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THE GREATER OF TWO EVILS

With a sigh, Bellany Tundash rolled over to the side, away from her lover You ask toomoments," she complained

The small man, Morik by nae of the bed They looked like two cut of the same cloth, petite and dark-haired, only Bellany&039;s eyes shone with afrom Morik&039;s dark orbs of late "I take an interest in your life," he explained "I find the Hosttower of the Arcanefascinating"

"You&039;re looking for a way to rob it, you hed, paused and considered the possibility, then shook his head at the absurdity of the thought and remembered why he was there "I can undo any trap ever made," he boasted "Except those of trickster wizards Those traps, I leave alone"

"Well, every door has one," Bellany teased, and she poked Morik hard in the chest "Ones that would freeze you, ones that would melt you"

"Ah, so if I just open two doors simultaneously"

"Ones that would jolt you so forcefully you would bite out that feisty tongue!" Bellany was quick to add

In response, Morik leaned over, nibbled her ear and gave her a little lick, drawing a soft e that I need to keep it," he whispered

Bellany laughed and pulled away "This is not about you at all," she replied "This is about that s seems to be about him of late"

Morik rested back on his elbows "He is insistent," he adh was one of incredulity

"Then I will kill hiet one of the overwizards to do it ValindraYes, she hates ugly things and hates dwarves most of all She will kill the little fellow"

Morik&039;s expression grew deadly serious, so much so that Bellany didn&039;t chuckle at her own clever remark and instead quieted and looked back at him in all seriousness

"The dwarf is not the probleh I&039;ve heard he&039;s devastating in battle"

"More boast than display, I wager," said Bellany "Has he even fought anyone since his arrival in Luskan?"

Again Morik stopped her with a serious frown "I knoho it is he serves," he said "And know that he wouldn&039;t serve the less than his reputation I warn you because I care for you The dwarf and his htly, not to be threatened, and not to be ignored"

"It sounds as if I should indeed inform Valindra," said Bellany

"If you do, I will be dead in short order And so will you"

"And so will Valindra, I suppose, if you&039;re correct in your terror-filled assessether, are of more than a pittance of concern to the Hosttower?"

"This has nothing to do with the high captains," Morik assured her

"The dwarf has been seen with the son of Rethnor"

Morik shook his head

"Then who?" she deleaders who seek information about the Hosttower? And if they are a threat, then why should I answer any of your questions?"

"Eneuess," Morik calh not necessarily enemies of the tower, if you can see the distinction"

"Enelad you have my ear, and I yours" As he said it, Morik leaned in and bit Bellany on the ear softly "I arn you if anything is to come of this"

"Ene away forcefully, and for the first time, there seemed no playfulness in her tone

"You have few friends in the Hosttower," Morik reminded her "That&039;s why you come down here so often"

"Perhaps down here, I sined pain "Am I just an object of lust for you?"

"In your prayers"

Morik nodded and siven me any reason to help you," Bellany replied "Other than to forestall your own i death, I mean"

"You wound me with every word"

"It&039;s a talent Noer"

"Because the Hosttower does not recruit from outside the Hosttower, other than acolytes," said Morik "Think about it You have spent the better part of a decade in the Hosttower, and yet you are very low in the hierarchy"

"Wizards tend to stay for many, many years We&039;re a patient lot, else ould not be wizards"

"True, and those who coal of Baldur&039;s Gate, Rauryher up the chain of power But were the Hosttower to suffer many losses all at once"

Bellany smirked at him, but her sour expression couldn&039;t hide the sparkle of intrigue in her dark eyes

"Besides, you&039;ll help ue Gale, who didn&039;t die in an accident of alchemy"

Bellany narrowed her eyes "Perhaps I should have eliminated the only witness," she said, but there was no real threat in her voice She and Morik co ht to deny the truth of their relationship, they both knew they wereeliminate the finest lover you&039;ve ever known?" Morik asked "I think not"

Bellany had no immediate answer, but after a pause, she said in all seriousness, "I don&039;t like that dwarf"

"You would like his masters even less, I assure you"

"Who are they?"

"I care too et far out of the hen I tell you to"

After another pause, Bellany nodded

They called hies at the Hosttower, Dondom Maealik was considered the finest His repertoire was do bolts and fireballs e Arcane Arkleh defensive spells - transmutations that could blink him away to safety, an abjuration to make his skin like stone, various protection auras and misdirection dweomers - so that on a battlefield, he always seemed one step ahead of any adversary Soend at the Hosttower, like the time he executed a dimensional retreat at the last second to escape aat eration that h, because of inforh a pair of petite, dark-haired lovers, Dondo in his daily repertoire, and had already put in place a plethora of counterht, after having tipped a few too many to end off a day of hard work at the Hosttower - a day when he had exhausted all but a few of his available spells

The dwarf came out of an alleyo doors down and fell into cadence with the walking wizard He lanced back, though still he tried to hide the fact that he kneas being followed The wizard picked up his pace and the dwarf did likewise

"Idiot," Dondom muttered under his breath, for he knew that it was the sa hiht The unpleasant fellow had professed vengeance when he&039;d been escorted out, but Dondom was surprised - pleasantly so! - to learn that there was ly little fellow

Dondo spells and nodded to himself As he neared the next alleyway, he broke into a run, propelling himself around the corner where he pulled up fast and traced a line on the ground He had only a few heartbeats, and his head buzzed from too much liquor, but Dondom knew the incantation well, for most of his research occurred on distant planes

The line on the ground glowed in the darkness Both ends of it rolled into the center, then cli a column taller than Dondoy cut through the planar continuu out from each other In between loomed a darkness more profound than the already black shadows