Page 142 of A Tower of Half-Truths
“A godsdamned nightmare of a place,” Neldren said. “Cursed, if you ask me.”
“It’s notcursed,” Alain scoffed. Neldren and Ellice turned to him with mild surprise. Heat trickled up his neck at the sudden attention, but he pressed on. “What you encountered was an exceptionally strong concentration of magic—obfuscation and detonation wards, to be precise—thoughanySchool of Magic would produce the same effect. It’s simple Etherean magic. Well, not to imply that magic that’s been in place for over five centuries issimple. What I mean is, curses are superstition; the magic protecting the Innominate Temple is anything but.”
Neldren gawked at him. “Er, right… Who did you say you were, again?”
“Someone who’s been researching this ruin for the better part of a decade. Call it a pet project, if you will.”
Neldren sniffed. “Right,research. I take it you’ve never seen the place for yourself.”
“No, I—”
“And that’s where you come in,” Mavery interjected. “We need a guide and, as you can see, we’re willing to pay handsomely for one.”
“Not handsomely enough.” He pushed the envelope back across the table. “No deal. I’m surprised you’d even want to go there, considering—”
“I know what happened last time. But that was years ago, and now I know what to expect.”
“And you think that’s going to make any difference? Forget it.I’m not risking my arse for another wizard.”
Alain blinked. “How did you…?”
Neldren laughed. “Mate, I pegged you as one of them the minute you opened your mouth. You sound just like the wizard who hired me last time around. He also had all sorts of fancy words and research, and you know what they amounted to?Fuck all.”
Scowling, Mavery snatched up the envelope and pushed back her chair. “Come on, Alain. I should’ve known this would be a waste of time. We’ll stick with our original plan and do it ourselves.”
As she stood up, Neldren’s smugness dissipated. “Wait. You’re not seriously going it alone?”
“Why not?” Mavery said. “You may not have any faith in his research, but I know that if anyone can find a way past the warding magic, it’s this man right here.” Though Alain knew this was part of Mavery’s tactics, just as they’d rehearsed on the trip over, his heart fluttered at that sentiment all the same. “And, as his reasons are purely academic, he’d be more than willing to share whatever is inside the temple.”
Neldren snorted. “Whatever’sinsidethat place is likely as cursed as the outside.”
“Wait,” Ellice said, her eyes lighting up. “Are we talking about treasure, or…?”
“No one knows,” Mavery said before Neldren could interrupt. As she sat down again, she kept her expression flat, but Alain was close enough to notice the corner of her lips arcing into the faintest hint of a smile. “For centuries, this place has baffled wizards and historians. Nel’s but one of scores of people they’ve paid to investigate, but no one’s ever been able to find a way inside. Alain thinks the temple has ties to a Necromancer from the sixth century.”
“Necromancers?” Neldren groaned. “Oh, fantastic! Then it’sdefinitelycursed!”
“As I said before,” Alain muttered, “it’s not—”
“Come on, Nel,” Ellice said, “don’t tell me you’ve lost your sense of adventure.”
“Only when it comes to that place.”
“You have to admit this sounds better than sittingaround and waiting for Vilk to pay us—if he ever pays us. This is the firstrealjob we’ve had in weeks, with arealpayment right in front of our eyes.”
Neldren frowned as he muttered to himself. Ellice gazed at him with pleading eyes, a slightly pouted lip. Alain wondered if Mavery had ever used that same look; his stomach soured at the thought.
“Fine,” Neldren sighed. “We’ll help, but make it five hundredeach.”
Mavery gawked at him. “A thousand potins? What do I look like, the Dragons’ guildmaster? And what isshegoing to do?”
“I’m sure I’ll find a way to make myself useful,” Ellice said coolly.
“We’re a crew,” Neldren said. “You hire both of us, or neither of us.”
The money she’d brought to this meeting comprised nearly her entire savings. She’d insisted on using her own funds, as recruiting Neldren was her idea. A thousand potins was an extravagant cost for field research, but Alain would pay any price if it helped him secure his wizard rank.
“Deal,” he said. “Half now, half later, if that works for you.”
