Maleva's struggles grew weaker as Rusk maintained his grip. Her lips formed the words, but she had no breath to sound them.
'What is that?' asked Rusk, cocking his head. 'How shall I treat with the Black Wolf? Alas, Maleva, you were right about my failings. It took me years to accept the truth. Now I realize your young favorite is Malar's chosen vessel-but he will not take my place. No, he is the very implement of my redemption!'
Maleva's head lolled, her eyes seeking the moon. Selune rode high behind her, swelling near to fullness. Rusk turned her head to face him, lowering her body to the ground and relaxing his stranglehold just enough to listen for her dying breath.
'How can it be?' he said. 'I knew you would ask. The answer came only recently, in a vision from the Beastlord. Yet our time is fleeting. It would be better if I showed you.'
As Maleva's eyelids fluttered and closed, Rusk bent to kiss her, whispering obscene invocations to his god. Where their lips met, silver light welled from Maleva's mouth. Rusk sucked it forth, drawing it into his own mouth, where it congealed and dulled into a sooty cloud.
Sorcia and Darrow watched as their master drank the cleric's life. As they had witnessed at the death of Fraelan, Rusk's body surged with stolen power. His already exaggerated muscles swelled and ripped with unholy strength as the last wisps of energy trickled down his throat.
For a moment, Rusk gazed tenderly at the lifeless body beneath him. Then he rose and turned toward the battle.
Six ruined bodies lay beneath the moonlion, and more limped away or slumped on the ground beyond the melee. The remaining wolves circled from a more respectful distance. They were growing tired.
'Now we finish this,' he said.
He rushed the moonlion, only this time it was no feint. As the lion's jaws gaped wide, Rusk thrust his monstrously clawed hand up under its chin. His arm sank deep into the lion's throat, and hot blood gushed down over his body.
The lion shook its head violently and smashed him with a monstrous paw, tearing long strips down Rusks's back, but Rusk dug deeper still into the lion's throat.
Heartened by Rusk's lead, the pack swarmed over the moonlion's body to support their leader. Darrow leaped into the fray, but he was too late. The giant beast vanished in a flash of silver light. The period of its summoning had ended, depriving them of their kill.
Darrow resumed his human form and sat on the ground. He watched Rusk walk among the wounded and the dead, granting healing where he could, a quick death where he must. When Rusk was finished, Darrow counted fifteen survivors and seven dead.
Those who were still fit to hunt ran off to track the archers to their homes. Without their cleric, they were sheep for the slaughter.
'He's culling the weak,' whispered Sorcia in Darrow's ear. As usual, she had crept up silently. 'How was it that you were not among them?'
'I could ask the same of you,' said Darrow. 'You do a good job of running just behind the leader.'
Even as the words left his mouth, he realized the danger of angering Sorcia. She might be smaller than he, but he was certain she was far more dangerous in every way.
To his surprise, she smiled as if at a child who had just learned a simple lesson. 'You are becoming good at that yourself,' she said. 'It's a good place to be when the leader makes a mistake.'
'We won, did we not?' Darrow indicated the fallen cleric.
In the distance, he could hear the howls of the pack as they brought down their prey. Their revenge would go on for hours.
'What did we win?' asked Sorcia.
'Territory,' said Darrow. 'The cleric can no longer turn the woods folk against us.'
'But weren't we going to the city?'
'Of course,' said Darrow. 'Anywhere we roam will be our territory, once the night of the Black Wolf has come.'
'I think a parrot bit you. Your mouth is moving, but all I hear are Rusk's words.'
'Don't you believe the prophecy?'
'I know you don't,' she said. Darrow gave her a dark look, but she was not cowed. 'Except for Morrel and perhaps Karnek, none of the strong has any illusions about this so-called prophecy. It's just an excuse for whatever mad scheme Rusk really has in mind.'
'That's not a very loyal thing to say,' observed Darrow.
'I wouldn't say it if I thought you didn't already know,' she said. 'He talks to you more than anyone these days. What does he expect us to accomplish in the city?'
Darrow hesitated before answering, unsure how much he should say to Sorcia. 'I'm not sure,' he said. 'I know he wants to find Talbot Uskevren.'
'To kill him?'
'I don't think so,' said Barrow. It felt good to voice his misgivings. He never dared question Rusk about his plans. 'Maybe he wants to win him over.'
'Last time he tried that, he came back short-handed.'
'Keep your voice down. You've got to stop saying that.'
'What about the Malveens? I thought they were done with Rusk.'
'Only Radu,' said Darrow. 'He doesn't like anything that might threaten the family business. It's Stannis who wants to hurt the Uskevren.'
'They sound unreliable,' said Sorcia. 'What do we need from them?'
'I think Rusk plans for us to take shelter there,' said Darrow. 'And Stannis knows more about the Uskevren. He has a spy among them. At least, he had one. Radu probably killed her last year. He doesn't like loose ends. He prefers to cut them off.'
'Aren't you one of those?' said Sorcia. 'A loose end?'
Darrow didn't answer, but fear made a knot in his throat until he swallowed.
Sorcia looked at him and smiled.
Chapter 14
Alturiak, 1372 DR
Despite the enchantments that kept snow and cold outside the Wide Realms in winter, the players usually spent the season rehearsing the spring productions and performing for private audiences. Since the strange attack on the playhouse the previous autumn, audiences were practically beating on the gates for more. Ever the businesswoman, Quickly wasted no time obliging them.
The house was packed on the opening night of The Cormyrian Cousins. The play was another of Quickly's broad comedies, full of mistaken identity, physical humor, and cross-dressing. While he was glad to help research Cormyrian history and customs from two centuries ago, Tal was disappointed to see that most of his hard work was demonstrated in the costumes, not the dialogue. It was hard to complain, however, since Quickly gave him the role he wanted-as well as all the fencing.
Tal was proud of the fight scenes, which he had been developing since Ches with Mallion and Sivana-who played both twin sisters except during the revelation, when hulking Ennis would wear the swordswoman's gown for the wedding dance.
Only one of the fights took place on the stage, while the others ranged from the balconies to the gallery railings. Most took place right on the ground, among the audience. Quickly had concerns about safety and ordered Presbart to monitor the gate carefully, admitting only a hundred groundlings to leave room for the fencers. It was all very well to capitalize on Marance Tallendar's attack last winter, but she didn't want to make a habit of maiming the audience.
