At least for the moment, Kaanyr thought as he watched the pursuers spread out around the entrance. Micus flew to the roof of the porch, while the two strange mechanical creatures moved to either flank. Garin took up a position at the base of the ramp.
An ambush.
Well, two can play at that game, Kaanyr decided.
He did not wait long. Some sort of horn began to blare from within the building, and three robed and hooded figures appeared and hurried toward the steps.
It was only when Micus reacted that Kaanyr realized the figures were his companions.
Everything happened at once. Micus swooped toward them, shouting. The two constructs rushed forward, closing in from either side. Only Garin remained in place, standing guard at the bottom of the ramp, keeping the fugitives bottled up.
And that was whom Kaanyr struck first.
Stepping out of the shadows between the nearest carts, the cambion slipped behind the angel with his sword in hand. The blade crackled with a bluish black energy, pulsing in anticipation. Kaanyr drew it back and was on the verge of driving it between the deva's wings when a woman nearby screamed.
The angel spun around just as Kaanyr thrust the sword at him. The blade ripped into Garin's wing, slicing a huge hole in it. The crackling energy dancing along the sword burst out from the wound, spreading like a sickly disease.
Garin's eyes went wide with the pain. "You!" he growled, staggering back from Kaanyr. "Damn you, you son of a rutter!"
"Such unbecoming language for one so enlightened as yourself," Kaanyr said with a mocking smile. He stepped forward, taking the fight to the deva. He brought his sword up for another strike. Garin whipped his mace into place and parried the blow. Blood streamed from the angel's wing as they circled.
"You don't like my language?" Garin asked. "Well how about something a little more holy?"
He opened his mouth to speak again, but Kaanyr had been expecting the tactic. Before Garin could utter the holy word, the cambion flipped a wand into view and commanded it to discharge its magic.
A blazing white bolt of lightning sprang from the tip of the wand and connected with the angel. The electrical energy crackled and swarmed over its target. Kaanyr knew the deva shrugged off some of the power of the wand, but the attack was enough to wound him. Garin went rigid for an instant, then fell to the paving stones with a raw scream.
"I'm sorry," Kaanyr said to Garin in a mocking tone as he raised his sword, "but I didn't quite hear what you were trying to say!" Kaanyr thrust the sword at the angel. He drove it deep into the deva's gut and jerked it free again.
Garin gasped and lurched from the blow. Bluish black energy swarmed across his body in a spiderweb effect. His eyes went wide and rolled up in his head. He shuddered once and lay still.
Kaanyr gave the angel a mocking salute with his blade and sprinted past, heading to his companions to aid them in their own fight.
As Kaanyr closed with Aliisza and the others, he saw Kael battling one of the constructs, while Aliisza faced off with the second one. Tauran and Micus stood toe to toe, appearing to argue more than actually battle. Micus's back was to Kaanyr, so he took the opportunity to close in unseen.
The cambion brought his new sword up, ready to plunge it into Micus's back, as he crossed the distance to his target. As he neared striking range, though, Tauran shook his head.
"No, Vhok!" the angel ordered. "Do not kill him!"
Upon hearing the command, Kaanyr snarled, but he lowered his weapon. His momentum carried him forward nonetheless. Micus, aware by then that the cambion was there, turned to confront the new threat. Kaanyr lowered his shoulder and plowed into the angel, driving him across the porch and into a column. Though Micus wasn't caught completely by surprise, the force of the cambion's attack slammed him hard. Micus's head impacted with the stone and stunned him.
It wasn't quite what he had in mind, but Kaanyr felt a sense of satisfaction watching the angel go down. He drew his foot back to kick the angel, but Tauran grabbed him.
"Go help Aliisza!" Tauran said. "Hurry!"
Grumbling at being forced to acquiesce to every order the angel gave him, Kaanyr spun away from his intended target and sought the alu out.
Aliisza still battled the strange mechanical centaur. The construct had the upper hand in the fight. Twin chains extending from its forearms were wrapped around the half-fiend, pinning her wings and arms to her sides. The thing reeled her in, drawing her closer. She frantically tried to shrug off the restraints.
Kaanyr sprang to the alu's side and leveled his wand at the construct. He spoke the command and fired a bolt of lightning at the thing. The blinding flash popped between the wand and the creature, leaving afterimages in the cambion's field of vision. When his sight returned a moment later, Kaanyr could see the construct sprawled upon the ground and Aliisza free of the entwining chains.
"Go!" the cambion shouted, gesturing to the night sky overhead. "Get out of here!"
Aliisza shook her head. "Kael and Tauran still need help!"
"I'll stay. Just fly!"
But the alu wouldn't heed him, and his attention was drawn back to the construct, which had regained its feet. Kaanyr knew the dweomer on his blade would have little impact on the creature, but he hoped its preternatural sharpness would still cut through the thing's armor.
"Together," Aliisza said, swishing her own blade through the air. "Flank him." She moved away from the cambion, trying to swing around to the far side of the mechanical centaur. The creature saw the alu's intentions and tried to back away, but Kaanyr grinned in anticipation and leaped into the fray.
Working together, the two half-fiends pressed the attack, wearing the thing down with well-timed feints and parries. Eventually, they scored some serious wounds. It remained in the fight, though, refusing to yield or flee.
Kaanyr drove in with a series of cuts at the constructs upper torso. The rapid attack served to distract the thing enough for Aliisza to slip inside its defenses and run her blade deep into its chest. With a single, gurgling sigh, it sank down to the ground and went still. Strange fluids and wisps of smoke poured from the various openings in its skin.
Kaanyr turned to see Kael dispatch the other construct with his sword. The monumental strike cleaved the creature's head from its body. It crumpled to the ground seeping liquids and smoke.
The cambion turned, seeking another enemy. He spotted Tauran and Micus sparring again. The two had abandoned their weapons and were punching and wrestling bare-handed. As Kaanyr rushed toward the two, Micus grabbed Tauran's arm and tried to spin him around, but Tauran slipped free. When Micus went after him again, Tauran snapped off a punch with his other fist, catching his foe squarely on the jaw.
The blow staggered Micus, and Tauran stepped toward him and jabbed again. Micus managed to evade the second punch, but by then, Tauran's companions had surrounded him. Micus tried to defend himself from all of them, but when his back was to Kael, the knight swung his blade low and caught the angel with the flat of it against the back of his knees.
Micus dropped to the ground and Tauran pounced. He put Micus in a headlock as the other angel twisted and kicked, trying to prevent it.
"Enough!" Tauran growled, tightening his grip. "This is insanity! Let it go!"
"No," Micus croaked, futilely trying to slip a hand underneath Tauran's arms and work himself free. "I have a duty!"
"Of course you do, Micus," Tauran said, "but I am not your enemy! There are worse forces at work here, and you've lost sight of that!"
"The law is the law," Micus said, his voice growing more constricted by the moment. "I swore to uphold it!"
"As did I," Tauran said gently, though he held the choke-hold tight. "But somewhere along the way, I realized that some laws, even good ones, can result in bad things happening. And then we must be ruled by common sense first and fix those laws."
"Blasphemy! You are not the friend I knew!"
"I am. But I have to stop Zasian. Now, please! Quit fig
hting me and help us. Please!"
"No!" Micus cried. "Surrender! Redeem yourself!"
"I can't do that," Tauran said. "Not until I've stopped Zasian. When that's done, I will gladly surrender to you." The angel took a deep breath. "Now. Garin is gravely injured. When you awaken, heal him. And tell him I'm sorry. It should never have come to this."
Micus tried to say something else, but he was rapidly losing consciousness. He struggled feebly for a few heartbeats more then began to sag. When he went limp, Tauran held the headlock a moment longer, then released the other angel.
A crowd had gathered around the scene of the fight, and a trio of archons emerged from the palace. Kael stepped between them and the rest of the group, his blade barring their way.
Tauran stood and glared at Kaanyr. "Where did you get that blade? Garin might die from that foul thing!"
Kaanyr sneered. "Oh, you're quite welcome. Glad to come to your rescue, noble angel."
Tauran took a step toward Kaanyr, but Aliisza was between them in a flash. "Stop!" she shouted. "What's done is done!"
Tauran hesitated, still glaring.
Kaanyr tightened his grip on his blade, but he didn't strike the angel. He wondered which of them Aliisza thought she was protecting. Him or me? He stared at her, feeling jealousy boil up again. It's time she sees the truth, he decided.
He gave the deva a surly smirk and waved his hand in dismissal. "You're so weak. I should have killed Garin. It would have been the smart thing to do. You should slay this fool right now"-he pointed at Micus-"and be rid of his pestering. But I abided by your wishes and spared them both."
Tauran's eyes narrowed, and he clenched both hands into fists. "I should slay you right now and be done with your foul, corrupt influence."
Kaanyr turned to Aliisza then. "Do you see?" he said, pointing at Tauran. "Do you see what you're getting tangled up with? He will never love you. Not like I do. He can't; he's too bound by honor, too caught up in doing what's right. And you've got the blood of a demon flowing through you. What can possibly come of that but ruin?"
Aliisza stared at the cambion, wide-eyed. She worked her mouth to retort, but nothing came out.
Kaanyr waved his hand, dismissing her, too. "Fool alu," he grumbled.
"Enough," Kael said quietly, placing a hand on Tauran's shoulder. "We've worn out our welcome here. Those archons didn't want any part of us by themselves, and they retreated inside again. But they will be back with reinforcements. We must go. We have to find Zasian."
Tauran's jaw flexed, then the anger seemed to go out of him. "Yes, of course," he said. "Thank you for reminding me, Kael."
Kaanyr shook his head in disgust. "I guarantee you, they will be trouble again. Your foolish benevolence will come back to haunt you. Mark my words."
Tauran ignored him. "We must be gone before Micus awakens," he said. "Vhok, can you fly?"
"As a matter of fact," the half-fiend answered smugly, "I can." He took hold of the new cape he had donned and spread it out behind himself. "Lead on, O wise Captain!"
Tauran gave Kaanyr a sidelong glance, but he did not rise to the bait. "Let's go, then." He took to the air.
Beside him, Aliisza still stared. He met her gaze and saw searing anger.
"Bastard," she spat. "You'll never change. You'll never get those self-righteous, condescending blinders off your eyes and see the wider world around you. I should have known better than to start believing you could." She took to the air without a glance back.
Damn straight I won't change, Kaanyr thought, staring after her. I know who I am.
Tauran led them. As they flew, they passed countless wondrous sights, but Kaanyr did not notice them. He struggled to come to grips with the fact that he was losing the alu. He did not want it to matter so much, but it did.
Maybe it's because of whom I'm losing her to, he thought. I just don't get what she sees in him. What can he possibly offer her that I cannot?
The four travelers drew near the edge of the city, and Kaanyr realized the entire community sat beneath a massive, shimmering dome of some transparent substance. Beyond it, a sea of blackness filled with countless stars stretched forever. Where it met the ground, numerous gates punctured it, and Tauran led them to one such portal-a massive pair of valves. As they neared the gate, the angel dropped low and landed.
"We can reach the Eye this way," the deva said as he walked to the towering doors, which stood open. There were surprisingly few people passing either in or out of the gate. "It exists in a set of caverns, below the city."
"Will they let us through?" Aliisza asked. "Do you think they've heard about what happened yet?"
"I don't know. We'll find out. Be ready, but don't get jumpy. Any of you." He looked directly at Kaanyr.
The cambion gave a mocking, ingratiating smile and nodded. "As you command, O Captain."
The hound archons guarding the great gate wore different clothing from those that had been at the Palace of Myriad Amazements. Instead of livery and weapons, they dressed in simple robes, like the monks of numerous orders on Toril. They eyed the four visitors as Kaanyr and the others approached and one of them moved to greet them.
"Welcome, strangers. Have you come to pay homage to Savras the All-Seeing?"
Kaanyr noted that a symbol of a scrying globe filled with eyes adorned the breast of the creature's robes.
"Yes, and also to seek his wisdom," Tauran answered. "May we enter?"
The archon studied them all for a long moment. "You do not seem likely followers of He of the Third Eye."
"Our need is great," Tauran said, "and our generosity greater," he added, holding out his mace. "An offering for the honor of entering."
The archon's eyes widened. "Your need must be great, if you are willing to surrender this," he said. He took the holy weapon and studied it for a moment. "It is useless to us, angel. You know that. None but your kind may wield it. It holds no value for any but you."
"Perhaps, but it is all I have to offer, and isn't the point to give more than you can afford?"
The archon smiled. "Indeed. It is a symbol of all that. Very well. You may enter the Eye. Do you know the way from here?"
"I think we can find it."
The archon nodded and stepped aside, motioning for them to pass through the gates.
Once they were beyond the portal, they found themselves on the edge of a plateau. The path before them wound toward the bottom, a switchback that disappeared from sight because of the steepness.
Kaanyr noticed Kael was smiling. "What are you grinning at, fool knight?" he asked.
Kael didn't answer, but Aliisza grabbed Tauran's arm and turned him toward her.
"How could you do that?" she demanded. "You gave up your sacred mace! An angel never does that!"
"Never by choice," he said. "But our need is great." Then he produced a similar weapon, which he had kept hidden in his tunic. "But that wasn't my mace." He smiled. "It was Micus's."
Aliisza giggled.
Kaanyr grimaced. "Very deceptive, deva," he said. "My bad influence must be rubbing off on you."
Tauran gave the cambion a haughty stare. "Much more than I would like, cambion."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The four of them took to the air then, flying down the side of the great plateau upon which Dweomerheart rested. No land stretched beyond its base. Instead, the whole thing floated in the great field of stars. The night sky stretched out both above and below.
At the bottom of the trail, they came to a wide ledge jutting out from the side of the plateau. A large cave mouth led into the depths from there. A second pair or guards stood on either side of the darkened entrance. As the group landed, one of them bowed.
"Welcome to the Eye," he said. "Search for the truth in all things great and small, my friends. Enter and fill your minds with knowledge."
Tauran led the way through the passage from the cave entrance. As they walked, Aliisza noted the width of the path down the center of the tunnel. Compared to
the rougher area of the floor on either side, it was smooth as glass and slightly concave, like a trough.
Many, many pairs of feet have passed this way.
The tunnel ran straight and descended slightly. At regular intervals, torches illuminated the way. Ahead, Aliisza could see the passage level off and the torches end. When they reached the flat area, Aliisza slowed a step or two, awed.
The path ended at a large wooden dock. A hound archon stood at its near edge, watching them approach. Numerous small boats had been tied off to the dock. Each boat bore a boatman, another hound archon dressed in the robes of Savras and who stood in the rear of the craft, waiting. Beyond the dock, water stretched out into an immense cavern, easily as large as some of the great chambers and halls of the Underdark. Scattered throughout the vast emptiness, dozens-no, hundreds-of torches twinkled faintly. They filled the cavern like stars, both near the water's surface and high overhead.
Aliisza felt very small.
"What is this place?" Kaanyr asked in a near-whisper. "Where does it all go?"
"It is the Third Eye," Tauran answered. "The embodiment of Savras's knowledge. The whole place is a honeycomb of tunnels, chambers, and sinkholes. It goes deeper, too. Beneath the water."
"Where do we start?" Aliisza asked. She was overwhelmed with the enormity of the task. "How will we know what to look for?"
Tauran advanced to the dock. "I don't know," he said. He stepped up to the greeter. "We have come seeking knowledge," he said.
The hound archon, his muzzle gray with age, nodded. "May you find it, then," he said. "Do you understand the patterns? The dangers?"
Tauran shook his head. "We have never visited before."
"Few come twice. Trust your insight. Do not rely solely on your vision. Let the inner force of your desire for understanding be your guide. More, I cannot say."
Tauran cocked his head to one side, pondering. "It's up to us, our instinct, to know where to go," he said. "In every choice, something is revealed. About ourselves, about others. Is that it?"
The hound archon smiled, but said nothing. He merely bowed again.
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