Part 36 (2/2)
An instant later, the blue flames sprang from the blade of the axe, a flood of fire that arced to the floor and then rebounded up again in an upright column, a surging, rising thing that grew and grew. With a darkness at the heart of those rus.h.i.+ng flames that slowly...became a man.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE.
MY H HOUNDS TO H HUNT Y YOU D DOWN.
At the sight of a man in the heart of the blue flames, Marlin Stormserpent laughed in triumph-but his mirth faltered when the flames fell to the floor with a crash, like the contents of an upended bucket of water, and were suddenly gone.
Leaving behind someone who was not wreathed in endless blue flames like Langral and Halonter had been.
Stormserpent joined Windstag in gape-mouthed, astonished staring.
Standing in his meeting room was an unlovely man in rumpled leathers who was stout-no, fat fat-and wrinkled with age and hard living. And who was staring back at him with a shrewd, measuring look.
”W-who are you? One of the Nine?” Marlin managed to ask when he found his voice again.
”Do I look look like a bare-behind dancing girl? The Naughty Nine are all taller than me, lad, and far more shapely, too-though I'll agree they don't make cozy la.s.ses like they used to! Nay, lad, I'm no dancer, whate'er yer preferences. I'm a bit of a trader and not much more, these days, though I guess 'tis no secret I'm a lord of Waterdeep.” like a bare-behind dancing girl? The Naughty Nine are all taller than me, lad, and far more shapely, too-though I'll agree they don't make cozy la.s.ses like they used to! Nay, lad, I'm no dancer, whate'er yer preferences. I'm a bit of a trader and not much more, these days, though I guess 'tis no secret I'm a lord of Waterdeep.”
”Whaaat?”
”Nay, nay, no need for awe and astonishment. I,” the old man said sardonically, drawing himself up in mimicry of a grand ruler and striking a heroic pose, ”am Mirt. Sometimes called the Moneylender, and more often-hem-called much worse things.”
Marlin stared in disbelief, growing a frown, then swiftly tried to force the old man back into the hand axe, as he could control Langral and Halonter.
Nothing happened.
”Sit down!” he snapped. ”And-and cover your eyes with your hands!”
Mirt the Moneylender lifted one bristling eyebrow. ”Children's games, is it? I always wondered wondered what wealthy younglings got up to when-” what wealthy younglings got up to when-”
”This one, a lord of Waterdeep?” Windstag sneered scornfully. ”He sounds like a merchant from the docks!”
Mirt dispensed a dour look. ”I am am a merchant from the docks, loud buck! And who might ye be, with yer scorn and yer fancy clothes? Ye look like n.o.bles, both of ye, but I know every last born n.o.ble of the city, la.s.s and jack, an'-” a merchant from the docks, loud buck! And who might ye be, with yer scorn and yer fancy clothes? Ye look like n.o.bles, both of ye, but I know every last born n.o.ble of the city, la.s.s and jack, an'-”
”We are n.o.bles of are n.o.bles of Cormyr,” Cormyr,” Marlin Stormserpent snapped. ”And you stand in Stormserpent Towers in the fair city of Suzail, right now. 'Now' being the Year of the Ageless One, as it happens. I doubt Waterdeep would suffer the likes of you to be among its lords these days!” Marlin Stormserpent snapped. ”And you stand in Stormserpent Towers in the fair city of Suzail, right now. 'Now' being the Year of the Ageless One, as it happens. I doubt Waterdeep would suffer the likes of you to be among its lords these days!”
Mirt gaped at the young Lord Stormserpent and went a little pale. ”Ageless One? Is-G.o.ds, is that that how long it's been?” how long it's been?”
”So,” Windstag asked Stormserpent, ”when do the flames surround him? And when can you start ordering him around like a slave? Or is he going to crumble to dust?”
”Lad,” Mirt replied, before Marlin could say anything, ”dust is what we're all all going to end up as.” He winced. ”Dust is probably what my Asper is, right now. And Durnan, and all the others I cared for, or-” going to end up as.” He winced. ”Dust is probably what my Asper is, right now. And Durnan, and all the others I cared for, or-”
”Oh, shut shut your your wind,” wind,” Marlin Stormserpent told the old man disgustedly. ”As if we care about your doxies or friends or Marlin Stormserpent told the old man disgustedly. ”As if we care about your doxies or friends or anyone anyone from Waterdeep! On your knees!” from Waterdeep! On your knees!”
Mirt gave the young lord a glare and stood right where he was. ”Huh. If the Realms in this year is full of the likes of ye, I don't think much of it. Or of thy sneering friend, here.” He turned his disapproval on Windstag-who responded by rising and drawing his sword.
Marlin did the same, adding a menacing smile.
Mirt rolled his eyes. ”And is this how converse is carried on in the Realms these days? Swords, is it? Not even a gla.s.s of something for guests? And ye call yourselves n.o.bles!”
”We do indeed,” Marlin Stormserpent told him in silken tones, stalking forward with blade in hand.
Along the other side of the table, Broryn Windstag began the same slow, armed advance.
”Ahem,” Mirt said tentatively, taking a step backward. ”I believe I did warn ye that I'm a lord of Waterdeep.” Mirt said tentatively, taking a step backward. ”I believe I did warn ye that I'm a lord of Waterdeep.”
”And we quake at the news,” Marlin Stormserpent sneered, hefting his blade. ”This ”This is what we think of lords of Waterdeep.” is what we think of lords of Waterdeep.”
He spat at Mirt, though the range was considerable and he merely wetted the floor in front of the old man's worn and flopping sea boots.
Mirt raised his brows, face mild.
Windstag strode forward, menacing the Waterdhavian with his sword. ”Though we do do know how rich lords of Waterdeep are. So you can either yield up a lot of coin to us, here and now-or die.” know how rich lords of Waterdeep are. So you can either yield up a lot of coin to us, here and now-or die.”
The old man sighed.
”I don't, as it happens,” he said sourly, ”carry heavy sacks of coins around in my codpiece-or anywhere else under these old rags, either. All the bulges ye see are my own.”
”So how much coin can you lay hands on in Suzail? And how quickly?”
”Well,” Mirt wheezed, lumbering forward with an utter disregard for the sharp points of their swords, to peer at the table that displayed Marlin's map of the city, ”that depends.”
”On?” The decanter had caught Marlin's interest, but he stopped heading for it to see just where on the map the old man-who was standing right against the table, holding onto it for support-was looking.
”On whether or not ye fall for this,” the old man said calmly, heaving up, hard-and hurling the table over onto the fine-booted toes of both n.o.blemen.
Who shrieked in pain and dropped their swords, lost in writhing agony. Which gave Mirt plenty of time to take a heavy statuette of Arlond Stormserpent Slaying a Dragon Arlond Stormserpent Slaying a Dragon from the sideboard, lurch alongside the blindly hopping, shouting Windstag, and dash the n.o.ble to the floor with a blow to the head. from the sideboard, lurch alongside the blindly hopping, shouting Windstag, and dash the n.o.ble to the floor with a blow to the head.
Marlin, who was also hopping in pain, turned to try to fight, lost his balance, and toppled. Whereupon Arlond landed hard on his face, breaking his nose and sending him off to dreamland.
Mirt calmly drew his dagger and sliced free two bulging n.o.ble purses. ”That ”That quickly,” he told the silent, sprawled, and copiously bleeding Marlin Stormserpent. quickly,” he told the silent, sprawled, and copiously bleeding Marlin Stormserpent.
The royal palace of Suzail was always quieter by night than by day. Not that the servants ever slept-least of all with the council almost upon the realm-but by the dark hours the collective vigilance of guards, courtiers, and wizards of war had at least ensured that all the visiting n.o.bles were temporarily gone, and no more of them were coming to the gates haughtily demanding things.
With morning heading for highsun, the floors above were abuzz with busy servants-though much furniture-s.h.i.+fting and rifling of the wine cellars had been done, and most of the chambers of state arranged, prepared, and then firmly shut up to await their coming times of need. Only the kitchens were working full tilt, with already-weary chambermaids pressed into service to help s.h.i.+ft fresh-baked goods from the ovens to tables in nearby function rooms, thereby clearing the way so that more could be baked.
The lone armored figure stalking unseen past all this tumult in one of the better-known secret pa.s.sages was weary, too. He'd filched an entire tray of sage-and-egg tarts-better a tray than just one or two, when that might rouse a search for some lurking intruder-and had eaten more than was comfortable, but this armor had room enough for a dozen trays of uneaten tarts, if he cared not how much they crumbled.
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