Temple of the Traveler: Book 01 - Doors to Eternity Read Online Free PDF Page B

mess and divide the spoils. Who has the shackles? Roll Hon Li over and cinch him tight in the irons. Where is that chunk of wizard glass we asked for?”
    As soon as he bellowed for it, a clear, oblong mass lofted through the air out of the second-floor window. Several of the men tracked it with their eyes but had no time to form a warning. Just before it hit him in the back of the head, the slaver spun and caught the chunk full on his buckler. Amazingly, the lump of glass did not break. A second throwing dagger did, however, slip from its hiding place in the leader’s sleeve. “Damn,” he said with ragged breathing. The comedian above grinned and ducked back inside, for he had obeyed the order literally. There could be no direct retribution. Attempting to cover for the incident, the slaver added, “I had hoped that it was the hawk returning.”
    Tashi began polishing his sword as if in preparation for sheathing it, but his eyes never left the slaver’s hands. There might still be bloodshed if the hunters failed to honor the truce. “If you wedge a portion of that into your lieutenant’s mouth and tie a gag around it, the glass will hold the demon inside.”
    “Why would you want to do that?” asked Gallatin, the archer.
    “Because if we don’t bind him, it’ll come out and kill us all,” volunteered an ox of a man who was nervously attaching the metal shackles to his own lieutenant.
    “Then move faster,” Sulandhurka barked.
    “What are these marks?” asked the archer, who picked up the glass. Holding it up to the fading light, he could make out the fossilized footprint of a lizard.
    “That is how necromancers control the spirits. That imprint is the last mark the creature left in the Inner Sea before it died, its last link to this world. Break that link and the monster can never be summoned again,” the slaver explained, taking the chunk and placing it in a crack in the bridge’s stonework. The stones held the piece firmly while the strong man chopped repeatedly at the glass fossil with a smith’s hammer. Tashi deduced that this man must be the metalworker and repairman of the group. The powerful man was no doubt valuable enough to keep to the rear of the company during combat. Tashi made a note to stay close to the man, as he would have need of his skills in the not-too-distant future. When a piece of the magic glass the right size had been shaped and polished, they used it to complete the binding.
    The slaver said, “Our deal is done. You would be wise to leave now, by cover of night, just like you did the last time.”
    Tashi sheathed his sword at the promise of safe passage, ignoring the insults. “Last time there weren’t will-o-the-wisps and quicksand around. I think I’ll be staying here with you tonight if you don’t mind.”
    “He’s right,” said the smith. “I’ve heard the lights are the spirits of men who died in the swamps, eager for more souls to join them.” Turning him out would be worse than murder to this mercenary.
    “No, the lights were never human. They’re older,” said Tashi.
    Sulandhurka, disturbed by the information, covered his fear with irritation. “Why do you think we would tolerate a thief like you in our camp? The wizard is vanquished. All reason for our alliance is gone.”
    Tashi raised a single finger like his master always did during a lesson. “Ahh, not all reason. There is still one demon to defeat. Do you know how to evict it safely to save your friend?”
    Unwilling to admit ignorance or need, the slaver bluffed. “I’ve heard a few tales. The trick is to make the body so uncomfortable that the spirit wants to leave. We hold his face under the surface of the river and when the demon comes out, it washes out to sea.”
    “There are two obvious problems with that,” Tashi said. “First of all, the torture and drowning method would probably kill your lieutenant. It would certainly destroy any mind he has left in the process.” He watched as all