for it? His own strength would be enough. It always had been in the past. He should return the potion and tell the abbot he had made a mistake in a moment of doubt.
“So what’s the plan?” Gerd asked. The abbot carried a mace marked with dwarven runes. Near him stood a big man who held the leads of three huge black dogs. The dogs were the size of wolfhounds with jaws like bulldogs. They looked at Kormak as if considering him for their next meal.
“We’re going down to the vault to take a look.”
“By we, you mean . . .”
“You, me and the dogs.”
“We might want to take some more.”
Kormak shook his head. “They’re needed up here to make sure nothing gets out.”
“I’m rather hoping we do.”
“I meant other than us.”
Gerd made a face. His hands went to his belt. He too carried sunflares and alchemical fire. He licked his lips.
“You sure you want to come?” Kormak asked. Gerd shot him an odd look. Kormak felt that his friend did not so much want to go with him as need to do it. Perhaps he wanted to show that he had been a Guardian himself once and to prove he still had it in him. He had always been competitive even when they were boys. “It might be best if you stayed here. You are the abbot after all.”
Gerd smiled as if he saw through Kormak’s attempt to discourage him. “What could possibly harm me? I have a famous Guardian to protect me. And if this Old One gets too close I’ll threaten to make him pay for feeding the dogs. That should scare him off. It bloody well scares me.”
“I’m starting to worry about this obsession with accounting.”
“Just you wait until you’re in my position. You’ll be obsessed with it too.”
“You were right. You’re going to have to pry this sword from my cold dead hand.”
“Let’s pray to the Holy Sun that I don’t have to do it today then. It’s been a while since I held a dwarf-forged blade.” He brandished the mace with one stubby hand. “And this will not be nearly as effective.”
The dogs started to growl as Rhiana pushed her way through the crowd. Gerd eyed her with a mixture of appreciation and suspicion. “Who is this?”
“Captain Rhiana, late of Port Blood and parts beyond.”
“She coming with us?” Gerd looked dubious. The gills marked Rhiana as a child of Saa-Aquor, not a follower of the Holy Sun. He was wondering what her relationship with Kormak was.
“Yes, she is,” Rhiana said. “I didn’t pull you out of the belly of Leviathan just to watch you get yourself killed here.”
“The belly of Leviathan? I hope you are not speaking literally,” Gerd said.
“She is,” Kormak said.
“You’ll need to tell me about that.”
“You can write up the report for the Grand Master if you want.”
“Yes, I’ll do that. You know how much I love paperwork.” Gerd’s sarcastic tone was not lost on Rhiana. She smiled.
“Rhiana, this is Abbot Gerd. He’s a master of the quill.”
Gerd gave a slight bow. “Mightier than the sword so they say. Though I can’t help but feel the man who first said that had not tried defending himself against a blood-mad orc with one.”
“Whatever you do, don’t ask him how much it costs to feed his dogs.”
“He’s right, captain. The cost would frighten you to death. Better let them get a sniff of you. They might be unfriendly otherwise.” He moved over to the dogs and said, “Balthus, Slasher, Fang. This pretty lady is a friend. Don’t bite!”
The dogs glared at Rhiana less fiercely.
She frowned. “You’ve shielded your dogs. The runes on the collars . . .”
“It’s not the only thing they protect them from,” said Gerd. “But perhaps we can discuss that on our way to view the Imperial Treasure Vaults.”
“You’d better take a lit torch and some spares,” Kormak said to Rhiana.
“You want me to be your linkboy? I have this!” She reached inside her pouch and produced a pearl that Kormak well-remembered. Even in daylight it gave out a faint green glow. In the darkness it would produce as much light as a torch.
“A torch will be a better weapon against an Old One than your spear. Fire burns the Eldrim.”
“You can bet your life I’m carrying a torch,” said Gerd. “Rodric too. Only this lazy Aquilean bastard won’t. He claims it takes all his strength to lift that dwarf-forged blade.”
Rhiana laughed and took a torch.
“Let’s get hunting,” said Kormak.
CHAPTER