Honor was none too happy about that, herself.Rhendish had plans beyond those he shared with her. She had noteven a breath of doubt about that. But his appearance at Muldonny’smanor so soon before their attempt to retrieve the Thorn raisedquestions she feared would be answered in tears and blood.
For the first time, regret cast a shadow upon thebright light of duty.
These people had given generously of their time andlabor to aid her quest. She suspected that Delgar had impressedupon them the importance of finding the Thorn and removing it fromSevrin. Still, Fox and his small band were risking their lives toretrieve it. Even if their motivation began and ended with theirown survival, she regretted deceiving them.
From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse ofVishni’s knowing smile.
Apparently not everyone was quite as deceived asHonor had believed.
“My people know of this Rhendish,” Honor said withfeigned regret. “We consider him a dangerous man, no friend to thefey folk. What you say is true-the fairy cannot risk herself forthis task.”
This ploy brought a flicker of admiration to Vishni’sdark eyes.
“The fairy,” Vishni said in acid tones, “canmake her own decisions. If I want to fly around Sevrin like a mothat lamp-lighting, that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
“The decision to fly or not is yours to make,” Honorsaid, speaking over Fox’s protests. “But let us at least agree thatyou will do so only as a last resort.”
A smile tugged at one corner of Vishni’s lips andfound a reluctant echo on Fox’s face. “I’ve heard that before.”
“Yes, but will you listen this time?” Delgardemanded.
No spring morning could match the sunshine inVishni’s smile. “I will do everything Honor wants me to,” she saidsweetly.
The elf and fairy exchanged a look of perfectunderstanding.
They passed the evening quietly and retired to theirrooms early. Honor doubted that she was the only one who lay awakethat night.
The trip to Stormwall Island absorbed most of themorning. Since the sea cave was inaccessible by water except at lowtide, they made their way through a deeply buried passage betweenthe main island and the fortress.
Honor was relieved to see Delgar’s crew gathered atthe work camp, armed for battle and ready to protect the tunnels ifthe plan faltered. By then, her part in the dagger’s retrievalwould be over. It was good to know that her friends would not fightalone.
Her friends? When had thatoccurred?
She touched the padded bag containing the glassdagger Avidan had prepared for her and reminded herself of the harddecisions ahead.
They followed the grim trail of gray dust, all thatremained of the deathwing moths, to the door hiding the openinginto what Avidan called an oubliette-a forgotten place.
Delgar moved the hidden door. He led the way up theshaft, in case his strength was needed to move the metal grate outof the way.
But the grate was already gone. Honor hoped thisindicated that Avidan had already gotten to the workroom and donehis part.
She motioned for the others to hold for her signaland slipped past Delgar into the workroom. The plan was for her toscout and the others to await her signal. Behind her, fairy wingswhispered as Vishni rose to join them.
Avidan was waiting for them.
So, unfortunately, was Muldonny.
Compulsion slammed into Honor’s mind like an angrywave. Her hand went to the hilt of her sword and she leaped towardthe plump, slack-faced man who gazed at her with shining wonder inhis eyes.
Her sword thrust deep under the human’s ribs as ifit, too, was under some evil spell.
The adept looked down at the sword, then at her, witha look of such incredulous betrayal that Honor wished she knew howto weep.
She wrenched the sword free. The adept fell to hisknees. His gaze clung to her face as the life faded from hiseyes.
Avidan spoke, but his words could not penetrate thedespair shrouding Honor’s thoughts.
How did Rhendish know where they were, what they weredoing? Could he see through her eyes, hear what she heard?
She went to one knee beside the man she’d been forcedto kill and caught him in her arms as he slumped. As she loweredhim gently to the floor, her gaze fell upon the ring on the adept’splump hand. A small cry escaped her.
Only one type of crystal possessed that faintlyluminous, pale rose hue. The ring was fashioned of elven bone.
And every instinct she possessed told her it was herown.
Chapter Nine: A Daring Rescue
The clang of an alarm rose from the fortress baileyas Fox poked his head into Muldonny’s workroom. Metallic footstepsclattered toward the workshop in numbers that suggested a dozenrunaway horses, or possibly a small rock slide.
“Time to go!” he called as he reached for therope.
Delgar seized him by the back of his shirt, hauledhim up into the room, and spun him toward the door. “Hold them offfor a few minutes. I know where the dagger is!”
Fox ran to the door and kicked it shut. He droppedthe wooden bar and looked around for something to reinforce it. Along shaft of metal stood propped in one corner. He added that tothe bar.
The first thunderous blow shook the room. Bottlesfell from shelves. A glass orb rolled across the floor.
His gaze tracked its path back to a low woodenbarrel. A pile of glass spheres shivered under the secondimpact.
“Avidan, over here!”
The alchemist tore his gaze away from the dead adeptand hurried to the barrel. Fox snatched up a handful of thesolvent-filled spheres.
“When the guards break through, hit them withthese.”
The alchemist nodded and cocked back his arm, readyto hurl the first globe at the door.
“Honor, you too,” Fox said.
The elf turned toward him.
Fox took an involuntary step back. Never had he seensuch murderous rage. His hatred of the adepts was a pale thing nextto what burned in her silver eyes.
“Rhendish will die for this,” she said in a low,terrible voice. “This I swear by wind and word, song andstarlight.”
She pulled a ring from the dead man’s hand and thrustit onto her forefinger. Then she rose, bloody sword in hand, andwaited.
Fox felt a stab of pity for whatever came through thedoor.
The wooden bar splintered, knocking the metal rodaside and sending the door flying inward.
The elf held her ground while Fox and Avidan peltedthe clockwork knights with Muldonny’s solvent.
The first fell in the doorway, half in and half outof the room. Acrid smoke rose from the ruin. Avidan took the nextknight out at the knees, sending it clattering backward down thestairs.
The clockwork guards did not, as Fox hoped, go downlike a row of dominoes. More came, and still more, and finally twoof them broke into the room.
Honor met them.
Fox had no idea such fighting was possible.
The clockwork knights came at her with two weaponseach, a sword the length of Fox’s arm and a short, stout knife. Sheslipped away from each attack like smoke and dealt two inreturn.
It occurred to Fox that she showed considerably moreskill against these metal warriors than she did when her attackerswere two thugs in an alley. Later, he’d have to give that somethought.
A thunderous crash rose above the clatter ofbattle.
Fox glanced back over his shoulder. Daylight shonebehind what had been a solid stone wall. Delgar stood amid therubble, warhammer in hand. He caught Fox’s eye and beckoned himover.
Since Honor had the clockwork guards well in hand,Fox hurried over to help the dwarf.
The courtyard lay far below. It was surrounded bywalls on four sides, one of which was built upon a rocky cliff thatfell in a long, sheer drop to sea. The cliff continued beyond thecourtyard wall, curving inward and hugging a rock-strewn bay. Atthe tip of the cliff stood a tall tower. A narrow stone ledge ledout over the bay, more decoration than walkway, supported only bythin buttresses leading to the stronghold one side and the tower onthe other.