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.“All that will be left will be a pile of stone and metal for the blacksmiths and stonemasons to forage through.” He noted as he finished that both Arrayan and Olgerkhan shifted uneasily.That told him a lot.“Perhaps it would be better to alert King Gareth,” a doubting Mariabronne replied.“Master Wingham can send runners from Palishchuk to that end,” Commander Ellery declared.“For now, our course is clear—through the shell then and to the soft insides.”“So says yerself,” blustered Athrogate.“So I do, good dwarf,” said Ellery.“I will enter the castle at dawn.” She paused and glanced at each of them in turn.“I brought you out here for just an eventuality such as this.Now the enemy is clear before us.Palishchuk cannot wait for word to get to Bloodstone Village and for an army to be assembled.And so I go in.I will not command any of you to follow, but—”“Of course you will not have to,” Jarlaxle interrupted, and when all eyes turned his way again, he dipped another bow.“We ventured forth for just an eventuality such as this, and so by your side, we stand.” By his side, Jarlaxle could feel Entreri’s gaze boring into him.“Bwahaha!” Athrogate bellowed again.“Yes, of course we must investigate this further,” said Canthan.“By Dumathoin!” said Pratcus.“All of you, then,” Wingham remarked, “with Arrayan andOlgerkhan, you will vanquish this menace.Of that I am sure.”“Them two?” Athrogate asked with a great “Harrumph.”“They represent the finest of Palishchuk,” Wingham replied.“Then get the whole damn town running now, and save yerselfthe trouble!”“Easy, good dwarf,” said Canthan.“We’ll be spending more time dragging them two about than hunting the enemy,” Athrogate grumbled.“I ain’t for—”“Enough, good dwarf,” said Canthan.Arrayan moved from Olgerkhan’s side to face the furiousdwarf.“We will not fail in this,” she said.“Bah!” Athrogate snorted, and he turned away.“Two replacements for us,” Entreri whispered to Jarlaxle as theymoved back across the hilltop to their respective bedrolls.“You would not wish to miss this grand adventure, of course.”“You knew about it all along,” the assassin accused.“The sisterssent us up here for precisely this.”“We have already been through this,” replied the drow.“A library has been opened, obviously, and so the adventure unwinds.”“The tower we defeated wouldn’t serve as a guardhouse for thisstructure,” Entreri warned.“And that lich was beyond us.”“The lich is destroyed.”“So is my glove.”Jarlaxle stopped walking and stared at his friend for a fewmoments.“A fine point,” he conceded finally, “but worry not, for we’ll finda way.”“That is the best answer you can find?”“We always do find a way.”“And we always shall, I suppose?”“Of course.”“Until the last time.There will be only one last time.”Jarlaxle considered that for a few moments.Then he shrugged.“First time them two fall down will only be giving me a softerplace to put me boot,” Athrogate grumbled, sitting on the torn fabric that used to be Canthan’s tent.He rambled on with his unceasing complaints, but the wizard wasn’t listening.Canthan’s eyes were focused across the way, where Wingham was sitting with Arrayan and Olgerkhan.Something wasn’t right with those two.“What? What?” the dwarf asked him, apparently taking heed of the fact that he wasn’t being listened to and not much enjoying it.Canthan began to cast a quick spell, and a translucent shape, somewhat like an ear, appeared floating in mid-air before him.He puffed on it and it drifted away, gliding toward the conversation on the northern side of the encampment.The female, Arrayan, moved off, leaving Wingham alone with the brutish Olgerkhan.And with Canthan, though of course Wingham didn’t knowthat.“You know our deal,” the old half-orc said, his tone grave.“I know.”“It must not get too far gone,” Wingham said.“There can be nodelay, no staying of your hand if the killing blow is needed.”“I know!” the larger half-orc growled.“Olgerkhan, I am as wounded by this possibility as are you,”Wingham said.“This is neither my choice nor my desire.We follow the only road possible, or all is already lost.”His voice trailed off and Olgerkhan held his response as Arrayan moved back to them.“Interesting,” mumbled Canthan.“What? What?” bellowed Athrogate
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