And Ebrion. A traitor to the Council and now dead at the hands of his erstwise allies.
Well, Wiz thought grimly, you brought this on yourself. If you hadn’t been so high-handed with the Council, Ebrion never would have gone to the Dark League.
Somehow the thought didn’t make him feel any better.
The wind gusted and Wiz shivered harder. He didn’t remember any part of the city being this cold. Perhaps the Dark League had warmed it by magic when they held it. Now there was slick black ice in patches on the streets and occasional piles and drifts of snow in the corners and sheltered spots.
Wiz shifted position and listened again. Save for the moan of the wind down the deserted streets and about the ruined tower, there was no sound. Slowly and cautiously, he rose and started back down the steps. He couldn’t stay here and if he didn’t find some kind of shelter soon the wind would do what the Dark League and their pet monster hadn’t yet been able to.
The moon cast a pale light on the steep, narrow street below when it was not obscured by scudding clouds. The City of Night was built on the flank of a volcano and the whole town sloped up from the harbor. Wiz hugged the side of the buildings and headed downhill. Not only was it easier walking, it was away from the underground room where he had appeared and where the wizards and his demon waited for him.
At every corner he paused and listened. The streets were narrow and the hard black basalt of the buildings turned them into echo chambers. His own footsteps rang so loudly on the pavement he was certain that any pursuer could track him by sound alone. He hoped that he could pick up a trace of anyone in the area the same way.
At the third cross street he paused an especially long time to catch his breath. Up ahead there was the tiniest scuffling sound, as if something was dragging stealthily along the building ahead of him.
Wiz froze and then dropped back into the shadows. Across the narrow street on the other side of the intersection he saw a stealthy movement in the shadows. At first it was just a flicker here and there, then it looked as if the entire shadow on that side of the street had come to life. Then the shadow took form and substance and Wiz held his breath as he realized what it was.
The huge head was man-high off the ground as the serpent glided along. Its tongue flickered in and out constantly as it tested the air for scent of prey. Even in the moonlight Wiz could see the diamond patterns of its scales.
Then it turned and soundlessly whipped down the side street. Wiz caught his breath, but he stayed in hiding for a long time.
“Alone?” Arianne asked wide-eyed. “Alone into the Wild Wood?”
“So it would seem,” Bal-Simba told her. He had spent the last two hours trying to control his unease and finally told his deputy what had happened. “Philomen did not stop him.”
“He could not very well forbid him,” Arianne pointed out. “Wiz is a member of the Council, Lord.”
“Yes, but he knows less of the Wild Wood than a child,” Bal-Simba said. “Remember the stories Moira told about the troubles she had with him on their last journey.”
“The Dark League is not seeking him now.”
“True, else I would have every magician and dragon rider in the realm searching for him. But he has barely been out of the city in the last two years and he still has little understanding of the World’s dangers.”
They were both silent for a moment.
“Lord,” Arianne said finally, “what do you think is troubling Sparrow now?”
“If I had to guess, I would say he is discovering the price of power.” Bal-Simba made a face. “I do not think he likes it overmuch.”
Part II:
LINK TIME
Eleven :A Bit of Burglary
Always secure your files. You never know who’s lurking about.
—programmer’s saying
Pryddian, once apprentice wizard, closed the door softly and looked around the sitting room. He saw no signs of traps or warning devices anywhere. Once the apartment’s door had been breached there seemed to be nothing to protect the contents.