Upon hearing those words, the novices looked around at each other.
'You could give us directions,' Steorf told him. 'If the way is truly so treacherous, we wouldn't want any of your 'Children' to come to harm.'
Tazi kicked him under the table, not at all pleased with what sounded at best like an insult and at worst, a thinly veiled threat.
'It will save much more time to show you the path rather than try to explain it to you,' the Lurker replied.
Secretly, Tazi was grateful he had not outwardly taken any offense at Steorf's words.
'That would be best,' Tazi agreed, before Steorf could add anything else. 'I think the sands are running out for us.'
The Lurker rose from his chair and smoothed his robes. He motioned to one of the Children of Ibrandul to approach him. When the novice reached his side, the senior priest spoke softly in the Child's ear. The novice nodded vigorously several times before the priest finished.
Steorf looked at Tazi during the exchange, concern plain in his expression.
'I don't think we have a choice,' she whispered in reply to his unasked question.
'There are always choices,' he whispered back. 'Sometimes only wrong ones, though.'
Tazi chewed her lip thoughtfully.
'One of the Children of Ibrandul will take you to a small chamber where you can prepare for the excursion,' the Lurker explained. 'You will find food and water, and an assortment of weapons and supplies.'
'Weapons?' Steorf asked, with one eyebrow raised.
'Ibrandul helps those who are in need, but it never hurts to be ready for anything,' the priest added.
With that, the Mysterious Lurker retired to a chamber beyond their counsel room. The glow spells glinted off the silver circles covering his outer robe, and Tazi was once again reminded of how much they looked like scales.
Without further conversation, one of the Children of Ibrandul motioned for them to follow him. He led them back through the main tunnel to another side room. Once inside, Tazi and Steorf saw that it was just as the Lurker had said. The room held several chairs, a workbench, a smaller table laid with a minor feast, and a wall covered with an assortment of weapons. Tazi walked over to the wall and removed a small scimitar with an ornate handle. She admired the weight and balance of the sword.
'I will leave you for a brief while,' the Child of Ibrandul informed them, 'before returning with two others for the undertaking.'
Tazi thanked him, and he left, shutting the door behind him.
'What are you thinking?' Steorf hissed at her the moment the door shut.
Tazi placed a finger to her closed lips and made a circling gesture with her other hand to indicate the entire room. Steorf moved over to stand next to her. When he spoke again, he pitched his voice more softly though Tazi could see he was still angry.
'This room seems to be safe,' he told her.
'I thought,' she whispered back, 'that Asraf said differing types of magic didn't work in the temple.'
'I think he meant that they didn't work against each other,' Steorf explained. 'Since the Lurker took us to that inner chamber, I've been testing the waters, so to speak.'
'What did you learn?' she inquired.
'As long as I'm not too intrusive, I do have limited use of spells. I've been able to detect magical artifacts, for instance, and devices for eavesdropping. That council room had several of both.'
'Well?' Tazi asked and looked at him expectantly.
'We should be free to talk,' he reassured her. Without hesitation, he added testily, 'What are you thinking?'
Tazi shook her head at him and walked away a few paces. She briefly checked for less magical means of spying and, satisfied that there weren't any of those either, she returned to Steorf's side.
'If you could manage to keep your temper,' she replied with equal frustration, 'I might have time to actually do some thinking calmly, instead of having to soothe ruffled feathers.'
'What do you mean?' he asked, genuinely puzzled.
'Between you and that priest baiting each other,' she explained with a touch of ire, 'I've felt like some kind of juggler, simultaneously trying to keep you calm, him happy, and listen to everything that was being said. But more importantly, I've been trying to hear what wasn't said.'
'So you don't trust them,' he replied, pointedly ignoring her assessment of his behavior.
'I don't know what or who to trust,' she replied honestly.
She sat down on one of the stools near the workbench, rested her elbow on the table, and rubbed at her lip thoughtfully.
Steorf moved beside her and said, 'I'm sorry I haven't been much help.'
'I know you mean well enough,' she answered, 'and I know at times I'm hardly one to talk about bridling anger, but we're walking a slippery slope here.'
'You didn't answer my question. Do you trust them?'
'As I said, I have some doubts about a lot of this. The Lurker,' she elaborated, 'definitely appears uncomfortable, but whether it's because he's apprehensive of us or anxious what role his god and, perhaps, his people might play in all of this, I just don't know.'
She rose from the workbench and went over to stare at the wall of armaments.
'Fannah seems at ease with them,' she continued. 'I'll tell you-' she paused to face him, knowing her next words would wound-'I'm basing my decisions on her instincts.'
Steorf pursed his lips together and was suddenly preoccupied with the inventory on the wall. The uncomfortable silence stretched out between them.
'I suppose,' he finally commented without making eye contact with her, 'that is the wisest course of action you can take. Out of all of us, she is the only one who really knows Calimport, and she has had dealings with these cultists before.' He laughed ruefully. 'Not only do I have nothing unique to offer you in this city of sorcery, I've already let you down.'
Tazi suddenly understood why he was so quick to jump at every opportunity. It was to impress her.
'You,' she said into his face, 'have not let me down this time. You are right that sorcery is on every street corner, and thank Sel?ne that I know yours is the kind I can trust. You don't have to prove anything to me.'
Steorf finally looked her in the eye.
'Keep in mind,' he prompted her, 'that Fannah has been away for some time. Things may have changed, and they may no longer be what she remembered.'
'There are many things that have changed,' she replied quietly.
More loudly, she said, 'Once again, you make a good point. Don't think for an instant that I don't value your judgment here as well.'
Suddenly uncomfortable, Tazi turned her attention back to the wall of weapons. She scanned the collection until her eyes came to rest on an unusual pike. She touched it briefly and turned to face Steorf.
'Remember the night we went out on one of our first wildings?' she asked. 'We ran afoul of that fishmonger and he tried to run us through with his pike. And I thought he was going to be such an easy mark. If you hadn't stepped beside me, I would've been skewered for sure.'
She laughed a little, but in retrospect thought that his actions then might have been a little more than just those of a bodyguard. Perhaps many of his actions had been more than just services rendered.
'I still carry the scar,' he told her.
'You do?'
'I carry many things, Tazi.'
The moment lingered between them, and he moved very close to her. Steorf took her hands in his, and Tazi didn't resist. He rubbed her delicate fingers in almost the same manner as she had done to his wounded ones earlier. Tazi stared at him solemnly, not certain what was going to happen next. Then a realization dawned on her.
'Your hands,' she exclaimed softly, not quite breaking the mood.
Steorf smiled ever so slightly as she examined them, though he didn't release his light grip on hers.
