Thornhold

you to grief, come soon or late.'

Algorind could not dispute that. The treachery of the dwarf he'd saved from the zombies still troubled him deeply.

'There is a travelers' rest not far ahead,' he commented. 'We can fill our waterskins at the well and gather some of the berries that grow in profusion nearby.'

Jenner let out a sigh of great longing. 'I like spring berries. They're good any way you can get them, but best with honey and new cream, heaped over a pile of sweet biscuits. I mean to have some of that, first thing, when we reach Waterdeep. After a nice roast of venison and a few mugs, that is.'

The paladin was mildly offended by this picture of gluttony. 'You would do better to seek gainful employment for yourself.'

Jenner winked. 'And what better place than in a tavern? That's where men come to hire swords and to hire their swords out.'

'You would find work as a sell-sword?'

'It's what I know. Don't worry yourself,' he said, casting a wry half-smile at Algorind. 'I'll do well enough as a caravan guard or some such. Well, there's the rest house.'

Algorind nodded, then froze. The sight before him was one of such boldness and villainy that it stole his breath.

The red-bearded dwarf came out from the stone structure, leading Icewind by the reins. With him was a young woman with exceptionally long, thick hair plaited back into a single braid. She was comely enough to suit the Zhent's description of 'a pretty wench,' and, since women traveling alone were uncommon in these wild lands, she was probably the one that the Zhentarim of Thornhold sought. The dwarf tossed her up into Icewind's saddle as if he had every right to dispose of the horse, and then hauled himself up onto the back of a squat, nasty-looking pony. He glanced back and did an astonished double take when he caught Algorind's dumbfounded gaze.

The dwarf lifted a hand in an insouciant salute, then kicked the pony into a surprisingly quick canter The woman followed along behind on Algorind's stolen horse.

'The woman you seek,' Algorind said grimly, 'she is allied with the Zhentarim?'

Jenner shook his head, obviously not following this line of reasoning. 'Not that I know of. Why'd you ask?'

'That white horse is mine,' Algorind said, pointing. 'The dwarf stole him from me in an act of base treachery. If the woman consorts with horse thieves, one must ask if she could be allied with the very scum of evildoers.'

The former Zhent let out a snort of laughter. 'No offense intended, I suppose.'

Algorind looked at him in puzzlement. 'No, I had no wish to offend. Why do you ask?'

Jenner chuckled dryly and shook his head. 'Never mind. Let's just get us to Waterdeep the fastest way we can-or let me put it better, the fastest way your scruples will allow.'

Lath in the afternoon, two days after the fall of Thornhold, Bronwyn led her new companion into the Curious Past. When they entered the shop, the dwarf looked around in begrudging wonderment at the old and rare things that crowded the shelves and tables in glittering display.

'Lot of dusting to do,' he concluded gruffly.

A loud huff announced Alice Tinker's presence. The gnome rose to her full height, her brown face peering over the rim of the large brass vase she'd been polishing, her small form quivering with indignation. 'Dust, nothing! I challenge you to find a single pot, gem or book in this entire place that isn't polished to a gleam.'

Ebenezer folded his arms. 'If I were a betting sort of dwarf, I still wouldn't take that one. You can stuff that so-called challenge in the who-cares bucket and take it on out to the slop heap.'

'Alice, meet Ebenezer Stoneshaft,' Bronwyn said dryly. 'He'll be with me for a tenday or two.'

The gnome's face went wary 'And staying where?'

'Neither of us are staying. A bath and a meal, and we'll be on our way.'

Alice huffed. 'Well, by the looks of you, child, you could certainly use a good meal.' Her eyes slid disdainfully over the dwarf, leaving the last part of her insult unspoken.

Bronwyn noted this exchange with great puzzlement. Alice was the most genial of souls; it was not like the gnome to so mistreat a visitor to Curious Past. She was about to admonish her assistant when she noticed the delighted battle gleam in the dwarf's eye. He had spoken little on the journey south, and she'd given him silence and time to deal with his loss. Judging by the animation on his face, maybe she would have done better to pick a fight or two with him.

'Grow a beard, woman,' Ebenezer gruffly advised Alice. This comment baffled Bronwyn, but Alice seemed to understand it perfectly. The gnome's eyes widened, then turned coy, and bright color bloomed on her already rosy cheeks.

Belatedly, Bronwyn got the point. Dwarven women were as bearded as their men. Apparently, Ebenezer was expressing his approval of Alice's gruff reception, even flirting with her a bit. Bronwyn cast her eyes toward the ceiling-which, despite Alice's claims, was liberally festooned with cobwebs. 'Did anything interesting happen while I was gone?'

The gnome collected herself. 'Your friend Lord Thann has found excuse to stop by, or send someone on his behalf, at least thrice a day. He seems most concerned about you.'

'I can just imagine,' Bronwyn muttered. 'I suppose he has been watching me and reporting back to Khelben all this time, too. No offense meant, Alice,' she added hastily when she saw hurt and self-reproach creep into the gnome's eyes.

Watching. Reporting back.

Suddenly something else occurred to Bronwyn, something that widened her eyes with shock and fury. When she had wanted to identify herself to her father, she named her telltale birthmark. Surely that identifying mark was one measure used by those who once searched for Hronulf's missing daughter. The Harpers might have heard of the search, and remembered that birthmark. Was it possible that the invitation to join the Harpers, to move to Waterdeep and work under Khelben Arunsun's direction, was not motivated by the skills she could bring to the Harpers, but by who she was?

All these years, she had searched so desperately for her family, and they had known.

If that was so, then the brief days and nights of merriment that she and Danilo had shared several years before suddenly took on new and ominous meaning. And with that realization came a stab of betrayal so painful that it almost sent her to her knees. Danilo had known who she was-or at least suspected. By the time he left Amn, he knew beyond doubt.

'Oh, my god and goddess,' she whispered in a appalled voice, stunned by this duplicity in a man she had long called friend. 'Sweet sister Sune.'

'Some might think it's a bit early in the day to be invoking the goddess of love and beauty,' observed a familiar, languid male voice behind her. 'Myself, I see no reason to put off what I might want to do again later.'

This observation, coming on the heels of her sudden and disturbing insight, raised Bronwyn's temper past boiling. She fisted her hand and spun toward the shop door, swinging out high and hard.

Danilo dodged the blow and caught her wrist. 'Really! Is that any way to greet an old friend?' he chided her.

Bronwyn wrenched her arm from his grasp and backed away. 'You son of a snake,' she said in a low, furious tone.

'An.'

Just that. He didn't bother to ask her what she meant. Of course not. But if Bronwyn had not known what a chameleon her fellow Harper could be, she would have sworn there was real regret in his eyes.

He took a step toward her, one hand held out in entreaty. 'Bronwyn, we need to talk about that.'

'The hell we do. Get out of my shop.'

Ebenezer came to stand beside her, and the expression on his bearded face suggested an entire battalion taking flank position. He folded his arms and looked Bronwyn's visitor up and down. He snorted when his gaze fell on Danilo's jeweled sword. When his scrutiny was completed, his upper lip curled, leaving no doubt concerning his opinion of the faired-haired dandy. 'Haven't killed anyone today,' he announced. 'Might be I ought to, just to keep