"Not much chance of that," Lysethra said with a helpless shrug. "Our web of deceptions caught all of them as well."
"So what options does that leave us?" Calmarel asked.
"The one thing that might still work in our favor is Iveron's newly gained power," the elder sister said with a wagging finger. "We could try to direct Iveron's wrath in her direction. If she were destroyed, the confusion would cover our indiscretions."
"But how much does Iveron know? If she discovered our deceptions through him, perhaps he has done likewise through her." Calmarel's lip nearly bled between her clenched teeth.
"So, we are left with only one option," Lysethra said.
"Do as the mediator instructed," Calmarel agreed reluctantly.
"Iveron must be stopped."
"No, sister eldest," Calmarel corrected, now certain of their course. "Iveron must die."
"Yes," Lysethra agreed after a moment’s hesitation. "But can we do it?"
"I don't know, Seth," Calmarel said, questioning her own abilities for perhaps the first time in her life. "If he wields power enough to coerce a Fargmir to his bidding, if he holds Phlegothax's rein, and if he still commands all the powers in that damned demon perching on his brow? I don't know."
The fleeting moment as Avari's fluttering heart slowed under his touch stretched into an eternity for Shay's agonizing soul. Cantie's features rose unbidden in his mind, superimposed over Avari's. How alike they were; innocent souls sacrificed to an evil he had sworn to overcome.
Once again he pressed his silver icon against Avari's forehead, but fatigue dragged at him. A tenuous thread formed in his mind, a tap to Tem's divine power, but he could not use it; he had never been granted the grace to expunge toxins from living tissue. For the first time since his excommunication, Shay questioned his dual allegiance to faith and to magic. My lack of devotion will be the death of my best and most true friend!
The grief inherent in that thought was simply too much to bear. He turned his self-recriminating eyes from his friend's face to the sky. Why should such innocents have to pay with their lives for his mistakes? What justice was there in that? If the gods did not save the lives of such honorable souls, then what meaning did faith hold? For the first time in his life, Shay was truly angry with his deity. Tem, Lord of Justice...
"WHAT JUSTICE, TEM?" he screamed, bolting to his feet and raging at the heavens. "What meaning, faith, if it cannot save a soul? What use, devotion, if no reward for sacrifice? What use, a priest, if he cannot heal?" Shay's voice finally failed him as the tears began to roll down his cheeks.
A burst of light suddenly obscured his vision, and a force struck him from all sides. Air rushed from his lungs as his knees buckled and his senses reeled. Pressure built around him, growing as if to crush him out of existence. He had no doubt as to the source of this attack; he had finally gone too far in his blasphemy, just as the elders had said he would.
At least, he thought calmly, as his head throbbed in pain, I will die beside my friend.
**HEAL THY FRIEND, SZCZE-KON.**
The words reverberated within his mind, burning into his brain yet soothing the violence that wracked his body. The pressure eased and he slumped forward. His vision returned, and Avari's face swam into focus before him.
He sat upright as his strength returned, and returned in excess. Not only did his fatigue ease, but his thoughts calmed and focused. Almighty Tem had spoken to him, and power—no, not power, but faith—surged through his veins.
Shay breathed deep, savoring the wellness that pervaded his body. But there was something more, something left behind within his mind, like an imprint of the deity's words. He looked again at Avari—her face ashen, her lips deathly blue—and he knew that he could bring her back from the brink of death.
Shay pressed his holy symbol to her unmoving chest, and faith flowed from him in a torrent, a cleansing grace that burned away the deadly toxins that were killing her. Avari’s fluttering heart beat once, clear and strong, then beat again, and again, resuming its life-sustaining cadence. He felt the subtle damage wrought by the poison, and knew that she would not fully recover if these tiny hemorrhages were not also healed. But no longer did Tem's priest secretly wonder if his faith was adequate to the task; he was the faith, and he knew it would work.
Even as he recited the invocation, Avari began to breathe, and a blush returned to her cheeks. In another moment her eyes fluttered open, as his own overflowed with tears of gratitude.
"Shay, what's wrong?" Avari asked in a surprisingly strong voice. "What happened?"
"You don't remember?" he asked, his voice still unsteady.
"I was... hurt, wasn't I? My arm... it was scratched." She inspected the fading scars. "But it seemed worse that this."
"Indeed it was, Avari!" Shay nearly broke into hysterical laughter. "Considerably worse! There was poison in those cuts, and you were very near death by the time I could expunge it. But there may be lingering damage. How do you feel?"
"I feel fine," she insisted. "But what happened to you?"
"Me?" he snorted. "Why nothing! Or at least—"
"Looks like you saw a ghost or something," she said, her fingers brushing his hair at his temples and chin, "or aged a few years. You're showing a little white in your hair and beard."
"I am?" the priest mumbled in wonder. "Well, I assure you I am quite fine, Avari. Just rest here for a while; I must commune with Tem, and... um... think about this."
Shay propped her up against a pack that Hufferrrerrr fetched. He watched Avari nod with grim satisfaction at the bloodstains that caked the leotaur's fur as Hufferrrerrr brought Gaulengil to her and began cleaning away the carnage.
"Shay!" she called as he turned away. "Thank you... for saving my life again."
"Thank Tem the Balancer, Avari," he corrected. "It was He who saved you. I am simply His instrument."
Shay wandered away as he contemplated his hallowed experience and considered its consequences. For the ability to save Avari had not been a singular gift. Shay could sense the power of Tem the Balancer coursing through him. The extraordinary answer to his livid appeal had not only saved Avari's life, but proved without doubt that Tem accepted his predilection for magic. The church elders were wrong.
The priest seated himself away from the others, breathed in the majestic beauty of the lake and falls and settled his tumultuous thoughts. Then he began a long and heartfelt prayer of thanks to Tem the Balancer, Lord of Justice.
Cold air and harsh sunlight assailed Iveron's senses as he materialized on the parapet of Zellohar Keep. The sky was painfully clear, and the sun blazed directly into the Nekdukarr's pupilless eyes. One gauntleted hand warded off the glare as he peered around for the zykell. He finally spotted it waiting patiently for him at the entrance to the keep.
"Zykell!" he bellowed to get its attention. "Attend me!"
The demon's head snapped around. It hissed, then launched itself aloft with its powerful legs. It landed on the parapet, its clawed feet scratching and scrabbling for purchase.
"I bring newss, Lort Darkmissst," it hissed around its mouthful of serrated teeth.
"So I was informed. The enemy has troops afield?"
"Yess, Lort," it said. "Eighty horss beastsss with riderss, and four hundredsss of men walking. Ten beast-drawn cartsss follow. They are one sssun of travel to the city we sssurrount."
"Traveling by day only?" he asked patiently.
"Yes, Lort."
"Excellent!" He smiled, mentally regarding his map of the forces surrounding Beriknor. "Report to Captain Grem on the west road. Tell him of the advancing column, and have him ambush and destroy it tomorrow. Then report to Captain Fnarengul at the siege. Tell him to bring in all forces guarding the south road to support his position. Then you may return to Captain Grem and act as aerial scout for his deployment. Go."
"Yes, Lort." The demon leapt off the parapet: no questions, no hesitation, and no stupid looks.
If only all my troops w
ere so loyal and intelligent.
Darkmist descended the steps to the main courtyard. He had a great deal to do before summoning Cannoth and instructing him to reduce Beriknor to rubble. He did not notice the tiny sparrow hawk that fluttered from a nearby merlon to follow the zykell like a feathered arrow.
CHAPTER 31
Master Szcze-kon, it is being time for the eating of dinner." Hufferrrerrr touched Shay's shoulder, rousing him with a start.
"What? Oh, I see it is growing dark." He rocked to his feet and stretched. "I had no idea it was so late. How is Avari?"
"Ah, Miss Avari is in much of pain." Hufferrrerrr motioned to where she lay near a blazing fire. "She is in hurting in the joints and chest, and cannot be warm, even close to the fire."
"Well, I can solve that right now." He moved to where Avari lay, and gently roused her. "How do you feel?"
"Like someone poured ground glass into my joints and made me breathe acid vapors." She tried to sit up but grimaced and fell back. "Weak as a kitten."
"The poison's lasting effects," he explained as he lifted his holy symbol over his head and placed it on her chest. "Now just relax." Tem's grace rushed into him like a warm tide, and he directed its healing energy into Avari. The toxin's damage was extensive, but he brushed it away like a broom whisking away cobwebs.
"How do you feel now?" Shay asked as he replaced his medallion and helped her to rise.
"Absolutely wonderful!" Avari grabbed the priest in a ferocious hug. "Shay, you are a treasure!"
"Good," he said, a bit embarrassed at her physical display of gratitude, but pleased with the obvious return of her strength. "But we have a great deal to accomplish before morning, Avari, and dinner awaits. I suggest we eat heartily."
"Sounds good to me!" She advanced to the steaming pot of stew and accepted a bowl from Hufferrrerrr.
"There is being one more thing of which I am showing a bit of concern, Master Szcze-kon," Hufferrrerrr said as he handed a bowl to Shay. "I am guessing that we will be going after to follow the dragon creature. But I am thinking that it is traveling much more fastly than we will be being."
"I know, Hufferrrerrr," Shay admitted as he sat and sampled the food. "But there is nothing we can do except follow as quickly as possible. What to do if we catch up to it, or worse yet, if we do not overtake it before it reaches Zellohar, are other questions entirely. Darkmist is undoubtedly prepared for war by now. There will be no sneaking into the keep this time."
"There's one more option," Avari volunteered, fishing the enchanted diamond from a pocket. "I'll wager Darkmist will still want this, even after he gets the other three."
"You suggest we lay a trap?" he asked. She nodded with her mouth full. "Worth a try, but we have few resources."
"Ah, the gem is being reminding me," Hufferrrerrr interjected, leaping to his feet and rushing to one of the packs. He withdrew a pouch and returned to Shay. "On the besides of being their weapons and such items, these were the only things the tattooed ones were being carrying on their persons." He spilled three tourmaline pendants into the half-elf's palm.
"Strange jewelry for assassins," Shay surmised.
"That is being what I was and am thinking of, Master Szcze-kon." The leotaur returned to his meal, remaining attentive.
"They could be like their tattoos; badges of position or tokens of family," Avari said around a mouthful. "I don't know if the one we killed in Fengotherond had one or not. The city guard took the body."
"They could be simple tokens," Shay said in an unconvinced tone, "but such things usually bear inscriptions or symbols. Hmmm, I wonder."
Avari started to voice a question, but fell silent as the half-elf made an odd sign with one hand and uttered a short phrase in the unfathomable tongue of magic. He held the gems up again, then put them back on the blanket and resumed eating. Avari and Hufferrrerrr glanced at one another, then at their friend.
"Well?" she asked.
"As I suspected," the half-elf said, "they are magical."
"Really? What do they do?"
"At this point I have no idea." Shay took another mouthful of stew and shrugged.
"Ahh, it is being that the tattooed ones were also being wizardly types as well." Huffurrrerrr nodded sagely. "I was being wondering about some of the things they had been saying, but this is a most sufficiently kind of explanation."
"Wizards?" Shay asked, his ears perking up. "What did they say that would make you think they were wizards?"
"Before you were arriving in the most excellent of rescuing me, the tattooed ones were thinking on causing me a much dishonorable death. But they were also in the talking of being 'blinking back to Zellohar'. I was in the thinking that they would be using the wizardly type of spells to do this blinking."
"If they were wizards, they didn't show it in the fight," Avari said. "Maybe those gems could take them back to Zellohar."
"They are more likely for protection or some like purpose." Shay shrugged and returned to his meal. "There is a spell to identify the functions of such unknown magical items, but it is nearly beyond my capacity."
"Well, don't you think we'd better try it?" Avari asked incredulously, astounded at the half-elf's nonchalant manner. "They could help us reach Lynthalsea and DoHeney before that mad Nekdukarr gets his hands on them."
Shay sighed at her imaginative panacea. "Such powerful items are not common, Avari. I doubt that Darkmist would grant such gifts to assassins." He took another bite of stew.
"But you don't know that, Shay!" she exclaimed. "Perhaps your guess was right, and they're for protection. I don't know about you, but I think we could use a little extra protection!"
"They could just as easily be enchanted to ward off fleas, or to render the wearer impotent," the half-elf argued. "And casting such a powerful spell will incapacitate me until morning. The time we lose could be crucial."
"It's several days to Zellohar, Shay," Avari pointed out. "Cast the spell, then you can sleep all night. We lose nothing, and could gain a lot. What's the problem?"
"I... uh... do not have all the spell components I need," he blurted in excuse.
"Components?"
"Yes. Certain spells have certain activating requirements."
"What do you need? Maybe we could find it around here."
"Umm..." Shay shifted uncomfortably. "A newt."
"A what?" Avari blurted, wide eyed.
"A newt! A newt, all right? I need to swallow a live salamander as part of the spell! I nearly got sick the last time I tried it." He turned away ashamedly. "And by the time I finally did it, the newt had died and it didn't work anyway."
Avari almost burst into laughter, but his serious mien deterred her. "Well, I guess we could get you a newt, Shay. The river emptying the lake seems likely; any particular kind?"
"I would prefer if you avoid the poisonous ones," he said indignantly. "I do not invent these spells, Avari."
"I know that," she said. "So, if we catch a newt for you, will you try the spell?"
"Yes, yes, I will try, but only under one condition."
"Whatever you need, Shay." Avari bounded to her feet.
"That you bring me a very small newt," he said. "The big ones make me choke."
Avari turned bright red and nodded, then whirled away and dashed to the stream so he would not hear her laughter.
Lines of worry creased DoHeney's broad brow as he wondered which of his dire dilemmas he should consider foremost. First was Lynthalsea's health; a wide purple bruise darkened her face from temple to jaw and she had yet to regain consciousness. Second was their lost weapons; they had both managed to lose their bows in the wild flight. Third was their location; they sat huddled atop an icy and windswept mountain peak. And fourth, well, he couldn't really do anything about the dragon looming over them licking its wounded leg, so he concentrated on what he could handle.
"Well, at least we ain't gonna freeze ta death," he mumbled, trying to look on the bright side. The dragon's body heat radiated d
own on them like a furnace.
And they weren’t completely unarmed: his axe was safely tucked into his belt, and Lynthalsea still wore her short sword, though such weapons probably wouldn't even scratch a dragon. And even if he could kill the dragon, there was a thousand-foot drop on every side, and he had no rope. Besides, with Lynthalsea in her present condition and only a day's rations between the two of them, escape would be futile.
"Aye, 'tis a pretty fine pickle yer in this time, boyo," he muttered while mopping the elf's brow with a damp cloth.
"Silence, dwarf," the dragon rumbled, "or I will bite off your head for a snack."
DoHeney suppressed a snappy retort, wondering why the dragon had not done that very thing hours ago. It must want them alive, but why? Surely it had to do with the enchanted gems. But why not simply kill them, take the gems and fly away? His hand drifted to the pocket where the ruby safely resided, and the answer struck him.
Dragons ain't got pockets! he realized. And he must know that he can't touch mor'n one o' the things at a time.
The ice drake that had disappeared like a magician's white rabbit came suddenly to mind. The dragon likely still held the sapphire that it had snatched up. If he could throw the other gem at it, maybe it would disappear as well.
And leave us stuck on this mountain to die, he realized.
He would have to bide his time. If they landed somewhere even remotely hospitable he would try his ploy. Otherwise they would just have to stick along for the ride.
"I do not believe it!" Shay said in astonishment as he felt the exhaustion that would accompany the completion of the spell.
"What?" Avari asked eagerly. "What did you find out?"
"I could discern three details regarding the function of the pendants, Avari," he said, trying to forget the slimy, wiggling newt that had squirmed down his throat. "They magically transport the wearer to a predetermined destination. That destination is within Zellohar Keep. And the word that activates the spell is— oops, wait a moment." He removed the amulet from around his neck. "The word of activation is 'Leksedoiu', which means something in the cant of the Dark Gods, I am sure, though I am not conversant in that tongue."
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