Watt-Evans, Lawrence - Annals of the Chosen 01 (78 page)

This
tower,
however,
was
clearly
destined
to
be
a
ruin,
not a
temple—there
was
no
surrounding
community,
the
town
of
Split
Reed
was
more
than
half
a
mile
away
and
out
of sight
to
the
south,
and
Breaker
doubted
anyone
would
want
the
thing.
It
was
crude
and
ugly,
just
a
column
of
raw
stone pierced
by
a
few
scattered
windows;
there
was
no
ornamentation,
no
attempt
at
grace
or
elegant
design.
Even
the
snow
could
not
soften
its
appearance
into
any
semblance
of beauty.

Breaker,
the
Beauty,
and
the
Seer
climbed
a
low,
snow-covered
hill
for
a
better
view
while
the
Archer
went
in
search
of
game
and
the
Scholar,
the
Leader,
and
the
Speaker stayed
in
the
wagon.
At
the
top
they
stared
silently
for
a
moment
before
anyone
spoke.

"He
lives
in
that?"
the
Beauty
finally
said.
"By
choice?"

"If
I
had
any
doubt
that
he
was
mad,
the
sight
of
that
thing
would
dispel
it,"
Breaker
replied.

"I
can't
do
it,"
the
Seer
said.

Breaker
blinked.
He
turned
to
look
at
her.
"Do
what?"
he asked.

"I
can't
go
in
there,"
she
said.
"I
can't
help
you
kill
him."

"Why
not?"

"I
just.
..
I
just
can't."

"Why?"

"I'm
scared,
all
right?
I
can't
do
it!"

"But
it
was
your
idea!
You
were
the
one
who
knew
he'd
killed
everyone
in
Stoneslope!"

"I
know.
He
has
to
die,
and
it's
my
fault
he
didn't
die
five
years
ago,
when
the
Swordsman
was
a
wily
old
man
instead of
an
untested
youth,
but
I
was
afraid
then,
afraid
to
believe
he
had
really
become
a
Dark
Lord,
and
I'm
afraid
now,
and
I can't
go
in
there!
The
rest
of
you
will
have
to
do
it
without
me."

"But
how
will
we
find
him?"

"It's
not
very
big.
And
he's
always
in
there—he
almost
never
leaves
it
at
all,
does
everything
with
his
magic.
He
has a
room
at
the
top,
and
then
his
workshop
and
sleeping
quarters
underground,
and
the
rest
is
almost
empty,
he
never
spends
much
time
there.
You
can
find
him
without
me.
I'm not
going
in
there."

Breaker
stared
helplessly
at
her,
then
turned
back
toward the
wagon
and
called,
"Boss!
Could
you
come
here,
please?"

The
Leader
turned
and
waved
an
acknowledgment.

"You
came
this
far,"
the
Beauty
said.
"Why
are
you
only losing
your
nerve
now?"

"Look
at
that
thing!"
the
Seer
said.
"I
can't
go
in
there."

"You've
been
in
dead
guesthouses,
and
temple
cells,
and the
ruins
of
Stoneslope—why
is
that
any
worse?"
Breaker demanded.

"Just
look
at
it!
It's
a
Dark
Lord's
keep,
by
all
the
ler!
It even
looks
like
one—I
can't
believe
no
one
ever
realized
before,
just
from
looking
at
it,
that
there's
something
wrong with
this
man."