sure telling Nath and his heavily armed playmates that he was an uncle of a half-breed was such a good idea.
Talon knew that as well as I did. The kid sucked in a double lungful of air and held it.
“And this is Talon Nathrach.” Tam smiled and gestured Talon over to him. “My son.”
Talon came forward. Cautiously. Probably one of the first times in his impulsive little life that he’d ever done anything with caution.
Nath did a few seconds of stunned blinking and staring. “A nephew,” he finally managed. “I’m an uncle.”
“That’s usually the way it works,” Tam agreed.
Stunned gave way to a broad grin. “You’re definitely a Nathrach. You’re damned near as good-looking as I am.”
Talon got a big welcome-to-the-family hug, and I got some dust in my eyes. Yeah, it was dust.
If any of the goblins with Nath had a problem with Talon, they hid it well. They wanted Sathrik off the throne, but had been part of the goblin court until they’d had to go intohiding. These men and women had plenty of practice hiding things other than themselves; contempt for a half-breed would be a snap. I’d be keeping an eye on Talon. Though my eyes would have plenty of company from Tam, Mychael, and Piaras. The kid would be safe, or someone would be sorry.
“All these reunions are nice,” I said, “but shouldn’t we be getting the hell out of here?” I indicated the body at my feet. “It’s been our unfortunate experience that where there’s one pack of Khrynsani, there’s another sniffing around nearby.”
“You heard the lady,” Nath said. He knelt and began to pilfer the body of the Khrynsani closest to him. “Let’s get what we can and get out.”
The Khrynsani should be grateful that we killed them. If Sarad Nukpana had found out that they’d let us escape, they would have all gotten a fast promotion—right to the front of the Saghred sacrifice line. With Nukpana, I couldn’t imagine failure meaning anything except death. Which meant any patrol that came after them would be intensely motivated not to fail.
“This patrol is to report in every hour,” Jash Masloc said. “Their last check-in was about ten minutes before they heard Magus Silvanus, so work fast.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. I knelt to see if the dead Khrynsani at my feet had any gifts to offer a less-than-optimally armed elf. Nath and his people were doing a fast and efficient job of not leaving any weapons lying on the ground. Sarad Nukpana made sure his men had only the best. What a guy. As a result of his largesse, now we had the best.
As I moved up to the goblin’s upper torso, a glint of reflected light caught my attention. A chain lay against his neck, and from where his head lay at an angle, a marble-sized pendant had rolled to rest in the hollow of his throat.
No way in hell I was touching that.
“Mychael,” I said. “You better look at this.”
“What is it?”
“Something I’m not touching for all the tea in Nebia.”
He looked and he didn’t get any closer. Nice to know that my instincts were still working, even if my magic wasn’t.
“What is it?” I asked.
“A spy orb.” Mychael called to the goblin mage. “Jash?”
“The leader of every Khrynsani patrol is supplied with them,” he said. “They pulsate when they get close to strong magic,” he explained to me. “It’s how they found our mages in the capital. Only the most powerful can tamp down their magic enough to be non-detectable. The iron ore in the walls of this cave is shielding us now. Sarad Nukpana issued spy orbs for you, Mistress Benares. There are hundreds of various sizes concealed around the city. He knew you’d come, and he wanted to know when and where you entered the city when you did.” Jash Masloc’s dark eyes narrowed. “The Saghred must have gifted you with extreme stealth; I sense absolutely no magic from you. Nor do you have discernable shields.”
I gave him a smile that hopefully didn’t look like the
Talon knew that as well as I did. The kid sucked in a double lungful of air and held it.
“And this is Talon Nathrach.” Tam smiled and gestured Talon over to him. “My son.”
Talon came forward. Cautiously. Probably one of the first times in his impulsive little life that he’d ever done anything with caution.
Nath did a few seconds of stunned blinking and staring. “A nephew,” he finally managed. “I’m an uncle.”
“That’s usually the way it works,” Tam agreed.
Stunned gave way to a broad grin. “You’re definitely a Nathrach. You’re damned near as good-looking as I am.”
Talon got a big welcome-to-the-family hug, and I got some dust in my eyes. Yeah, it was dust.
If any of the goblins with Nath had a problem with Talon, they hid it well. They wanted Sathrik off the throne, but had been part of the goblin court until they’d had to go intohiding. These men and women had plenty of practice hiding things other than themselves; contempt for a half-breed would be a snap. I’d be keeping an eye on Talon. Though my eyes would have plenty of company from Tam, Mychael, and Piaras. The kid would be safe, or someone would be sorry.
“All these reunions are nice,” I said, “but shouldn’t we be getting the hell out of here?” I indicated the body at my feet. “It’s been our unfortunate experience that where there’s one pack of Khrynsani, there’s another sniffing around nearby.”
“You heard the lady,” Nath said. He knelt and began to pilfer the body of the Khrynsani closest to him. “Let’s get what we can and get out.”
The Khrynsani should be grateful that we killed them. If Sarad Nukpana had found out that they’d let us escape, they would have all gotten a fast promotion—right to the front of the Saghred sacrifice line. With Nukpana, I couldn’t imagine failure meaning anything except death. Which meant any patrol that came after them would be intensely motivated not to fail.
“This patrol is to report in every hour,” Jash Masloc said. “Their last check-in was about ten minutes before they heard Magus Silvanus, so work fast.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. I knelt to see if the dead Khrynsani at my feet had any gifts to offer a less-than-optimally armed elf. Nath and his people were doing a fast and efficient job of not leaving any weapons lying on the ground. Sarad Nukpana made sure his men had only the best. What a guy. As a result of his largesse, now we had the best.
As I moved up to the goblin’s upper torso, a glint of reflected light caught my attention. A chain lay against his neck, and from where his head lay at an angle, a marble-sized pendant had rolled to rest in the hollow of his throat.
No way in hell I was touching that.
“Mychael,” I said. “You better look at this.”
“What is it?”
“Something I’m not touching for all the tea in Nebia.”
He looked and he didn’t get any closer. Nice to know that my instincts were still working, even if my magic wasn’t.
“What is it?” I asked.
“A spy orb.” Mychael called to the goblin mage. “Jash?”
“The leader of every Khrynsani patrol is supplied with them,” he said. “They pulsate when they get close to strong magic,” he explained to me. “It’s how they found our mages in the capital. Only the most powerful can tamp down their magic enough to be non-detectable. The iron ore in the walls of this cave is shielding us now. Sarad Nukpana issued spy orbs for you, Mistress Benares. There are hundreds of various sizes concealed around the city. He knew you’d come, and he wanted to know when and where you entered the city when you did.” Jash Masloc’s dark eyes narrowed. “The Saghred must have gifted you with extreme stealth; I sense absolutely no magic from you. Nor do you have discernable shields.”
I gave him a smile that hopefully didn’t look like the
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