magical shield Horin had lent him.
He pretended not to have noticed the fusillade, holding Chudel's wide, terrified eyes in a steely gaze that only another Questor could hope to equal in intensity.
'You have tried my patience enough, small man,' he said. 'In ten minutes, I expect to see our wagon at the entrance, with all our weapons and belongings aboard. If there is any further attempt upon me within that time, I will wait no longer before visiting my wrath upon you and yours.
'Time is ticking away, Chudel; I recommend that you do not tarry. I rather fancy that the freed Pit fighters, once they have finished with Keller, will turn their interest on you.'
'What of the countless, blameless employees of Mansion House?' Chudel pleaded. 'What do you leave us, apart from destitution?'
'I leave you your miserable lives,' Grimm growled. 'Nobody here is blameless, worm; be grateful that I do not choose to destroy you all. But I will, if you deviate from my terms by one iota.'
Chudel ran into the reception hall as if possessed, ringing a bell reserved for emergencies. As staff members flooded into the vestibule, he screamed, 'Get everybody out! That bastard mage is going to destroy Mansion House in less than ten minutes, and I don't think we can stop him. He's onto our little game, he knows that old cow Lizaveta's involved in it, and she's next on his list! Save what you can, but move! Somebody get his group's stuff, and load it into their wagon. I don't want him any more annoyed than he is now! Hurry!'
The girl behind the counter blanched and ran to the back room as a mad panic ensued. With trembling hands, she removed a wooden box from a desk drawer and extracted a glass ball from it.
Forcing herself to be calm, she placed her hands on the globe and concentrated.
'Mother Prioress, are you there?'
After a few seconds, she felt the mind of her superior slither into her sensorium.
'What is it, Sister Mandrine? Is that fat fool, Chudel, complaining about his dues again? Is he-'
'Mother Prioress, we have a problem. A Guild Questor is here, Grimm Afelnor by name, and he intends to destroy Mansion House in its entirety. I believe he's related to the Afelnor who all but destroyed-'
'I know who he is, fool! Get on with it!'
'I think he intends to attack the Priory next, Reverend Mother!'
'Of course he does, witless one. I should have known better than to trust that pompous bag of wind, Chudel, to protect my interests.'
'Shall I return to the Priory, Reverend Mother?'
'Perhaps that is best,' came the Prioress's dry, dusty mental message. 'I owe you punishment for interrupting me, girl; you will pay for that transgression later.'
With that, the mental connection was severed, and Mandrine quailed. She knew Lizaveta's punishments well, but she knew better than to disobey the Prioress. As the sounds of panic outside the small room grew into tumult, she packed the globe back in its box, and, tucking it under her arm, ran out to retrieve her effects from her own small room.
As Quelgrum drove the wagon away from the blazing ruins of Mansion House, the young Questor looked back with some satisfaction at the destruction he had caused. A great evil had been destroyed here, and he had prevailed.
'Look out, Lizaveta, I'm coming!' he muttered, looking back at the road ahead. 'Your time is coming to an end.'
In a louder voice, Grimm asked, 'What's the next town on the itinerary, General?'
'Brianston, Lord Baron,' Quelgrum said after consulting his map. 'I don't know much about it, but it should be a picnic after this bloody place.'
'I think we'd better rest on the plain for a few days, General. We need some time for healing and recuperation, and I don't think Guy will be happy until we get him back in his own body; if he's ever happy, that is.'
'I agree, Lord Mage. I hate to admit it, but I'm not as young as I used to be, and that fight has really taken it out of me.'
'Brianston,' the Questor mused. 'It sounds like a nice, normal place to me.'
'Don't bet on it,' the General warned him. 'I won't be happy until we're out of this whole damned region. If we rest up on Blagor Hill, here, we should be able to spot any unwanted incursions well in advance.'
'We're in your hands, General. I just want you to know that I'm not about to take anything for granted, now. I've learnt a lot from this.'
'We've all learnt a lot, Baron. I just want to say that I think you're beginning to shape up as a leader of men. Just think with your head a little more, and your guts a little less, and I think you'll be fine. It's a lesson I learned many years ago, and I've never forgotten it.'
Grimm opened his mouth to speak, but shut it again. Nothing more needed to be said. Through overconfidence and misplaced trust, he had been lucky not to waste the life of a valued companion. He vowed never to make that mistake again. From now on, he would trust nobody.
The wagon rolled onwards, past the now unmanned checkpoints, out of Yoren and onto the wide, open plain.
