The Abduction by J. Robert King Read Free Book Online Page A

decadent nobles turned about in their seats to gawk at the spectacle of flower-decked maidens and flag bearers. The bride and her attendants glided down the aisle. Benches groaned when Waterdeep’s powers-that-be rose on their own legs to nod benevolently….
    Standing among them, Noph saw his father a few rows back. Laskar’s sycophantic smile was worst of all. His teeth seemed to spell out the word blackmail.
    Noph felt ill. He looked away from his erstwhile father, and also from the bride. Her secret past, whatever it was, made her white gown a travesty. Surely there was some place in me sanctuary he could stare without getting sick.
    The Eye of Ao. The ancient panel of stained glass hung high in the wall above the chancel. The huge eye was a splendid piece of craftsmanship, backlit by a loft of flickering candles. The eye was luminous, alive. Even its pupil glinted with capricious light.
    Its pupil? The Eye of Ao was supposed to have an empty pupil. The hole symbolized the place of dark mysteries through which all mortals flew after death.
    How could an empty space reflect light?
    Then Noph saw: the triangular glint of light came from an arrowhead poised in the opening.
    “Damn” Noph swore aloud.
    The nobles around him turned and glared. Noph turned curse into a cough. The guests blinked and looked away. Noph continued coughing, sputtering, gagging. He pulled out a kerchief and tried unsuccessfully to contain the fit
    “Excuse me,” he muttered hoarsely, and pushed his way toward the side aisle.
    Nobles happily let him pass, some shying from him as though he carried a plague. In moments, Noph was free. He hurried down the side aisle toward the nearest door. It led to a set of stairs going up.
    Noph bolted up the stairs, hoping he could find his way to the Eye of Ao before Lady Eidola flew through it in death.
     

    Piergeiron stood uneasily at the front of the sanctuary and watched his bride approach. She moved with constant, stately grace. The smile on her face seemed one part joy and one part wry discomfort. He wondered if she felt as troubled as he….
    Something was very wrong here. Piergeiron could not dismiss the dizzy dread. It was almost unbearable. Worst of all, he could do nothing to combat it. He could only stand, smile distressedly, and hope—hope that whatever plots had been hatched would fail, or would not come into being until he and Eidola were lawfully wed.
    Beyond Eidola, her attendants slowed and stopped. They curtseyed once, their bodies rigidly upright, and began to back slowly away. Where were they going? They were supposed to accompany Eidola to the altar. Did they back away because of some terrible danger about to descend on her?
    Piergeiron glanced up into the black vault, unseeable above his bride. Were those leathery wings? Was that a lashing tail? No he thought, only shadow play, only particles swimming in my eyes.
    Piergeiron steadied himself and looked back down, all the while wondering what invisible monsters of fate hovered above them, ready to descend.
    The martial cadence of the bagpipes slowed. Eidola took two final steps and stood beside him. The roar of trumpets and drums ceased and echoed away.
    Bride and groom turned to face the podium that held Sandrew, the Savant of Oghma. He gestured for the people to be seated. As the muffled sound of creaking benches settled into silence, he spoke:
    “Friends, we are here to witness a union that will mean joy and peace for all of us, but especially for this man and this woman.”
    I only hope he is right about that, thought Piergeiron. I could use a few lifetimes of peace just now….
     

    Noph at last topped the ladder and gently lifted the trapdoor above him.
    “found it,” he whispered to himself.
    Beyond the trapdoor was a small, candlelit loft. Its farwall was the stained-glass Eye of Ao. Countless candles lined the base of the Eye, and fire gleamed in its edges.
    Through the huge pupil came the murmurous sound of Sandrew’s