger (11 page)

He awoke about four hours later, much less gratefully, to someone pounding on the door to his apartment. He shuffled to the door, trying to wrap a blanket around himself with one hand while rubbing his eyes with the other.

“Janik, open up!” Mathas’s voice came through the door.

“I’m coming,” Janik croaked as he fumbled with the locks.

“We’ve got a problem,” Mathas said as soon as the door was open. “Captain Nashan sailed for Xen’drik three days ago.”

K
rael,” Janik said, the name like a curse on his lips.

“Almost certainly,” Mathas replied, walking into the sitting room. He took a seat on the chair that Janik had righted two nights before, arching an eyebrow at the one that was still overturned. Janik closed the door, bolted it, and turned to Mathas, lifting the chair off the floor and setting it upright so he could sit down.

“This is ridiculous,” Janik said. “He sends an assassin after me—twice!—breaks into my apartment and steals my books, and then steals the ship we’ve commissioned to take us to Xen’drik! What’s next?”

“If I had to guess, I’d say that next is getting to Mel-Aqat before we do, and getting his filthy hands on whatever it is we’re looking for.”

“That cannot happen,” Janik said. “I’ll give my soul to the Keeper before I let Krael beat me at anything again.”

“Careful what promises you make, Janik. But you’re right, we’ve got to stop him.”

“Are we almost ready to go?”

“I think we’re close. I brought our food stores to the docks to stow them aboard his ship and found out that Nashan left. Dania has our documents. I bought new boots, and I think she did as well. I think we could leave today.”

“Then let’s see what our letter of credit from the Church of Silver Flame can buy in this town, shall we?”

Mathas grinned. “I’ll contact House Lyrandar immediately.” He stood up and faced the door, then turned back. “We’re supposed to meet with that artificer, the dwarf.”

Janik groaned. “There’s not enough time to figure out who he is and whether we can trust him.”

“I agree.”

“Can you get a message to him? Let him know we’re leaving earlier than expected and we can’t meet him?” “I will try.”

“Do you think I’m being too cautious?”

“No, of course not,” Mathas said quickly. He paused. “But then, we both knew Maija for years.”

“So we did,” Janik muttered. “Maybe the three of us will be enough.” He opened the locks on the door for Mathas. “Sea of Fire, I’m not even sure I trust you any more.”

Mathas smiled. “I’m glad to know the feeling is mutual.” He stepped out the door. “I’ll let you know what I hear from Lyrandar. Where can I find you?”

“My office. Thank you, Mathas.”

“Watch your back, Janik. Krael knows he hasn’t won yet.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” Janik called as he pushed the door closed and bolted it tight.

Janik grabbed a pastry at the commons and spent the morning in his office, pulling journals off his shelves. He
hoped to find the article he had read linking the Church of the Silver Flame to the serpent cults, but he could not remember where he had seen it. Frustrated, he sat on the edge of his desk, staring up at the rows of musty tomes and academic writings on the shelves above him. A knock at his door stirred him from his contemplation.

“Come in, Mathas,” he called out, knowing that Dania wouldn’t knock.

“Ah, excuse me,” came an unfamiliar voice, low and gruff. Janik stood up quickly, his left hand dropping to the hilt of his sword, and turned to face the open doorway. His visitor was a dwarf, but he seemed tall for a dwarf—only a hand’s length shorter than Mathas, in fact, though he probably weighed nearly twice as much as the slender elf. He wore his black hair moderately long, brushing the tops of his shoulders. His beard was neatly trimmed and his moustache waxed to two sharp points. At his belt was a mace with a head as big as his own head, and he wore a polished breastplate.

“Oh!” Janik blurted. “I apologize. I was expecting someone …”

“Your elf friend, Mathas, yes,” the dwarf said. “I am Auftane Khunnam. I met him yesterday.” He extended his hand as he stepped closer to Janik.

Janik shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry to say there’s been a change of plans …”

“I heard. Found a note from Mathas at the inn. That’s why I’ve come to see you. I don’t let work slip away so easily.”

“I’m sorry, I—”

“Look, I understand,” Auftane interrupted. “You don’t know me, or anything about me. You wanted to check me out a little bit, get a sense of whether I was trustworthy. You find yourself having to leave town earlier than planned, so you
think you don’t have time to do that. I’m thinking you’ve been burned before. Am I right?”

Janik blinked. He wasn’t sure he had ever heard a dwarf talk that much and that quickly. Auftane didn’t give him time to respond.

“Think of it this way. You were going to meet me for lunch today, then hop on a ship first thing tomorrow, then spend a month getting to know me better before we landed at Stormreach. I can leave today—I’m ready to get on a ship right now. You’ll still have a month to get to know me on the boat. You don’t need to make any decision until we make Stormreach. Does the half a day we’ve lost really matter?”

Janik found himself liking this Auftane Khunnam already, and he chastised himself for it.

“So you’re mainly interested in getting to Stormreach?” he asked.

“Well, no, I’m mainly interested in doing something new,” Auftane replied. “I’ve been traveling Khorvaire for ten years now. I’d like to go back to Stormreach, and it’s easier to do that as part of a group than alone. You can’t just buy a ticket like on the lightning rail, you know? But I hear you’re going pretty far into Xen’drik, and that’s something I’ve never done before. I think I’d like to give it a try.”

“Are you in a particular hurry to leave Sharn?” Janik asked.

“You mean am I trying to leave town before my horrible crimes come to light? No.” Auftane laughed. “No, I’m not running away from anything or anyone, and there’s nobody waiting for me in Stormreach I’m in a hurry to see, either.”

“What did Mathas tell you about what we’re doing in Xen’drik?”

“Very little, really. I know a little bit about your work—archeology is a bit of a hobby of mine, I guess. You can’t grow up in Stormreach and not pick up some interest in the history of the place. I read a couple stories in the
Inquisitive
about the big discovery you made a few years back. Anyway, Mathas told me you were planning another expedition south into Xen’drik—he said beyond the peninsula, but that’s all. But I know enough to know a trip beyond the peninsula is a pretty big deal. I assume this is no dragonshard prospecting expedition.”

“That’s right,” Janik said. “We’re going back to Mel-Aqat—that was my big discovery. And I think you can come along, at least as far as Stormreach.”

“Thank you,” Auftane said, his face breaking into a big smile that carved deep wrinkles around his eyes. “I’ll make sure you won’t regret bringing me along.”

“Now I’m sure you’re not being too cautious,” Mathas said from the doorway. Auftane spun around to look at the elf, surprised, and Janik laughed aloud at the wry smile on Mathas’s face.

“Auftane made a pretty convincing case,” Janik said.

“And I’m not going to question your judgment,” Mathas replied. “Glad to have you coming with us, Auftane.”

“Thank you.”

“So when are we leaving?” Janik asked. “What did House Lyrandar say to our letter of credit?”

“House Lyrandar was suitably impressed,” Mathas said with a laugh. “They can’t spare an elemental-powered galleon on such short notice, and I’m not convinced that our letter of credit would have extended that far anyway. But I’ve commissioned a small, fast ship with a Lyrandar windwright to take us to Stormreach, leaving this afternoon—as soon
as we’re ready. We should get to Stormreach at least a week before Krael.”

“Excellent! Mathas, that’s the best news I’ve heard this week.”

“Who’s Krael?” Auftane asked.

“An old rival,” Janik said, “a captain in the Order of the Emerald Claw. We’ve had a number of run-ins with him over the years, and the last two weeks he’s been rearing his ugly head again.”

“We should be clear about this, Janik,” Mathas interjected. “Auftane, I don’t know how much you know about the Order of the Emerald Claw, but Krael has sent assassins after Janik. He’s a serious threat, and by associating with us, you’re making an enemy of a powerful and dangerous man.”

“I appreciate your candor,” Auftane said. “But you’re not going to scare me off now.”

“Anyway,” Janik said, “Krael is the reason our travel plans are in disarray. We had made arrangements for a ship to carry us to Stormreach tomorrow, but Krael apparently bought the ship out from under us and left three days ago. He’s likely to try to get to Mel-Aqat before we do.”

“Why?” Auftane asked. “What’s in Mel-Aqat that we’re all so anxious to get?”

“We can discuss that on the ship,” Janik said. “We should find Dania and get ready to leave. Mathas, can you get the supplies loaded on the ship?”

“Already done,” the elf replied. “As soon as I left House Lyrandar, I made all the arrangements.”

“Perfect. Then all that remains is getting Dania. Can we find her? She still doesn’t know about our change of plans.”

“I hardly expect that she’s out carousing in the city,”
Mathas said. “I’ll find her and meet you at the ship. It’s in Grayflood, dock nineteen.”

“Dania is our fourth, then?” Auftane asked.

“Yes,” Janik said. “She’s a paladin of the Silver Flame now, but she’s always been good with a sword.”

“Now? Her paladin’s calling is a recent occurrence?”

“She has walked the paladin’s path for approximately a year,” Mathas said.

“I look forward to meeting her. I’ve often wondered what that sense of calling is like.”

“Well, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to ply her with questions on the ship,” Janik said. “Let’s get moving.”

“Sea of Fire!” Janik swore. His companions turned to look at him, surprised by his sudden outburst.

The four of them were gathered at dock nineteen in Grayflood, their gear already loaded onto
Lyrandar Dayspring
. The ship’s crew was climbing the rigging and scouring the deck, making ready to sail. Janik slapped his hands to his head.

“Shubdoolkra,” he said. Auftane looked puzzled at the strange name, but Mathas and Dania raised their eyebrows.

Mathas immediately apprehended the problem. “The sahuagin guaranteed safe passage to Nashan’s ship, not this one,” he said.

“Exactly,” Janik said.

“Doesn’t House Lyrandar have a standing agreement for passage through Shargon’s Teeth?” Dania asked.

“The sahuagin don’t make standing agreements,” Janik said. “They get a lot more tribute by making deals one ship at a time.”

“Can you find Shubdoolkra and renegotiate before we leave?” Mathas asked.

“I doubt it. He doesn’t like daylight—I’m pretty sure he comes to shore only at night.”

Dania looked worried. “Should we delay our departure until tomorrow?”