The pillars of creation

CHAPTER 12

WI, wasn't this just something. Stranger and stranger. This night was full of new things, one right after another.

From his hiding place just around the comer of the house, Oba had been able to hear much of the conversation between the two. At first, he had been sure they would run off to get help. Oba didn't think the fire could be extinguished, but for a time he had been concerned, fearing that the man and woman might pull Lathea out of the house-rescue her from the blaze so that people could have a look. It would be just like the troublesome sorceress to find a way to come back to torment him, and after all his work.

But both the man and the woman wanted to leave Lathea to the fire. They, too, hoped the fire would cover the evidence of the sorceress's true end. They almost sounded like thieves, the woman talking about taking money from her mother and him taking money from men. That sounded suspicious.

If they had found gold and silver there, they might have taken it. Had they worked and slaved their whole lives, as he had, to finally recover money that was their due? Or had they been forced to suffer the abuse of swallowing Lathea's cursed cures their whole life? Oba didn't think so. It had been different for him. He had simply recovered money that was rightfully his all along. He felt a little indignant to be almost in the company of common thieves.

This night was just one startling thing after another. It seemed amazing to him how his life had gone along, day after day, month after month, year after year, always the same, same chores, same work, same everything. Now, in one night, all that seemed to have changed.

First, he had become invincible and in so doing unleashed his righteous i

The startling news that he was in fact the son of Darken Rahl still had him in a state of astonished shock. He, Oba Schalk, as it turned out, was someone quite important, someone of noble blood, someone of noble birth.

He wondered whether or not he should now properly think of himself as Oba Rahl. He wondered if he was, in fact, a prince.

That was an intriguing notion. Unfortunately, his mother had raised him simply, so he didn't know much about such matters, what station or title was rightfully his.

He also realized that his mother was a liar. She had hidden his true identity from her own son, her flesh and blood. Darken Rahl's flesh and blood. She was probably resentful and envious and didn't want Oba to know of his greatness. That would be just like her. She was always trying to beat him down. The bitch.

The smoke coming through the open door no longer smelled of lamp oil. It now carried the aroma of roasting meat. Oba gri

Sneaking across the snow to hide behind the fat trunk of an oak, Oba watched as the couple hurried down the path, through the trees, toward the road. When they had passed out of sight, he followed in their tracks, staying hidden. He was a pretty big man to hide behind a tree, but in the darkness it wasn't difficult.

He was puzzled, and troubled, by certain aspects of the encounter. He had been surprised that the couple wouldn't want to call for help, and instead ran away. The woman, especially, was eager to escape, thinking that because of Lathea's death, someone was after them. A quad, she had said. That was part of what troubled him.

Oba had vaguely heard of quads before. Assassins of some sort. Assassins sent by the Lord Rahl himself. Assassins sent after important people. Or people who were especially dangerous. Maybe that was it, they were dangerous people and not common thieves, after all.

Oba had heard her name-Je

But the thing that had really perked up his ears was that Lathea had a sister named Althea-yet another cursed sorceress-and Althea was the only one who could see the holes in the world. That was most troubling of all, because that was the very same thing that Lathea had said to him. At the time, he had thought the old sorceress was already conversing with the spirits in the world of the dead, or maybe with the Keeper of the underworld himself, but as it turned out, she was speaking the truth.

Somehow, this Je

He wished he had gotten a better look at her. The first meeting had been in darkness. The second time he saw her, just now, the fire had provided only enough light for a dim and shadowed view. As she had turned away, he only had time for a quick glimpse. From that fleeting look, he'd seen that she was a remarkably beautiful young woman.

He paused behind a tree before making his way across the open snow toward the concealment of a more distant tree. These people, like Je

Oba didn't know if he believed Lathea. She would be jealous of anyone more important than herself. Still, he might be in some kind of danger without even knowing it-hunted because he was an important man. That seemed pretty far-fetched, but in view of all the other new things he had learned this night, he didn't think it was entirely out of the question. An important man, a man interested in leaming new things, didn't just dismiss such new information without giving it due consideration.

Oba was still trying to co

As he scurried to the next tree, he decided that it might be best if he went to the i

Even though the couple kept looking around, it wasn't difficult in such darkness for Oba to follow them without being seen. Once they were back among the buildings, it was even easier. From around the corner of one building, Oba saw the light spill out into the road when they opened the door below a metal mug swinging in the wind. Laughter and music spilled out, too-like a celebration of the sorceress's demise. Too bad everyone didn't know that Oba was the hero who had done away with the bane of all their lives. If people knew what he had managed to accomplish, he would probably have all the free drinks he could want. He watched as Je

Oba never got a chance to go to an i

Je

She ached to take the stairs two at a time.

"Easy," Sebastian whispered, apparently believing she was on the verge of panicked flight. Maybe she was. His grip on her arm tightened. "Let's not make people suspicious." They took the stairs one at a time, moving at a measured pace, just a couple going to their room.

In their room, Jermsen burst into motion, gathering the few items they had removed from their packs, replacing them, securing the straps and buckles. Even Sebastian, checking his weapons beneath his cloak, seemed u

"You sure you wouldn't like to get some sleep? Lathea couldn't have told them anything-she didn't know we were staying here at the i

She shot him a look as she shouldered her pack.

"Right," he said. He caught her arm. "Je

He was in enemy territory. He would know how to go about the business of not raising suspicion. Je

"What should I do?"

"Just act like we're going down for a drink, or to listen to the music. If you insist on going directly out, walk. Don't call attention to us by ru

Abashed, she nodded again. "I guess I'm not very good at this. Closeup ru

He smiled that warm smile of his, the one that looked so good on him. "You aren't trained in this kind of thing. I wouldn't expect you to know how to act. Even so, I don't think I've ever met another woman who was as good as you are under such pressure. You're doing fine-you really are."

Je

Down the steps once again, for the last time, she could feel the door on the other side of the room, as if she were drowning and it was the only air. People so close, brushing against her, still made her uneasy, made her feel the desperate need for that air.

She had learned earlier, though, that the men weren't the threat she had thought. She was somewhat humbled by how wrong she had been about them. Where before she had seen thieves and cutthroats, she now saw farmers, craftsmen, laborers, joining together for company, companionship, and some harmless recreation.

Still, there were killers somewhere close this night. After seeing Lathea, there could be no doubt of that. Je