The Unseen Tempest (Lords of Arcadia) by John Goode, J.G. Morgan Page A

the clockwork girl inspected them to make sure there was no way the choppers could return to life and break free. “I doubt there are many more on this floor, but there will be more stored below.”
    “Can we use that again?” she asked, pointing to the device still in Molly’s hand.
    “Not unless we find another one,” Molly answered, tossing the device to the ground. “Each one is a one-time use, but there have to be more around.”
    Ferra picked the discarded construct up and examined it. “What is it?”
    “Panic device,” Molly answered, looking out into the hall. “They are installed throughout the complex in case there is a… an incident.”
    “These people seemed to be greatly concerned their creations were going to turn on them.” Molly looked back at Ferra as the barbarian asked her, “Why?”
    At first, Molly said nothing, acting like she hadn’t even heard the question. Then she looked away from Ferra; in a human, it would have been a gesture of embarrassment. “Tinker and Jones worked very hard to create clockwork beings as lifelike as possible. We are designed to talk, react, and even feel exactly like a flesh creature.”
    When she didn’t continue, Ferra prompted her. “And?”
    Molly turned back to her, and the warrior could swear she could see anger flare in the clockwork girl’s eyes. “And no one likes to realize they were brought into existence to be someone else’s slave.” Before Ferra could respond, Molly began to walk toward the door. “We need to get down to the workshop floor and find Caerus.”
    Ferra slowly followed, wondering if they had made a terrible mistake coming here.

Chapter 4

     
     
    “The archetype of the three wise women
    predates all known uses of it in fiction, and though
    its origins are lost to the ages, it is widely believed that
    at some point three incredibly powerful
    women provided the basis for the legend. What happened to these
    women is considered to be one of the greatest mysteries
    of the Nine Realms.”
    The Story of the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone
    by Princess Scheheryār
    Keeper of the Stories in the Wolflands
     
    T HERE WERE no fewer than a dozen guards pacing the outskirts of Evermore.
    Kor raised a hand to halt Ater, and the dark elf felt a pang of despair as he realized how much he resembled his brother from the back. In a voice that barely made it to Ater’s ear, Kor said, “I have a feeling Nystel might suspect something.”
    He nodded, knowing the time for extraneous conversation had passed. Concentrating automatically, he willed his two swords into existence in his hands. Without a word, he began to inch his way toward the guards.
    The other elf put a hand up to stop him. “Why is killing something your answer to everything?” Before Ater could respond, Kor reached his hand over his shoulder, looking as if he was about to draw his bow even though there was no weapon there. The dark elf was about to tell him he had forgotten something when a bow faded in from invisibility. It was the same massive, great bow, engraved with magical runes, he had seen earlier.
    “Don’t look at the arrow.” Kor warned as he pulled the string back and a glowing arrow appeared. Ater ignored the other elf, knowing one arrow would not put down a dozen guards. Kor whispered something as he pulled the arrow back. A set of runes began to glow on the bow, and the dark elf saw the arrow turn into a glowing iridescent shaft he could not look away from. Kor let the arrow fly, and Ater’s gaze followed as it moved past the guards in a wide arc. Each guard it passed was entranced and stumbled after the arrow mindlessly.
    Kor put his hands over Ater’s eyes and growled. “You really can’t just follow simple instructions, can you?”
    The second he couldn’t see the arrow, the spell was broken. Pulling away from the other’s hand, he snapped, “You could have warned me it was a distraction arrow.”
    “It’s a distraction arrow,” Kor replied