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IN WATERS TOO DEEP
Black spots circled and danced before her eyes and a cold sas general about her body, glistening, it seeht and hold fast to her concentration, but those spots! She put one foot in front of the other, barely inching her way to the door across the common room of her tiny hoht, a sorry atte herself to shake her state of disorientation and vertigo and just take the quick steps
The knocking continued even more insistently
Arrayan sency of the rapping, she kneas Olgerkhan It was always Olgerkhan, caring far too nition of her dear old friend e black dots of dizziness for just aon it but painting an expression that tried hard to deny her weariness
"Well e half-orc
A flash of concern crossed Olgerkhan&039;s face as he regarded her, and it took hi moment to reply, "And to you"
"It is far too early for a visit," Arrayan said, trying to cover, though she could tell by the position of the sun, a brighter spot in the typically gray Palishchuk sky, that it ell past o to Winghareed?"
Arrayan had to pause a moment to suppress a wave of nausea and dizziness that nearly toppled her from the door
"Yes, of course," she said, "but not now I need more sleep It&039;s too early"
"It&039;s later than we agreed"
"I didn&039;t sleep well last night," she said The effort ofto take its toll Arrayan&039;s teeth began to chatter "You understand, I&039;ain, and stepped back
Arrayanon the door shut it hard She turned, knowing she had to get back to her bed, and took a shaky step away, then another The inching along wouldn&039;t get her there in tie across the rooot one step farther before the floor seewith sheer deter She would have to crawl, she knew, and she fought hard to get to her hands and knees to do just that
"Arrayan!" came a shout from behind her, and it sounded like it was a hundred miles away
"Oh my, Arrayan," the voice said in her ear a istered the voice and barely felt powerful Olgerkhan sweep her into his arently to her bed
He continued to whisper to her as he pulled a blanket up over her, but she was already far, far away
"Knellict will not be pleased if we fail in this," Canthan Dolittle said to Athrogate upon the dwarf&039;s return to their small corner table in Muddy Boots and Bloody Blades
"Howto tell me that, ye dolt?" asked the black-bearded dwarf
"As many as it takes for you to truly appreciate that - "
Canthan sucked in his breath and held his tongue as Athrogate rose up over the edge of the table, planting both of his calloused hands fir forward, leaning over so near to the studious em-studded ties settled in Canthan&039;s lap Canthan could feel the heat and smell the stench of the dwarf&039;s breath in his face
"Knellict is - " Canthan started again
"A ate finished for him "Yeah, I&039;m knowin&039; it all too well, ye skinny dolt Been the tiers, don&039;t ye doubt"
"Then we ate roared in his face
Canthan blanched as all conversation around their table stopped The dwarf, too, caught on to the volulanced back over his shoulder to see several sets of curious eyes focusing on him
"Bah, what&039;re ye lookin&039; at, lest it be yer dooate held no s dominated the hunt for bounty ears for so ed in more than a dozen tavern brawls, all of which had left his opponents far more battered than he The dwarf narrowed his eyes, accentuating his bushy eyebrows all the radually sank back into his chair When the onlookers finally turned their attention elsewhere, Athrogate wheeled back on his partner "I ain&039;t for forgetting nothing," he assured Canthan
"Forgive my petulance," said Canthan "But please, et that you are here as lowered at hi," Canthan went on, and this ate somewhat
Canthan was indeed Knellict&039;sa very angry and very potent wizard in a short aone back to the Citadel of Assassins, but Knellict could move as quickly as he could unexpectedly
"We ain&039;t to fail in this," the dwarf gru theo out into Vaasa almost every day Do you follow?"
The dwarf snorted and shook his head "I ain&039;t fordrow elf out there in the wilds," he explained "I been watching theh"
"And if they don&039;t return?"