That went about as well as could be expected,” Gerrion said cheerfully. “I am sorry about your warforged.”

“He’s not my warforged,” Daine said, stepping out of the way of a cart pulled by a lizard the size of a horse.

“No? My apologies. I’ve never been to your land, and we’ve seen only a few of these creatures here in Stormreach; most of them are servants at the Cannith enclave. If it doesn’t belong to you, why is it here?”

Good question, Daine thought. “It was his choice. He’s a person, Gerrion, not some lump of metal.”

The gray man gave an easy shrug. “I suppose, but he was built from a lump of metal, wasn’t he?”

“What were you built from?” Lakashtai said coolly. “What brought sun and shadow together in you?”

For a moment Gerrion’s smile faltered—he recovered quickly, but not quickly enough. “I couldn’t say. With all the sailors and merchants passing through this town, a foundling in Stormreach is like a pebble on the beach.”

“Pierce was built by design, while you were built by accident,” Lakashtai said. “The soul is what matters, not the origin of the vessel.”

“What makes you think he’s got a soul?”

“What makes you think you do?”

That thought kept Gerrion silent for a full two hundred feet.

Gerrion had been waiting for them when they emerged from the temple. Lakashtai wanted to meet Hassalac immediately. With Sakhesh dead, she felt it was more important than ever that they conclude their business and leave Stormreach as quickly as possible. Gerrion assured them that there would be no battles in Hassalac’s domain or that if there were, that two more people wouldn’t make a difference. They paused long enough for Lei to produce the dragon scale shield, and for Lakashtai to study it and confirm that it was indeed the object that they sought. Then Lei and Pierce had returned to the Ship’s Cat, where Lei could take the time she needed to repair Pierce, and so it was Daine, Lakashtai, and Gerrion who finally arrived at Hassalac’s door.

“That’s quite a … door.” Daine said. Black marble pillars stood to either side of the portal, and ruby-eyed dragons forged from gold peered down from the tops of the pillars. With the number of tomb raiders and treasure-seekers that came to this place, the fact that these statues were still intact hinted at some sort of magical defense. A massive door of dark densewood hung between the two pillars. Mystical symbols were engraved along the edge of the frame and inlaid with silver. There was no sign of handle or hinges, just a dragon’s head of silver bearing a heavy knocking ring in its jaws. “But somehow I expected a mansion to go with it.”

“That sort of thing just attracts thieves,” Gerrion said.

The door stood on a square marble platform, perhaps ten feet across, but there were no walls. It simply filled the space between the pillars. Daine peered behind it and found that the back was identical to the front, including the silver knocker.

“You’re sure about this?” Gerrion said to Lakashtai.

“Yes, though you need not accompany us if the prospect fills you with fear.”

“Oh, fear and I are old friends,” Gerrion said, “and despite our past grievances, I doubt Hassalac would harm me … well, harm me too seriously. He knows the value of my services, but I do prefer to keep our dealings at a distance, just in case. Besides, if you don’t return, someone needs to tell the lovely young lady you left back at the Ship’s Cat.”

“We will return,” Lakashtai said. “I have confidence in the skills of my companion.”

“Of course you do!” Gerrion flashed an innocent smile at Daine. “Then let’s be on our way.”

He approached the door and lifted the knocker, striking three times. “I’m sure you recognize me,” he said to the air, “I bring two who wish to speak with Master Hassalac Chaar. They know the risks of entry and are prepared to face them for the honor of this audience.”

“What risks?” Daine muttered to Lakashtai. She made a dismissing gesture.

A moment passed in silence. And another. Gerrion stood at the door, smiling slightly.

Daine’s suspicions began to mount. “Oh, I see how this game is played. We paid you last evening, and I’m sure those coins have already gone to pay your debts. You even get us to kill one of your enemies. Now you bring us to your magic door, and what do you know, the doorman doesn’t want to speak to us. Not your concern, is that it? You’ve done the best you could?”

Gerrion shrugged. “Well, if Hassalac doesn’t want to speak to you, there’s really nothing I can do about it. You don’t force his hand.”

The battle with Sakhesh had left Daine in a poor mood for petty cons. “If this Hassalac really exists, you’d better take us to his house right now, or I’ll be using force on your hand.”

“Daine—” Lakashtai began, but Daine cut her off.

“I’ll bet you don’t even know Alina, do you? You just somehow linked me to her and figured it was a good angle to play, or perhaps this is her idea of a game.”

Daine’s sword was a flash of steel in the sun, but Gerrion’s crossbow was already drawn and leveled. The half-elf could only loose one bolt before Daine could close the distance, but the vision of the shattered crystal remained fixed in his mind.

“You have a keen mind, old soldier,” Gerrion said, “and I admit, I’ve played this game before, but not today. I can smell the path to profit, and there’s far more to be made working with you than against you. While I understand that you once escaped from Lyrris’ wrath, I don’t care to test my luck against the gnome.”

“Then what are we doing here?”

“Waiting,” Gerrion said. “I’d have thought you’d have learned to do that in your war.”

Then, without a sound, the door simply vanished. The space between the pillars was filled with dark mist.

“There,” Gerrion said. “Was that so terrible?”

Daine studied the portal for a moment. Nothing could be seen through the black smoke, which chose to ignore the rising winds. “Lakashtai …”

“This is what I expected, Daine. This is the gateway to our true destination. When we pass through, we shall emerge elsewhere, and I would suggest that we move quickly.” She glanced at the sky for a moment. “I believe a storm is coming.”

“I’m going first.” Daine’s sword was still in his hand, and he drew his dagger. With one final glare at Gerrion, he stepped into the shadow.

The darkness flowed around him, and Daine felt a shiver of fear as he remembered Tashana’s psychic attack, but it lasted only a moment. The pressure grew, and for an instant he thought his bones would snap—then it was gone, and the world returned.

He was in the wrong place.

This was no merchant’s manor. It was a subterranean passage, with walls of dark stone and packed earth illuminated by the light of guttering torches. Daine took in the surroundings in an instant, but his attention was focused on the creature that stood before him—a massive reptilian humanoid with the build and bulk of an ogre. Its skin was covered with thick black scales. Its fanged jaws could make a single mouthful of Daine’s head, but its halberd was more of a concern. The long blade at the end of the haft was strangely curved and bore some sort of engraved pattern, but what Daine saw was the point leveled at his chest.

Gerrion! Daine cursed all lying half-elves. He wasn’t sure what game Gerrion was playing, but this was no time for questions. Lakashtai could arrive in seconds, and she was still wounded from the battle at the temple. If she arrives at all. Perhaps Gerrion had been counting on Daine to go first, leaving him alone with Lakashtai for whatever schemes he had in mind.

Distance was the first concern. The reptilian warrior was almost twice Daine’s height, with the reach to match. Daine charged forward, knocking the halberd’s point aside with a blow of his sword. The creature roared in fury, and Daine winced from the sound; the deadly blade swept forward in a stroke that could cut him in two.

Anger was what Daine was counting on. The wild swing was just what he’d expected, and he dropped down below it. Now the beast’s strength worked against it, and the force of the blow carried the halberd crashing past Daine and into the wall. Painfully aware of each passing second, Daine threw his energy into a lunge, praying that the creature kept its vitals in the same place as a man. He landed a solid blow in the creature’s gut, but now he realized that it was wearing a shirt of fine black chainmail, almost invisible against its scales.

Flame! When Daine’s sword emerged, the tip was covered with dark blood—but the strike was not as deep as Daine had hoped, and the fight was far from over. He raised both blades just in time to block the beast’s countering stroke, and the force of the blow almost knocked his sword from his hand.

In that instant, Daine let go of conscious thought, drawing on instinct and rage. Somehow he found the power to match the lizard warrior, pressing his sword against the halberd and holding it in place. Summoning every ounce of strength, he lashed out with his dagger, striking the halberd where the steel blade met the wooden haft. Wood was no match for Cannith-forged adamantine. The head of the halberd clattered to the floor of the passage, leaving the lizard holding a simple wooden pole.

Don’t expect one blow to win every fight.

Daine didn’t need his grandfather’s words to know this battle was far from over. The beast had lost its blade, but with its strength the haft alone was a weapon. It threw its full weight against Daine, and he fell back against the wall of the cavern, but now time was on his side. He could move more freely in the narrow cavern, and he ducked away from the creature’s brutish blows, darting in with thrust after thrust. The beast began to slow, blood flowing from a dozen wounds. Finally Daine saw an opening and slammed into the creature with all the force he could muster. It staggered and fell to the ground. Daine put a foot on its chest and raised his dagger for the finishing blow.

“STOP!”

What now? Daine felt the pressure of the mental command even as he recognized Lakashtai’s voice. Her power was certainly diminished; he could easily have resisted the order if he’d chosen to, but he froze, the point of his blade against the fallen warrior’s throat. It watched him silently.

“What have you done?” Lakashtai said, running down the passage from the portal.

She knelt beside the creature, laying a hand over one of its wounds. Her eyes glowed with emerald light and the beast relaxed, sinking back against the ground.

Daine’s heart sank. “Don’t tell me this is a friend of yours.”

She turned to glare at him, her eyes still burning. “I do not know him, but you of all people should know that people of power employ guardians.”

“And live in mansions!” Daine gestured at the rough walls of the passage. “I’m supposed to believe this is Master Hassalac’s manor?”

The light faded from Lakashtai’s eyes. She was silent for a moment, then looked away. “Yes … it seems that I am at fault in this. I should have told you what to expect; I sometimes forget the limitations of your lonely memory.”

“Fine. I think. Now what?”

Lakashtai turned back to the fallen beast. “I apologize for our actions,” she said softly, and even though Daine was beginning to recognize her powers he still felt a swell of sympathy. “My companion knows nothing of the one that you serve. I ask that you forgive us and escort us to your master.”

The creature nodded and slowly rose to its feet. It indicated that they should follow it with a motion of one curved claw, then lumbered down the passage.

“I did not realize I had such a champion to protect me,” Lakashtai said, her ghostly smile flickering into view, “but please, keep your sword in its sheath for the rest of this visit.”