21 The Darkness Within IV (2/2)

Maybe if I tried hard enough, I'd convince myself too. Elmidath straightened and raised her head. It seemed she believed at least some of what I was saying, the poor fool.

Tagath sighed. ”I doubt you're telling me the whole truth, but I think your argument has some merit. The current lord certainly sounds like he's made a mess of things up there. Maybe carrying on the bloodshed is our only choice at this point.” He fiddled with a tool on one of the benches as he addressed Elmidath. ”Fine, your companion has convinced me. I'm probably a fool myself for doing so, but I'll help you depose your uncle.” He raised a finger before either of us could reply. ”But. I will only do so on the condition that I can serve as your advisor.”

I blinked. Him as an advisor? I thought he just wanted to stay here and ignore the rest of the world. Elmidath looked as confused as I did, but she agreed. ”That's no problem, I'd be happy to have your advice.”

”Hmph. We'll see how happy you are after you've had to listen to it.”

I wonder if his help was even worth the effort, he didn't look like much of a fighter. ”How do you intend to aid Lady Sarinknell, exactly?”

”I have a couple of gifts for her, which I think will prove quite useful. Things I was making at her father's request.” He walked over to a bench and drew back the sheet. A long-sleeved shirt of tiny metal scales, with a thick cloth backing, glittered beneath the lamp. It clinked as he picked it up and offered it to Elmidath. ”Your father requested this for you.”

She took it and held it up to the light. Tagath insisted she try it on, so she pulled it over her head. It was a loose fit but the armour tightened of its own accord, until it was snug around her. The scales covered everything from the base of her neck to just below her waist. Though less extensive than the armour of most of the soldiers I'd seen, it was also much lighter. ”Will this really protect her? It looks pretty flimsy.” The mail I was wearing, made up of rings rather than scales, seemed a lot more substantial.

”It should suffice against most attacks she's likely to come up against.” He held up a small hammer. ”If I might make a demonstration? I assure you that you won't be harmed.”

Elmidath frowned, none too pleased about the prospect of being struck with a hammer, but she agreed. Drawing back his arm, he swung it at her as hard as he could. It hit her on the chest but she didn't seem bothered by it. Her eyes widened. ”I barely felt a thing.”

Tagath nodded, unsurprised. ”Precisely. The interlocking scales provide exceptional protection, far beyond what you'd expect of something that weight, while remaining flexible.” He smiled. ”A most ingenious blend of magic and metalwork, if I do say so myself. I suggested that your father choose something more suited for the battlefield, but he wanted armour you could wear in your day-to-day life. Please take care of it, it took a very long time to make. Not to mention costing a small fortune.”

”I'll try. How well will it do against fire?”

”Err, well…” Tagath cleared his throat and looked away. ”You'd probably be better off wearing it than not, but it's not going to offer much protection against that. I would strongly recommend you avoid being set alight.”

Hand going to the burn on her cheek, Elmidath nodded. ”I'll keep that in mind.”

The armour was nice and all but it wasn't going to help us much against her uncle. ”What's the other gift then?”

”Hm? Oh, right. Follow me.”

He led us out. We went all the way back to where we'd found the pit, not far from the entrance. ”It's been a while since I last checked it but I believe it should be about ready by now.”

After checking that neither of the demons were watching me, I rolled my eyes. I could do without all the melodrama. We didn't have a great deal of time and I wished he'd fork it over without all the mystery and theatrics.

A large glove rose from the pit. Made of dark leather, it sported several unsightly lumps beneath the surface, like cysts, and a gaping hole in the palm. The hole was ragged, like something had torn free from the leather. It looked more like a severed hand than a glove, the texture and shape was wrong. I wasn't sure if it was meant to be used as a weapon or for protection, it looked more like a bizarre torture device than anything.

”What is this supposed to be?” Apparently Elmidath had a similar impression.

”I'm not quite sure what to call it, I'll leave that up to you. But the idea was to create something that would compliment your abilities. I've heard your sanguis allows you to control your own blood, is that correct?”

Sanguis? I'd never heard the word before, but he must be referring to her powers. Lady Sarinknell confirmed that it was.

”This was intended to allow you a greater degree of control. If you direct your blood through the hole, the gloves magic will take effect and hold it in place for you once you've shaped it to your liking.”

I wasn't sure how much of a difference it would make but Elmidath seemed impressed. She was reaching out for it when Tagath gave her a last-minute warning. ”There will be a short period of… adjustment when you put it on the for the first time. I'm afraid you also won't be able to take it off very easily. The adjustment will be painful but I assure you that you'll be quite safe throughout the process.”

She was looking a lot less enthusiastic about it by the time he handed it over, but she still put it on. The glove rippled and flexed like a living thing, digging into her hand beneath. I was thinking it wasn't so bad when she fell to the ground, screaming. Her free hand clawed at the glove, trying to pull it free in her pain-induced frenzy.

I moved to help but Tagath stopped me. ”She'll be fine, just leave her be.” It seemed like he was telling the truth, so with a heavy heart I stood back and let it happen. Even if I wasn't too fond of Elmidath, watching her suffer didn't sit right with me.

The screams continued for a little under a minute until the glove finally settled. I offered my hand to Elmidath, and breathing heavily, she got to her feet. The glove, much larger than her other hand, gave her a distinctly lopsided appearance but she seemed okay.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and exhaled. ”This had better be worth it.” A thin stream of blood came forth from the glove, taking shape into a triangular pointed section like a spearhead. The flow ceased but the shape remained, looking as solid as if it were forged of iron. Elmidath tapped the side of it against the bench and made a satisfied sound. ”I'll admit you seem to have done what was requested by my father.” Was that her attempt at a compliment? It really wasn't much of one.

”I'm glad you like it. Now, let's see about getting rid of that uncle of yours, shall we?”