piece.â
âOne piece?â Colm said.
âYou make sure we donât run into any traps, and Quinn and I will handle any monsters that come along.â
âMonsters?â
âT-t-traps?â Quinn repeated.
âPlease,â Lena said. âYou donât think they would throw us all down here and not give us something to do, do you?â She reached out and took the torch from Quinnâs hand, then turned and continued along the same path that Colm had been taking. Colm watched her for a second, trying to decide if she was dangerous.
He was almost certain of it.
But she didnât seem like she posed any immediate threat to him, at least, and obviously she and this other boy hadagreed to work together, even seemed to know each other somehow. Colm had no idea what Herm Hefflegeldâs theories of proper party configuration had to do with anything, but he did understand that three people were better than one, and was thankful not to be alone any longer. Still, he walked behind her as he had walked behind Finn at the start. The boy named Quinn shuffled beside him, nearly tripping over his oversized robe.
âSo y-youâre a ruh-rogue?â he mumbled.
Actually, Colm thought, Iâm just a pickpocket. And only recently one of those. âMore or less,â he said, then nodded at the boyâs strange attire. âAnd what are you, exactly?â Quinn looked like a kid who had decided to try on his fatherâs bathing gown.
âOh, m-me? Iâm a m-m-m-m-mageling,â the boy said.
âItâs like a mage. Only clumsier,â Lena explained from over her shoulder, and Quinn nodded. He didnât seem to take offense.
Colm instinctively stepped away, remembering what Finn had said about mages. Except Quinn didnât look like he could call lightning from the sky or produce fireballs from his fingers. Colm had expected the first wizard he met to be more in keeping with the descriptions from his bookâwhite-bearded and billowing and larger than life. Quinn looked barely big enough to summon his own shadow. Colm nodded toward Lena and whispered to Quinn, âSo, then, what is she?â
Whatever she was, she obviously had good hearing, because she stopped and spun. âI am a barbarian,â she responded curtly. âAt least, I hope to be someday.â
Colm shook his head. From what little heâd read, barbarians were loud, long-haired, half-naked men who spoke in bellows and ate their meat raw. âReally? A barbarian? You? Are you sure about that?â
âUh-oh,â Quinn whispered.
The girl suddenly advanced on Colm, her eyes slits, teeth bared. She looked terrifying in the torchlight. âAre you suggesting I canât be a barbarian?â Colm threw up his hands, shaking his head, but she started jabbing a finger into his chest. âBecause there is absolutely no law that says women canât be barbarians. In fact, Iâll have you know there are several famous female barbarians in dungeoneering lore.â
âNo. I believe you, honestly,â Colm said. He had never met a barbarian before. Not even the half-naked, raw-meat-eating male variety.
âJust because I donât wear the hide of some dead animal across my shoulders and I have all my teeth does not mean that Iâm not a barbarian.â
âI . . . I never . . . you are . . . absolutely . . . so completely a barbarian,â Colm stumbled.
Lena huffed, then spun back around and started walking faster down the dark hall.
âShe really is nice, once you get to know her,â Quinn said, gathering his robe about him as he and Colm each quickened his pace to catch up.
Once you get to know her? Colm thought. âWait a minute. How long have you two been down here?â
âWe were friends before,â Quinn explained as they came toanother fork. âWe come from the same town. We are pretty much in this together. And now so are
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