the elf prisoner.
"We will wait here," the gluun that had taken the lead noted.
The other gluuns nodded in agreement and crawled off into separate corners to wait for the appropriate time. They became as still as the rock they clung to and appeared as part of the stone walls. They could not have been seen even if a dwarf guard entered the cell.
The gluuns never entertained the idea of making immediate contact with the elf, for they did not wish to raise any suspicion. They cared little for the criminal, only for their expected payment. They were very close to succeeding in their mission, and each one started counting their expected reward in their heads. They would not risk any of it by offering hope to the lonely prisoner. No, the elf would remain very much in the dark until it was time for him to be freed.
Chapter 4
"The entrance to Dunop is just ahead," the magic caster advised.
"I know where it is," Okyiq grumbled. "Why you act like my mother?"
Rivira almost laughed at the question until she took another look at the gruesome and enormous goblin before her.
"Believe me, I would never wish to be your mother. Even the thought is painful."
"My mother more of a pain than me."
"Was she bigger than you?"
"Bigger mouth."
"Somehow I doubt that."
"Fah, what do I care what you think!"
"Really? Even though I'm the one keeping you ahead of the half-delver? You're just lucky it wasn't the Delver Acumen following you. My magic wouldn't have been enough to keep you running ahead of a purebred delver. I would have had to pushed you through the forest with a sweeping current. It would have been a messy trail, enough to keep the delver curious, but it would have been quite painful for you."
"I thought serps wanted Acumen involved?"
"They do, but only to a degree. They really didn't believe the delver was going to follow you at this point. They told me to watch for Acumen, but they actually said it would probably be someone else. They planned for contingencies, and that's why I'm here... to make sure you get where you need to be before you're seen. I think you should be thankful."
"Still don't care what you think," Okyiq grunted.
"You best care what I say now," the sorceress warned. "The tunnel is guarded by two dwarf sentries."
"Not afraid of dwarves."
"Whether you're afraid or not is irrelevant. You must not be seen."
"All these tricks," Okyiq grumbled. "Everything we do is complicated. We go here. We go there. Do that. Do this. All because serps want to change how people think. Too many games. Snake faces get carried away."
Rivira didn't agree completely. The complications certainly existed—as did several monumental risks—but the serps were plucking at strings of mistrust that ran deep. Their schemes were as grand and as complex as their desires. She understood they were masters at manipulation, but their designs reached beyond controlling the minds of simple monsters.
The council was prepared to twist the lives of many powerful individuals all across the heart of Uton. They charted a course that would merge the past with the present, all of which was designed to take hold of the future. The sorceress believed that kind of detailed deception deserved credit.
"I've seen some of their plans. They're actually rather brilliant, but this part won't work if you're spotted. Now be quiet while I concentrate on expanding the spell that hides my presence so that it might hide yours as well."
Okyiq grimaced, but made no further complaint.
Rivira's inherent power ran dark blue. Her influence over the element of water was nearly unmatched in all of Uton. She had used her skill to keep her and Okyiq well ahead of the half-delver who followed, gave them both the speed of falling rain and the endurance of a sea tide. The spells of water served them well to reach Dunop before being seen by their follower, but to enter the dwarf tunnel successfully, she had to coax additional assistance from her azure magic,
"We will wait here," the gluun that had taken the lead noted.
The other gluuns nodded in agreement and crawled off into separate corners to wait for the appropriate time. They became as still as the rock they clung to and appeared as part of the stone walls. They could not have been seen even if a dwarf guard entered the cell.
The gluuns never entertained the idea of making immediate contact with the elf, for they did not wish to raise any suspicion. They cared little for the criminal, only for their expected payment. They were very close to succeeding in their mission, and each one started counting their expected reward in their heads. They would not risk any of it by offering hope to the lonely prisoner. No, the elf would remain very much in the dark until it was time for him to be freed.
Chapter 4
"The entrance to Dunop is just ahead," the magic caster advised.
"I know where it is," Okyiq grumbled. "Why you act like my mother?"
Rivira almost laughed at the question until she took another look at the gruesome and enormous goblin before her.
"Believe me, I would never wish to be your mother. Even the thought is painful."
"My mother more of a pain than me."
"Was she bigger than you?"
"Bigger mouth."
"Somehow I doubt that."
"Fah, what do I care what you think!"
"Really? Even though I'm the one keeping you ahead of the half-delver? You're just lucky it wasn't the Delver Acumen following you. My magic wouldn't have been enough to keep you running ahead of a purebred delver. I would have had to pushed you through the forest with a sweeping current. It would have been a messy trail, enough to keep the delver curious, but it would have been quite painful for you."
"I thought serps wanted Acumen involved?"
"They do, but only to a degree. They really didn't believe the delver was going to follow you at this point. They told me to watch for Acumen, but they actually said it would probably be someone else. They planned for contingencies, and that's why I'm here... to make sure you get where you need to be before you're seen. I think you should be thankful."
"Still don't care what you think," Okyiq grunted.
"You best care what I say now," the sorceress warned. "The tunnel is guarded by two dwarf sentries."
"Not afraid of dwarves."
"Whether you're afraid or not is irrelevant. You must not be seen."
"All these tricks," Okyiq grumbled. "Everything we do is complicated. We go here. We go there. Do that. Do this. All because serps want to change how people think. Too many games. Snake faces get carried away."
Rivira didn't agree completely. The complications certainly existed—as did several monumental risks—but the serps were plucking at strings of mistrust that ran deep. Their schemes were as grand and as complex as their desires. She understood they were masters at manipulation, but their designs reached beyond controlling the minds of simple monsters.
The council was prepared to twist the lives of many powerful individuals all across the heart of Uton. They charted a course that would merge the past with the present, all of which was designed to take hold of the future. The sorceress believed that kind of detailed deception deserved credit.
"I've seen some of their plans. They're actually rather brilliant, but this part won't work if you're spotted. Now be quiet while I concentrate on expanding the spell that hides my presence so that it might hide yours as well."
Okyiq grimaced, but made no further complaint.
Rivira's inherent power ran dark blue. Her influence over the element of water was nearly unmatched in all of Uton. She had used her skill to keep her and Okyiq well ahead of the half-delver who followed, gave them both the speed of falling rain and the endurance of a sea tide. The spells of water served them well to reach Dunop before being seen by their follower, but to enter the dwarf tunnel successfully, she had to coax additional assistance from her azure magic,
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