Enchantment (34 page)

Cha
p
ter
T
w
elve

Thalius
w
rapped
his
robes
tighter
around
hi
m
.
He
lifted
his
arm
to
cover
his
m
outh,
the stench
of
filth
and
dec
a
y
filling
his
n
o
strils
and
turning
his
sto
m
ach.
Water
pooled
in
the
rutted all
e
y
,
splashing
with
each
step.

To
m
bs
was
a
slum
that
enc
o
m
passed
an
area
of
ten
square
ci
t
y
blocks.
The
buildings
were old
and
in
bad
need
of
a
restoration
spell,
but
the
Counselors
and
Kerrigan
had
decided
T
o
m
bs
w
ould
remain
decrepit.
To
m
bs
ho
u
sed
the
offenders.
Enchantment
had
no
for
m
al
prison,
but trul
y
,
it
was
just
that—a
prison.
Offenders
were
repr
i
m
anded
by
Kerrigan,
stripped
of
all
p
o
wer, and
left
in
the
hellhole.
The
offenders
were
evil,
uncaring,
and
unconscionable,
w
hich
w
a
s exact
l
y
why
Thalius
w
a
s
here.

A
thick,
black
cloak
hid
his
identi
t
y
—a
co
m
mon
s
t
y
l
e
of
dre
s
s
here.
Ever
y
t
h
i
n
g
w
as
black. Color
in
T
o
m
bs
was
forbidden.
The
only
piece
of
Thalius
standing
out
w
a
s
his
cane
with
the
s
parkling
cr
y
s
t
al
globe
on
the
top.
He
covered
it
by
pulling
his
long
black
sleeve
over
his
ugly disfigured
hand.
He
w
as
on
a
mission,
and
could
w
aste
no
ti
m
e on
a
m
ore elaborate
disguise.

He
had
to
find Jager,
the
on
l
y
one
who
could
assist
him
with
the acquisition
of
the
girl.

Thalius
hurried
along
his
path,
struggling
not
to
vo
m
it.
He
reached
up
to
plug
his
nose.
His cloak
dragged
along
behind
him
in
the
filth
of
feces
and
rotting
flesh.
He
couldn’t
be
noticed
b
y an
y
o
n
e
other
than
Jager.
The
ruthless
killer
w
ould
be
the
only
one
to
help
hi
m
.
He
still
had
his
m
agic
to
protect
hi
m
self,
but
if
he
w
a
s
forced
to
co
n
j
ure
a
s
pell,
Kerrigan
would
feel
the disturbance
im
m
e
di
a
te
l
y
.
Explanations
at
this
point
w
ould
be…awkward.

S
weat
rolled
down
his
crippled
back,
causing
the
cloak
to
stick
to
his
scaly
skin.
His
feet hurt
from unaccust
o
m
ed
use,
and
he
tried
to
ignore
the
unfa
m
i
l
iar
feeling
of
fear
i
m
b
edded
deep within his
bones. J
u
st
one
m
ore
painful
block, and he
would
be so
ve
r
y
close
to getting ever
y
t
h
ing
he
desired.
Thalius
rounded
the
corner
of
a
cru
m
bling
building
and
careless
l
y
tripped over
a
brick.
That
w
a
s
a
m
istake.

D
own
on
his
knees,
he
fu
m
bled
for
his
staff.
“
F
uck!”
he
s
wore
as
his
hands
desperate
l
y searched
through the
oozing dregs of
filth covering the
cobblestones. Dread
filled his bo
d
y
as his fingers found
so
m
ething
fles
h
y
.
He lurched backward, depositing hi
m
s
e
lf
on
his butt, and looked up
through
the
darkness
at
the
horrif
y
i
n
g
creature.

Chun
k
s
of
flesh
hung
off
it.
Uneven,
bulging
e
y
e
s
glared
down
at
h
i
m
in
antici
p
ation.
The stench
w
a
s
overpowering
as
Thalius
leaned
to
the
side,
e
m
p
t
y
i
ng
the
contents
of
his
sto
m
ach. The
creature
never took
its e
y
es
off hi
m
,
but instead
dropped large pools
of saliva over Thalius’s legs
and
feet.
When
the
creature
m
ade
a
grab
for
his
head,
Thalius’s
high
-
pitched
scre
a
m
m
ade him
sound
like a
litt
l
e b
o
y
.

Shit!
I’m
going
to have
to throw
a
s
pell!

It
would
ruin
eve
r
y
t
h
i
ng.

He
scra
m
bled backward,
t
r
y
i
ng to
rebalance his
weight
so
he
could
raise
his
hands…

A
hiss
sounded
from
the
creature’s
m
outh,
followed
b
y
a
shriek
as
it
turned
away
from Thalius
and
disappeared
into
the
all
e
y
.

“Beat
it,
Sli
m
,
or
y
o
u
’ll be
my
s
upper
tonight.