The sorceress’ lips began to move, her black eyes fixed onhis, but before she could complete the spell, an arrow sang past Nemis’ ear andplunged deep into the hollow between the draw’s throat and shoulder. She criedout, staggered, and almost managed to catch herself before she reeled back into the thorns. Blood soaked into her tattered robe as she tried to pull away from the clinging barbs.
Nemis gazed into her eyes for a long moment.
The sorceress drew a deep breath and began another spell. “Ignisthre navlanim,” he said quietly and pointed at her. A spear of fireerupted from his fingers and enveloped her. Eclavdra fell back full force into the thorns and hung there. A faint moan escaped her, and then she hung limp and lifeless.
“Water!” Nemis shouted urgently.
Lhors stared as the blackened horror curled in on itself, still burning. Agya caught up her water bottle and ran across the room. Nemis stopped her from throwing it on the burning drow.
“No! For Mal. Go.”
The mage did something that smothered the flames and stopped the smoke.
“Rowan, leave Mal to Agya and help Vlandar. He is cut badly.Lhors and Gerikh, help me find Eclavdra’s chest. We need to get out of here, butI won’t leave without proof if it is here!”
“What of Maera?” Rowan sobbed.
“She’ll die with the rest of us if we don’t leave here soon,”Nemis said. “The silence spell did not hold. We will all be killed in a fewminutes if we don’t find that scroll!”
“But-”
“If there is anything to be done for her, we can heal her inCryllor! Now obey me!” The mage’s was grim as he looked across the room whereKhlened and Bleryn’s remains lay smoldering. His gaze hesitated on Maera, thenhe turned away. “We owe it to them.”
Nemis did something that reversed the spell on Malowan’seyes. The paladin joined in the search for evidence then. His reveal spell found a chest deep in a cupboard where the clerics’ spare clothing was stored. Hefreed the box and handed it to Nemis. The mage made a quick check for traps, then began rummaging through the chest.
“Here!” He shouted in triumph as he withdrew a scroll.
Malowan handed the chest to Gerikh as the mage began perusing the scroll.
“It’s your only responsibility,” said the paladin. “Keep itsafe.” He moved across the room, pausing to pray briefly over both dead clericsand the sorceress. He walked slowly over to look down at what was left of the barbarian and dwarf. Agya joined him.
The paladin knelt to pray, but Agya stood very still, her head tipped to one side as she listened. “Mal, Nemis! There’s someone comingthis way!”
“I know,” Nemis replied. “Almost ready.”
A white-faced Vlandar stood behind them, his sleeve torn and stiff with blood. Lhors ran to help him. The warrior managed a faint smile for him, but his eyes were dark with pain.
“All of you, over here!” The mage commanded sharply. “Now!”
Agya helped Lhors get Florimund to his feet. Rowan stared down at her sister and refused to move when Vlandar tried to draw her away. Nemis came over then, scooped the ranger up in gentle arms, and handed her toMalowan.
“Everyone, get as close together as you can,” the mage saidsharply.
Lhors could hear deep voices out there now, and someone began slamming something heavy against the wall.
“They can’t get in… can they?” Agya asked nervously.
“It doesn’t matter,” Nemis said simply, then he voiced hisspell.
The smoke and heat and carnage were suddenly gone, and so was the chamber. The world twisted and turned, blurring in and out of existence. Before Lhors could draw breath, he found himself sitting on wiry, coarse grass and cold ground. A cool wind ruffled his air, bringing the smell of road dust and horses. He blinked at the familiar walled city he’d seen only days before.
Cryllor, he thought dazedly. They weren’t more than twohundred paces from the main gates. He could see people on the walls-guards andsoldiers-staring at them. Two farmers riding a cart piled high with hay haddrawn their bony horse to a halt so they could stare.
Vlandar crouched next to him. He was very pale and obviously still in a great deal of pain, but seemed in very high spirits. Gerikh set the chest down at Vlandar’s side and tugged a blanket from his pack to cover thewarrior.
Most of the onlookers had fled in fright, but a few alarmed guards with shields up and spears raised were beginning to approach tentatively. Ignoring their surroundings, Malowan let Agya spread another blanket so he could lay Maera on that. Rowan knelt there, silently weeping.
“It will be all right,” Malowan told her. “We’re safe. Shestill lives. When I draw the arrow out, there likely will be a great deal of blood, but she should be fine. Gerikh and Lhors, you should hold her down in case she wakes.”
As gently as he could manage, Lhors sat across the wounded ranger’s knees and pinned her wrists to the ground while Gerikh leaned heavilyupon her shoulders. The paladin knelt, snapped off the bloody point of the arrow, and with one slow, smooth motion, he pulled it out. There was a horrific gush of dark blood. Maera shuddered violently and whimpered but did not wake.
Whispering an almost silent prayer, Malowan laid his hands over the wound. Blood seeped between his callused fingers, and still the ranger did not wake. After a moment the paladin removed his grip and sat back with a sigh. Maera’s wound was completely gone.
“A moment’s rest, Vlandar,” the paladin said tiredly, “and Iwill see to you.”
Vlandar nodded. With a painful wince, he got to his feet and waved at the cautiously approaching guards. “It’s Vlandar of the outer guard!”he shouted. “Send someone to let the lord know we’ve returned and get men outhere to help us!”
Lhors felt light-headed, all at once. He watched, bemused, as men came running to clap Vlandar on the back. Everyone was suddenly talking at once, but the youth couldn’t understand a word of it. There was a strangethrobbing pulse in his ears, and a sudden exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him. He moved obediently when a healed Vlandar wrapped an arm around his shoulders and drew him into the city. He followed dreamlike through the streets and through the arched gate leading into the ruling lord’s courtyard. All thewhile, their party was surrounded by astonished soldiers and gawking townspeople.
Later, he could remember very little of those following hours. After a very quick washing and change of clothes, Vlandar addressed the lord and his council. The entire party accompanied him, but no one else except Nemis and Malowan spoke. Somewhere in all that, Lhors must have fallen asleep, because when he opened his eyes, he’d been rolled into a blanket. It took him amoment to recognize the rough wood wall as Vlandar’s barracks and the pricklymattress as the one he’d slept on before.
The room was quiet and dark except for a low-burning candle that had been shuttered next to his bedside. Malowan and Vlandar sat at the small table talking in hushed tones, but as the youth rolled over and edged onto his elbow, Vlandar looked at him and smiled. “It’s all right, lad. We’re allhere, and you’re safe.”
“I know,” Lhors said, and lay back down.
EPILOGUE
Late the next afternoon, Vlandar held a brief meeting in thebarracks courtyard. Excepting the slain Khlened and Bleryn, everyone from their party was there. Lhors thought Maera looked pale, and her face seemed even thinner than usual, but otherwise she was none the worse after her near-fatal wound.
“The Lord Mebree is readying a delegation to go to the king,”Vlandar told them. “There have been more raids in Keoland since our departure,and the king will need our information. The chief magician here has a spell that will transport as many as fifteen to the palace in Niole Dra. The lord asks that I go, and Nemis and Malowan. The rest of you need not if you would rather remain here or go your own way, but I think you all have the right.”