Chapter 7

The later consensus, in informal discussions throughout the camp, was that Standwright counted on the element of surprise. Whenever anyone brought this up, someone else generally snickered. Jorn Raveloe was bigger than anyone in camp. Hehad been for as long as anyone could remember. What he was not was slow.

So all things considered, no one but Standwright was surprised when his forward lunge ran him headfirst into Jorn's extended arm. He rebounded hard and landed on his back.Jorn's footcame downon his breastplate before he could get up.

Standwright started to swing his sword arm. He screamed as a spear pinned it to the flagstones. The assassin Norry surveyed him thoughtfully, leaning hard on the shaft.

"Little bugger's pretty strong, Chief," he said.

"You're telling me," Jorn said. "I can't hardly hold him down."

"Got funny looking eyes," Sid the Enforcer said, stepping on the man's other arm before he could draw a dagger.

Vilbert Standwright's hat had fallen off. His eyes were a strange color, brown in one light and violet when he turned his head. He squirmed, still trying to get up.

"Vilbert Standwright no longer exists," Priest said.He limped forward to look down at the struggling man. "This is a banshee."

"You know about this?" Jorn asked. Other guards converged on the scene, hearing the screamed imprecations as the possessed man abandoned all pretense of normalcy.

"No. I saw a ghoul bring him down." The Elf looked down at the man, and his hair fell forward around his face. His hand on the staff seemed to be shaking. "We would not have run away, if had we thought any of the others still lived."

"What you want us to do with him?" Jorn asked.

Priest raised his head. "Give me a spear," he said.

"Chief, you sure you want to - " Sid started.

"Shut up, Sid. Somebody give him a spear."

An assassin obliged. The Priest hefted the weapon for a second, shifting his weight to his good leg.

"Lord Raveloe, please remove your foot."

Jorn obliged. Standwright shoved himself up off the ground immediately, his arm sliding up the gory shaft of the spear that pinioned him. The other hand reached forward, groping for the Elf's throat.

Priest looked at the man without expression. Then he thrust his arm forward.

The thing which had been Vilbert Standwright fell back with the spear through his throat. A violet light flared from his eyes.Then the body twitched, and was still. Blood spread out beneath the dead man's head as the shaft of the spear leaned slowly to one side.

"Stronger than you look," Jorn said.

"Most Elves are," Priest said. He leaned heavily on his staff, definitely shaking now. His face had not changed.

"That was pretty cold, Boss," Sid said.

"Yeah," Jorn said, fixing the enforcer with a hard look. "And if I ever get earwigged, I hope somebody does the same for me. Get the vial out of his belt and take it to Berrythorn. Tell him it's the same stuff Blitz found on the other bodies. You two," Jorn indicated two watching bandits. "Go get a stretcher."

Various assents came back from the bandits as they moved quickly to obey.

"What you want us to do with the body?" Jorn said. "We've got your friend in the black tent, too."

"If the bodies can be burnt, I think it is what they would prefer."

"Easier than burying them, here in the city," Jorn said. "We've got to move the camp tonight. We'll make the pyre and leave it here. That suit?"

"Yes," the Elf said, very quietly. Then Jorn moved to catch him as his knees buckled. The head of the staff clanged on the flagstones.

"Gee, Boss," Zig said, as Jorn hoisted the Elf for the second time in two days. "Looks like he's having a lousy week."

"No joke," Jorn said. "He's gotta be pretty tough, or he would have folded a lot sooner. Get his stick, will you? Oh, and I take back whatever I said about that ghoul. He was trying hard to tell us about Standwright, so I guess he's for real."

"It's 'cause he likes jerky," Zig said confidently. "Undeads always have to eat stuff raw. Good boy, Izzy." He gave the ghoul another scrap of dried meat. Izzyaccepted itpolitely,then consumed it with alacrity. Man and ghoul kept pace as Jorn turned to carry the Elf back toward the white tent.

"Why'd you name him Izzy?" Jorn asked.

"He's real smart, so I figure he used to be a wizard," Zig said. "We're in Dalaran, and there used to be wizards all over the place here."

"Wiiizzarrd," the ghoul said.

"And Bunny won't let me call him Whiz."

"Bunny's a pretty smart girl," Jorn said, hiding a smile.

"Smarter than me," Zig said complacently.