Turn 130

He catches another glimpse of the two men, who have left their guard behind, as they pass from an outer chamber through a curtained doorway, into some inner region of the tower.
    The half-elf hesitates for only an instant before carefully trying the window. They *need* to know what magical capabilities are available to these men; and at the back of his mind is the thought that a spot of impromptu assassination might be in order.
    He gets the window open and slides within, easing his weight down to the floorboards. He listens intently and hears nothing to indicate that anyone else is nearby, then moves invisibly after his quarry.
    The room is richly furnished, the heavy wood bearing a patina of age. Silver winks from walls and tables to half-elven eyes, and tapestries of surprising beauty move gently as they stop the drafts inevitable in an old stone building.
    The curtain turns out to block off a short passageway. There is another heavy material barrier at the far end, beyond which he can hear the two mens' voices again.
    Moving more silently than the drafts, ibn Fadil moves the curtain a fraction of an inch. There are several candles burning in the room beyond, which is large and squarish. One half is occupied by a large table adrift in papers, the other half by a simple altar on which is propped a mirror about two feet in diameter. The mirror does not reflect anything in the room; it shows instead a dizzying, ever-changing collage view of forests and mountains. This is how the observer birds communicate with their master, it appears. And they can see in the dark.
    A brighter glow appears in one corner of the mirror.
    "Fire?" Durrell says in a surprised tone.
    * * *
    In the far-off valley, Emmett hurls a burning javelin at the man who is trying to take charge of the chaos and succeeds in wounding him -- probably fatally -- which promptly raises the panic level on the ground again.
    From his vantage point Lynden takes note of the actions of the two men. The one Emmett hit doesn't appear to be an immediate threat but the other one... Reaching into his pocket he pulls out what appears to be a small piece of iron and mutters a few words unknown to any listening. {Hold Person} He can feel the spell's attempt to catch hold, and not quite make it,
    Then the enemy priest counterattacks, and sourceless pain rockets through his own body. [14 HP]
    Nyala, astonishingly, misses both of her next shots at the priest and says something very unladylike.
    The ship glides smoothly across the river, covering the short distance in less time than it takes to think about it, to the heavily built structure that looks like it probably contains the new weapons. There Emmett follows Yestin down the rope ladder. Halfway down they hear Alais give a warning shout as four dark shapes emerge from the shadows around the building in response to the priest's silent whistle -- wolves, but their bodies are smooth black in the light from the burning building, and with every step there is the soft click-click of mechanisms.
    Yestin leaps the rest of the way to the ground and brings his halberd around as the first wolf leaps at him, a sweeping blow that knocks a dent into the thing's side and makes a startling noise.
    Alais scrabbles frantically through his pockets and casts another spell; thick, sticky strands fill the air and entrap two of the wolves.
    At the first sight of the sleek iron creatures, Lynden feels a peculiar sort of electrical jolt, as even through the noise of fire and battle the sound of hooves in the forest returns, louder than ever. There is a terrifying sense of immanence.
    

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