muttered, mostly for
Keryak’s sake. However, in his own heart he could feel that wasn’t true.
“Well… whatever,” Keryak answered, and the pair
walked along in silence for a while.
“So, Troll,” the non-descript Deep Guard warrior said
from the shadows of the passageway. “I see that the rumors are true.”
Startled, Troll turned away from the chasm where
he had just thrown the heavy leather bag. “What? Who’s there?” he called out,
his face clearly showing the guilt even one so hardened as he could not hide
when caught in the act. The phosphorescent minerals found in the deeper places
of their gen’s home caverns washed out his heat vision, effectively cloaking
the stranger in their shadows.
The stranger pushed away from the wall he was
leaning against and walked confidently into the light. “Your lifemate, she was
quite a burden to carry. Too bad she stood up to you. Too bad you had to kill her.” The stranger smiled maliciously as he stopped not far from where Troll
stood.
Troll licked his lips and straightened up. “I
don’t know what you’re talking about,” he bluffed, poorly.
The stranger shook his head and smiled. “You
don’t have to lie to me, Troll. It’s me. Remember me, Khee-lar Shadow Hand’s
friend?” With that, the stranger passed a hand over his face, revealing the
face of Mynar the Sorcerer.
“You’re that sorcerer.” Troll looked warily at
Mynar. He had never known much about magic, and all he’d heard was of its
destructive power. Stories from his whelping full of fire and lightning had
frightened him then, and had left a lingering fear in his subconscious. “What
do you want of me?”
Mynar looked at Troll, feeling the fear emanating
from the brute. “Well, it would appear that you and I now have a secret.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, come now,” Mynar said, “don’t be coy with
me. That is your lifemate’s body you just threw into this chasm. Nice and
windy it is… windy enough to carry away the stench. Ah! And all wrapped in a
leather bag to help make her body hard to spot in the shadows down at the
bottom I see.”
Troll was sweating profusely. The thin scales of
his face had lost much of their color as the blood left from behind them.
“Don’t tell anyone!” Troll blurted out. “Remember the Covenant!” Desperately
he thought of trying to throw the sorcerer off the edge as well, even though he
was one of the founders of the Covenant, but his fear of magic kept him in
check.
“Now Troll.” Mynar’s smile was anything but
warm. “You may be a member of Khee-lar’s Covenant, but you also know that
Khee-lar has yet to accept you into his inner circle. He has no obligation to
cover for you, my friend.” This last word was almost hissed out.
“Wha… what would you have me do?” Troll fell to
his knees. “Please, please! I ask you as a brother of the Covenant. Please
don’t tell anyone!”
Mynar stepped forward until he loomed over the
desperate brute. “Will you covenant with me?”
Troll was caught like a fish in a net. How could
he not? “Yes, Mynar.” He rocked back and forth.
“If you will covenant with me, then I will make
you a member of my inner circle,” Mynar the Sorcerer said.
All of a sudden Troll stopped rocking back and
forth. Had he just understood… Had the sorcerer offered him the chance
to covenant into his inner circle… into the inner circle of a founder? “I… I…
of course I will!”
Mynar smiled a thin-lipped smile. “Well, then,
Troll, go ahead and swear, by your head!”
Almost exuberant with his change of fortune, Troll
rose to one knee. “I, Troll, Chief Elite Warrior of the Wolf Riders Warrior
Group, swear by my head that I will do whatever you ask of me.”
Mynar smiled and nodded. “Now let us discuss your
first task.”
Passing the entranceway to the common chamber of
the Trade
Keryak’s sake. However, in his own heart he could feel that wasn’t true.
“Well… whatever,” Keryak answered, and the pair
walked along in silence for a while.
“So, Troll,” the non-descript Deep Guard warrior said
from the shadows of the passageway. “I see that the rumors are true.”
Startled, Troll turned away from the chasm where
he had just thrown the heavy leather bag. “What? Who’s there?” he called out,
his face clearly showing the guilt even one so hardened as he could not hide
when caught in the act. The phosphorescent minerals found in the deeper places
of their gen’s home caverns washed out his heat vision, effectively cloaking
the stranger in their shadows.
The stranger pushed away from the wall he was
leaning against and walked confidently into the light. “Your lifemate, she was
quite a burden to carry. Too bad she stood up to you. Too bad you had to kill her.” The stranger smiled maliciously as he stopped not far from where Troll
stood.
Troll licked his lips and straightened up. “I
don’t know what you’re talking about,” he bluffed, poorly.
The stranger shook his head and smiled. “You
don’t have to lie to me, Troll. It’s me. Remember me, Khee-lar Shadow Hand’s
friend?” With that, the stranger passed a hand over his face, revealing the
face of Mynar the Sorcerer.
“You’re that sorcerer.” Troll looked warily at
Mynar. He had never known much about magic, and all he’d heard was of its
destructive power. Stories from his whelping full of fire and lightning had
frightened him then, and had left a lingering fear in his subconscious. “What
do you want of me?”
Mynar looked at Troll, feeling the fear emanating
from the brute. “Well, it would appear that you and I now have a secret.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, come now,” Mynar said, “don’t be coy with
me. That is your lifemate’s body you just threw into this chasm. Nice and
windy it is… windy enough to carry away the stench. Ah! And all wrapped in a
leather bag to help make her body hard to spot in the shadows down at the
bottom I see.”
Troll was sweating profusely. The thin scales of
his face had lost much of their color as the blood left from behind them.
“Don’t tell anyone!” Troll blurted out. “Remember the Covenant!” Desperately
he thought of trying to throw the sorcerer off the edge as well, even though he
was one of the founders of the Covenant, but his fear of magic kept him in
check.
“Now Troll.” Mynar’s smile was anything but
warm. “You may be a member of Khee-lar’s Covenant, but you also know that
Khee-lar has yet to accept you into his inner circle. He has no obligation to
cover for you, my friend.” This last word was almost hissed out.
“Wha… what would you have me do?” Troll fell to
his knees. “Please, please! I ask you as a brother of the Covenant. Please
don’t tell anyone!”
Mynar stepped forward until he loomed over the
desperate brute. “Will you covenant with me?”
Troll was caught like a fish in a net. How could
he not? “Yes, Mynar.” He rocked back and forth.
“If you will covenant with me, then I will make
you a member of my inner circle,” Mynar the Sorcerer said.
All of a sudden Troll stopped rocking back and
forth. Had he just understood… Had the sorcerer offered him the chance
to covenant into his inner circle… into the inner circle of a founder? “I… I…
of course I will!”
Mynar smiled a thin-lipped smile. “Well, then,
Troll, go ahead and swear, by your head!”
Almost exuberant with his change of fortune, Troll
rose to one knee. “I, Troll, Chief Elite Warrior of the Wolf Riders Warrior
Group, swear by my head that I will do whatever you ask of me.”
Mynar smiled and nodded. “Now let us discuss your
first task.”
Passing the entranceway to the common chamber of
the Trade
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