Tyr, and the blood coursing from his broken armor slowed to a trickle. Rings stood up as well, his axe dripping with gore. Belgin winced and sheathed his rapier.
“Good timing, Rings,” the sharper said. “What happened to you? Jacob said you were dead.”
The dwarf bared his teeth in a fearsome grin. “Oh, he sure thought I was. We found the portal you marked for us in the desert temple, and then that orc-kissing bastard ran me through without a word. He thought he’d killed me, alright.”
“You don’t look poorly for a mortally wounded dwarf,” Miltiades said with a grimace of pain.
Rings smiled and tugged at a silver band that pierced his eyebrow. “I got better, as they say. Years ago I found this enchanted ring in a mage’s tower. It takes time, but the dweomer repairs any injury that doesn’t kill me instantly. I never needed it as badly as I did a few hours ago, that’s for certain.” He looked down at the creature that had imitated Jacob, sprawled beneath him in a spreading pool of blood. He snorted and kicked the motionless form, hard. “Guess you found out about him.”
Aleena moaned and stirred. Miltiades limped over to the mage and pressed one hand to her forehead, speaking a prayer. The ugly wound faded, leaving a faint mark. The woman’s eyes fluttered open, a little glassy at first. “Doppelgangers,” she groaned. “Watch out”
“We dealt with them,” Miltiades said. He helped Aleena to her feet. The mage swayed but quickly found her balance, and her eyes seemed to clear and focus. “You’re lucky to be alive. Another inch or two, and the creature would have stove in your skull.”
Aleena took in the site with one sweep of her eyes and returned her attention to Rings. “Who’s he?”
“A friend whom Jacob didn’t kill as thoroughly as he should have,” Belgin said. He frowned, thinking. “You know, Miltiades, Jacob must have been a doppelganger all along. He turned on Rings before we returned to Skullport, so he must have been replaced before we set off in pursuit of Eidola.”
The paladin crouched by the imposter’s body. In death, he still resembled the blond-haired fighter he’d pretended to be; only the great blade of bone that grew from his forearm, a clever mimicry of a sword, marked him as a shapeshifter. “They must have overcome him the first time we were here,” he said quietly. “I never suspected. How did he hide his evil from me? That should be impossible.”
“Greater doppelgangers can do that,” Aleena said quietly. “We had plenty of time to study Eidola. When she wore the Eidola’s shape, she was Eidola Boraskyr. In her mind, in her thoughts, she was a perfect mimicry. If the doppelganger that replaced Jacob was one of her kind, he could defeat virtually any test that might reveal his true nature.”
“He’d have killed me for certain if Rings had not intervened,” Miltiades sighed. He looked up and clapped one hand to the dwarf’s shoulder. “My thanks, Rings. I owe you my life.”
The dwarven pirate scowled. “Don’t thank me, paladin. After what he did to me, I’d have killed him if he was sipping tea with a table full of old maids.” He cleaned his axe on Jacob’s cloak and thrust it through the loop on his belt. “Say, who’s that little rodent?”
Belgin followed his glance, only to find Marks quietly edging into a nearby alleyway. He bounded forward and caught the trailing end of the lasso with one hand. “Oh, no you don’t,” he said with a cold smile. “We’ve got places to go, Marks, and you’re the fellow who’s going to take us there.”
I’m going to need a scorecard soon to keep track of the roster changes, Belgin thought absently as they followed Marks through the streets of Skullport. First there were the seven of us, the Sharkers. Then Belmer, who was actually Entreri, killed Kurthe. Brindra perished, fighting the fiends. Anvil was struck down by the doppelganger masquerading as Jacobeven though we
“Good timing, Rings,” the sharper said. “What happened to you? Jacob said you were dead.”
The dwarf bared his teeth in a fearsome grin. “Oh, he sure thought I was. We found the portal you marked for us in the desert temple, and then that orc-kissing bastard ran me through without a word. He thought he’d killed me, alright.”
“You don’t look poorly for a mortally wounded dwarf,” Miltiades said with a grimace of pain.
Rings smiled and tugged at a silver band that pierced his eyebrow. “I got better, as they say. Years ago I found this enchanted ring in a mage’s tower. It takes time, but the dweomer repairs any injury that doesn’t kill me instantly. I never needed it as badly as I did a few hours ago, that’s for certain.” He looked down at the creature that had imitated Jacob, sprawled beneath him in a spreading pool of blood. He snorted and kicked the motionless form, hard. “Guess you found out about him.”
Aleena moaned and stirred. Miltiades limped over to the mage and pressed one hand to her forehead, speaking a prayer. The ugly wound faded, leaving a faint mark. The woman’s eyes fluttered open, a little glassy at first. “Doppelgangers,” she groaned. “Watch out”
“We dealt with them,” Miltiades said. He helped Aleena to her feet. The mage swayed but quickly found her balance, and her eyes seemed to clear and focus. “You’re lucky to be alive. Another inch or two, and the creature would have stove in your skull.”
Aleena took in the site with one sweep of her eyes and returned her attention to Rings. “Who’s he?”
“A friend whom Jacob didn’t kill as thoroughly as he should have,” Belgin said. He frowned, thinking. “You know, Miltiades, Jacob must have been a doppelganger all along. He turned on Rings before we returned to Skullport, so he must have been replaced before we set off in pursuit of Eidola.”
The paladin crouched by the imposter’s body. In death, he still resembled the blond-haired fighter he’d pretended to be; only the great blade of bone that grew from his forearm, a clever mimicry of a sword, marked him as a shapeshifter. “They must have overcome him the first time we were here,” he said quietly. “I never suspected. How did he hide his evil from me? That should be impossible.”
“Greater doppelgangers can do that,” Aleena said quietly. “We had plenty of time to study Eidola. When she wore the Eidola’s shape, she was Eidola Boraskyr. In her mind, in her thoughts, she was a perfect mimicry. If the doppelganger that replaced Jacob was one of her kind, he could defeat virtually any test that might reveal his true nature.”
“He’d have killed me for certain if Rings had not intervened,” Miltiades sighed. He looked up and clapped one hand to the dwarf’s shoulder. “My thanks, Rings. I owe you my life.”
The dwarven pirate scowled. “Don’t thank me, paladin. After what he did to me, I’d have killed him if he was sipping tea with a table full of old maids.” He cleaned his axe on Jacob’s cloak and thrust it through the loop on his belt. “Say, who’s that little rodent?”
Belgin followed his glance, only to find Marks quietly edging into a nearby alleyway. He bounded forward and caught the trailing end of the lasso with one hand. “Oh, no you don’t,” he said with a cold smile. “We’ve got places to go, Marks, and you’re the fellow who’s going to take us there.”
I’m going to need a scorecard soon to keep track of the roster changes, Belgin thought absently as they followed Marks through the streets of Skullport. First there were the seven of us, the Sharkers. Then Belmer, who was actually Entreri, killed Kurthe. Brindra perished, fighting the fiends. Anvil was struck down by the doppelganger masquerading as Jacobeven though we
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