J.C. & Barb Hendee D 3 Sister of the Dead (BD) (v1.2)

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and Leesil's own wariness sharpened.
"What is it you want?" Magiere finally asked.
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"Swear to tell my master that it was I who found you, I who sent you to him
and no one else. Do this and I might regain his favor and my life. "
Magiere glanced at Leesil, and he nodded agreement.
"All right, " Magiere said. "You have my word, as I've no deity to swear by.
"
Osceline cocked her head toward Leesil. "Swear on his fife. "
Magiere tilted her head forward, dark hair curtaining half her face. Her
irises flooded black. She lifted the falchion with her elbow cocked back and
took a step toward Osceline. The woman flattened herself against the cell
door, but there was still no fear in her eyes.
"It's all right, " Leesil said.
He saw Magiere hesitate, her attention split between him and the woman. She
lowered her blade.
"I swear on his life, " she said, the words grating out of her throat. "I
will tell your master you sent me. Now spit it out! What is his name, and
where do we find him?"
Relief filled Osceline's lovely face, followed by satisfaction. A silent
tension passed through Leesil as he wondered if they'd just made some terrible
mistake in bargaining with this skulker in the belly of the keep.
"Ubad, " Osceline said, calm and collected. "His name is Master Ubad. "
She stepped away from the door as if there were no longer any threat she need
be concerned with. She even turned her back on Leesil, facing Magiere
directly.
"You can find him in the wetlands beyond thevillageofApudalsat , " Osceline
continued. "To the east, in the province of the Sclaven on the edge of the
Everfen region. The keep is deserted, as is the village, but he is there. Go
to the keep he will know when you arrive. He is wise and will explain all to
you. But do not forget your oath to me. "
Osceline turned around and stepped past Leesil without looking back. She
walked down into the passage's dark end. Magiere started after her, but Leesil
grabbed her arm.
"Let her go. " When he glanced back, Osceline was gone. "I believe she was
telling the truth... for what little she did tell us. "
Chap rumbled softly in Wynn's arms as she crouched behind the dog.
"We have not finished looking, " the sage suggested. "There might still be "
"We've found nothing here, " Leesil corrected, "and I don't think looking
further will change that. We'd best leave while we can. "
He saw the ridged clench of Magiere's jaw, and he'd seen how close she'd come
to cutting into Osceline when the woman had made her swear on his life.
Magiere turned away, heading for the hidden staircase, but her hand slid
gently down his arm as she did so. Leesil waved Wynn and Chap on behind her.
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He looked back down the passage Osceline had taken as he sheathed one
stiletto and pulled out his crystal. There was something wrong here. He
stepped farther down the row of cell doors shut tight on both sides.
In three steps, the crystal's light revealed an empty deadend, and he'd heard
no cell doors open.
Leesil backed carefully to the intersection of the corridors, watching every
shadow.
He followed the others up to the study, looking back over his shoulder more
than once. From the wood-paneled room, he led the way out into the hall and
then down the narrow stairs facing the door. This emptied into a corridor on
the main floor, and it did not take long to reach the kitchen and step out
behind the courtyard barracks once again. Leesil locked the door behind them
and refastened the key to the belt of the unconscious guard. Magiere handed
him her falchion, and he slipped it into the sheath.
When they returned to the bolt-hole inside the castle wall, the others
crawled through. As he stepped back and prepared to slide the wall section on
its rails back into place, Magiere grabbed his arm.
"What are you doing?" she asked. "It's time to get away from here. "
"I can't secure this from the outside. If we leave it open, the castle could
be breached. If something happened, the Varanj soldiers would be blamed. "
She was about to argue, and he knew what she would say. Why should they be
concerned about the Varanj? But Leesil leaned into the opening and kissed her
quickly on the nose to silence her.
"I'll meet you at the inn... or beat you there. Now go. "
He shoved the stones along the rail and pulled the lock lever into place.
For the second time that night, Magiere waited with Wynn in the room at the
Acorn Oak. Dawn approached, none of them had slept, and Chap paced worriedly,
glancing repeatedly at Wynn. No matter how the sage tried, she couldn't get
the dog to touch the talking hide, much less answer questions concerning the
woman in the corridor or this Master Ubad.
Magiere tried to remain calm, but her thoughts tangled with questions over
and over. What if she delayed Leesil's search for his mother only to be led
down another dead end? What if Osceline was lying? All Magiere wanted from
this journey was the truth, and now that it might be within her reach, she was
no longer certain she could accept it.
Wynn watched her from the bed, and Magiere read apprehension in the sage's [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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