Free At the Gates of Darkness by Raymond E. Feist Page B

and that may take weeks. If it’s some ancient variant of the Keshian language, we’ll need to find a scholar who can help us understand it.”
    “And the Quegans would love to know why we’re spending all our time studying one ancient, obscure text on demons when we’re supposed to be looking at their own histories,” finished Magnus.
    Amirantha said, “It would be helpful if you could convince those Star Elves to let their Demon Master come back once we get the book.” Shaking his head slightly as if he hated making the admission, he added, “There’s a lot he knows that I don’t. I taught him a few tricks when he was on the island, but I think if Gulamendis was with us, we’d work faster.”
    Pug looked at Magnus. “Have we heard anything from the Taredhel?”
    Magnus shook his head in the negative. “Only through Tomas. He and his Queen still are in contact with the Lord Regent, but you know how elves are about taking their time.”
    “All too well,” conceded Pug. “Well, first things first. Let’s get the book.” He looked at Jim. “Can you do it?”
    “Of course I can. The Duke of Krondor is another eastern caretaker who doesn’t really have any sense of what’s going on in the Western Realm. He’s content to hunt, drink, chase serving girls, and let me tell him all is well in the west. Then he reports back to the King that all is well in the west.
    “I’ll have my personal scribe draw up the messages to the Emperor of Queg and he’ll just sign them when I put them in front of him. If you think it would help, I can put the royal seal on it and make it look as if the document comes from the King, himself.”
    “Forgery?” said Pug with newfound respect. “Is there no end to your larcenous skills?”
    “Few,” said Jim with no hint of modesty. “This will take a couple of weeks, and the sooner begun the sooner done.”
    Pug said, “Very well. Magnus, get us to the island, please, and then take Jim to Krondor.”
    As they assembled to transport to Sorcerer’s Isle, Amirantha said, “I wonder how that demon-loving elf and his brother are doing.”

CHAPTER 6
S URVIVORS
    T he demons attacked.
    Gulamendis drew back his hand, his brow furrowed in concentration as he watched his brother from the corner of his eye. Laromendis had conjured a battle demon illusion that was all talons and teeth, muscles like iron drawn over by skin resembling the hardest dragon scale. Ignoring the relatively lesser threats of the two Taredhel magicians, the three demons threw themselves upon the most obvious threat. Demon logic was simple: dispose of the most dangerous foe, then turn attention to the lesser. Intelligence was not a prerequisite for harrying demons, those whose job was to seek out hidden prey and drive them to where the demon captains werewaiting. All they saw was a rogue demon not of their cadre attacking them and they never for one moment considered the improbability of it all.
    As long as the demons believe Laromendis’s conjurations, they were subject to damage from it, and it lay about in frantic mayhem, slashing and biting, tearing and gouging. From bitter experience, Gulamendis knew the illusion would be good for only a moment or two longer, then the attacking demons would recognize it for what it was; Laromendis had never smelled a demon or experienced its magic aura, so those components were lacking in the conjuration, and as soon as the demons recognized the fraud, the two magicians would be assaulted.
    Which is why Gulamendis had his wand at the ready. It was a treasure, gained by guile and subterfuge from the treasure trove brought from Andcardia to E’bar, the elven city constructed on the ancient planet the Star Elves called “Home,” in their language.
    The wand had been the only thing that had kept the two brothers alive for the last few days, which was beyond the expectation of the Lord Regent and other members of his Meet who obviously wished to see the two brothers soon dead.