servant of our foe?'
Liet's eyes searched her own. 'Nay,' he said.
Not a lie. Did she detect the hint of a smile? Just her imagination.
'Are you our enemy?' Twilight asked, inspiration striking. 'Have you deceived us all this time, hiding your true identity in an effort to slay us and drive us mad?'
Liet stared, perfectly calm. 'I suppose…' He shrugged. 'Aye.'
Twilight's eyes widened. His voice had not wavered; his heart had not palpitated. All the subconscious signs were absent. Her senses had not found any falsehood. Liet stared at her with absolute sincerity and, she thought, contempt.
'Lady Doom!' Twilight leaped back and snapping out Betrayal. How…?
Liet's mismatched eyes blazed, and she knew it was true.
'Oh!' Slip screamed. 'Oh, gods! 'Twas a lie!'
Twilight flicked her eyes to the halfling, who was panting, terrified. Liet grinned.
'What?' Twilight asked.
' 'Twas a lie, of course.' He gave an awkward, insufferable smile. 'I've been taking your lessons.'
'Slip?'
The little woman stared at her intently. 'I swear, by all the gods I know, that he tells a lie,' she said. 'I mean, that's the truth-that 'tis a lie… I mean… he…'
'No.' Twilight let out a sigh and turned back.
' 'Light-' the Dalesman started, but her slap cut him off.
'You think this is a game, boy?' she snarled. 'Get out of my sight.'
'But-' Liet started. He stopped when Twilight half-drew Betrayal and gave him a look no yet-living foe had ever seen on her delicate features. Liet stiffened and suppressed a sound that was much like a strangled cough. The mirth had gone out of his eyes, replaced by sheer horror. 'Oh, 'Light, I'm so-'
'I won't say it again,' Twilight said, her voice flat.
The young swordsman's face went ashen and his eyes gleamed with tears. 'Sorry!' he cried, and fled.
A long while passed, the silence filled with heavy, angry breathing. Twilight was hardly aware of Slip's searching gaze, her frightened features.
All she could see were those horrible eyes, Liet's eyes, laughing at her-mocking her hard-trained abilities, her confidence to tell truth from falsehood by ear. Laughing… always laughing… what was he doing, trying to drive her mad?
From behind her, Slip shifted nervously-loud enough for Twilight to hear. 'Ah,' she said. 'Are-are you well?'
'Oh, indeed.' Twilight closed her eyes and forced an easy smile onto her pale face. 'Friend.' She turned and favored the halfling with her most dazzling grin. 'How sure are you that none of them is a spy?'
Slip brightened considerably, smiling back as though nothing were the matter. 'Absolutely certain,' she replied. 'Why?'
CHAPTER NINETEEN
When the screech came from the Forge, Liet bolted up from where he had slumped, his hands on his knees, against the wall of the alley. Gargan similarly unfolded himself from the shadows and laid his hand on his sword. Even Davoren paused where he had been pacing.
The rear door flew open and Slip staggered out. The halfling immediately whirled and drew her little dagger, but a dusky blade sent it whirling from her hand with a deft flick. The gray-white point of Betrayal hissed under Slip's chin.
'Help me!' Slip cried. 'She's gone mad!'
'What's going on?' Liet asked, hand going to his sword.
'Back,' was all Twilight said, but the fire in her pale eyes- almost red in the ruby light of Davoren's pulsing energies-told him much more.
'Do you not see?' The warlock sneered. 'She has eliminated the options-me, you, the giant-and has but one left. The only one who could have lied-the half-witch.' Darkness passed over his eyes and his arms pulsed with flame.
Slip, with Twilight distracted, stammered out the words to a spell, but Davoren chanted along with her, invoking harsh and vile names and deeds better spoken of in a tongue of pure evil. The halflings magic faltered, defeated by the warlock's voracious powers, and tears ran down her cheeks. Twilight dealt Slip a savage kick to the stomach, stifling further magic. She pulled Betrayal back, lining it up with the little one's back.
Hissing black steel knocked it aside when she thrust. Gargan was there, sword drawn, and he and the elf locked blades and stares, waging a private battle. Their swords sparked against each other, bubbling acid hissing on the hot steel. The light flickering above her, like a hissing sun, plunged her face into light and shadow.
Liet shivered. From their stares, it was clear a life would be lost should it come to blows, and knowing Gargan's strength, it would likely be hers. The goliath didn't try to break her parry, only hold her sword back. If he attacked, maybe she could dodge, then riposte, perhaps, and…
What was he thinking? Had the world gone mad?
'Please!' Slip moaned. 'Don't let this happen! Please!'
'Silence, traitor,' hissed Twilight without taking her eyes off Gargan.
'Come, Twilight,' said Davoren. As he spoke, he inched his way toward Slip, lying huddled and helpless. 'Together we can slay them. We no longer need their aid.'
The elf should have retorted but she did not, causing Liet to gape. Was she considering it?
Liet looked at Davoren. Lightning crackled around the warlock's scepter and flames licked his hands. Liet realized that if he did nothing, one of his friends would die.
And with that realization, something snapped inside him.
All the times he had watched Twilight confront the warlock fearlessly, all the wry smiles, throwing herself over Slip, all the memories of Twilight's courage came back to him in a single white-hot moment of bravery, and swelled into something inside that Liet had never imagined.
'No,' he commanded. He stepped in Davoren's way.
All other sound in the cavern withered into silence. Twilight stared at him.
The warlock snickered, but Liet stayed firm. 'I won't say it again.'
'I see.' Davoren slit his eyes. 'The boy thinks he's pretty enough and wily enough to split our fearsome leader, so that makes him worthwhile, eh? Allow me to explain how that isn't-'
'Enough talk,' said Liet. He drew his battered, chipped sword and pointed it at Davoren's face. 'You want to kill us, do you? Then do it now.'
'Suddenly he's become brave,' Davoren said, irritation in his eyes.
'Only braver than a coward,' said Liet.
The warlock's eyes burned at him and his face contorted. Flames licked about fingers curled into talons. Davoren's face promised swift death and-
And went pale. The warlock's eyes widened, he backed away, and his gaze slid from Liet, as though he saw something that genuinely frightened him. He backed away and those red eyes showed real terror, and… something else. Pain. Hurt.
Liet felt a tingle in the back of his mind. Was this ability to frighten the warlock, whose unholy power dwarfed Liet's mediocre swordsmanship, a manifestation of that potential Twilight saw in him? Did he have a sorcerer's potential? Was he a hero?
He realized it didn't matter. All that mattered was that he had stood between Davoren and Slip, and the warlock backed down. Now he posed no threat to…
'Twilight!' Liet said suddenly. She spun where she stood, facing both halfling and goliath with sword drawn, murderous fury in her eyes. 'Don't do this! Slip's innocent! We all are! There's no spy! You're being ridiculous!'
'Lies,' Twilight growled. 'You all passed the test. She's the only one who could have escaped-the only one
