The priest straightened in his chair, giving Silas a wary look.
As Silas approached, he suddenly whisked out the dagger. The priest flinched.
“Such a shame, keeping a servant of the Light tied up like this.” Silas stepped behind the priest and sliced through the ropes.
With a relieved sigh, the priest massaged his shoulders. “Bless you, my son.”
“It’s the least I can do.” Silas tucked the dagger under his belt. “I was raised to respect those who serve the Light.”
“Bless you.” The priest pressed his hands together and bowed his head. “May the Light shine upon you always.”
Silas sat in the chair on the other side of the table. “You have an Eberoni accent. May I ask why you are traveling in my country?”
“I am but a humble priest, ministering to those who follow the one true god. The Norveshki are also among the Enlightened, so it is my duty to serve them as well.”
“I see.” Silas noted that the priest’s sun pendant was made of gold, and the chain it was hanging from was also pure gold. Not exactly humble. “And how, may I ask, were you serving my people? Did you heal the sick or feed the hungry? Perhaps you were giving alms to the poor with the gold you were carrying?”
The priest’s eyes darted nervously toward the flap. “I am but a humble servant of the Light.”
“I understand. Why were you going to Woodwyn?”
“The elves are also Enlightened. It is my duty to serve all—”
“You were seen bribing Lord Romak for information and paying him to assassinate me.” Silas noted the priest’s hands suddenly clench. “You must be surprised to see me still alive.”
“I am but a humble priest. I do not know of this lord you mention.”
“I see. Then you needn’t be concerned that he was arrested as a spy. Or that he was stabbed to death in his jail cell.”
The priest grabbed hold of his sun pendant.
Silas leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “The Chameleon sneaked into the dungeon, disguised as one of my soldiers, and murdered Romak so he couldn’t talk.”
The priest’s face grew pale as his hand clenched tighter around the sun pendant.
“I wonder what will happen once the Chameleon learns that you’ve been captured?” Silas sat back. “An interesting dilemma, isn’t it? If I left you tied to that chair and called off all the guards, do you think you would survive the night?”
The priest gulped, then flinched when the flap swung open.
Aleksi strode inside with a tray holding a bowl of soup, a hunk of bread, and a cup of water.
Silas leaned forward and whispered, “What if he’s the Chameleon? He might have poisoned the soup.”
Aleksi gave him a wry look as he dropped the tray on the table.
Silas narrowed his eyes. “I don’t think I’ve seen this soldier before.”
Aleksi bit his lip to keep from smiling and quickly left.
“I bet you’re hungry.” Silas looked over the food. “Would you feel better, Father, if I tasted it for you?”
The priest nodded.
Silas tore off a piece of bread. “You know who Lady Gwennore’s parents are, don’t you?”
The priest shrugged.
“I heard she was a princess. But a half-breed. I’m surprised the elves want her back.”
“She is but a pawn.”
Silas tensed inside. A pawn? He would never let her go to Woodwyn. “Then we’ll just have to keep her here. After all, she’s half Norveshki.”
The priest’s eyes widened, but he remained silent.
“Her father, Lord Tolenko—does he want her back?” Silas continued his bluff.
The priest smirked. “You don’t know everything. Lord Tolenko is dead.”
Silas paused for a moment, then slowly ate the piece of bread. So Dimitri’s uncle had died in Woodwyn. But not before fathering Gwennore with an elfin princess. “Good news, Father. The bread is safe.”
The priest broke off a piece.
“You know, we’ve been watching you ever since you entered the country. After you talked to Romak, I assumed you were headed to Eberon to report to Lord Morris. But it looks like you were planning on meeting an elf.” Silas retrieved the rolled-up note from his pocket.
The priest’s hand shook, and his piece of bread tumbled onto the table.
“So is the Chameleon allied with the elves?” Silas slipped the note back into his pocket. “I wonder what I’ll learn once I have this note translated.”
The priest grabbed on to the golden sun pendant.
“Are you worried you’ll be in trouble?” Silas motioned to the bowl of soup. “You haven’t eaten. You should enjoy one last meal before the Chameleon tracks you down, don’t you think?”
“You cannot defeat him,” the priest whispered.
“Maybe you should question why you serve a master who murders his minions once they’re captured.”
The priest lifted his chin. “It is an honor to serve my masters. They will bring enlightenment to the entire world.”
“They? Who are they? How many?”
The priest gulped. “You won’t get anything else from me. I will serve the Light, even in death!” He twisted the bottom half of his sun pendant off and lifted it to his mouth.
“No!” Silas lunged across the table to grab the man’s hand. As they struggled, a white poisonous powder was scattered across the table and the tray of food clattered onto the ground.
Suddenly the priest ripped the knife from Silas’s belt. He scrambled back. “You will never defeat the Circle of Five. They will conquer the world!”
“Who are the—No!” Silas jumped toward the priest as the man sliced the knife across his own throat.
Blood gushed out, splattering Silas on the face and chest as he caught the falling priest.
“No!” Silas knelt beside the priest, pressing his hands on the bloody gash. “Who are the—” He stopped when he saw the priest’s eyes glaze over.
Aleksi ran into the tent. “What’s—” He stopped with a jerk at the sight of the dead priest and Silas covered with blood. “Damn. That was the nice approach?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
The next morning, on Garneday, Gwennore was eager to begin her work. Even though she had yet to receive any advice
