Enchantment (35 page)

“Well, well.
What
have
we
her
e
?
”
The
cloaked figure
see
m
ed to
grow
from
the
shado
w
s.
He w
a
sn’t
m
uch
taller
than
Thalius,
but
had
a
distinct
air
of
far
greater
confidence.
Thalius
kn
e
w he’d
found
his
target.
He
re
m
e
m
b
ered
Jager’s
voice
from
the
sentencing.
Actual
l
y
,
w
hat
he re
m
e
m
b
ered
were
the
death
threats
rushing
from
the
Enchanter’s
vulgar
m
o
u
th
as
Kerrigan
took him
aw
a
y
for
proce
s
sing.

“Fucking
h
y
p
o
cri
t
es.
That’s
what
all
of
y
o
u
are.
Mark
my
w
ord,
Counselors,
I’m
gonna
slit
y
o
ur throats
while
y
o
u sleep.
Beaverb
o
y
,
y
o
u
’ll be
first.
Count
on
it,”
Jager
had
spewed.

Thalius
shuddered
at
the
m
e
m
o
r
y
as
Jager
reached
down,
grabbed
him
around
the
neck,
and sla
m
med
his cru
m
p
l
ed
bo
d
y
against
the brick wall.
The force knocked the breath
out
of hi
m
,
and the
hood
of
his
cloak
fell
from
his
head.

The
sinister
laugh
bu
r
st
from
Jager’s
disg
u
sting
m
outh. Thalius
cringed.

Jagged,
blackened
teeth
protruded
through
the
dec
a
y
i
ng
flesh.
Pus
and
hair
decorated
his teeth,
adding
to
the
stench
of
his
breath.
G
rea
s
y
,
tangled
tendrils
of
hair
slithered
over
his
scalp and
d
o
wn
his
face,
hanging
from
the
ug
l
y
brownish
m
o
le
atop
his
right
e
y
e
s
ocket.
H
i
s
looks obviously
hadn’t
i
m
proved
in
his
captivi
t
y
.

Thalius
hoped
his
plan
w
as
going
to
w
ork
and
m
ake all
this
w
orthwhile.

“What
a
charming
s
urprise.
Counselor,
how
nice
of
y
o
u
to
visit
me
in
my
fine
ho
m
e.
I
w
a
s just on my way
to
find so
m
e
dinner, and
behold, here it is.”
G
reenish
drool oozed
down
his
chin,
s
platte
r
ing
on
his
chest.
Jager
licked
his
lips,
flinching at
the
scratch
of
a
tooth
over
a
boil.

“Killing
m
e
will
not
garner
y
ou
a
m
o
m
e
nt’s
freed
o
m
,”
Thalius
declared.
“And
I
have
need of
y
o
ur a
s
sistance
for
which
the
p
a
y
m
e
nt will
be
m
ost favorable.”

“Freedo
m
!
H
ow
dare
y
ou
c
o
m
e
here
cowering
like
the
w
orm
y
o
u
are?
Y
ou’ve
no
power,
no groun
d
s
to give
m
e
such a direction.
You should have listened to
m
e,
asshole, but as I
recall,
that didn’t
happen,
did
it?
You
kept
y
o
u
r
silence
and
left
m
e
to
rot
in
this
boil
on
the
a
s
s
of Enchantment
.
”

Thalius
squir
m
ed
to
reach
the
ground
with
his
feet.
H
i
s
s
m
all
hands
desperate
l
y
pried
at Jager’s
larger
ones
around
his
throat.
G
uilt
flared,
but
w
a
s
easi
l
y
pushed
aside.
It
had
been
too long
since
he’d
wallowed
in
s
uch an
e
m
o
t
ion
for
him
to
understand
its
true p
o
wer.

“Jager,
y
ou
will
want
to
hear
what
I’m
going
to
offer
y
o
u
.
Put
m
e
down.
D
on’t
forget
I
can blast
y
ou into the
oblivion at
a
n
y
m
o
m
e
nt.
Y
ou
need
m
e
if
y
o
u want
to
get
out
of
this hole.”

Jager
slow
l
y
released
his
grip
and
let
Thalius
collapse
back
into
a
heap
on
the
ground. “You’ve
got
thir
t
y
seconds,
old
man,
and
if
I’m
not
satisfied,
y
o
u
r
spell
is
going
to
have
to
be quicker
than
my
teeth.
Talk
quick
l
y
.
”

“You’re
a
bastard,
Jager.”

“Twen
t
y
secon
d
s
left,
Thalius.
Tick.
Tock.”

Thalius
straightened
his
cloak
and
looked
Jager
in
the
e
y
e
.
“
I’m
going
to
give
y
ou
y
o
ur p
o
wers
back.”

Jager
cocked
his
e
y
e
b
row.
“You’ve
got
my
attention,
but
the
hunger
in
my
sto
m
a
ch
is louder.”

“I’m
not
inclined
to
stand
and
discuss
this
out
here
in
this
hell
hole.
Surel
y
,
Jager,
being
the leader,
y
o
u have
a
d
welling
w
here
we
can
go
to
discuss
business.”