quick tumble on the stone here? It's been a long day. I could certainly use some vigorous comforting, how about you?'
'I'd settle for a vigorous handclasp,' murmured Liet, not thinking. Then he froze.
Twilight blinked. 'What?'
In an instant, the angry gleam in her eyes took on a new tone.
'Uh, ah, that is, I-'
'What did you say?' she asked softly.
'Ah,' Liet said. 'I merely wanted to-make sure you're well, after ah, today.'
Twilight looked at him as if no one had ever said such a thing to her before. 'Why?' she asked finally.
It was Liet's turn to be speechless. 'I just, ah-just concerned, that's all.' Hadn't he wanted to tell her something? Something important?
'You're not breaking one of my rules, are you?' Twilight asked with a wry smile.
'Most maids would call me chivalrous,' said Liet, 'and not accuse me of-'
'Do you know how to please an elf, manling?' Twilight's eyes narrowed dangerously. 'A kiss upon the tip of the ear or a lick on the palm of the hand is quite a thing.'
'Uh, 'tisnt, ah, why I'm here,' Liet managed.
'Really? You're certain you're'-she slid up to him and pressed herself against his chest, using her lithe curves to full effect-'not breaking'-Liet stiffened, but only from surprise, as she traced her fingers down many days' stubble-'rule number'-she finished, pressing her nose against his, caressing his lips with her own-'four?'
'And what-what if I am?' Liet was almost breathless.
With a little laugh, Twilight shoved him away.
'I could make an attempt at poetry,' Liet said. 'If that's what y-'
He instantly regretted it. In her face, in her stance, he saw that whatever fire had been lit had vanished. He felt like a child.
'Go to your rest, boy,' she said. 'I present far too wild a beast for you to tackle, this night or any night. You do not wish to try.'
He sniffed. 'Is that not my choice?'
When Twilight raised an eyebrow, he cursed inwardly again. Why must she be so clever?
'Ah, I mean, not whether I tackle you-uh, but whether I wish to, ah, try?'
'Go to your rest,' she repeated. 'And that's the end.'
Liet turned away, defeated. Then he caught himself on the wall and looked back. He was tired of being treated like a child, so he decided to say something not boyish. Of course, as soon as it came out of his mouth, it sounded quite juvenile. 'I'm not afraid of you, Twilight.'
Her reception, however, was not what he expected. She stared at him, her skin white, as though he'd said something quite mature. 'You're certain?'
'Aye,' said the man Liet had suddenly become. 'The question is, are you so certain you're not?'
She did not answer, but merely stared at him until-a little more confident-he went back to his blankets.
Twilight awoke the following morning to screams. Cursing, she fumbled out of her cloak and grabbed Betrayal. She ran down the tunnel to her companions.
Taslin sat in the middle of the room, screaming and moaning, rocking back and forth. There was something red on the floor in front of her. Gargan stood over Davoren, axe ready, and Slip huddled behind him. Liet had his short sword at the warlock's throat.
'Hold!' Twilight shouted. 'What is this?'
'He… he did something,' Liet stammered, 'to Taslin.'
'You saw him?' Twilight demanded. 'What was it?'
'N-no,' Liet said. 'But he did something!'
'Not I,' the warlock said. Liet put pressure on the sword and Davoren fell silent.
Wary, Twilight walked to Taslin. A rag-wrapped bundle lay beside her, the size of a loaf of bread, perhaps. The rags were simple roughspun, and were soaked red. 'Taslin?'
The sun elf shook her head violently.
Twilight prodded the bundle with Betrayal. No reaction. She knelt to examine it, moving the swaddling aside with her steel. Then she flinched back with a curse.
A pair of red buttons stared out of a rag face. The doll wore rough, tattered robes dyed with what looked like blood. It was flattened, its stuffing leaking out from a hole in its chin. It looked like a scraggly beard.
'Someone has done this,' Taslin said. 'I will have blood.' Taslin glared at her. 'Someone…' Then she trailed off, staring at Twilight's face.
Twilight looked around, moving only her eyes. All of them looked far too horrified. Trying her best not to tremble, Twilight lifted her fingers and felt sticky wetness on her cheek. She did not need a mirror to know what must be there-a mark of some kind, traced in blood. She turned and wiped it away.
'From now on,' Twilight said, slowly and calmly, 'no one wanders away from the others. We stay together. Understood?'
Agreeing silence answered, but the eyes she felt on her back lost no suspicion.
'Down!' Twilight hissed.
Liet fell behind a pile of rubble, landing hard. Gargan ducked with them, hiding Taslin and Davoren around the corner.
Liet rubbed his bottom. 'What did-'
Fingers fell on his lips, silencing him. Twilight gestured over the rubble with her eyes. Liet's blood ran cold and he couldn't bring himself to look.
'Tsch,' Davoren said from the corner. 'Simple primitives, hardly worth a moment.' He did not walk into the open, though.
'Agreed,' hissed Taslin. She scared Liet-since that morning, her eyes had shone with troubling intensity. 'Let us slay the rabble-they block our path.' She did not move.
Twilight gestured to Liet to look. He peeked over the stone, as low as he could.
A score of creatures covered in black and red scales ambled about the wide cavern, illuminated by the torches on the walls. Their faces were slack-jawed and they wore simple dark loincloths for clothing, but there, the resemblance to primitives ended.
Adorning the creatures' necks and wrists were necklaces and bracers of silver and gold. They hefted swords of like metal and spears of obsidian. Liet wondered if the lizards had plundered ancient crypts and treasure rooms to secure the precious items. Beneath the finery, some of the lizards' eyes burned with unholy fire and their features twisted and curled wickedly. Small horns marred the crowns of their heads, and tiny limbs that might have been wings sprouted from shoulders.
Liet looked to Twilight for clues as to their next move, but her face was ashen. He understood intuitively, somehow, what she was thinking. Though the creatures had not detected their presence, they stood right in the path. No other tunnel through the sewer led around this central chamber-not unless they backtracked as far as their campsite, quite a distance back, and took a different direction.
Looking at Twilight's nervous face, Liet had the sinking sensation that somehow, the enemy had known exactly where to wait.
'Where's Slip?' Twilight asked.
'Here!' the halfling piped merrily at Liet's side, startling him with such proximity. He shushed her before Twilight could do so, and the elf smiled weakly.
Then one of the fiendish lizards gave a cry. Something big and invisible lifted it and smashed it against the ceiling. The rest scrambled to heft their weapons.
A hulking creature of gray appeared in the middle of the chamber, holding the crushed remains of a