Gary Gygax - Dangerous Journeys 3 - Death in Delhi Read Free Page B

magician' who had somehow managed to get into and out of the royal strong room, his 'vault'."
    That brought a dubious expression to her face. "A mere magician? You are a true wizard, Setne. Don't the greatest heka-benders come from this land?"
    "Well, yes, Egypt does have the longest history of heka use and understanding. But that doesn't mean that someone in some other place can't be truly powerful. It is an individual, not an average, we face."
    "Individual against individual, Setne," she said with a confident smile. She looked at him, thinking what an exceptional individual he was. Half a foot over six feet from the crown of his shaven head to the soles of his feet, the magister looked to be somewhere between thirty and forty years of age. It was hard to tell, for his red-hued ifSgyptian complexion showed few wrinkles, and his deep green eyes gave no clue. He was older, Rachelle knew. Not even a child prodigy could be so knowing and able without many years of study and practice. It was the very great amount of magickal power he wielded that made him age more slowly, seem younger.
    He was handsome, charming when he so wished, and very attractive in his power. What power! Inhetep was more than a very rich hereditary prince, the scion of perhaps the oldest noble house in the Triple Kingdom, as Rachelle well knew. He was honored in ecclesiastical circles, for he was an ur-kheri-heb-tepi, a high priest and great wizard, possibly the greatest heka-user in the whole of ^Egypt, one who might aspire to become the archpriest of the whole land should he choose—which he didn't. Setne had been a key agent in Pharaoh's service, retiring as an utchat-neb, a colonel, from the Utchatu, the secret service. Thus, he was trained in espionage, crime detection, and detective work in general. Even before joining that elite branch of government he had been appointed magister, a state office which coupled administrative and minor judicial powers, granted because of exceptional capacity for such work as well as the ability to fully employ both magick and priestcraeft. In short, she thought of Inhetep as very nearly invincible in human terms. A bit of dweomercraeft used to spirit away treasure was not only up his alley, so to speak, but discovery of the means and the culprit would be veritable child's play.
    Added to the equation was her own not inconsiderable list of talents. In that regard, she had far more than would be expected from one so young. Not yet beyond her mid-twenties, Rachelle knew the social graces of the aristocracy, had been educated in an elite school and taught personally by the magister, and had herself learned much from her own study. First and foremost, despite her striking beauty and feminine appearance, Rachelle was a warrior; one able to fight using a considerable array of weapons or with nothing save her hands and feet. Her lovely face, youth, and curvaceous form had been the undoing of many a foe. The seemingly delicate femininity and soft body masked the mind and musculature of a scholar and an athlete. She was more than a match for most men in wit and repartee as well as swordplay.
    Besides her ability to use arms, ride and hunt, Rachelle had an incredible range of knowledge and skills gained from the combination of having Inhetep as her mentor, her years at the Temple of Neith, the travel and adventure she and the magister had experienced thereafter, and her own desire to know more and excel. Although she was not yet a master of anything other than those physical skills relating to combat and the chase, Rachelle delved into everything from the arcane arts to current happenings, healing techniques to the lore of the counter-world of Phaeree. She could speak four languages, play chess, plan a formal garden, select a wine, discuss the form of the multiverse, tell fortunes, and even get by in the slums of Memphis. In fact, she now sought to surpass Inhetep, and Rachelle could already boast of an area of heka practice