Read Online Lord Toede by Jeff Grubb - Free Book Online Page A

of Flotsam. No, that's not right, thought Toede.
     Gildentongue should by rights be kept aliveif barely. Gildentongue was of the Aurak race,
     and dying draconians had a nasty habit of exploding. Yes,
    Gildentongue would be allowed to survive, and Toede would order the manor guards to
     perform a few experiments on the traitorous and falsehearted courtier. And chefs. Let's
     not forget the manor chefs. Toede giggled at the thought. Groag shot him a sharp look, but
     seeing that the highmaster's eyes were not entirely focused, decided he was not the
     subject of Toede's musing. The highmaster sighed with relief as they passed the short line
     of caravan wagons awaiting inspection and entry to the city of Flotsam.
    Or tried to, at least. The guards were letting foot traffic pass unimpeded through a
     smaller door alongside the main gate. When the two hobgoblins tried to enter, however,
     each of the flanking guards dropped his spear low, barring their path. “And where are you
     going, Frog-face?” said the one on the right.
    Toede looked up, surprised by this mode of address. The guard was human, of course, and
     had that gritty, unwashed nature that seemed an unwritten requisite for those humans in
     the service of Takhisis. Both the speaker and his companion were totally unfamiliar to
     Toede. Nothing unusual, since turnover was always high in the highmaster's service, but
     this one Toede would have remembered. The guard had a scar running down the front of his
     face, from above the right temple across the nose. The puckered line ended in an explosion
     of infected acne and scars on his left cheek. It looked as if someone had tried to carve a
     comet on his face. His eyes were cold and lusterless.
    Toede returned the glare, feeling his own face flush with irritation. “I have business
     within,” he said flatly, trying to brush aside the spears. The obstructing weapons held
     steady in front of him. “Not here you don't, Hob-gob,” snarled Comet-face. “Since when is
     Flotsam a closed city?” Toede pulled himself up to his full height and tried to stare down
     the guard. In his full regalia, mounted on Hopsloth-back, and backed by a unit of
     handpicked warriors, he was usually effective. Backed only by Groag, and the pair of them
     dressed in ragged, badly cut cloaks, the effect was severely lessened.
    “Only closed to your kind,” snapped the guard. “Unless you got special permission, by the
     regent and the will of the Water Prophet.” Toede noticed that the other guard, the silent
     one, touched a small disk hanging from his neck at the mention of the Water Prophet's
     name. “So sod off, Shorty.” “Excuse me a moment,” said Toede to Comet-face. He wheeled
     about, looking for Groag. His companion had already fallen back a few paces. “Water
     Prophet? What is all this about?” hissed the highmaster.
    “I don't know,” said Groag, looking honestly confused. “I've been out of the swim for a
     few months, remember? Likely this Water Prophet is the cult-thingie the kender mentioned.”
     Toede turned back to the guard and saw that the spears had moved from blocking their
     entrance to pointing directly at his chest. Toede's eyes went to small slits, and he
     touched the tip of the spear, showing little fear of the weapon. “It has been a long
     journey for me, human, and I'll be the first to admit I don't look my best at the moment,
     but do you have the slightest inkling in your crenelated brain whom you are speaking
     with?” He attempted to push the spear aside, but the weapon did not budge even a fraction
     of an inch.
    Toede now scowled and locked eyes with Comet-face. “I am Highmaster Toede, Ruler of
     Flotsam and Master of the great Amphidragon Hopsloth! Let me pass, or I'll have you
     keelhauled beneath the docks!” At last he got a reaction. The silent guard gave a sharp
     intake of breath and grabbed the little disk. Comet-face, on the other