of the air as gently as he could. Aruget swung a bulky sack up at Midian, but the gnome ducked around it with astonishing speed. His knife slashed, forcing Aruget back, then he was past him and running for the stairs. Ashi ran after him. Ekhaas shifted Tenquis so he leaned against the wall, and drew breath, ready to sing a spell at the fleeing gnome.
It was Chetiin who caught him, though. The goblin’s movement was as fast as a thrown knife. He bounded past Geth and actually seemed to run along the wall itself for several steps before launching himself at Midian. His arms wrapped around the gnome’s legs and brought him down. Midian’s knife flashed, but Chetiin twisted and the blade struck stone. Then Aruget was at his side, tearing the knife from Midian’s grasp and pinning both wrists with one large hand. Chetiin rolled free, grabbed the fallen knife, and held the stained blade to the gnome’s throat.
Midian went still, as if he knew further struggles were useless. His eyes were like chips of glass. He glared up at Aruget. “Dark Lantern?” he asked.
Aruget’s ears flicked as he hauled the gnome upright. He nodded to Geth. “Good catch. I doubt you would have wanted to drink-or breathe-those potions.” The hobgoblin looked to Ashi. “Or Midian’s wine. I don’t think you were intended to survive your rescue.”
“He called you a Dark Lantern,” said Chetiin. The captured knife didn’t waver, but Geth saw the goblin steal a glance at Aruget. “You’re an agent of Breland?”
“You can trust him, Chetiin,” said Ashi. “He’s a friend.” She caught Geth’s eye, then Ekhaas’s, and added, “An old friend.”
An old friend? Geth thought of the only other Brelish agent he’d ever known-the half-elf, Benti Morren. He glanced at Ashi and silently mouthed Benti’s name. Ashi nodded. Geth turned back to Aruget in confusion but the hobgoblin only held up a hand.
“Not now,” he said.
Ekhaas wasn’t so easily put off. “What’s a Brelish Dark Lantern doing in Darguun?”
“Getting more involved than I should be for someone whose orders were only to watch,” Aruget said. He gave Midian a gentle shake. “A better question would be what’s an agent of Zilargo doing in Darguun? We found out that Midian had attached himself to Tariic. We already had suspicions that Haruuc was up to something. I was sent to keep an eye on both of them, but I don’t think anyone ever thought it would go this far.”
Geth looked to Midian. “You work for Zilargo?”
Somehow Midian managed to look proud. “I work for the Library of Korranberg,” he said. His eyes went to Ekhaas. “That coin was from Bloodrun. You go there and look. You’ll find Koolt Dynasty ruins-”
His words ended at the touch of the poisoned knife to his throat. “I don’t care who you work for,” said Chetiin. “I want to know about Haruuc. I don’t particularly care that you tried to kill me in the process. I want to know why you killed him.”
“I think I know,” Ashi said. She moved forward, her eyes wide and thoughtful. “When Esmyssa ir’Korran told me that Zils negotiate instead of fighting wars, she said that Zilargo prefers to deal with stable rulers. Haruuc wanted the Rod of Kings to keep Darguun stable. If Midian helped him find it, Zilargo would have the stable neighbor it wanted and an agent with Haruuc’s trust.” She raised a finger. “But when Haruuc became warlike under the influence of the rod, it didn’t suit Zilargo’s plans, so Haruuc had to be removed. We thought he was killed to keep him from discovering the power of the rod or to prevent a war, but that was only part of it. He was also killed so that a lhesh more sympathetic and less warlike would come to the throne.” A second finger joined the first. “Tariic also trusted Midian. And he’d said that he wanted to bring Darguun into greater contact with the rest of Khorvaire.”
“Tariic wasn’t Haruuc’s heir,” said Chetiin. “Any warlord could have taken the throne.”
“But Tariic was in a better position than anyone else.”
Geth felt a chill in his belly. “Zilargo killed Haruuc? Gnomes were trying to influence the rulers of Darguun?” He looked Midian-who smiled-then at Aruget. “I thought Zilargo was supposed to be Breland’s ally!”
“In this game, there are no allies and no traitors,” said Aruget, “only opportunities. Haruuc started a small war to avoid a large one; Zilargo killed a king to keep their peace. I doubt if Breland would object to a more pliable lhesh either. If you ask in Zilargo, though, I don’t think you’ll find anyone who would admit to anything more than regret at Haruuc’s assassination.” He gave Midian another shake. “What do you have to say to this?”
The gnome looked at Ashi. “I’d say you have more imagination than I thought you did.”
Ashi’s lips pressed tight, and for a moment it seemed that she might lose her temper. She kept her emotions in check, however, and Geth could see Vounn’s influence in that. She raised a third finger. “After the assassination, Midian slipped out of Rhukaan Draal. Whether he actually went to Bloodrun doesn’t matter. He must have anticipated we’d send a messenger for him, though, and he dealt with him. When the city reopened after the mourning period, he returned-and discovered that by killing Haruuc, he’d only made things worse. For a little while, we were all working toward the same goal of finding a way to keep Tariic from succumbing to the curse of the rod.” She cocked her head to one side. “It’s even possible he came up with the idea of a false rod before he found out about the curse. We just gave him the perfect chance to propose it. He may have intended to steal the true rod all along.”
A growl escaped Geth. “And it might have worked if Tariic hadn’t recognized the false rod!” Another idea occurred to him. “Wait-why dress as Chetiin again to steal the rod? He couldn’t have known that I’d come rushing up from the coronation to get it.”
“He would have made sure someone else saw him,” said Chetiin. “Saw me. He had the perfect scapegoat.”
“I think he already knew you were still alive,” Geth said. “I may have given it away to him.”
“Even better. He would have turned you against me again.”
Geth felt blood rush into his face and the hate he’d felt since Haruuc’s death turned into a sick feeling of shame in the pit of his stomach. “He did,” he said. “Chetiin, you’re the one I owe an apology to. You’re no traitor.”
“No, I’m not,” the goblin said, “but I hold no anger for what you thought. You were manipulated. We all were.” He nodded to Midian. “Paatcha. Your plan was cunning.”
Midian’s eyes danced although there was no warmth in them. “What plan?”
The gnome’s smug satisfaction burned in Geth. He pushed Chetiin aside, bending down to snarl in Midian’s face. “You think you’re clever, don’t you? You think we can’t beat you. Well, you’re wrong.” He thrust a hand at Tenquis, still leaning against the wall and following everything with weary golden eyes, though color at least had returned to his face. “We know where you hid the Rod of Kings. Tenquis realized that the connection between Wrath and the rod was still active. We followed it.” He stepped back and looked at the others. “He hid the rod in Haruuc’s tomb.”
Surprise passed across all their faces, but none of it was as sweet as the look of shock and anger that finally broke through Midian’s mask.
Geth bared his teeth at him. “Yes,” he said, “it was clever, but now you’re not the only one who knows. Now we all do.”
“So does Tariic.”
Tenquis’s words-the first he had spoken-were unsteady, but angry and determined. Geth turned sharply to look at him. They all turned. The tiefling shoved himself away from the wall and stood straight, head held high. “I’m sorry, Geth,” he said. “I couldn’t hold back. Horns of Ohr Kaluun, I tried, but I couldn’t in the end.” He drew a shuddering breath. “I gave Tariic what he wanted.”
The sick feeling returned to Geth’s stomach. “He knows?”
Tenquis nodded.
“Clever,” said Midian.
They walked out through the front gates of Khaar Mbar’ost.
It was simple. It was direct. The great courtyard within the gates and the plaza beyond it were both crowded with Darguuls prepared for celebration of Dagii’s victorious return. No one paid any attention to them as they passed through, moving in small groups to avoid notice. Ekhaas and Ashi went first, Ashi’s face shadowed by a wide-brimmed hat that Aruget produced from his sack. Chetiin and Tenquis followed, the tiefling hunched beneath a cloak, both of them tottering like frail elders. Geth knew it wasn’t much of an act on Tenquis’s part at the moment. Every few steps, he staggered a little before catching himself. Geth had tried to help him at first, but Tenquis had
