Free Songs & Swords 1 by Elaine Cunningham Page A

the young noble at this moment would have had a hard time equating him with the smug dandy known to Waterdeep society. His handsome face was dark with fury as he turned to the mage, but his rage was held in check by a control as remarkable as it was unexpected.
    “How did he die?”
    “Same as all the others—in his sleep, for all we can tell,” Khelben responded. “If a ranger as good as young Silverspur could be taken unaware, it’s no wonder the Harpers are running around in circles after this assassin.”
    “The search, I take it, is not going well.”
    “No,” the mage admitted. “That’s where you come in.”
    Dropping back into his foppish persona, Danilo crossed his arms and quirked one eyebrow. “Somehow I knew you’d get around to saying that.”
    “Indeed,” Khelben agreed dryly, recognizing that his nephew’s manner covered strong emotion.
    “Naturally, you have a plan,” Danilo prompted.
    “Yes. I’ve been following the assassin’s route, and a pattern is starting to emerge. It leads here.” Khelben reached into a pocket and drew out a pewter-framed miniature.
    Danilo accepted the portrait and studied it, then whistled in appreciation. “You did this? By the gods, Uncle, there may yet be some hope for you as an artist.”
    The young man’s teasing brought a faint smile to Khelben’s face. “I did not know you were a connoisseur of art.”
    “Art, no. Women, definitely,” Danilo said fervently, his eyes still fixed upon the portrait. The subject was a woman of rare and exceptional beauty. Curly raven-black hair framed the perfect oval face and contrasted with her creamy white skin. Her cheekbones were sharp and high, her features sculpted by a delicate hand. Most extraordinary were her eyes, almond shaped and vividly green. Danilo was highly partial to green.
    “Does she really look like this, or did you take artistic license?” Danilo asked.
    “She really looks like that,” Khelben confirmed. He cocked his head and amended cryptically, “Well, sometimes she looks like that.”
    Danilo glanced up, his brow furrowed. He shook his head to rid himself of the temptation to pursue the subject and got back to the business at hand. “Besides being the future mother of my children, who is this beauty?”
    “The assassin’s target.”
    “Ah. You want me to warn her?”
    “No,” Khelben continued, “I want you to protect her. And, in a manner of speaking, spy on her. If I’m right, you’ll need to do both in order to catch the Harper Assassin.”
    Danilo sank onto the stone bench beside the statue. The vague, charming smile had disappeared from his face, and once again his tone was grim. “I’m supposed to catch this Harper Assassin, am I? Perhaps you’d better start at the beginning.”
    “Very well.” Khelben seated himself beside his nephew. He stabbed a finger at the portrait that still lay cradled in Danilo’s hand. “During most of the assassinations, perhaps all of them, this woman has been near at hand.”
    “Sounds to me as if you have a suspect, not a target.” Danilo’s tone was laced with regret as he eyed the portrait.
    “No.”
    “No?” Danilo’s tone was both surprised and hopeful.
    “No,” reiterated Khelben firmly. “And I say this for several reasons. She’s a Harper agent. One of the best. In my opinion, the assassin has been after her for some time. When he can’t get close enough to strike and still avoid detection, he settles for a less challenging target.”
    “I’m sorry, but considering some of the Harpers who have fallen to this assassin, I find your theory difficult to swallow,” Danilo protested. To support his argument, he ticked off a list on the fingers of one hand. “Sybil Evensong, Kernigan of Soubar, the mage Perendra, Rathan Thorilander, Rafe Silverspur …” Danilo’s voice trailed off, and he had to clear his throat before he continued. “This woman couldn’t be more capable than any of those.”
    “Yes, she