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[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] our wits about us." "Hear, hear, Guy cried, from inside the wagon. Harvel called, Are you going to pay for all this, Questor Grimm?" Grimm smiled. Of course, fellows! We don't have to slum it just because we're on a Quest. Keep alert, and we should be all right." "You're in charge, Lord Baron, Quelgrum said, as the magnificent building loomed before them, and I'll do as you say. I just hope you're right. These chaps could be in league with Lizaveta, for all we know." Grimm laughed. Sometimes I think you worry just a little too much, General. I'm not going into this with my eyes shut, I assure you. Don't worry; I'll be on my guard, as will all of us." As the wagon rumbled under an imposing stone arch, Grimm thought he heard a muttered prayer or imprecation from the old soldier, although he could not be sure. [Back to Table of Contents] Chapter 26: A Cheerful Reception The wagon rolled up the smooth, tree-lined track towards the Mansion House. Although the Questor's party suffered no further incursions, Grimm's sensitive ears picked up the occasional muttered voice and rustling sound from the undergrowth. He suspected that he and his companions had been under constant surveillance since they started up the winding path. As the party neared the House, the young mage felt a shiver of awe running through him. He could not believe the contrast between the grand opulence of this building and the dingy squalor at the centre of Yoren; it almost made the fabulous, luxurious High Lodge look like a rather pedestrian town house. Instead of dull, grey stone, the House seemed to be constructed of lustrous, iridescent marble, with complex, tasteful details picked out in gold. At the front of the building, he saw a long, pillared portico or cloister whose purpose, Grimm imagined, was to enable visitors to remain dry while exiting their vehicles in the rain. And all these windows! There must have been over a hundred on the front of the building alone, and Grimm knew that glass, especially glass of this sparkling, flawless quality, was an expensive commodity. Quelgrum's eyes bulged. Where on earth did they get all the money to make this, let alone to be able to run it?" Despite knowing the General's question was rhetorical, Grimm answered him. "All I know is that my stipend as Baron of Crar would barely begin to cover it, General, he breathed. Up ahead, he saw a small, windowed kiosk, beside which was a red-and-white striped pole, barring further progress. As soon as Quelgrum reined in the horses in front of the barrier, a tall, slender man stepped out from the kiosk, offering a crisp, faultless salute that, Grimm imagined, would not have been out of place in the General's army. The old soldier's formal, precise answering salute seemed to confirm this; the General placed a high premium on tidiness, order and discipline, and this man seemed to possess great quantities of each. As the gatekeeper approached, Grimm took note of the man's immaculate, dark-blue uniform, similar to that worn by Quelgrum's cadre, with a tightly knotted strip of cloth around his neck and razor-sharp creases in his straight Page 110 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html trousers. Mirror-polished black shoes, gleaming buttons and a peaked cap added to the dazzling effect. The Questor also saw that the watchman wore a Technological weapon in a leather holster at his waist. "I see you are a military man, Sir, the gatekeeper said, his pose ramrod-straight as he held the salute. Staff Sergeant Hamar, at your service, Sir. Welcome to the Mansion House." "Stand easy, Staff, replied Quelgrum, slipping back into his martial role with ease. I am General Sleafel Quelgrum, and my companion is Baron Grimm Afelnor of Crar." As with the guards who had accosted the party earlier, the young mage thought that Hamar's gaze rested perhaps just a little too long on his Guild ring. Ah, you're just getting paranoid. You've got an over-active imagination, Afelnor, he chided himself. "Your fame precedes you, General, the Staff Sergeant said. At your service, Lord Baron. Hamar's face wrinkled, and reddened a little. I'm sorry, sir; I'll have to ask you to leave your hardware here. We don't allow offensive weapons in the House. The same goes for your companions in the back. Staves and small blades of less than three inches length are all right, but whips, swords, daggers, cudgels or other offensive weapons are not permitted. I'll have to search you and the wagon, I'm afraid." Quelgrum's eyes narrowed. "Sorry, General, that's not my rule, but a standing order. Hamar's tone remained deferent and apologetic. I'm sure you understand. Please step down from the vehicle." Quelgrum sighed and turned his head around. You heard the man, he called. Hand em over." The three warriors and two mages clambered out of the wagon, as Grimm and the General climbed down. Hamar carried out an efficient, dispassionate search of each member of the party and began to deprive them of their weapons. Tordun, in particular, looked particularly pained as he handed over his broadsword. As the Staff Sergeant moved to the back of the wagon, Grimm felt the unmistakable tingle of magical power being unleashed; a large amount of it, if the young mage was any judge. The syllables that came from Guy's lips were, of course, unintelligible to anyone but him, being in his personal Questor spell-language, but Grimm guessed that the older thaumaturge had released a potent spell of Compulsion. "There's nothing in the wagon, sentry, Guy said in an easy, reasonable voice. It's clean." Grimm gaped as the Staff Sergeant turned to face Guy, wearing a tolerant smile. I'm sure you're right, sir, but I have to search it anyway, he said with a cool voice as he climbed into the conveyance. At any other time, Grimm would have felt some pleasure at the sight of the Great Flame's slack jaw and stunned, bulging eyes, but not now; Hamar had withstood a full Compulsion spell from a Questor of the Seventh Rank without showing the least sign of discomfort, or even of having noticed the spell. To add to Grimm's unease, his Mage Sight showed him that this was no Technology-controlled slave like those he had met at the mountain fortress of Haven. Neither saw he the least sign of magic in the man's aura: not even the blank white aura of a witch. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |