The knight fought to turn the horse, but Leaplow's grip was too strong. For the moment, the dead warrior, his horse, and Leaplow blocked the gate leading into the Dead End courtyard and kept the other dead from entering.
The booming tread of the statue crossing the courtyard startled all the combatants. Everyone turned to watch Gustin's stone fighter stride toward the graveyard gate.
Stunk's men broke off their attack of Lord Adarbrent and stood openmouthed.
"Stop him," the fat man screamed. "You'll all be street beggars if you don't stop him!"
His men hesitated and then raised their weapons and circled the stone man. One slashed at the statue with his short sword. The blade shattered on the granite head and the statue marched on.
"Clubs!" Stunk screamed. "Mallets! Don't use your blades, you idiots!"
"Wood," someone shouted and they all raced to pick up anything that could be used as a club. "Rocks," yelled another.
The courtyard was littered with building materials. Armed with boards and stone urns, Stunk's men faced back toward the walking statue.
"Don't let them smash it!" screamed Sophraea.
"We're defending a statue?" yelled Bentnor.
"Yes," she yelled back.
"All right," he agreed. Then he shrugged and motioned to his twin. The two men picked up the nearest of Stunk's fighters trying to wrestle a half-carved tombstone into the statue's path. With a heave and a grunt, Bentnor and Cadriffle threw the armored man across the courtyard into a couple of others. The twins gave a ragged cheer, as if they had scored a goal in one of their endless ball games.
Stunk's men gave a unified growl. They dropped the junk they had picked up from the courtyard to draw their own weapons. Swords were fully out and they swung back toward the younger Carvers with blades upraised. Lord Adarbrent sped forward, obviously trying to place himself between the two lines of very angry men.
Gustin drew a deep breath and raised his own hands, only the faintest glow of magic quivering at his fingertips. His eyes were sparkling green as he advanced toward the two sides.:.
"1 hope this spell works," he muttered. "Want to give me one more kiss for luck?"
"Somebody is going to get killed." Sophraea tried to keep one eye on her family and an equally desperate eye on Gustin.
"Probably me," Gustin agreed. But he winked at her as he moved cautiously forward. "Try not to worry too much!"
Sophraea wrung her hands, twisting round and round Volponia's ring.
"I wish that they would all freeze in place until we can get into the City of the Dead," she said. The ring flared hot upon her finger and then icy cold.
The usual Waterdeep drizzle dissolved into fat snowflakes. The snow began to fall faster and faster. Soon the swirling white storm obscured the crooked chimneys of Dead End House.
A cold wind swept through the courtyard, tumbling Stunk's ters and Sophraea's family into the drifts of snow piling up.
Even the dead were blown away from the gate, pushed back into the City of the Dead. Sophraea heard Leaplow give a shout as the knight and his rotting horse slipped on the sudden ice that slicked every surface.
Only Gustin's statue seemed impervious to this strange winter storm. It strode on, snow settling on its shoulders so it appeared as if the statue wore a white mantle over its carved armor.
"What have you done, Sophraea Carver?" Gustin asked.
"I made a wish," replied the stunned Sophraea. "Volponia said something about the ring containing only half a wish. I was not expecting anything like this!"
"I think it was more like a wish-and-a-half," said Gustin.
The statue passed Sophraea's uncles and. aunts and stomped down the little stairs leading into the City of the Dead.
"We better go," said Gustin. "We need to finish the spell at the tomb."
Sophraea checked her basket. Lord Adarbrent's spellbook was still safely stored there. She stepped cautiously on the cobblestones of the courtyard. The stones were slick under her feet, but not impossibly so. Everyone around her slipped and slid, knocked prone and unable to regain their feet, caught by her wish.
Gustin started to slide and snatched at her shoulder to steady himself. As soon as he touched her, he stopped falling.
"Interesting," the wizard noted. "Hang onto me, Sophraea, until we get into the City ofthe Dead."
She threaded her arm through his. They picked their way around the fallen fighters toward the gate.
Of the fighters in the center of the courtyard, only Lord Adarbrent managed to stay upright. He swayed from side to side, the snow-filled wind billowing out his coattails.
Sophraea grabbed his arm. At her touch, the old nobleman stopped swaying.
"Can you walk?" she asked.
He took one careful step and then another. He nodded at Sophraea.
Gustin and Lord Adarbrent, with Sophraea in the middle to steady them both by hanging onto their arms, followed after the marching statue.
The statue marched straight ahead, its eyes fastened on its goal. It seemed more than willing to follow that one instruction from Gustin, to walk to a named destination. But what if that was all it could do?
"Then one of us has to put the shoe inside," Sophtaea muttered to herself as she pushed through the snow after it. "And one of us has to close that door."
The ghasdy knight righted its skeletal horse as they passed. Over her shoulder, Sophraea saw the knight gather up the rotting reins of its steed but give the creature no signal to move.
Leaplow yelled and tried to get to his feet, only to slip and fall again.
"That haunt is still watching us," Gustin informed her.
Sophraea's own sense of movement within the City of the Dead informed her that all the dead were changing their course, turning back from the gates and other exits, and moving slowly toward the north of the graveyard, toward the Markarl tomb.
She didn't know if it was the token that the statue carried or Algozata's horrible spellbook that attracted the dead's attention. She tried to be glad that they were no longer trying to invade Dead End House or the rest of Waterdeep.
But she wondered if ending the curse would be enough. Ever since Gustin tried to reverse Lord Adarbrent's spell, she'd sensed a change in the atmosphere. The noble dead were no longer content with playing tricks on the living, such as rattling a few windows at Stunk's mansion or causing a few houseplants to wilt.
Something worse had woken; something that hungered for more than petty revenge.
Up in Volponia's room, her plan had seemed so simple and so clear. In Volponia's room, she'd thought she knew all the answers. In Volponia's room, she had not been afraid.
But as the snow blew bitter in her face and the noble dead began to move again within the City of the Dead, Sophraea wondered if she'd been right.
For the sun was setting, and the dead were always stronger at night.
She shivered. She had no more wishes in the magic ring. She had to rely on her own courage and the courage of her companions. Would that be enough?
TWENTY-SIX
Once the trio had passed through the gate into the City of the Dead, Sophraea's wish began to loosen its grip upon everyone in the courtyard. The snow continued to fall, but at a gentler rate.
First to struggle to their feet were Rampage Stunk and his fighters.
Stunk saw the flick of Sophraea's cloak disappear through the gateway.
"Follow them!" he bellowed at his bewildered men.
As Stunk and his men disappeared through the gate, the Carvers finally found themselves able to rise out ofthe snow.
"Sophraea!" cried Reye, starting after her daughter.
Astute followed hard on the heels of his wife and the rest of the Carvers followed him.