"Thou hast lost it?" he cried. "The magical artifact?"
"I don't know," Mynx returned. "I was pushed and shoved in the battle. Perhaps it fell off."
The centaurs and humans lost valuable time searching for the Diamond Dragon.
Finally, Kifflewit Burrthistle found it, stomped into the mud. "Here it is!" he chirped. He bolted over to Mynx and handed it to her with a flourish. Hands shaking, she retted it around her neck.
"Hurry!" she shouted. "We've no time to waste."
The slaves remounted. The centaurs leaped into a can shy;ter, and then a gallop. Trees flew by. To the east, a yellow glow announced the arrival of day. Mynx glanced down; the Diamond Dragon sat serenely atop the gorget of her mismatched armor.
Mynx frowned. One of the diamonds was missing. She found herself hoping it wouldn't make any difference in the artifact's power. At any rate, there was no time to backtrack and search some more.
"Hurry!" she repeated. "Oh, please hurry!"
The longtime thief found herself breathing the first prayer of her life.
Meanwhile, on a nearby centaur, Kifflewit Burrthistle patted one of his pouches. Yes, the diamond was still in there. It had sure been loose when he picked up the arti shy;fact. What a lucky thing he had been there to pry the jewel out of its setting and keep it safe.
Who knew what trouble there might be if it were lost, he thought.
Outside Tarscenian's cell, footsteps scuffled on the flag shy;stones. A temple guard.
Tarscenian stood and faced the door of his prison cell. The footsteps stopped. Hands rattled the tiny window in the door and slid it aside.
Hederick's face peered in at Tarscenian. The older man inclined his head and waited for the High Theocrat to speak first.
"I have come to offer you clemency," Hederick said.
"Ah. But at what price, Hederick?"
"Tell me where the Diamond Dragon is," the High Theocrat ordered. "If you do this, I will let you go."
As near as Tarscenian could guess, the magical artifact was probably waltzing through Krynn in the pouch of a carefree kender, but the old man would die before he'd tell Hederick that. "I do not know, High Theocrat."
"Of course you do," Hederick snapped.
"If I knew where it was, why would I have ventured into the temple? Into your quarters?" Tarscenian asked reasonably. He gazed at Hederick. There was no sign of the frightened boy he once had been.
"Remember the giant lynx, Hederick?" Tarscenian asked quietly. "Remember how we fought it off together? You fought fair, once."
"Don't change the subject," the High Theocrat spat out. "If you came into the temple, it must be because the Dia shy;mond Dragon is hidden here somewhere. That's it, isn't it, Tarscenian? Tell me where it is, and I'll arrange to have my minions transport you safely away from Erolydon."
Tarscenian shrugged. "As a dead body, no doubt."
Hederick drove his fist into the thick door. "I will kill you slowly, false priest! I will torture you, I swear. It will take you days to die. No one defies me. Everyone in Solace will witness your humiliation."
Tarscenian stood silently.
"If you think your friends will come and rescue you, you are wrong," Hederick snapped. "Even now, three hags devour them in the forest outside Solace."
"Ah, Hederick," Tarscenian chided. "Stooping to using magic. What would your gods think?"
It was the High Theocrat's turn to say nothing.
"I am ready to die, Hederick," Tarscenian told him. "I wish to join Ancilla."
"Then she is dead."
Tarscenian declined to admit he wasn't sure. There was still hope of some miracle-and of Ancilla escaping from the tree trunk in the courtyard. "Yes, Ancilla is dead."
"Where is the Diamond Dragon, Tarscenian?"
"I don't know. Nor do I care."
Hederick's tone was silky. "I will have you bound to the vallenwood trunk and torn, limb from limb, by the mater-bill."
Tarscenian only shrugged at Hederick's threats.
"By the New Gods, Tarscenian, you will beg for mercy before I am through!"
"There are no New Gods, Hederick. I told you that long ago, back in Garlund. There are only the Old Gods, and they will return someday-perhaps sooner than you know. And when they do, Hederick, you will suffer for what you have done."
Hederick snorted. "One last chance. You will not tell me where the Diamond Dragon is?"
Tarscenian shook his head.
"By the New Gods, then, I will tear apart every stone in Erolydon to find it! I built this temple, and I can destroy it if need be!"
"As you will, Hederick."
The High Theocrat slammed the small window shut.
A short time later, the temple guards came for Tarscenian.
Chapter 25
"There's Crystalmir Lake!" Ceci Vakon cried. Her mount and Mynx's led the thundering centaurs as they streamed through a clearing just east of the lake and north of Eroly shy;don.
Then a shadow swooped over the women, and they threw themselves to the ground. "Night hunter bats!" Ceci shouted. "They're the ones who carried us off to the slavers."
"Everyone stay low!" the silver-haired Phytos bel shy;lowed. "We are challenged!"
Within moments, the entire force had taken shelter under low-hanging boughs as a half-dozen of the seven-foot bats swooped near the ground. The night-hunters could see well in the dark, but they needed room to maneuver, and the tree branches would hinder their attack.
"Arrows nocked! Bows ready!" Phytos shouted.
Mynx crouched with Ceci beneath a pine branch. The thief felt several small figures nestle against her, and she realized the kender and Ceci's sons had joined them.
"Don't be afraid, Kifflewit," Mynx said soothingly. "The archers will take care of them. The bats certainly make big enough targets."
Kifflewit Burrthistle sniffed with contempt. "Who's scared? Not me," he said. "I just wanted… to get closer to the action!"
"Fire!" Phytos cried.
The centaurs let loose with their arrows just as the bats dived into their midst. One night hunter managed to get its claws around a centaur, but the man-horse was too heavy for the bat, which nonetheless managed to rake the centaur with its razor-sharp tail before the bat fell dead, pierced by an arrow from Phytos's bow.
Another night hunter died when it dived heedlessly toward the branch under which Mynx and Ceci Vakon hid. With a shout, Mynx leaped out, stabbed at it, and slit the huge beast from throat to tail. Ceci darted off, herding her sons under a thicker outcropping of pine boughs. Kifflewit Burrthistle let out a war whoop and took off in another direction.
Phytos led a charge of centaurs as the last four giant bats massed to arc down toward the humans and horse-creatures. Clubs beat two of the flying beasts out of the air, and arrows stopped the last pair. Soon the four were flop shy;ping on the ground in their death throes. The centaurs roved among them, using clubs to hasten their deaths.
The battle had taken only a short time, but the delay was bothersome anyway. Mynx ran to Phytos. "Look!" she cried, and pointed to the east. "The sun is coming up."
"Hurry!" the centaur shouted to his troops. He can shy;tered, then ran, through the early morning light, while the others rushed to follow. A female centaur gave Mynx a hand, pulling the thief onto her back. The freed slaves quickly found their mounts and chased after Phytos.
Through the vallenwoods, they could just see the north shy;ern wall of Erolydon gleaming white in the morning sun.
Chapter 26
Phalanxes of temple guards and priests diverted the crowds of Solace residents and refugees who swarmed toward Erolydon for the dawn service. Instead of the Great Chamber, the spectators were surprised to find them shy;selves herded into the eastern courtyard, into the viewing area between the inner and outer walls.