The Rose and the Skull

by Jeff Crook

  Glabella hissed Valian turned, pushing the gully dwarf behind him. She clung to his legs.

  "Lady Meredith," he answered smoothly.

  "Thank the heavens I found you!" Meredith said. "Come on. We've found Uhoh."

  "Where are the others?" Valian asked as he inched toward the Knight. Glabella's leghold threatened to trip him.

  Meredith saw the gully dwarf as Valian neared the light. "Ah, I see you've found Glabella as well. Good, very good," she said.

  As Valian emerged into the light, Meredith stepped back and laughed. "Shoo, you stink," she laughed, holding her nose.

  He smiled weakly and shrugged. "Lead the way," he said.

  Meredith nodded and turned. In a flash, Valian's arm locked around her throat and a dagger pricked her flesh between the plates of her armor.

  "Valian, what are you doing?" she croaked.

  "Shhh, no more tricks, sivak," he hissed into her ear.

  "Sivak? Have you gone mad?" Meredith exclaimed.

  "Don't play me for a fool," Valian said. "If you want, we can wait here until you are no longer able to hold this shape, then we'll see what happens."

  "By that time, your friends will be dead," Zen's voice answered from Meredith lips.

  "That's why you are going to lead me to them, now," Valian said. He increased the pressure, strangling the draconian. "And don't try to change shape, or I'll spill your kidneys on this floor."

  "Go ahead," the sivak grunted. "You know what will happen if you kill me?"

  "I know ways to kill you safely and slowly, draconian. So unless you care to experience them, you will show me the way." Valian released his hold, freeing the sivak. He drew his sword and used its point to shove Lady Meredith forward.

  "Come on, Glabella," he said.

  At the far end of a hall stood a magnificent throne of solid gold, more fabulous than any treasure Jessica had ever seen. On it sat a creature from the darkest nightmare imaginable. It was draconian, but only partially. Its twisted face reminded the knight of pictures glimpsed in a book long ago, of the creatures supposed to inhabit the Abyss. His visage filled her with such fear and loathing that she could barely stand to look at him. He laughed as she turned her face away.

  To her surprise, a very miserable looking gully dwarf lay beside her. He seemed only half-conscious. No cords bound him and he wore only a dirty loincloth. She almost burst out in tears at the sight of him. His little body was bruised and battered, his skin burned, his hair and beard singed to ash in places. Droplets of sweat spattered his forehead, and he was tossing in some fevered dream.

  "Uhoh," she moaned.

  "Gulpfunger!"

  Jessica turned to find Mommamose also had been brought in and set beside Sir Ellinghad. The draconians were cutting the last of the webbing from his mouth. He gagged violently, which made them laugh with delight.

  Despite being bound hand and foot, Mommamose managed to lunge at one of the draconians, trying to wield a gully dwarf's favorite weapon—her teeth. The kapak leaped back to avoid those flashing yellow incisors, then brought his mailed fist crashing down on her head. She slumped to the floor.

  A door slammed as Lady Alya stalked into the room. She paced before the throne of Iulus, cracking her knuckles in impatience. Finally, Iulus spoke, gesturing to a pillow on the floor beside his throne. "Lady Alya, please relax and take a seat," he said in honeyed tones.

  "I can't relax," she snapped. "Hasn't it occurred to you that if they have sent Knights here, then they must know of our whereabouts!"

  "If they know so much then, why bother to try to rescue a gully dwarf?" Iulus crooned. "Perhaps they do not yet know how Gunthar died. If they did, the gully dwarf would be useless to them."

  "Maybe useless to you, but not to us," Jessica spat.

  "See there," Alya said scornfully. "I told you so. They have come because it is the right thing to do." She moved quickly to stand before Jessica. "You know everything, don't you? You're here purely for the sake of honor, aren't you?"

  "I am only following orders," Jessica answered defiantly.

  With a scream of rage Alya cuffed her with an iron gauntlet. Jessica crumpled to the floor.

  "Lady Alya!" Iulus said.

  Ellinghad spat the last of the magical webbing from his mouth. "If I were free, I'd make you regret that," he growled.

  "Is that so?" she smiled as she brought her knee smashing into his stomach. He gasped and fell to the floor.

  "Lady Alya!" Iulus shouted. "Restrain yourself."

  "What does it matter? They'll be dead shortly," she said sulkily as she crossed to the throne and flopped onto a pillow.

  "The gully dwarves, yes, but these two are much too valuable to be killed right away," Iulus said. "They'll bring a fine ransom, even though I regret not being able to keep the female for my own purposes."

  "No ransom!" Alya exclaimed. "They are to be executed at once! They are too dangerous." She climbed to her feet and addressed one of the draconian guards. "Where is General Zen? He should be back with Valian by now."

  "This is my domain, Lady Alya," Iulus snarled. "I don't take orders from the Knights of Takhisis. You are my guest, and these are my prisoners. I'll do with them as I like."

  "You should listen to her, my master," said a voice from the doorway. "She is right. You have grown too greedy with all this talk of 'ransom.' "

  Alya spun to find Lady Meredith standing in the doorway. "Zen! Where is Valian? Didn't you find him?"

  Zen edged into the room, arms raised in surrender. Behind him, the dark elf warily crept, his sword poised to strike.

  "I am right here, Lady Alya Starblade," he sneered.

  Glabella peered around the doorpost. When she saw Uhoh lying on the floor, a whimper escaped her lips.

  "Valian, my old friend," Alya smiled. "I was very surprised to learn you were part of this… rabble. I thought you were above this sort of thing."

  "I came here for one thing, my lady," Valian said.

  "And that is?" she asked as she edged toward the throne.

  "Justice. You and Tohr have disgraced the Knights of Takhisis with your dishonorable schemes. I missed my chance at Tohr, but I shall not let you escape so easily." With a snarl, he shoved the sivak to the wall and charged his former leader.

  General Zen caught himself before his head smashed into the stone wall. He rose and turned, shaking off the human form of Lady Meredith, just as Valian and Alya's swords clashed. He stood back and solemnly watched developments. Grand Master Iulus, it seemed, was also content to wait and see how things turned out, a hideous grin on his wizened, reptilian face.

  The battle between the Knights of Takhisis seesawed back and forth before the throne. Alya gave way before Valian's superior strength, then counterattacked, putting him on his heels. As the fight grew close to the bound prisoners, Jessica gathered her wits and found Glabella near at hand.

  "Glabella," she whispered.

  The gully dwarf turned, her filthy face streaked with tears.

  "See if you can reach my dagger. Cut our bonds," Jessica said.

  "Hurry, Glabella!" Ellinghad whispered.

  Hesitantly, with a glance at the Grand Master of the draconians, she crept to Jessica's side and felt for the dagger. With a smile, she freed it from the webs and began to cut away at the sticky cords binding Jessica's arms.

  She didn't get far before a huge silver claw grasped Glabella by the arm and snatched her into the air. Zen wrenched the dagger from her fist, then tossed her aside. He looked down at the helpless Knights, then glanced up at his master. Iulus, greedy for the sight of blood, still watched the battle.

  Jessica, sensing the sivak's next move, closed her eyes. "Make it quick and merciful," she whispered.

  "My last act as a Knight of Solamnia," answered Lady Meredith's voice.

  Jessica's eyes flew open, but it was still the sivak, hovering over her. Only, something was different, something about the eyes. There was no mistaking: They were the soft blue eyes of Lady
Meredith Turningdale.

  The sivak smiled, showing his fangs, and lifted Sir Ellinghad to his feet. With one swooping move, he cut the webs from the Knight's arms. Ellinghad struggled free and drew his sword.

  "Zen!" Iulus shouted, noticing them at last.

  "You have grown soft, my master," Zen said. "Let's see how you fare against a real opponent."

  He rolled Jessica over and cut loose her bonds, then dropped the dagger beside her.

  "Fare thee well, Lady Knight," he said in Meredith's voice, then the look of her old comrade was gone. Cold black orbs stared back at her.

  Zen turned and strode from the room, motioning for the guards to follow him. Reluctantly, they obeyed.

  Alya and Valian circled each other, seeking some weakness, some mistake, probing, feinting. Valian was slowly growing weary, while Alya wasn't even breathing hard. Blood seeped through Valian's bandages and onto his sword hand, making the hilt slippery and hard to hold.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Valian saw Ellinghad streak past. That one moment of distraction was all Alya needed. Lunging quickly, she caught Valian's blade, then with a deft flip, sent it spinning through the air.

  He stepped back, his arms raised.

  "Justice is what you make of it, my old friend," Alya said as she raised her sword above her head.

  Ellinghad drew his sword and kissed the hilt. Across from him, the Grand Master of draconian assassins sat in his golden throne, eyeing the Knight with contempt. Ellinghad shouted, "For Gunthar!" and charged. Iulus sat unmoving, but his chest swelled as though preparing for the blow.

  All of a sudden, his head shot forward and his mouth gaped open, and a cloud of noxious gas poured forth. Ellinghad charged into it, unmindful, but the fumes robbed his legs of their strength. He stumbled and fell, his sword slipping from his grasp. He couldn't breath. He gagged. A shadow loomed above him. He looked up, blinking through the haze of his own tears. Iulus leered down at him, pointed and spoke a single word. Magical energy burst against his skull.

  Jessica's only thought was to pull Uhoh to safety. The other Knights could take care of themselves. It was her job to rescue the gully dwarves.

  Grabbing Uhoh by his arms, she dragged him to the door, then returned for Mommamose, only to find Glabella had already freed the Highbulp. The two were huddled over something and arguing. Mommamose clutched a thin wand of amber, which Glabella tugged at from one end.

  "It mine!" Mommamose snarled.

  "I find it at Town. I bring it here. It mine," Glabella responded.

  It was at that moment that the aurak breathed forth his cloud of poison gas, felling Ellinghad. As Jessica and the two gully dwarves watched in fascinated horror, Ellinghad clawed at his throat for breath, while the cloud spread across the floor towards them. The draconian stood and spoke a word of magic, calling forth a burst of energy from his palms, which struck Ellinghad.

  No!" Jessica screamed as Iulus calmly resumed his seat in his golden throne.

  The gully dwarves resumed their squabble. "I say magic word."

  "No I say magic word."

  And then a rare event occurred. Glabella said, "I hold magic stick, you say magic word."

  "Okay," Mommamose said.

  Glabella stood and pointed the wand at the Grand Master. Mommamose touched the sapphire at its base. The one good eye of Iulus grew wide.

  "Crackling!" Mommamose shouted.

  Alya staggered, the sword still poised above her head, as thunder rocked the chamber. Though momentarily stunned, Valian recovered more quickly, and in one fluid motion, he drew his dagger, ducked under Alya's blow, and brought his fist up into her chest. She toppled to the floor, a dagger protruding from her heart.

  The force of the magic knocked Mommamose and Glabella to the floor; Jessica grabbed onto something. A lightning bolt struck the heavy throne, lifting it up and sending it crashing partially through the back wall. With Iulus wedged in it, the throne hung precariously, suspended two thousand feet above the raging sea. Rain slashed through the opening in the wall.

  Meanwhile, Iulus had begun a horrible transformation. Like other draconians, an aurak underwent a series of changes after death. Usually they were immolated with green flames and entered a killing frenzy. Iulus, though he raged and frothed, remained firmly stuck. The lightning bolt had melded his flesh to the gold throne, trapping him. The throne rocked with his struggles.

  Jessica started from her trance when Valian touched her arm.

  "Come on," he urged.

  "The gully dwarves," she cried, tearing from his grasp. She rushed to Glabella's side and lifted her to her feet.

  "That some magic," the gully dwarf said thickly as she rubbed her head.

  Mommamose had already regained her feet. She was pointing at something, her face frozen. Jessica spun around, sickened by what she saw. She turned away.

  Ellinghad had staggered upright, but he was no longer a man. He was a thing somehow clinging to life. His face and head had been blasted by the draconian's magic, his lungs destroyed by the poison gas. He clawed at the air , then turned blindly toward the tortured screams of the Grand Master.

  Ellinghad lunged toward the dying draconian. A weird sound erupted from him, low and hysterical, bespeaking the madness of pain he was suffering. He stumbled into the chair, felt burning flesh beneath his fingers, and found the throat of the draconian. The green flames consumed him, but still he kept choking Iulus.

  There was a tremendous crack, and the throne, the Grand Master, and the Knight vanished. Where they'd been, rain poured in, soaking the floor and raising steam from the flagstones. A cold wind blew into the room, blowing out all the candles.

  In the darkness, Jessica felt a cool hand. "Let's get out of here," Valian said.

  31

  The halls of the castle at Xenos were decorated with boughs of evergreen. Everywhere one looked, there were arrangements of bright scarlet crystals carved in the likeness of kingfisher feathers and tiny golden crowns. Red winter roses filled vases, and logs burned in every fireplace, spreading light and cheer to every room and chamber. The Knights as they walked their watches on the cold snowy battlements were served steaming mugs of nog or warm mulled wine. Many wore roses in their belts and wreaths of holly around their helms, all to celebrate the festivities. For tomorrow was Yule, and a fine Yule it promised to be. Not for many a year had the people felt such a sense of hope and gladness.

  However, despite the foot-thick covering of freshly fallen snow, evidence of recent events offered a stark reminder of how dearly this Yuletide was bought. Here was a wall battered to rubble, there the charred skeleton of a building. In the courtyard, masons were busy erecting a pedestal for a monument. The names of many, including Quintayne, would be inscribed there. Never would the siege of Xenos be forgotten.

  Even so, in the chapel of the castle, they remembered a different occasion, a Yule tragedy long past. Tomorrow was the anniversary of the Cataclysm, so the Knights commemorated the event by raising the chant of the thirteen days, of the time when the gods sent warnings of disasters to come, warnings ignored at the time.

  As the service ended and the Knights filed out of the chapel, Sir Liam Ehrling found a young lady still sitting in a quiet corner. He approached her quietly, smiling.

  "Lady Jessica," he said.

  She looked up, her face pale. "So much pain," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion.

  "The Cataclysm?" he asked. "Yes, it was a dark time, but hope renews. Evil turns upon itself, good redeems its own."

  "I sometimes wonder why we fight. It seems, no matter what we do, nothing changes," Jessica said.

  "That is exactly why we fight," Liam said.

  "My Lord Ehrling, I have made a difficult decision. I wish to leave the Knighthood," Jessica whispered. "I want to serve Lady Crysania."

  "That is a noble desire, Lady Jessica, but I cannot grant your request. I need you here," Liam said.

  "You need me?" she asked, blinking up at him. "Why?"
>
  "I will tell you, if you will accompany me to my chamber. I believe Sir Valian is waiting for us there," Liam said.

  "Valian?" Jessica asked as she rose.

  "Yes, I've asked him to share a midnight toast with us," Liam said as they walked from the chapel. Two Knights shut the doors behind them, bowing as Sir Liam passed.

  When they reached the door to Liam's private study, it opened and Seamus Gavin stuck his red wizened face into the hall. Seeing Liam, his eyes widened.

  "Ah, there you are! Seems I'm not the late one this time," said Gunthar's old friend from Palanthas.

  Jessica and Liam entered the study and found a fire blazing on the hearth. Sir Valian sat near it, absently rolling a pewter mug between the palms of his hands as he stared into the flames. On a side table, a crystal decanter half-filled with pale yellow wine gleamed in a bowl.

  Liam poured four glasses and passed them to those gathered. Seamus, his lap full of various papers and documents, accepted his with a smile. Without moving from his chair, the dark elf took the glass offered him and returned his gaze to the fire.

  Liam walked behind his desk. It lay bare, the only thing on it a single bound volume as thick as a man's wrist. He looked at it and placed his fingertips on its cover.

  "Here is the Revised Measure," he said. "I regret that Ellinghad and Meredith—" he choked, then sighed "—and Quintayne, who succumbed to the wounds he suffered here at Xenos will not be here for the unveiling. I wanted you three to know something. I trust in your judgment to keep it a secret. In his last days, torn by grief and worry for the future of the Knighthood, Lord Gunthar's mind threatened to leave him. The burden was almost too great for him. His work on the Measure suffered greatly as a result.

  "This past month, I've labored long and hard to finalize his work, and I have done it, I think. The Measure is complete. My one desire is that no one else know of my, let us say, collaboration. This is Lord Gunthar's last accomplishment, his Revised Measure, not mine."