These quarters were lavish, even more so than the apartments he’d been given earlier, and included a gold-rimmed bathtub with magically warmed water. He took a long soak, Hrym propped against the wall and complaining about the steam. “We didn’t do badly,” Rodrick said. “We’re getting out of here alive. We don’t have to swim to Absalom. Not as rich as we could have been, no, but I looked in the purse the thakur gave me, and it’s all gold, and good weight. We won’t have to work again for a little while, and you can sleep on a bed of gleaming.”

  “The last time you got me into a mess like this, we ended up saving the world from a demon lord,” Hrym said. “This time, we merely saved an island nation from a murderous cult. Perhaps next time we can do something even smaller, and just save a city, or a village.”

  “I don’t want to save anything. No more grand excursions. Next time a supernatural creature appears before me with an invitation, I will politely decline.”

  “It’s good to be back with you,” Hrym said. “I spent a week in the company of Dhyana, who wouldn’t lie even if doing so would save her life, and with Lais, who’s so sweet and earnest she would make my teeth ache, if I had teeth. I’m sick of the company of the noble and upright. Though I was touched that you spoke up in court to try to save me. As if I could be taken anywhere or destroyed without my consent. If the thakur had tried to give me away like a piece of silverware I would have wrapped his whole palace in ice.”

  Rodrick laughed. He suspected the thakur had access to magics that could overwhelm Hrym given sufficient time, but was glad it hadn’t come to that. “I will try not to be earnest in your presence. Except in my insults. Those will be as earnest and heartfelt as ever.”

  After his bath, Rodrick toweled and dried off, then wrapped himself in a robe, picked up Hrym, and went into the bedroom. He’d be hustled out of the palace before dawn, and he’d hardly slept well last night in the dungeon. A long nap, then a hot meal, then a full night’s sleep before the journey. Maybe he’d end up on Saraswati’s ship again. She had made the voyage over more enjoyable, and maybe she’d forgotten about the cracks in her hull.

  A tall woman was standing by the bed, her back turned to him, seemingly examining a tapestry. Her hair was long and black, her clothing rich and embroidered with gold.

  Rodrick frowned. Was this woman meant as a gift from the thakur? He didn’t like the company of women he didn’t win with his own charms. “Sorry, miss, but I think you have the wrong room.”

  The woman turned toward him. His eyes blurred when he looked at her. Did she have four arms, or six, or two—or only one, with the other a ragged, bleeding stump? Was she beautiful, or was her face a skull, and why did it seem to flicker from one to the other, her eyes sublime and placid pools in one moment, and empty sockets writhing with worms the next? Rodrick fell to his knees, his head pounding, and stared at the designs on the carpet. It was easier to think when he wasn’t looking at her. A little.

  “You broke up my conclave,” she said, and how was her voice both sweet music and the buzzing of flies? “I was going to appear there, this year, and watch my servants turn on one another, snapping and tearing, as they tried to please me. I thought I might dance among them. Sometimes I like to dance. But you were there, in the deep jungle, pretending to be one of mine—an imposter among those skilled at imposture. You played three sides against each another, and brought down disaster, to get what you wanted: to go free with a bag of gold. All this, and you managed to defeat and expose my most powerful follower in the palace, who was also my archaka. This you did in mere days. Undoing the work of years, in days.”

  This had to be a trick. A wizard, casting an illusion. It couldn’t be—it couldn’t really be—

  “I am not angry.” The voice was, if anything, amused. “Nagesh allowed himself to be exposed, so he failed me by definition, and deserves the death he has already received at my hands. He bleeds out even now, deep in a black cell, as yet undiscovered, and the palace will think he was killed by a member of the Knife in the Dark, and know fear again. I could not let him live, you see, to give away my secrets—he would betray me as rapidly as any other. Such is the nature of all my followers, and Nagesh even more so. But you. You have done my work for years, haven’t you?”

  He knew she was standing before him, over him, reaching down with long fingers to touch the top of his head. Her touch was warm and comforting; her touch was repellent and foul. “You have wormed your way into hearts and homes and minds, only to betray them, to slip off into the night and leave those who considered you friend or mentor or partner penniless, bereft, and confused. You have served me by your actions, showing the world a smile that hides a lie. You never served in my name, and you acted without hope of gaining my favor—which makes your actions more pure, in a way.”

  He struggled to speak. “I’m not … I’m not like Nagesh … I don’t…”

  “Oh, you have some similarities. He did not wish to serve me in his heart, either—rakshasas do not willingly serve any god—but he did my work just the same. And now I have no champion in the Inner Sea. I have enough to occupy me in the Impossible Kingdoms, but … I may look upon you, from time to time, Rodrick of Andoran. You are not so different from many men, I think. Doing whatever you wish, to enrich yourself, though with great élan. But you have passed before my eyes, into my sphere, and so called my attention down on you. That is all some men need, to become great—the attention, however glancing, of someone like me. Perhaps I will have work for you, in the future. And rewards, of course, for work well done. I know how you like your rewards.”

  Her fingers reached down again and touched his chin, trying to tip his head back. He resisted, but just for an instant. Then she was irresistible. He gazed up at her face, and it was not blurry, now: half beautiful woman, half grinning skull, the edge between them ragged and bleeding. “I feel what you are. You have loyalty to no one, except your sword … it’s unfortunate that you have even that much. But perhaps something may be done about that. My followers are often called upon to betray those closest to them. Sometimes they are even brought to betray themselves.”

  She leaned forward and kissed his forehead with her bloody half a mouth.

  Everything went black.

  * * *

  “Rodrick!” Hrym said. “Rodrick, what’s wrong with you? Are you all right?”

  He opened his eyes. He was on the floor, carpet rough against his cheek. He sat up, blinking. “Is she gone? Hrym? Is she?”

  “Who?”

  “Vas … a woman. There was a woman…”

  “Rodrick, what’s wrong with you? We came into the room, and you started talking to yourself, and then you knelt, and then you just fell over. I was shouting at you, but you didn’t seem to hear. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were tainted by a demon.”

  Rodrick laughed, but it was almost a sob. He struggled to his feet. “We’re leaving, Hrym. Right now. We have gold, we have my pack and cloak, we can get to the docks, they won’t try to stop us—”

  “Are you mad? You want to try to escape again? Why? We’re being sent away as heroes, at least by our standards, in a few hours. If the wrong people see you walking around before then you’ll be killed on sight. Calm down, man.”

  Rodrick took deep breaths. All right. Calm. Calm. If that woman had been … who he feared, running wouldn’t help. She could be anywhere, couldn’t she? The only way to defeat her … Could he root her out of his heart? Make it an unwelcome habitation for her? “Hrym. We … we have to make some changes.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The way we live. The … the cheating. The lies. I don’t know…”

  Hrym’s voice was concerned. “Don’t tell me you meant what you told the thakur, about your thieving days being over. I know you saved yourself this one time by telling the truth, or at least large parts of it, but if you intend to do honest work, by which I mean anything that resembles work, I may have to take back my decision to travel with you. We are what we are, Rodrick. Why try to change it now?”

  “The Knife in the Dark,” he said. “They lie. They trick. Are we like them?”

  “No. Of course not. We just want gold, and a pleasant time, not chaos and destruction. When pushed, we’ve even been known to do good. We avenged Jayin. We are different than Nagesh, Rodrick.”

  “In kind, though? Or degree?” He was starting to think more clearly, but the thoughts were still not easy.

  “What do you want to do, then?” Hrym said. “Pledge yourself to Iomedae and become a paladin? Don’t think you’re carrying me into battle at the Worldwound. I’ve turned down that opportunity before.”

  “I … No. No.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair. Could there be a middle path? Somewhere between honesty and treachery? “But I’m going to be a lot more careful about who we try to swindle. They say you can’t cheat an honest person, but we both know you can, and we often have. It’s just a little harder. You can exploit goodwill almost as easily as ill. I think, going forward, I’ll try to focus on stealing from those who deserve to be stolen from instead. I … I’d like to see if it’s possible to use the things we can do against those who deserve it.”

  “There should be no shortage of targets, then,” Hrym said. “But I’m not signing on for charity work. You always pick the targets, you make the plans, that’s your strength. But our goal must remain the same: a pile of coins as big as a mountain, for me to slumber on.”

  “The wicked are often rich,” Rodrick said. “I think we’ll be fine.”

  He went to the bed and pulled back the bedspread. There was a medallion there, black metal, marked with a circle full of inward-pointing triangles. He tore the sheet from the bed, sending the medallion spinning across the floor, then snatched up Hrym and brought the blade down hard on the medallion, freezing and shattering it on impact.

  He heard laughter in his head. Laughter that was somehow half sweet music, and half the buzz of flies.

  Acknowledgments

  Thanks as always to my wife Heather Shaw, who is the best partner I could ever hope for. My editor James Sutter has been supportive, as usual, of all my weird ideas. My agent Ginger Clark always makes sure the wheels of publishing turn smooth. My son River—who just turned seven!—has reintroduced me to the joys of running games with his enthusiasm and excitement. My gamer friends Jeff Martin and Katrina Storey are always a great help when I need to enthuse or geek out about Pathfinder-related things. Finally, thanks to the local Pathfinder community for being so welcoming, especially Mitch Anderson, who’s invited me to speak at a couple of gaming days at the fantastic Oakland, California shop Endgame.

  Glossary

  All Pathfinder Tales novels are set in the rich and vibrant world of the Pathfinder campaign setting. Below are explanations of several key terms used in this book. For more information on the world of Golarion and the strange monsters, people, and deities that make it their home, see The Inner Sea World Guide, or dive into the game and begin playing your own adventures with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook or the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box, all available at paizo.com. Those interested in learning more about Rodrick and Hrym should check out their earlier adventures in the Pathfinder Tales novel Liar’s Blade.

  Absalom: Largest city in the Inner Sea region, located on an island in the middle of said sea.

  Abyss: Plane of evil and chaos ruled by demons, where many evil souls go after they die.

  Almas: Capital city of Andoran.

  Andoran: Democratic and freedom-loving nation north of the Inner Sea.

  Andoren: Of or pertaining to Andoran; someone from Andoran.

  Arclords: A powerful faction within Nex, which led the country for a time before being ousted from power.

  Avistan: The continent north of the Inner Sea.

  Bloodline: The unusual ancestry from which a sorcerer draws his or her magical power.

  Brevoy: A frigid northern nation famous for its swordlords.

  Bugbear: Large, humanoid monster related to the goblin. Extremely violent and ill tempered.

  Chelaxian: Someone from Cheliax, or of its predominant ethnicity

  Cheliax: A powerful devil-allied nation north of the Inner Sea.

  Chelish: Of or relating to the nation of Cheliax.

  Coins: Mercantile district in Absalom.

  Demon Lord: A particularly powerful demon capable of granting magical powers to its followers. One of the rulers of the Abyss.

  Demon: Evil denizen of the plane of the afterlife called the Abyss, who seeks only to maim, ruin, and feed on mortal souls.

  Devilfish: A semi-intelligent, seven-armed octopuslike creature with hook-lined tentacles.

  Devilkin: A mortal with a devil somewhere in his or her ancestry.

  Djinn: Race of generally good-natured genies that often appear as large humanoids with lower bodies made of mist and wind.

  Druid: Someone who reveres nature and draws magical power from the boundless energy of the natural world (sometimes called the Green Faith, or the Green).

  Eagle Knights: Military order in Andoran devoted to spreading the virtues of justice, equality, and freedom.

  Efreet: Race of evil genies that often appear as large humanoids with horns and burning skin.

  Elemental: A being of pure elemental energy, such as air, earth, fire, or water.

  Elves: Long-lived, beautiful humanoids identifiable by their pointed ears, lithe bodies, and eyes without visible whites.

  Garuda: Race of birdlike humanoids renowned for their honor and nobility.

  Garund: Continent south of the Inner Sea, famous for its deserts and jungles.

  Genies: Magical humanoids creatures associated with the elements, and residing on the elemental planes of the multiverse.

  Gho Vella: Small island near Jalmeray that acts as a refuge for those cursed and afflicted by magic.

  Gillmen: Race of amphibious humanoids descended from humans after their home island of Azlant sank into the sea.

  Gnomes: Small humanoids with strange mindsets, big eyes, and often wildly colored hair.

  Golems: Magical constructs created for use as servants and guardians.

  Gozreh: God of nature, the sea, and weather. Depicted as a dual deity, with both male and female aspects.

  Grand Sarret: Small island controlled by Jalmeray and famous for its school training courtesans and diplomats.

  Gray Corsairs: Naval division of the Steel Falcons, the Eagle Knight branch focused on abolitionist military activities. Often focused on raiding slave ships.

  Half-Elves: The children of unions between elves and humans. Taller, longer-lived, and generally more graceful and attractive than the average human.

  Homunculi: Small, devil-like constructs often used as familiars and servants by spellcasters.

  Houses of Perfection: Prestigious monasteries in Jalmeray legen-dary for training fighting monks.

  Impossible Kingdoms: Vudra.

  Inner Sea: The vast inland sea whose northern continent, Avistan, and southern continent, Garund, as well as the seas and nearby lands, are the primary focus of the Pathfinder campaign setting.

  Irori: God of history, knowledge, self-perfection, and enlightenment.

  Jalmeray: Island nation in the Obari Ocean, heavily influenced by the customs and cultures of distant Vudra.

  Kaina Katakka: Smaller island near Jalmeray, said to be haunted.

  Katapesh: Mighty trade nation south of the Inner Sea. Also the name of its capital city.

  Kellids: Human ethnicity from the northern reaches of the Inner Sea region, often regarded by southerners as violent and uncivilized.

  Khiben-Sald: The legendary maharajah who first established Jalmeray as the westernmost of Vudra’s Impossible Kingdoms.

  Mammoth Lord: The ruler of a following of Kellid tribes in the Realm of the Mammoth Lords.

  Marids: Race of genies that usually appear as blue-skinned giants.

  Maurya-Rahm: The system of powerful advisors which rules Jalmeray in the thakur’s name.

  Mwangi Expanse: A jungle region south of the Inner Sea.

  Nex: Nation in Garund formerly ruled by an immensely powerful wizard of the same name.

  Niswan: Jalmeray’s capital city.

  Obari Ocean: Ocean east of Garund.

  Ogres: Hulking, brutal, and half-witted humanoid monsters with violent tendencies, repulsive lusts, and enormous capacities for cruelty.

  Osirian: Of or relating to the region of Osirion, or a resident of Osirion.

  Osirion: Ancient nation south of the Inner Sea renowned for its deserts, pharaohs, and pyramids.

  Paladin: A holy warrior in the service of a good and lawful god. Ruled by a strict code of conduct and granted special magical powers by his or her deity.

  Pharasma: The goddess of birth, death, and prophecy, who judges mortal souls after their deaths and sends them on to the appropriate afterlife; also known as the Lady of Graves.

  Quantium: Nex’s capital city.

  Rakshasa: Evil spirits capable of disguising themselves as humanoids in order to sow chaos and destruction. In their natural forms, they appear as animal-headed humanoids with backward-facing hands.

  Segang Jungle: Large jungle in southern Jalmeray.

  Shaitans: Race of genies associated with the element of earth. Often appear as giant humanoids with stone skin.

  She Who Guides the Wind and the Waves: A Vudrani name for Gozreh, particularly her female aspect.

  Shory: Ancient empire, now long since fallen to obscurity, most famed for its flying cities.

  Sorcerer: Someone who casts spells through natural ability rather than faith or study.

  Sothis: Capital city of the desert nation of Osirion, on the northeastern shore of Garund.

  Steaming Sea: Sea north and west of the Inner Sea, east of the continent of Avistan.

  Stonespine Island: Island in the Obari Ocean owned by Katapesh, and famous for the slaver port of Okeno.

  Taldan: Of or pertaining to Taldor; a citizen of Taldor.

  Taldane: The common trade language of the Inner Sea region.