Read Online Thornhold by Elaine Cunningham - Free Book Online

the most valuable thing I possess. This is the first time I have not delivered. You have undermined more than a single deal. Now do you understand?”
    The silence stretched out for a long, tense moment. “The necklace has great magical value and must be properly safeguarded,” Khelben said.
    Bronwyn struggled to hold her temper. Hadn’t the archmage heard a word? Or did such minor things matter nothing? After all, what regard does a dragon have for a mouse?
    “I’ll keep it in my safe,” she said in a stiff tone. “Danilo can tell you what magical wards have been placed upon it.”
    Her friend rose and placed one hand on her shoulder. “What price did the necklace command? I will see that Malchior is amply compensated. Although that will not fully satisfy him, it may serve to restore your honor in his eyes and your own. We owe you that.”
    “And more.” She tipped back her head to glare at her friend. It was a relief, not having to hide her irritation. “You’ll have to forgive me if I prefer to collect at some later time.”
    A faint smirk lifted one corner of the bard’s lips. “Lord Arunsun, I do believe we are being thrown out.”
    Bronwyn glanced at the archmage. “I didn’t mean—”
    “Of course you did,” Dan broke in smoothly. “And not without justification. Get some rest. The day’s … bargaining has taken a toll.” Before she could respond, the two men turned and left her chamber by the back stairs. Bronwyn sat staring after them, all thoughts of sleep vanished.
     

     
    As the Harpers walked down the stairs, Khelben began to transform. His broad form compacted and lengthened into that of a lithe young man, and his clothing changed from somber black to shades of forest brown and green. The silver streaks disappeared from his hair and beard, and his face took on a faintly elven appearance.
    Danilo had seen this so many times that he did not remark on it. The archmage seldom went about the city wearing his own face. In fact, neither man spoke at all until they had reached the alley behind Curious Past.
    “What were you thinking, bringing the necklace to Bronwyn’s shop? Now she is aware that Harpers are watching her.”
    “We took on that risk when we sent men to the festhall,” Danilo said bluntly. An alley cat streaked out from behind a crate, yowling as if in protest. No doubt their appearance had spoiled a long and patient stalking of some prey, likely a rat. Danilo was not fond of such, and he quickened his pace. “Bronwyn is no fool. Surely she realizes that she got away too easily and suspects that someone detained Malchior’s thugs.”
    Khelben lengthened his stride and fell into pace. “And now, thanks to your misguided gesture, she knows without question. Given Malchior’s involvement, this has become a delicate situation.”
    “Enlighten me.”
    They emerged onto Selduth Street, which at this hour was bustling with tavern traffic, as well as the paid escorts and would-be suitors who gathered on nearby Jester’s Court. The lighting was dimmer here, in deference to ale-sodden heads and a desire for discrete dalliance. Khelben shot a quick look around to see if anyone was paying too close heed to their conversation, then started walking back west toward the Street of Silks. Even an archmage, Dan noted, instinctively sought the safety of a well-lit street.
    “You have known Bronwyn for perhaps seven years. I have been searching for her for more than twenty. She is the daughter of a famed paladin—Hronulf of Tyr, who is of the bloodline of Samular Caradoon, the paladin who founded the order known as the knights of Samular. From your expression, I surmise that you recognize those names.”
    “I have been schooled in history,” Danilo said, nimbly avoiding a drunken and weaving passerby. “Pray continue.”
    “Then you also know that Hronulf’s family was thought to have been destroyed in a raid on his village more than twenty years ago. Hronulf believes that all his children were killed, but I had doubt on the matter