Page 64 of Paladin's Hope
Galen felt a twinge of relief. They weren’t here for a mugging, they were here defending the gnoles. Which…okay, admittedly, four heavily armed men lugging around an obviously dead or injured gnole is suspicious. Where’s Brindle? If he comes back, he can vouch for us.
“We mean no harm,” said Piper.
“How about you put that fellow down, and we’ll see about that?”
“Here?” said Piper, clearly horrified. “No, it’s too dirty.” Which was true, but perhaps not the most diplomatic thing to say at the moment.
Galen tried to think of how to smooth the situation over but he was so damn tired that he couldn’t think of what to say. “It’s fine,” he said. “It’s fine, really.”
Judging by the way that the woman and her associates gripped their weapons, they did not believe that it was fine.
It was Shane who saved them. “I think that we share a goal,” he said, still holding Earstripe to his chest. His voice was so calm and gentle and soothing that he could have said he was about to fly to the moon and it would probably have sounded reasonable. “This gnole is our friend, and he has been badly injured. We are seeking the gnole-warren here, so that he may be treated by his own people.”
The back scabbard wasn’t the only thing Shane had taken away from the Dreaming God’s temple. Most paladins could do the voice to a certain degree, but the Dreaming God’s people had refined it to a high art. Galen watched the two men’s white-knuckled grip on their truncheons relax. He felt a stab of envy. He couldn’t do the damn voice at all.
“You say you’re here for a healer?” the blonde woman said, still suspicious but not quite as hostile.
Shane nodded. “We are here with a gnole guide,” he said, still in the voice. “He has gone to get directions, but should return shortly. I promise you, we have nothing but goodwill for the gnoles here.”
She took a step back. “Been some trouble lately,” she said gruffly. “People got word the warren was here. Bully-boys thinking it would be funny to start trouble with ’em.”
“I am sorry to hear that,” said Shane, and anyone listening could tell that he was sorry. “I will inform the Temple of the White Rat that there have been problems.”
The line between the woman’s eyebrows eased. “You’re with the Rat?” Shane dipped his head. “Ah, right then. Good people. But don’t let ’em send the guard. We don’t want ’em throwing their weight around, understand? We take care of the gnoles and the gnoles take care of us. Don’t need to get anybody else involved.”
Shane nodded gravely. “You have my word that I shall pass on your concerns only to the Rat.”
She nodded, distracted, looking past him. Then her expression changed and she lowered her weapon completely. “Guess you’re telling the truth.”
“A gnole leaves for five minutes and humans get into trouble,” muttered Brindle, pushing his way past Galen. “Gnoles opening up a path for too-big humans now.”
The woman said something in halting gnolespeech, putting her free hand up to imitate one ear. Brindle flicked his whiskers sharply and replied, enunciating each word clearly. She nodded and the trio vanished as quickly as they had arrived.
“It is good that the warren has local protectors,” said Shane.
“Yeah, I just thought that some of those local protectors were going to try to bash our heads in,” muttered Marcus.
Scraping sounds heralded the arrival of more gnoles, pulling aside boards and what looked like a broken door, until they had made a path that was large enough for a human to walk through. Brindle waved for the four men to follow. Marcus took point, with Shane after him and Piper after that. Galen brought up the rear, not because he didn’t trust the gnoles but because he didn’t entirely trust other humans. Those three seemed friendly, but if there are people about who think it’s amusing to torment gnoles, I’d rather be where I can stop them.
Fortunately, no one like that materialized. They were led through a dark labyrinth of canvas walls and scraps of board. Galen could barely make out the outline of Piper in front of him. Then a light flared up behind him and Galen turned to see a strange gnole following him, holding a candle on the end of a short pole, probably for the benefit of the humans. Another light bobbing up ahead seemed to confirm that.
It made the going easier. They went down a short ramp and then onward again. Galen wasn’t certain, but he thought they were probably actually into the hillside by now. The air smelled less of the river and more of gnole-fur and earth.
The way opened up abruptly and he and the other humans spilled out into a large circular room. The edges were defined by hanging blankets and wooden supports but the roof was made of earth and stone. Tunnels led off in multiple directions, like spokes from a wheel.
Dozens of gnoles lined the walls and peered at them from the tunnel mouths. There were small lights fastened to the wooden supports, casting a much dimmer light than the candles carried by their escorts.
Galen trusted the gnoles completely, but his nerves prickled anyway. Without the lights, the paladins would be completely at the mercy of the warren’s occupants. And there were many, many occupants. He could hear breathing and shifting and a soft murmur of gnole voices from every side. I am going to guess that no one tormenting gnoles ever came in here. Or if they did, they didn’t leave again.
A gnole came forward. They leaned heavily on a cane and Galen guessed by their gait that one foot was shorter than the other, but they still moved with gnolish energy. A broad white blaze ran down the center of their face, much wider than the usual badger stripes, splashing across the eyes and leaving the nose entirely pink.
“Our doctor,” said Brindle, with obvious pride.
The white-blazed gnole chattered at Brindle, but their eyes were locked on the bundle in Shane’s arms.
“Ours says to bring this gnole,” says Brindle. “Ours says that ours will care for him.”
“I would like to speak with your doctor if I may,” said Piper. “The more…ours?…knows of the injury the better.”