"Ye're to be takin' me word?"
"No, but then I can kill you with a clearer conscious."
"Bwahaha!"
"I do so hate him," Entreri muttered to Jarlaxle, and he moved away.
Jarlaxle considered that with a wry grin, thinking that perhaps it was yet another reason for him to get Athrogate out and by their side. The dwarf's lack of concern for Canthan was genuine, Jarlaxle knew, and Athrogate would not go against them unless he found it to be in his best interests.
Which, of course, was the way with all of Jarlaxle's friends.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
AN AUDIENCE WITH THE KING
Athrogate and Entreri eyed each other for a long, long while after the dwarf came out of the hole.
"Could've ruined yer weapon, ye know," Athrogate remarked, holding up the morning star that coated itself with the rust-inducing liquid.
"Could've eaten yer soul, ye know," the assassin countered, mimicking the dwarf's tone and dialect.
"With both yer weapons turned to dust? Got the juice of a rust monster in it," he said, jostling the morning star so that the head bounced a bit at the end of its chain.
"It may be that you overestimate your weapons or underestimate mine. In either case, you would not have enjoyed learning the truth."
Athrogate cracked a smile. "Some day we'll find out that truth."
"Be careful what you wish for."
"Bwahaha!"
Entreri wanted nothing more than to drive his dagger into the annoying dwarf's throat at that moment. But it wasn't the time. They remained surrounded by enemies in a castle very much alive and hostile. They needed the powerful dwarf fighting beside them.
"I remain convinced that Canthan was wrong," Jarlaxle said, moving between the two.
He glanced back at the two half-orcs, leading the gaze of the dwarf and the assassin. Arrayan sat against the wall across the way, while her companion scrambled about on all fours, apparently searching for something. Olgerkhan looked much healthier, obviously so. The dagger had fed Canthan's life energy to him and had healed much of the damage of Athrogate's fierce attacks. Beyond that, the great weariness that had been dragging on Olgerkhan seemed lifted; his eyes were bright and alert, his movements crisp.
But as much better as he looked, Arrayan appeared that much worse. The woman's eyes drooped and her head swayed as if her neck had not the strength to hold it upright. Something about the last battles had taken much from her, it seemed, and the castle was taking the rest.
"The castle has a king," Jarlaxle said.
"Bah, Canthan got it right, and ye killed him to death for it," said Athrogate. "It's the girl, don't ye see? She's wilting away right afore yer eyes."
"No doubt she is part of it," the drow replied. "But only a small part. The real source of the castle's life lies below us."
"And how might ye be knowin' that?" asked the dwarf. "And what's he looking for, anyway?"
"I know because I can feel the castle's king as acutely as I can feel my own skin. And I know not what Olgerkhan is seeking, nor do I much care. Our destiny lies below and quickly if we hope to save Arrayan."
"What makes ye think I'm giving an orc's snot rag for that one?"
Entreri shot the dwarf a hateful look.
"What?" Athrogate asked with mock innocence. "She ain't no friend o' me own, and she's just a half-orc. Half too many, by me own counting."
"Then disregard her," Jarlaxle intervened. "Think of yourself, and rightly so. I tell you that if we defeat the king of this castle, the castle will fight us no more, whatever Arrayan's fate. I also tell you that we should do all that we can to save her, to keep her alive now, for if she is taken by the castle it will benefit the construct and hurt us. Trust me on this and follow my advice. If I am wrong, and the castle continues to feed from her, and in doing so it continues to attack us, then I will kill her myself."
The dwarf nodded. "Fair enough."
"But I only say that because I am certain it will not come to that," Jarlaxle quickly added for the sake of Olgerkhan, who glared at him. "Now let us tend our wounds and prepare our weapons, for we have a king to kill."
Athrogate pulled a waterskin off and moved toward the two half-orcs. "Here," he offered. "Got a bit o' the healing potions to get yer strength back," he said to Arrayan. "And as for yerself, sorry I breaked yer neck."
Olgerkhan offered nothing in reply. He hesitated for a moment by Arrayan's side, but then moved back toward the side passage and began crawling around on all fours once more, searching.
Entreri pulled Jarlaxle to the far side of the room and asked, "What are you talking about? How do you know what you pretend to know, or is it all but a ruse?"
"Not a ruse," Jarlaxle assured him. "I feel it and have since we entered this place. Logic tells me that Arrayan could not have constructed anything of this magnificence, and everything I have seen and felt since only confirms that logic."
"You have told me that all before," the assassin replied.
"Could you offer something more?"
Jarlaxle patted his button pocket, wherein he had stored the skull. "The skull gem we took from the other tower has sensitized me to certain things. I feel the king below us. His is a life-force quite mighty."
"And we are to kill him?"
"Of course."
"On your feeling?"
"And following the clues. Do you remember Herminicle's book?"
Entreri thought on that for a moment then nodded.
"Do you remember the designs etched upon its leathery cover, and in the margins on the page?"
Again the assassin paused, and shook his head.
"Skulls," Jarlaxle explained. "Human skulls."
"And?"
"Did you notice the designs on the book up the ramp, the source of this castle?"
Entreri stared hard at his friend. He had not actually looked at the book that closely, but he was beginning to catch on. Given his experiences with Jarlaxle, where every road seemed to lead, his answer was as much statement as question: "Dragons?"
"Exactly," the drow confirmed, pleased that Entreri resisted the urge to punch him in the face. "I understand the fearful expressions of our sister employers. They knew that the Witch-King could pervert dragonkind as he perverted humankind, even from beyond the grave. They feared the apparent opening of Zhengyi's lost library, as evidenced by Herminicle's tower. They feared that such a book as the one that constructed this castle might be uncovered."
"You doubt that Arrayan started this process?"
"Not at all, as I explained. The book used her to send out its call, I believe. And that call was answered."
"By a dragon?"
"More likely an undead dragon."
"Wonderful."
Jarlaxle shrugged against his companion's disgusted stare. "It is our way. An adventurous road!"
"It is a fatal disease."
Again the drow shrugged, and a wide grin spread across his face.
They continued on their way down the side passage Canthan had taken to the room where Entreri had defeated the battle mage.
The magical webbing Canthan had created to prevent the daemon eggs from falling remained in place, except for the small area Entreri had burned away in his fight with the mage. Still, the five went through the room quickly, not wanting an encounter with those powerful adversaries. They all believed that the "king," as Jarlaxle had aptly named it, awaited them, and they needed no more wounds and no more weariness. The order of the day at that time was avoiding battles, and so with that in mind, Entreri took up the point position.