her foot to his throat and pushed him to the ground.
The smell of ozone and burned fur filled the air, and for a moment the only sound was the minotaur’s labored breathing. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked up at her.
“You may enter,” he said. There was a distinct
click
, and the door to the temple swung open a few inches.
“What of my friends?”
“You have earned … passage for all.”
Lei nodded. “Then let’s go.” She looked over at Daine, and surprise spread over her face. “Daine!”
He turned around. They had been so focused on the battle that they had not heard the others approach. Over a dozen men spread out behind them, wearing the green and black of the Sharn Watch. Daine hadn’t seen any watchmen during their earlier exploration of the district, and he had a sinking feeling this was no ordinary patrol. These men had the look of veteran soldiers, and the occasional spot of blood hinted at a recent clash with residents of the Gate. Four crossbows wereleveled in their direction. Four halberdiers moved into flanking positions, and the four closest men carried iron cudgels.
The sergeant leveled his sword at Daine and said, “Lay down your arms! By the authority of the Lord Mayor of Sharn, I hereby place you under arrest for the heinous crime of murder!”
Jode looked up at Daine. “Well, I guess no one caught him.”
D aine studied the enemy and their surroundings, strategies flashing through his mind. None were good. The numbers were against them, Lei was unarmed, and all he had was his thrice-damned dagger. Even if they could fight, the guards were just doing their jobs, and resisting arrest would only make matters worse. For a moment Daine thought about running for the open door of the church, but they had no idea what was inside or any reason to believe they would be offered shelter against the law.
“Captain?” Pierce said quietly.
Daine knew that the ’forged could drop two of the archers in the first few seconds of battle. But it just wasn’t enough.
There were no real alternatives. Slowly, Daine set his dagger on the ground and gestured for the others to follow suit. Guards surrounded them and bound their wrists, and they were led out of the district.
The guards were silent and tense, and the halberdiers and archers kept their weapons at the ready, as if they expected an attack to come at any moment. Maybe they did. Goblins glared from the shadows, and an ogre sneered at the guardsmen, revealing filthy fangs. The Watch was not welcome in Malleon’s Gate, and only sheer numbers protected the patrol. Daine was impressed. Clearly this force had been dispatched to track them down and apprehend them only hoursafter the guard’s death. Even in Metrol, Daine wouldn’t have expected such a swift response. And with Sharn’s sordid reputation, he had half-expected that the law wouldn’t even try to solve the crime—though the fact that the victim was a guardsman probably had a great deal to do with the speed of the response.
They made it out of Malleon’s Gate without incident, and the guards relaxed as they boarded a lift and rose up through the towers. Nothing could keep Jode quiet, and he’d managed to strike up a conversation with one of the guards as they were moving out of the district. Now that they were standing still, Daine picked up on the end of the conversation.
“… Carralag?” Jode said. “I’ve heard he’s got quite a few tricks tucked away.”
“He’s a
gargoyle,”
said his captor, a half-elf woman with short silvery hair and freckled cheeks. “It doesn’t matter how tricky he is, he just doesn’t have the wingspan to compete with a pegasus or hippogriff.”
“Daeras!
Don’t talk to the prisoners!” The sergeant was almost as large as Pierce, and Daine guessed that he owed his gray complexion and flat nose to orcish blood. The half-elf nodded sullenly and turned away from Jode.
“We’re going to Daggerwatch,” Jode whispered, sidling up
The smell of ozone and burned fur filled the air, and for a moment the only sound was the minotaur’s labored breathing. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked up at her.
“You may enter,” he said. There was a distinct
click
, and the door to the temple swung open a few inches.
“What of my friends?”
“You have earned … passage for all.”
Lei nodded. “Then let’s go.” She looked over at Daine, and surprise spread over her face. “Daine!”
He turned around. They had been so focused on the battle that they had not heard the others approach. Over a dozen men spread out behind them, wearing the green and black of the Sharn Watch. Daine hadn’t seen any watchmen during their earlier exploration of the district, and he had a sinking feeling this was no ordinary patrol. These men had the look of veteran soldiers, and the occasional spot of blood hinted at a recent clash with residents of the Gate. Four crossbows wereleveled in their direction. Four halberdiers moved into flanking positions, and the four closest men carried iron cudgels.
The sergeant leveled his sword at Daine and said, “Lay down your arms! By the authority of the Lord Mayor of Sharn, I hereby place you under arrest for the heinous crime of murder!”
Jode looked up at Daine. “Well, I guess no one caught him.”
D aine studied the enemy and their surroundings, strategies flashing through his mind. None were good. The numbers were against them, Lei was unarmed, and all he had was his thrice-damned dagger. Even if they could fight, the guards were just doing their jobs, and resisting arrest would only make matters worse. For a moment Daine thought about running for the open door of the church, but they had no idea what was inside or any reason to believe they would be offered shelter against the law.
“Captain?” Pierce said quietly.
Daine knew that the ’forged could drop two of the archers in the first few seconds of battle. But it just wasn’t enough.
There were no real alternatives. Slowly, Daine set his dagger on the ground and gestured for the others to follow suit. Guards surrounded them and bound their wrists, and they were led out of the district.
The guards were silent and tense, and the halberdiers and archers kept their weapons at the ready, as if they expected an attack to come at any moment. Maybe they did. Goblins glared from the shadows, and an ogre sneered at the guardsmen, revealing filthy fangs. The Watch was not welcome in Malleon’s Gate, and only sheer numbers protected the patrol. Daine was impressed. Clearly this force had been dispatched to track them down and apprehend them only hoursafter the guard’s death. Even in Metrol, Daine wouldn’t have expected such a swift response. And with Sharn’s sordid reputation, he had half-expected that the law wouldn’t even try to solve the crime—though the fact that the victim was a guardsman probably had a great deal to do with the speed of the response.
They made it out of Malleon’s Gate without incident, and the guards relaxed as they boarded a lift and rose up through the towers. Nothing could keep Jode quiet, and he’d managed to strike up a conversation with one of the guards as they were moving out of the district. Now that they were standing still, Daine picked up on the end of the conversation.
“… Carralag?” Jode said. “I’ve heard he’s got quite a few tricks tucked away.”
“He’s a
gargoyle,”
said his captor, a half-elf woman with short silvery hair and freckled cheeks. “It doesn’t matter how tricky he is, he just doesn’t have the wingspan to compete with a pegasus or hippogriff.”
“Daeras!
Don’t talk to the prisoners!” The sergeant was almost as large as Pierce, and Daine guessed that he owed his gray complexion and flat nose to orcish blood. The half-elf nodded sullenly and turned away from Jode.
“We’re going to Daggerwatch,” Jode whispered, sidling up
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