The City of Towers: The Dreaming Dark - Book I (25 page)

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.”

R
hazala led the way through the streets of Malleon’s Gate. As before the inhabitants gave her a wide berth. Clearly she was known to be an emissary of the medusa, and Daine wondered what she had done to earn her place in his band. It was still difficult to take her seriously. Half the time she was skipping through the streets, and the other half she was singing nonsense songs in Goblin. But having seen her at the brawl, Daine wondered how much of this was part of her pose.

They passed a group of goblins painting gargoyle silhouettes onto strips of gray cloth. “It’s for Eight Winds,” Rhazala explained, tapping a band of gray cloth wrapped around her wrist. “Carralag
will
win this year. Wait and see.”

Jode was cheerful as always, and he chattered away with the girl, discussing the Race of Eight Winds and the history of the Bat and the Gargoyle. But Daine was still frustrated by his encounter with the medusa, and he had no interest in hearing the tricks the Gargoyle might use against the Griffon or Pegasus. This fire still burned when they reached the gates of the district, and he nodded curtly to the goblin and headed off to the streets of Oldkeep. Without speaking to the others, he led them into the first tavern he saw, a grimy dive with an upside-down griffon above the door.

“Do you still have any silver?” he growled to Jode.

Jode threw him a sovereign. Daine slapped the coin down on the bar. “I don’t care what it is, as long as it’s strong,” he said.

The bartender grunted, and Daine turned and made his way to a filthy table. The others followed him. Jode and Lei sat down. Pierce continued to stand; being made of steel, stone, and wood he was immune to the effects of fatigue, and he generally preferred to remain ready for action. Having studied their surroundings, Pierce held his flail in one hand. The chain was still wrapped around the haft, but clearly he felt that it was best to be prepared.

“You’re in a charming mood today,” Jode said to Daine. “I expected you to be interested in the aerial archery discussion. It sounds like we could have used a squad of gargoyle archers a year ago.”

“But we didn’t have any, did we? And now all those soldiers are dead.”

The bartender brought over a few mugs filled with some foul Marcher brew. Daine took a deep swallow. Lei sniffed her mug and pushed it away.

“And this is news?” Jode said. “I would hope that there’s something more recent bringing you down.”

“Fine.” Daine drained his mug in one long draught then slammed it down on the table. He took Lei’s rejected flagon. “Why are we doing this? Why are we here?”

“On Eberron?”

Daine glared at him. “In Sharn. Working for Alina. Talking about weather and wind with thrice-damned goblin
thieves!”

“Oh, Rhazala’s a good girl. Reminds me of myself at that age.” Jode took a sip and winced. “Except for the orange skin, of course. But really, Daine, where else should we be? Cyre isn’t coming back, and there are probably as many Cyrans in Sharn as there are anywhere else in Khorvaire. Working for Alina … where else can we make that kind of money? If you don’t like it, then do something to help the refugees. Give them the money we get from Alina. I’m sure that Greykell could put it to good use. Or here’s an idea—figure out who’s turning Cyran refugees into monsters and do something about it. Crazy, hmm?”

Daine looked down into the drink and scowled. “And what’s Alina got to do with this?”

Jode nodded. “This is about
your
family, isn’t it?”

Lei had been studying the grimy patrons of the tavern, but at this she looked up. “What do you mean?”

“Quiet, Jode,” Daine growled.

“You heard what the sphinx said about your past. I think she had a point.”

“What are you talking about?” Lei said.

“I don’t think Daine’s ready to talk about it,” Jode said. “Let’s just say that we crossed paths some time before we joined the army, and there are some issues I think our captain needs to deal with.”

Lei looked over at Daine, but he just scowled. “Look,” she said, “I don’t care what this is about, but we don’t have anywhere else to go. You know what? I’d like to live in a place that isn’t filled with lice. And do you think I like that gruel just because I can make it? This isn’t how I expected to live my life. The future I should have had has been stolen from me, as well, so get over it. Let’s do what we need to do to get this gold. If you want to give your share to the refugees, then do so. Cyre wasn’t my home, and I don’t have a family any more. And I’m sick of suffering for both of them.”

Behind them, Pierce remained silent and still.

“I see it’s good moods all around,” Jode said. “The joy at this table is overwhelming. But you’re right. We won’t get anything accomplished by drinking except to pour away what little money we have. So what more do we have to work with?”

Daine closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Jode was right, of course. “Fine. We have the freaks in High Walls, who appear to have been created—through magic, I assume. Perhaps it’s voluntary. Perhaps not. And a changeling is involved.”

“I doubt that means anything,” Lei said. “There’s no huge changeling conspiracy. It’s easy to mistrust them, but changelings are individuals just like us. They aren’t some faceless mob.”