An hour later, I sat in Gurnil’s study and finished telling her about the necromancer and the naga queen. Then I described my perilous evening in the temple with Palomir and his friends.

The sorceress narrowed her eyes. “Venabel’s new priests must be dealt with. One thing I don’t understand is why you keep calling them werewolves. I’ve never heard of such a creature.”

“They’re a legend where I come from. Strong, ferocious, and only vulnerable to silver.”

“Silver? It seems odd that such powerful monsters can be wounded by a common metal, but I won’t dispute your legends.”

“Speaking of silver,” I said, leaning forward, “the lizardfolk said that Zelenkh is a mining village. Do they mine silver as well as iron?

“I believe so,” Gurnil said. “Iron, silver, and copper.”

“Then that’s where I’m headed. But before I leave, I’d like to learn second-level Light Magic spells. Could I buy a new spellbook? The one you gave me has… seen better days.”

I reached into my pack and set A Primer on Light Magic, destroyed by swamp water, on the table. Gurnil levitated to a nearby bookcase and waggled her fingers. A thin, beige book flew out and landed on the desk. It was another copy of the primer—in pristine condition.

“No charge,” Gurnil said. “Consider it payment for the information you’ve given me. Now I'll leave you to your studies."

⚔

As Gurnil floated away, I opened the spellbook and flipped through the second-level spells. But I couldn’t look at the illustrations. I didn’t really care about spells or experience or quests. I wanted to hide in Gurnil’s house forever, and never see another wolf.

Palomir hadn’t just beaten me physically—he’d outclassed me in every way. He’d caught my crossbow bolt, tracked me through the Baildril, and if it weren’t for blind luck, he would have eaten me alive. What chance did I have against him? What good were second-level spells against werewolves? I wanted to curl into a ball and cry until the game ended.

And yet, in the depth of my despair, there was one good reason to hope. Palomir was vulnerable to silver, and he didn’t know that. If I could get to Zelenkh and buy silver weapons, I’d be able to wipe that damned smirk off the elf's face. Then I’d raze his monstrous temple to the ground.

I clenched my teeth and took slow breaths. Fear and self-pity lost their grip, leaving behind a cold hatred.

“Berthar, Kolien, Vahanna, Palomir,” I whispered. “I’m coming for you.”

I opened to the first of the second-level spells and stared at the bizarre diagram, clutching the sides of my head with my hands. Slowly, I riddled out the patterns of the lines and saw how they formed a three-dimensional diagram representing a wizard’s hand.

After nearly half an hour, I learned how to cast Illuminate, which produced light up to 50 feet away. This was different than the Light spell, which always surrounded the caster.

I spent the rest of the night grappling with the strange illustrations, and after Illuminate, I learned See Invisible, which improved on See Hidden by enabling the caster to see magically cloaked items and creatures. Then I learned Aura of Protection, which surrounded the caster with a damage-absorbing shell.

The last spell was Light Missile, which struck the target with a small orb of light, doing 4-9 health points of damage. The damage wasn’t impressive, but unlike a crossbow bolt, the Light Missile spell never missed.

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When I was finished, I collapsed onto the floor with a splitting headache. I looked up and saw the dialog: REST? Y or N. I chose Y.

⚔

Gurnil hadn’t repaired the damage to the wall of her house, so rather than leave through the front door, I squeezed out of the hole and into a sunny morning. After each step, I stopped and scanned the area. Nothing. Palomir and his minions had to be waiting for me, but I couldn’t hear any howling. I hoped the odor of my snakeskin armor would mask my scent, but Palomir probably wouldn't be fooled.

After twenty paces, I decided that I might be safe. I approached the Londorin Road but walked along the edge of the forest. Moving from one tree to the next, I headed north toward Zelenkh.

After nearly an hour, I encountered an owlbear devouring what looked to be a rabbit. I could have killed it with a backstab, but Palomir and his friends would hear the commotion. I crept past the beast and continued onward.

According to the Global Map, Zelenkh was about two hours away. Just as I started to relax, a dwarf stepped out from behind a tree and smiled. I stood paralyzed, thinking he was Palomir’s friend, Berthar. But this dwarf was almost skeletally thin, and his hair was grayish-brown instead of red.

“Good day, friend,” the dwarf said.

“Good day,” I replied.

“And where might you be going on this fine morning, if you don’t mind my being nosy?”

“Zelenkh. Important business.”

“Is that right?” The dwarf drew a rusty dagger from his belt. “Well my wife and I own this forest, and you happen to be trespassing.”

“I don’t suppose you’ll accept my apology and let me pass.”

“I don’t suppose we will. The toll for safe passage is 50 gold pieces.”

“And if I don’t have the coin?”

“That would be a shame, for my wife is a fearsome shot with her crossbow, and her bolts are coated with lamprey venom, the deadliest poison in the Baildril." The dwarf turned and called out. “Isn’t that right, dearest?”

A female voice responded from high in the trees, “Quite right, dearest!”

This was followed by the unmistakable sound of a crossbow’s drawstring being pulled back and locked in place.

Up to this point, I hadn’t borne any ill will toward the brigand. We were both rogues, and as tolls went, 50 gold seemed reasonable. But when I heard the crossbow, I remembered Kolien tearing the Crossbow of Murder out of my hands and snapping it into pieces. And lamprey venom! I didn’t know who these thieves were, but I had to have that weapon.

I cast Blur, activated my Speed Burst ability, and rushed at the dwarf. I expected him to respond with magic or a quick defense, but he seemed terrified—his hands shook as he raised them in front of his face. Rather than wound the dwarf, I tackled him and we both fell onto the grass. I pried the knife from his hand and rolled him on top of me, using him as a shield against crossbow bolts.

“Dolgar!” his wife cried.

I held the blade of Dolgar’s knife to his neck. “Is she really that good with a crossbow?”

The dwarf sighed. “My wife has never fired that, or any other weapon, in her life.”

“What about the lamprey venom?”

“An absurd fabrication. Lampreys don’t have venom sacs.”

“Fine. Tell your wife I’m not going to kill you, but I want her crossbow and every bolt she has. In return, I’ll give you the gold you asked for. You won’t get a better deal.”

Dolgar seemed to freeze for a moment, but then he nodded. I lifted the blade from his throat.

“Don’t shoot, Torli!” Dolgar cried. “Give this man your crossbow and bolts, and he’ll give us 50 gold.”

“I don’t believe you!” Torli cried.

“Trust me, dearest,” Dolgar said. “He's a rogue and a spellcaster. If he wished me harm, I’d be dead.”

Branches of a nearby tree shook as a female dwarf in a green cloak climbed down.

“May I ask why you didn’t kill me?” Dolgar said. “I can’t imagine I would have given you much trouble.”

“I appreciated your courtesy,” I said. “That and your distinct lack of fangs.”

“Ah, you’ve recognized my finest qualities.”

When Torli reached the bottom of the tree, she hobbled over to us, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was as thin as her husband, and despite her trembling, she managed to speak clearly.

“I’ll set the c-crossbow here, sir. Right next to my bolts. You’ll find everything in good order. Although my husband, alas, may have stretched the truth about the poison.”

I set Dolgar’s knife on the ground. Opening my purse, I withdrew fifty gold coins and placed them next to the knife.

“Very generous,” Dolgar said. “May I get up now?”

“Please do.”

The two of us got to our feet. Dolgar ran to his wife, and the two embraced. I went to where Torli had left her weapon. It was a light crossbow, and though it wasn’t nearly as flawless as the Crossbow of Murder had been, it was in fine condition.

While I inserted the bolts into my bandoliers, Dolgar and Torli scooped up the gold I’d set down.

“This is wonderful!” Torli cried. “Now we can live in Encelas!”

“So we can.” Dolgar replied. Then he addressed me, “We’re headed to the capital, and Zelenkh is on the way. A group of three travelers is less likely to be attacked than one or two, and we’d be grateful for the company.”

I considered this. I didn’t like walking out in the open, but Palomir would probably never suspect that I was traveling with a pair of dwarves.

“I’d be happy to join you,” I said.