Diran and Ghaji were up and moving toward the wounded goblin, weapons drawn and ready. Hinto tried once more to rise to his feet so he could help his friends, but his body still refused to obey him and all he could do was continue to lie trembling on the floor and observe.
Diran and Ghaji reached the goblin, and the creature slammed his wrist into the wall. There was a sickening sound of bones snapping, but the impact was sufficient to break the lightning-ball's hold, and the sphere tumbled from the goblin's hand. As soon as the ball was no longer in contact with the goblin's flesh, the lightning cocoon that surrounded him winked out, and he was free. He bent down to snatch up the dragonwand once more, but Diran hurled a dagger. The blade thunked into the ground next to the wand, sinking into the earth up the hilt, the cross- piece pinning the mystical object to the floor. The goblin looked up at Diran and snarled, and the orange light in his eyes seemed to blaze outward as if it were tongues of angry flame. The goblin's form blurred and shifted, and when it came into focus once more, the goblin had become a humanoid wolf-creature that Hinto recognized as a barghest-the barghest, he realized, the one they'd encountered yesterday in the lich's lair.
Ghaji stepped forward to attack the beast, his elemental axe bursting into flame, but the barghest, whose body still bore burnt patches from the wounds he'd suffered during their last battle, howled in frustration and threw itself back against the door. Already shaky from the appearance of the Coldhearts earlier, the door gave way easily beneath the barghest's weight, and the creature tumbled out into the street. Ghaji ran outside after it, Diran following close behind.
Tresslar ran past Hinto and crouched down next to his wand. He pried Diran's dagger free, then reclaimed his most prized mystical object, gripping it tight as if he feared someone else might attempt to steal it. Yvka came over and knelt down next to Hinto. The elf-woman slowly stroked his sweaty hair with one hand, while she gently took hold of his with the other.
'It's all right, Hinto. The creature didn't get Tresslar's wand, and Diran and Ghaji will take care of him.'
Hinto gritted his teeth as a fresh wave of tremors wracked his body. It wasn't all right, and he didn't know if it was ever going to be again.
The fog still blanketed Perhata's dockside, and if it hadn't been for the light given off by Ghaji's blazing axe, Diran wouldn't have been able to see anything. As it was, he could see very little, and he certainly didn't see any sign of the barghest.
'I can't get his scent,' Ghaji said. 'Too many other smells here-the ocean, dead fish, and other odors I'd rather not discuss, so either you call upon the Silver Flame for guidance, or we pick a direction and start searching.'
Diran considered. Barghests were infernal creatures, and while they were hardly all-powerful, they were swift-especially in full wolf form. The odds that he and Ghaji would be able to track a wolf, and an intelligent one at that, on a fog-shrouded night such as this were hardly favorable.
'We stopped it from taking Tresslar's dragonwand and drove it off,' Diran said. 'That's enough for one night, don't you think?'
Ghaji doused the flames of his axe, and the darkness closed in around them. 'It galls me to let the creature go, especially since this is our second encounter with him. You think he followed us into town just to get hold of Tresslar's wand?'
'Perhaps. The barghest might wish to take revenge on the ones who destroyed his mistress and wounded him.'
'Why try to steal the wand? That doesn't seem like much of a revenge to me.'
'Barghests are magical creatures, and it's not unreasonable to think this one might have some mystical knowledge of his own. Perhaps he intended to use the dragonwand as a weapon against us.' Even as he said it, Diran didn't think much of his theory. He sensed there was something more to the barghest's attempted theft of Tresslar's wand, but he couldn't say what. 'Whatever the case, I think that we should make tracking down and slaying this barghest our next order of business.'
Ghaji grinned and tightened his grip on his axe. 'Where do we start?'
'I think you may have to put your plans on hold for a time-say, forever.'
Diran still had hold of one of the daggers he'd drawn when Hinto had alerted them to the barghest's presence. Now he didn't hesitate; he threw the dagger in the direction the voice-Haaken's voice-came from, but before Diran could tell whether his blade had found its target, a large shape came at them out of the darkness, and he felt the heavy mesh of a fishing net descend upon them. The net was heavy enough on its own, but it was weighted down with lead balls at the edges to help it sink into the sea more effectively. It forced Diran and Ghaji to their knees. Ghaji's axe flared bright, and Diran knew his friend intended to burn their way free of the net. Not one to wait on someone else to save him, Diran pulled a dagger from one of the hidden sheathes sewn into the inner lining of his cloak and began sawing away at the net's mesh. They only needed a few seconds, and then they would-
Haaken stepped forward until Diran could make out the dim outline of his form. 'You don't really think we'd give you a chance to escape, do you?'
His hand shot forth, and he released a fine amber powder into the air. The powder diffused into a small yellow cloud that surrounded Diran and Ghaji, and though the two companions knew enough to hold their breath, Haaken and another of the Coldhearts stepped forward-they had scraps of cloth tied over their noses and mouths, Diran saw-and kicked them in the ribs. Breath exploded from their lungs, and then in reflex, they breathed in. Whatever the drug was, it was powerful, and it took effect immediately. Diran saw Ghaji's axe-flame extinguish as the half-orc lost consciousness.
Diran felt his own body begin to go numb, and as darkness rushed in to take him, he heard Haaken say, 'Well, that was easier than I thought it would be.'
Asenka was on the way back to the King Prawn with a detachment of three Sea Scorpions when they nearly collided with Haaken and his people in the fog. The Coldhearts were carrying something wrapped in a fishing net- something that looked suspiciously like two bodies, and she had a damn good idea who those bodies belonged to.
Asenka drew her sword, and her people did the same. 'If you want to leave Perhata alive, Haaken, you'll put them down now.'
Haaken grinned. 'We outnumber you two to one, Asenka.' Only four of Haaken's people carried the net- wrapped bodies. The other four, Haaken included, had their swords in hand, and they now touched the points of their blades to their captives. 'Unless you want us to gut these two here and now, I suggest you make way and allow us safe passage.'
Asenka thought swiftly. If she let the Coldhearts go, they'd simply kill Diran and Ghaji later, but if she attempted to stop them here, Diran and Ghaji would be skewered, and she doubted she'd be able to get them to a healer before they perished. As much as it galled her, she didn't see how she had any choice.
'Very well, Haaken. You have safe passage.' She stepped aside and motioned for her people to do the same. She lowered her sword, though she didn't sheathe it. She wasn't stupid enough to give Haaken the opportunity to kill her in the bargain.
'A wise decision, Asenka,' the Coldheart leader said. 'I always thought there was a reasonable person underneath that cold bitch exterior.' He laughed, and his people joined in. 'One more thing: I was thinking of just slicing your friends' throats and dumping them over the side for the sharks, but I've decided these two deserve something a bit more special, so we're going to drop them off on Demothi Island.'
Asenka felt a cold stab of fear pierce her gut. 'You can't be serious!'
Haaken laughed even harder. He motioned for his people to move out, and the Coldhearts continued on toward the docks, bearing their captives off to their horrible fate.
Demothi Island…
Asenka wondered if it wouldn't have been kinder to let Haaken kill Diran and Ghaji outright. She turned to her people. 'Head for the barracks and alert the others that the Coldhearts are making for the dock. Stop them if you can. I'm going to the King Prawn to alert Diran's companions.'
From what she'd learned about his friends during her conversation with Diran, she thought they might have just as good a chance of saving Diran and Ghaji as the Sea Scorpions would-maybe better.
As the rest of the detachment ran off to carry out their commander's order, Asenka ran in the direction of the King Prawn. She only hoped that she'd get there before Haaken and his people could make sail.
Makala soared above the buildings of dockside in bat form, wheeling and darting above the fog layer, exulting
