![]() ![]() “According to the woman, the wizard told her that the Graygem was embedded in a wall in a ruined temple. ![]() “But you fear she is not lying about the Graygem’s location. “She spun some kender tale about needing it to save her father. “What does this woman want with the Graygem?” The woman said the wizard read about it in a book from the library of Palanthas.” “Obviously, the wizard sent her,” said Wolfstone. “This Solamnic woman has come here looking for that same Graygem, claiming it is in the kingdom of the Theiwar.” He kept babbling about a ‘Graygem,’” said Wolfstone. You remember that Solamnic wizard the Theiwar caught spying on them, the one they tortured? The one you hauled back to Palanthas?” ![]() She is far from home, and her reason for traveling all this distance must be important enough and troubling enough for you to invite her to the Life Tree.” She once had money, but lost it and is now living in reduced circumstances. You saw the human woman in company with the chief cleric?” “I have received troubling information that I need you to investigate. He looked tired and haggard, as though he had not slept, and his expression was unusually dark and stern. Hornfel nodded and lowered himself into the chair. “I happened to be in Hybardin on a job when I got your message,” said Wolfstone. “I am glad you were able to come so swiftly,” said Hornfel. Hornfel smiled at him and advanced to heartily embrace him. Wolfstone rose, took off his hat, and bowed. He and Wolfstone were the only two people in the world who had keys to this room. The king locked the door behind him again so their meeting would be private. He did not wait long before he heard a key rattle in the lock. Wolfstone sat down in one of the chairs, crossed his legs at the ankles, clasped his hands over his midriff, and settled in to wait. The room contained nothing but two chairs. He then locked the door behind him and hung the lantern from a hook on the wall. Wolfstone took a lantern from an iron sconce and walked along the wall until he came to the door of a storage room.ĭrawing out a key he wore on a chain on his belt, Wolfstone unlocked the door and entered the room. He headed for the King’s Wall: the fortification that surrounded this level. Apparently one prisoner had imbibed too heavily in dwarf spirits. He could hear the sound of drunken singing coming from the cells. Having observed her, Wolfstone left the main part of the Great Hall by a staircase that led down several levels to the dungeons. She wore no jewelry except a single ring on her little finger, and it was not a wedding ring, for Solamnics wore those on their “heart” fingers. Her boots were scuffed and slightly run down at the heel. But as she stepped into a pool of light, he saw that her luxurious cloak was worn and the hem of her tunic was frayed, as were the cuffs on the sleeves. She wore fine clothes and a fur cloak of Solamnic make. He knew enough about humans to realize they would find her attractive, with her black hair and large, dark eyes, and burnished brown skin. The following excerpt is set early in the book and has been lightly modified from what will appear in the final version. ![]()
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