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.He held a long, curved blade of serrated steel at his side as he hovered between the spires, his cold, black eyes fixed on the deva."I know, Sathariel.I know where they are," Jinn said, holding his ground though every fiber of his being screamed to be loosed upon the angel."I suspected as much," Sathariel replied."And my offer? You have come to accept it?""You know better than that," Jinn answered."I followed your trail of bread crumbs, found this house, Archmage Tallus, Rilyana Saerfynn.I did all that you expected me to do, just to summon you here, to have this moment.""And Variel?" the angel asked."What of her soul? Shall she die with me on the point of your sword?""She made a choice," Jinn said coldly."It was the wrong one.""Indeed.I could rip the secret from your mind, deva.Leave you here to watch, helpless," Sathariel responded, pinpoints of blue light flashing in his black eyes."Then I pray you be quick about it.I have been waiting far too long," Jinn growled, raising his sword.The steel hummed, pulsing like a second heart."An eternity," the angel replied.Sathariel charged, his eyes little more than streaks of blue light, twin stars falling toward Jinn's eager sword.TWENTY-ONENIGHTAL 22, THE YEAR OF DEEP WATER DRIFTING(1480 DR)Jinn fell back, circling the rooftop as Sathariel whirled around him, a blur of black wings and flashing silver.Each strike of the angel's blade against his own resonated like a thunderclap, threatening to break his bones.Centuries of endless battle echoed through him, every identity he'd ever lived fought with him, making him quick and strong.Four thousand years of experience directed his blade, but it was not enough.Pain shot through his right elbow as Sathariel pounded on his blade, steel grating loudly as their swords met, squealing as they parted.Jinn spun from the slash, whirling to deflect the next, searching for an opening, but the angel turned as well, thrusting from his side.Leaning back from the blow, Jinn caught the edge of the roof and glanced down upon the street below and the battle lines being drawn between the Watch and the ahimazzi.The iron railing stopped his fall but kept him still as the angel's blade cut a thin line across his chest.Blood blossomed on his tunic as he rolled away, his blade raised to meet Sathariel's charge, but the angel was gone.He winced at the stinging pain in his chest, turning slowly and listening.The stolen sword writhed in his grip, turning with him as if it conducted its own hunt.Instinct told him to hurl the weapon away, somehow repulsed by its mysterious power, but he had no other options, preferring a potentially cursed blade to the suicidal prospect of fighting the angel barehanded.The air thumped behind him, and he spun, immediately deflecting the long, silver blade aimed for his stomach but thrown off balance.Sathariel's fist crashed into his face, and stars exploded behind his eyes.His sword licked out, slashing at where the angel had been then reversing its course, chasing the feathery wisps of shadow in Sathariel's wake.Blood streaming from his nose, he turned, cutting at anything that moved, trying to focus his eyes as he regained his balance."You were tricked into coming here, deva," Sathariel said, his voice thundering from all directions."Led here, step by step, as you fought through the ranks of the Vigilant Order, seeking vengeance even as you grew ever colder to the lost love that began this journey.I knew you would succeed where others had failed.I knew you would bring me the circle of skulls.""Never!" Jinn screamed, spitting blood."I will never give them to you! I baited you here with them! I used you!""A delusion, Jinnaoth," the angel replied."Your single-minded pursuit blinded you, made you see what I wanted you to see.My trail of bread crumbs, as you called it.And here you are, bleeding, flailing about, and well out of your depth.""No," Jinn muttered under his breath."My offer still stands.You may take Variel, perhaps even your elf, and leave this place, a fair exchange," Sathariel said, the beating of his wings somewhere close by."And leave Waterdeep to you? To drag the Hells' influence into the streets?" Jinn asked."I think not.""Think at what you might gain, deva.One small sacrifice, one section of this city devoted to Asmodeus, could begin the war you've always wanted.Think of it! A final war.An end to thousands of years of searching, battle after battle without an end in sight," the angel said, appearing at the northern end of the roof, wings outstretched between the spires, bright sword held low.Nausea gripped Jinnaoth as he considered the idea, attracted to the thought of a last war, being a soldier, knowing that every kill and little victory would stand and last.Then shame flooded through him, and he banished the thought, his very soul shaken by the prospect of dealing with a minion of Asmodeus."This is the final war.""I assure you, it is not [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]