She looked down and lightly rubbed her thumbs against his bruised knuckles. When she looked back into his face, he was as close to smiling as he ever let himself get.
Tazi, struggling with her own mixed feelings, released his hands and turned in time to see several of the Children of Ibrandul carry their injured comrade through a side door out of the main chamber. The Lurker, with some blood on his robes, headed back to where Tazi and Steorf were standing.
'Let's see what he has to say,' she whispered to Steorf. 'If we don't like what we hear, grab Fannah and get out of here.'
'Let me think about that one,' he whispered back.
Tazi had to suppress a smile in spite of the situation.
'Will he be all right?' Tazi asked as soon as the Lurker was standing in front of them.
'In time, Asraf will be as good as new. However, I think I will have him carry a few scars as a reminder of the cost of acting hastily. One should always think before one acts.'
Upon hearing those words, Tazi cast a sidelong look at Steorf.
'But enough on that matter,' the Lurker continued. 'What is done is done. We need to discuss what has brought you to us.'
'You are correct,' Tazi agreed, 'but I would like to know what you meant about keeping Fannah.'
'If this necromancer is as dangerous as you say-'
'Of course he's dangerous,' Steorf interrupted.
'If he is that dangerous,' the Lurker continued, though Tazi thought his patience was wearing thin, 'then your friend is in the gravest of danger.'
'That's why…' Steorf began in an exasperated tone but stopped short when Tazi surreptitiously squeezed his forearm.
'Yes, she is in jeopardy,' Tazi finished more calmly. 'That's why we're here.'
The Lurker nodded in agreement.
'You've made it this far,' he said, 'but my reasons for keeping Fannah here are twofold.'
'Please go on,' Tazi asked, all the while keeping a light grip on Steorf's arm.
'The most obvious is to keep her as safe as possible. If something should happen to you both, Ciredor will not be able to find her exact location. There are some wards in place within this temple to thwart other magic, and they are fairly effective, as your young associate discovered just a short time ago.'
Tazi dropped her eyes at that. However, she noticed that Steorf still looked unrepentant.
'There is something else that you may not have considered. This necromancer has had possession of the woman in the past. If he is as formidable as you say, he might have the ability to scry through Fannah's blind eyes, or have the means to use her against you somehow. Any plans that we form may be vulnerable to his abilities if the three of you remain together,' he finished. 'She will be safest without you.'
Tazi was hesitant. Something about his logic didn't sit well with her, but she was loath to argue with a necessary host they had already insulted, to say the least.
Steorf was obviously not bound by the same compunctions.
'Are you trying to tell us that we can't take care of our own?' he barked. 'We got this far, you know.'
Tazi winced at Steorf's words. She felt he was overreacting again, just as he had taken too quick offense with the novice of Ibrandul. They couldn't afford to anger these people any more than they already had. Though she wished that she, Steorf, and Fannah could have had a moment alone to discuss the situation, she realized that wasn't going to happen. Tazi saw that Fannah didn't appear unduly distressed by their predicament. She was quietly chatting with one of the novices who had remained with her in the main chamber a few paces away from the dais.
She did say she knew them from before, Tazi thought, and Steorf did read the situation incorrectly just a few moments ago…
'I think you may be right,' she finally said aloud.
The priest smiled at her choice, but Steorf was deadly silent.
'Let me just say a few words to her,' Tazi said.
'Of course,' the priest replied. 'And don't worry, we will keep her safe from anyone who would do her harm.'
Tazi looked him in the eye and nodded curtly. She could hear the sincerity in his voice during that last statement.
She walked over to where Fannah stood waiting. At a discreet motion from the priest, the novice moved away politely.
'The Lurker thinks you will be safer with them for a time,' Tazi began.
'Do you believe that to be the best course of action?' Fannah asked her.
'His reasons are sound, and they have merit,' Tazi replied.
Fannah took Tazi's hand in her own.
'Follow your feelings,' she told Tazi softly.
'Steorf followed his, and look where that almost got us,' she replied. 'The walls nearly came crashing down.'
Tazi could still see some of the debris from Steorf's skirmish littering the floor.
'That may be,' Fannah agreed, 'but he was true to himself. I can hear the anger in his voice right now, but he is in far less turmoil than you are.'
'It's your life we're talking about!' she exclaimed. 'I've got a reason to be confused.'
'I haven't forgotten what is at stake,' Fannah said softly.
'I'm sorry,' Tazi apologized quickly, hating to see Fannah upset. 'Of course you, out of all of us, know how important this is.'
'If the Lurker's plan is sound, then follow it. I will be all right here and I might even slow you down. If he is wrong, however-' she paused-'then come back. We will find another way.'
'I will find you no matter where you are,' Tazi promised.
'I'm counting on it,' Fannah replied, staring at Tazi with her ice-white eyes.
Tazi squeezed the blind woman's hand briefly and smiled. She released her grip, and a Child of Ibrandul escorted Fannah off in the same direction that the wounded novice was taken.
'We'll be back soon,' Tazi called after Fannah. Then she added in a whisper, 'You can count on it.'
Steorf and the Lurker walked over to where she stood watching Fannah's retreating form.
'Shall we?' the Lurker said, making a slow gesture in a different direction.
Steorf was clearly still angry at the turn of events, but Tazi could see he was holding his tongue-at least for the moment.
'Please,' Tazi replied, nodding in agreement.
The Lurker moved in front of them and led the two down a side passage.
'I didn't even see this hall before,' Tazi quietly told Steorf.
He leaned toward her slightly and replied, 'They've rather ingeniously used the rockwork to their advantage. Unless you knew where the opening was or you were standing at just the right angle, the entrance would look like just more shadowed rock.'
The senior priest took them around a turn and down a short tunnel that led to a smaller antechamber. In the center of the room was a well-built oak table that would comfortably seat twenty, worn to a deep patina in many areas. The room was lit by thick candles and a few, subtle glow spells. All along the walls were shelves and shelves of books and scrolls. Tazi saw various maps hanging along some of the few free spaces and wondered if they were for the subterranean tunnels that Fannah had told them littered Calimport Muzad. Before she could get a closer look, seven of the Children of Ibrandul came in, and one set about rolling up all the open scrolls and putting them away.
'Friendly folk,' Steorf whispered to Tazi.
'It's not as though we've given them much to trust,' she replied.
Her eye was caught by a small tapestry that the Children of Ibrandul had left in place.
Within the intricate pattern, Tazi was able to see that some kind of a maze was depicted. She shook her head to herself as she tried to trace the way out of the maze.
I feel just as twisted and lost, she thought. Not sure who to trust in this room and not sure who to
