The Moons of Mirrodin (21 page)

Glissa laid Chunth’s head down and stood, testing her ankle. Chunth was gone. Another in a growing line of deaths meant for her. There was only one person who could tell her why. She sprinted down the tunnel after the assassin, screaming.

“Guards, guards,” she shouted. “Chunth has been murdered.”

When she reached the secret door, guards surrounded her. “Chunth is dead,” she gasped. “An elder with a blue orb … did any of you see him come past you?”

Glissa turned and looked at the wall, searching for the catch that opened the secret door. Behind her, one of the guards was barking orders.

“You four, get the elders to safety,” he snapped. “The rest of you escort the elf to her friends.”

“No,” screamed Glissa as she patted the wall. “We must find the elder. He killed Chunth. I told you. An elder killed Chunth, then ran down here.”

The guard spun around to face her. “How do we know you didn’t kill Chunth? You have attacked us before.”

Glissa stared at him. He could have been one of the guards she had locked in Chunth’s room the last time she was here. They all looked alike to her.

“Because if I had,” she said slowly, “I wouldn’t be screaming about it … and you would all be dead by now.”

The guard swallowed hard and released her arm. “What did this elder look like?”

Glissa turned back to the secret door. She found the catch, but the door refused to open. “He was an old troll,” she said over her shoulder. “He was carrying a blue orb that shoots lightning.” She slammed the catch with the butt of her sword and swore. “Flare! Why won’t this open?”

The guard reached over her shoulder. “The release is jammed.”

Glissa bashed the hilt of her sword into the catch again, but it didn’t budge. She slammed her shoulder into the door and even tried to slice through the tree with her sword. It was reinforced throughout. Nothing seemed to work.

“He’s gone through here,” she cried. “I need this open, now!”

The guard turned to the remaining guards. “Go out the main entrance. Climb the tree and open this door.”

Glissa felt a scream welling up inside her and fought to keep it down. “That will take too long.” She had a thought. “Where’s the goblin?”

“A little ways down the tunnel,” replied the guard.

“Slobad!” Glissa screamed as loudly as she could. “Golem! I need you!”

After a moment, she heard booming footsteps coming up the tunnel. When the metal man appeared around the bend, Glissa gasped. He was missing an arm.

“What happened?”

“That’s what I ask you, huh?” said Slobad. “I cleaning the golem arm, then hear screaming, huh? What do you need? I thought this quiet place. Time for cleaning and sleeping.” He paused and looked at Glissa. She was fuming and her face was stained with tears. “What wrong?”

“Chunth is dead,” said Glissa quickly. “The assassin went through this door. Now it’s stuck. Open it!”

The golem moved forward, and Glissa backed up to give him
room. The golem walked up to the door, pulled his arm back, and slammed his hand into it. The secret door flew away, landing on the terrace twenty feet away.

Glissa ran through the door, shouting at the guard. “The goblin will fix it later. Go to the elders. Protect them. Find out which one is missing.”

*   *   *   *   *

The elf looked around the terrace. Trolls were great climbers, but they weren’t as agile as elves. Glissa was sure the elder wouldn’t have jumped as she had so many nights ago. He either climbed onto the next terrace or took to the trunk. She checked the trunk first.

Recent claw marks led off the terrace around the trunk. Glissa curled her fingers and dug her claws into the tree, pulling herself around the tree as best she could. She was a decent climber but had never scaled the Tree of Tales before. She leaned in and sniffed the claw marks left behind by the elder to get his scent. She might not be as good a climber as a troll, but she was the best hunter in the Tangle.

Halfway around the tree, Glissa lost the scent. There were no claw marks above her, so the troll elder must have descended. The elf pulled her feet away from the tree and pressed in with her claws. They couldn’t hold her weight, and she began to slide down the tree. Glissa dropped her head to see where she was going. It was a straight drop all the way down the tree. No terraces or spires impeded her path to the floor of the Tangle.

How unusual, thought Glissa. A troll escape route, perhaps?

She pulled her claws halfway from the grooves they were making and sped up. Nobody in the Tangle but me would be stupid enough to try this, she thought wryly.

As the elf neared the ground, she was nearly free-falling. The
trunk was a blur as it flew past her. Glissa waited as long as she could, then dug her claws back in and slammed the soles of her boots into the trunk to slow her descent. Twenty feet from impact, she kicked off hard and released her claws to send her body flying away from the tree.

She timed the kick perfectly and flew straight toward the end of a curving spire. She grabbed, dug in her claws, and twirled around the tapering spire several times to bleed off momentum. She dropped the last ten feet to the Tangle floor and looked around for movement.

Footsteps sounded behind her, and she twirled, drew her sword, and swung. Kane dropped to the ground before he lost his head.

“Fine way to greet your best friend.” He tried to turn over and get up, but his slagwurm-plate uniform made it impossible for him to bend at the waist.

“Kane, what are you doing here?” cried Glissa. She sheathed her sword and helped him to his feet.

“I was on guard duty at the main entrance. What are you doing here, and what in the flare is going on inside the Tree?”

“No time to explain, but I’m glad you’re here. Did you see an elder pass by in the last few minutes?”

“Yes,” said Kane calmly. “It was High Priest Strang.”

Glissa looked at Kane. “How do you tell them apart?” she asked, then shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Help me find him.”

“He was headed toward the Radix.”

“Follow me,” said Glissa. She trotted off toward the center of the Tangle. “We can’t let him get away.”

Kane ran to catch up with Glissa. “Why? What happened?”

“Strang killed Chunth,” said Glissa, “and he stole something from me that I want back.”

“Chunth?” gasped Kane, running beside his friend. “I thought he was a myth. The troll elite guards speak of him sometimes, but I’ve never seen him.”

“How do you know Strang?” asked Glissa.

“I’ve been assigned to him a few times during rituals. It’s a great honor to serve the High Priest. Strang practically runs Tel-Jilad.”

Glissa and Kane dodged around either side of a rain barrel. Kane continued, “I can’t believe Strang would kill anyone! He’s the most respected elder in the Tree. He presides over the most important rituals. Why would he kill Chunth?”

“I don’t know,” said Glissa as they neared the Radix. She said nothing to Kane of Strang’s attempt to kill her as well. The orb he had used made her neck tingle just like the spy-birds’ attacks. Was Strang, like Geth, working for the vedalken? Chunth said he had kept the serum a secret from the trolls and the elves. How did Strang know about it? She turned these questions over in her mind as they ran.

“Power,” she said at last. “It always comes down to power. Chunth had it and Strang wanted it.”

*   *   *   *   *

Glissa stopped. They were at the edge of the Radix. She dodged behind a Tangle tree, pulling Kane close to her. She breathed in his musky scent as his face came close her hers. She had forgotten how good he smelled.

“Kane,” she whispered, “I need your help. If Strang sees me, he’ll run. Go in there and distract him. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Kane hesitated, his eyes darting to the ground. “He’s an elder. The High Priest. Shouldn’t the council take care of this?”

“They’re not here,” hissed Glissa. “Listen, you have to trust me. After he killed Chunth, Strang stole a vial from me. We can’t let him drink what’s in it. Believe me, after I get it back we’ll take him back to the Tree of Tales and turn him over to the council. But we have to get him
now
.”

Kane straightened his armored jerkin and looked at Glissa. For a moment she thought he was going to salute.

“Okay.”

“Keep him occupied for a minute or two,” said Glissa, “and be careful. He’s a cornered animal.”

Kane nodded, then turned and walked around the tree. Glissa climbed the trunk. She passed two sets of spires before moving around to the other side of the tree. She looked down into the Radix. Kane was talking to Strang. Glissa couldn’t see the blue globe or the vial.

She dropped onto another spire that curved over the edge of the Radix and sprawled onto her stomach. Cautiously she inched her way out over the Radix, marveling, as she always did, at how barren it looked. The clearing was perfectly round and devoid of trees and gelfruit. She had never once seen a vorrac or any other animal inside it. The elves shunned the area as well, using it as a dump. Anything left on the ground there was gone the next morning.

Strang must be getting rid of his evidence, thought Glissa. Well, we’ll see about that. As she inched out closer to the elf and the troll, Glissa could hear them talking.

“What is wrong?”

“It seems there has been an attack,” said Kane. “That rogue elf, Glissa, attacked the Tree of Tales. You must come with me to safety.”

Good, Kane. Glissa inched ever farther toward the end of the spire. Make him feel at ease.

“I will return as soon as I am finished here, Chosen one,” said Strang. “You may return to your post now.”

“My orders are to escort you to safety, High Priest,” Kane insisted. “Please come with me now. Your life may be in danger.”

He turned and walked away from Strang, leading the way. Glissa tensed, watching for the troll’s reaction. He’d killed once already. He might do it again to cover his tracks.

Strang hesitated. Glissa saw him reach into his robes. Then the old troll followed Kane, who had stopped to wait for him. The pair came right toward her.

Come on, Kane, thought Glissa. Just a little bit farther.

As Kane passed, Glissa dropped off the spire, landing on Strang’s hunched back, knocking him to the ground. She rolled to the side, jumped to her feet, and drew her sword, but Strang was just as fast. He regained his footing and sprang back a step. Glissa moved in on him, but the old troll surprised her again. With a quick swipe of his claws, he knocked the sword from her hand.

“Don’t just stand there, Chosen one!” he shouted to Kane. “Defend your elder against this rogue elf!”

Kane jumped forward to cut off Glissa, pulling out his own blade as he moved in front of Strang. “I don’t want to hurt you, Glissa,” he said, “but you must be brought to the council to pay for your crimes.”

Momentarily taken aback, Glissa saw him wink at her. “You know you’re no match for me, Kane,” she shouted at him. “Even without my sword I could always kick your Tel-Jilad Chosen face across the Tangle. Get out of my way.”

Glissa lunged for Kane, and he brought his sword arm up to block her. She batted aside the arm and barreled into him. Kane staggered backward. He slammed the hilt of his sword into Strang’s face, knocking the old troll back to the ground.

The troll assassin grabbed for the sword, but Kane rolled off just as Glissa dived on top of the elder, pinning him to the ground.

“Hold his arms down, Kane.”

Strang clawed at Glissa’s face and neck, but she held him down between her knees while she slapped away his attacks.

Kane grabbed for the elder’s arms. He finally caught them both and slammed them onto the ground. Glissa reached inside the troll’s robes and found the vial, still full of blue liquid, as well as the blue orb.

She brandished her find before the troll’s staring eyes. “I don’t need vedalken magic to kill, Strang,” she said.

Fear and recognition sprang into Strang’s eyes as she said the name. She had been right about where the troll had gotten his little toy. It was a blue globe, just like the heads of the silver birds that had attacked Taj Nar, like the birds she had seen with the robed vedalken at the Vault of Whispers.

“Nothing would make me happier than to snap your neck with my bare hands,” she growled. “But I’ve promised your Chosen guard here to turn you over to the council. It’s up to you: You can walk back to the Tree of Tales peacefully or die at my hands here in the Tangle. Which is it?”

“I am dead either way,” said Strang finally.

“Fine by me,” said the elf, reaching for his neck.

“No!” he cried.

Glissa rested her palms on either side of the troll’s thick neck. “Tell me who paid you to kill me, and I might ask the council to let you live in exile.”

There was another long pause before he said, “You were right. It was the vedalken.”

“I want a name,” snapped Glissa.

“He never said his name,” muttered Strang.

“Then you can draw me a picture when we get back to Tel-Jilad. Now get up.”

She climbed off the elder troll, making sure to kick him in the ribs as she rose. He’d be doubled over in pain all the way back to the Tree.

Kane pulled Strang to his feet, his sword pressed against the elder’s back while Glissa retrieved her sword. “Why, Strang?” Kane asked as they moved through the Tangle.

“Chunth was too old to lead us anymore,” said Strang. “He thought he could insulate the elves and the trolls from the entire world, but the world has much to offer to those willing to take a
chance. What was one dead elf compared to a new golden age of power for the Tangle?”

“Their power comes at too high a price,” said Glissa. “Chunth knew that.”

“I don’t understand,” said Kane. “You were trying to kill Glissa? Why kill her if Chunth was the one in your way?”

“The vedalken said that she is a problem,” said Strang. “She came too early. He needs more ti—”

The hair on the back of Glissa’s neck began to tingle. She dived, knocking Kane over with her, just as a bolt of blue lightning shot across the Tangle. It streaked right through where she had been standing. Strang dropped to the ground beside them a moment later. A charred stump smoldered between his shoulders where his head used to be.