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.To the Claw, it looked like a natural cave.Stalactites hung from the ceiling, liquid dripping from their tips into pools or forming stalagmites below.A glowing, blue-green moss that partially illuminated the cave covered the walls, and the whole place smelled like rotten eggs."Don't tell me this is your source of fresh water.""Shh!" Evelyne put her finger up to quiet him and her other hand up to her ear.The Claw listened for the sounds in the cave.He could hear the water dripping into the puddles and the echoes from the drips rippling down the stone walls.But there was little else."What do you hear?" he asked."There's someone here." She listened for a moment longer."Just one.Could be your princess."The Claw pushed past her, but Evelyne grabbed his arm."Could be something else too," she said.The Claw nodded then slipped into the shadows behind a stalagmite, his body disappearing.Slinking through the darkness, the Claw worked his way down the length of the cave.Deeper in, the dripping water dried up, and the sounds of the echoes grew quieter.Until finally, he was able to make out what Evelyne had heard.»It sounded like footsteps, but something about them wasn't right.Definitely only one person, walking on two legs, but the pattern was off, as if.he couldn't quite place it.A little farther in, and the Claw saw why.In the middle of the cave, headed away from the dripping water, was a lone man—his muscular legs ending in hooves.He wore stark white robes with chain mail underneath, and he carried a wicked-looking blade in his right hand.From this distance, it was hard to tell for certain, but to the Claw, it looked as if it were some exotic blade from the Far East.Slipping from one side of the cave to the other, the Claw took advantage of the dim shadows cast by the patches of glowing moss.He didn't know who this stranger with the foreign blade was, but maybe he knew where to find the princess.The Claw drew in a little closer."I hear you," said the hoofed man.He stopped walking, but he did not turn around."You will not surprise me."The Claw stepped out from behind the stalagmite."I mean you no harm.I am just looking for someone.""You have found someone," said the man."I am looking for a woman," said the Claw."A princess."The man's ears perked up."A princess? What ever would a princess be doing in a place like this?""If you have seen her, just tell me which direction to head," said the Claw."Then I will leave you alone and be on my way.""Now why would I want you to do that?" asked the man, finally turning around, revealing a woman's silhouetted face emblazoned in gold on the front of his robes—the symbol for the temple of Waukeen.His face was long, like the snout of a wolf, only much more compact.Sharpened teeth jutted out from under his curled lips as he spoke.A pair of short horns shot out from his forehead, and he held his blade easily in one hairy hand, dangling at his side."I do not wish to fight you," said the Claw."Who said anything about a fight?" The man stood still for a moment, eyeing the Claw."Do you know who I am?"The Claw shook his head.The man looked familiar somehow, but he didn't recognize him."I don't think so."The man stepped closer."Well then you should get to know me," he said.With lightning speed the man's blade left his side, whispering as it cut the air.The Claw only had time to raise his gauntlets to block the strike.His right hand connected with the man's sword, followed by a harmonious clang and clatter as all four blades broke free and dropped to the cave floor.The horned man's sword came to a rest at his side, unblemished.The Claw stumbled back in shock.The high wizard Ellhimar had constructed those gauntlets.Nothing had ever so much as tarnished the edge, yet this stranger's sword had taken the blades clean off."Who are you?" asked the Claw."It will come to you," replied the horned man.A cold chill ran down the Claw's spine.His voice did sound familiar.The horned man's blade whispered again as it split the air.The Claw dodged back, careful not to risk his remaining gauntlet.The sword slipped past, just missing his face, and the horned man brought it around again, this time in a flat arc.The Claw dodged again, throwing himself against the mossy cave wall.The blade missed his face, but this time the razor tip bit into his mask, slicing it away from cheekbone to cheekbone, just below both eyes.A brief flash filled the chamber as the magic inside failed, and the bottom half slipped away, dropping to the cave floor and revealing his rugged face and blond hair.The horned man lowered his blade."Well, well, well," he said, obviously pleased with himself."If it isn't Quinn, King Korox's bodyguard."Quinn lifted his right hand to his exposed chin.Though it was his own flesh, it felt stubbly and strange.His second life had been revealed—incongruous halves of the same whole.He knew the Cellar was full of many dangers, but this was not one he had considered.Chapter Twenty-TwoArch Magus Xeries downed the last drop of wine in his goblet and looked out over the edge of his citadel onto Shalane Lake.The moon reflected on the water's surface as it rose—a long, shimmering band of pale yellow light.He took a deep breath, thinking about what he was about to do.This had been his home, had been the land he wanted to rule alongside his wife.That dream had never come to pass.His disfigurement and the loss of his beloved had ended his hopes for ever becoming king.Now Xeries stood high above the valley, looking down on what at one time he had most coveted.Would seeing this place in ruins make him happy? Probably not.It wasn't Erlkazar that was withholding from him the thing he now desired.It was the man who ruled Erlkazar who had everything Xeries wanted.And that man now needed to be taught a lesson.If there was one thing that Xeries had learned in his long life, it was that threats only worked if you were willing to follow through.Turning away from the balcony, he stepped down into his private chamber.There, in the middle of the floor, awaited one of his servants.The creature sat like an obedient dog, patiently waiting for his master to give him an order or lavish him with attention.Unlike the army of slavering, monstrous beasts below the Obsidian Ridge on the valley floor, this creature was more calculating, more refined.Its eyes had an intelligence to them that the others lacked.Where they were indiscriminate killing machines, mercilessly striking anything they were pointed at, unaffected by who or how they killed, this creature understood why it did what it did.It knew whose life it was ending, and it enjoyed the process.Its sleek frame rippled with ropy muscles underneath taught, shiny black skin.Its limbs ended in razor-like claws that retracted and extended out of its paws at will.Its ears moved around its head, searching its surroundings like a bat.And its mouth could unhinge at the jaw, so it could sink its huge fangs into even larger prey.Xeries sat down at the opposite side of the room, "Come here, my pet."The creature obeyed without delay, crossing the floor on all fours.Its soft feet made no noise as they padded across the shiny obsidian.Were it not for the light of the moon coming through the balcony, Xeries may not have seen the beast, blending so well against its dark surroundings."You know what it is I want you to do," said Xeries.The creature nodded its understanding."Very good," said the arch magus."Make sure they know who sent you, and give King Korox my regards."The beast bowed its head, turned, and bolted across the room.Bounding out onto the balcony, the creature leaped over the edge and disappeared into the night.+++++Kleegor fumed."The moon has risen, and still the Matron hasn't turned over the princess
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