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.That's everyone's worst fear, that Shining Arrabar will bring the Rotting Plague back.So he developed a plan.The plague would come from elsewhere, and he would be seen as a savior rather than a devil.And who better to release the plague upon a hated city than the druids of the Emerald Enclave? When they begin to track the zombies' origins and head down into the sewers, they will find the bodies of two promising young wood folk who both gave their lives so that the 'hated city folk' could be devoured in disease."At last, the man turned to face Kovrim, holding a small alembic, which contained a thick, yellow substance.He approached where the old priest lay, holding the alembic well away from himself."It was a long plan, a slow one, and one that I didn't have much say in," the man said."But then, that's always the way my cousin operated, so I guess I should feel fortunate that I was included at all."Kovrim wanted to scream, not because the man was about to pour the thick, sludgy substance onto his face—that in and of itself was too horrible to contemplate.No, the old priest's anxiety reached a fever pitch because he remembered the face, knew the man.Slowly, as the man let a bit of the disease-ridden pus slide out of the alembic and dribble around Kov-rim's mouth and nose, he lost his faculties, his mind seeking shelter by receding from consciousness.Rodolpho Wianar finished the application of the disease to the priest and smiled.DCHAPTER 18Emriana held her breath, trying to hold perfectly still.It was hard, hanging as she was with her knees drawn up andhooked over a timber and her torso folded in half, both hands clinging to that same beam along either side of her knees.She would have pulled herself up the rest of the way and found a more comfortable perch, but there hadn't been time.She felt very undignified with her rear end jutting downward like that.Below the girl, a lone guard stood in the midst of the room, his head canted slightly to one side as though listening.One hand rested on the hilt of his short sword while the other gripped the scabbard.Emriana knew that any movement on her part would disturb the dust coating the top of the beam,causing it to sift downward—right on top of the man below her."Anyone there?" the guard called out, uncertain, craning his neck to peer into the shadows of the library.There was no answer, of course, because when Emriana and Pilos had entered the chamber to flee the guard and his companions, it had been perfectly dark.Which is why I managed to bump into a shelf and knock over a whole stack of books, Emriana recalled.Oh yes, Emriana Matrell, you are a first-class sneak, she silently taunted herself.She wanted to throw up from fear.From the shadows beyond the guard's torch, there was a slight scuffling sound."Who's there!" the guard demanded, more forcefully.A cat appeared, its eyes reflecting the torchlight, a mouse caught in its teeth.It let out a low growl as if to warn the human away from its meal, then slunk back into the shadows.The guard snorted and his shoulders sagged, obviously relieved."Stupid cat," he mumbled, turning to go."Scared the demons out of me." He stomped out of the library, pulling the door shut behind him, leaving Emriana in blessed darkness.She heard the click of a lock turning, and all was quiet.The girl sighed in relief and thanked Tymora for the luck of a cat.She then eased herself back down from the timbers in the ceiling, dropping to the floor.She began smoothing her dress in the darkness, knocking the dust from it, just as Pilos reappeared, dispatching himself from the nearby wall.His pendant still shone with a soft, pearlescent light.The glow had vanished when the guard had first interrupted them and the young priest had magically melted into the wall.The way in which he had done that fascinated Emriana."I need to cast spells like that," she muttered as the young man moved beside her."I bet you were a lot more comfortable in there than I was hanging half upside down."Pilos grinned."You looked like you were having fun," he said wryly."I thought for a moment that his torch was going to scorch your backside."Emriana groaned at the possibility
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