The knight was clad in armor of purest jet, the oval of his shield as dark as a starless sky. His face was concealed by a visor, two crimson points of light glowing hungrily behind the narrow eye slit. Instead of a feathered plume, a gout of livid scarlet flame flickered atop the black knight's helm. The dark rider's onyx charger snorted crimson fire, and sulfurous smoke blasted out of flaring nostrils. Brilliant sparks flew from hooves that shattered cobblestones with every stride.
The black knight lowered his steel-tipped lance, digging cruelly barbed spurs into the charger's flanks. The horse let out a bloodcurdling sound as it leaped into a gallop. The black knight intended to run Kern through.
There was no time to consider options.
Kern dove out of the saddle. He hit the grimy cobbles hard and rolled, ignoring the flash of pain in his shoulder. The crushing hooves of the onyx charger passed so close, flying sparks left pinprick burns on Kern's skin.
Breathless, he staggered to his feet. The charger's momentum had carried it to the opposite side of the square, but already the black knight was wheeling the massive horse around.
"Listle, ride for the tower!" he shouted. The elf had guided her mount behind the scant protection of the marble fountain.
"What? And leave you to have all the fun?" she shouted back.
Kern cursed under his breath. Why didn't she ever do anything he told her to do? The black knight lowered his lance again, ready for another charge. Kern looked wildly about for cover, but there was nothing close by to do him any good. He made a pathetically easy target, standing there in the middle of the empty square.
"You don't suppose this is just another one of Primul's tests?" he called out to the elf hopefully.
"No," Listle snapped. "I don't."
"I didn't think so," Kern gulped.
The black knight dug in his spurs again, his crimson eyes glowing murderously. Blood streamed darkly down the charger's flanks as it lunged forward; its hoofbeats rent the air.
Deliberately, Kern reached for the steel and silver hammer at his belt. He gripped it firmly in both hands and raised it above his head, planting his feet on the slimy street. If he tried to run, his foe would simply skewer him in the back. He tensed his muscles, waiting for the right moment to hurl his hammer.
"Kern, no!" Listle screamed.
Abruptly a wall of searing fire ignited before the knight. Even from a distance, Kern could feel the scorching heat.
"Take that!" Listle cried.
The onyx charger didn't so much as pause. It galloped straight through the blazing barrier. The magical wall burst apart in a spray of harmless sparks, revealing itself as an illusion. The knight did not flinch. He lowered the tip of his lance. The steed charged.
Kern tensed, waiting… waiting for the precise moment in which to hurl the warhammer.
He never got the chance.
A streak of lightning crackled out of nowhere, striking the black knight.
The midnight charger reared up on its hind legs with a terrible whinny. Tendrils of magical energy crept up the knight's armor, snaking into the visor's eye slit. The lance burst asunder. The knight clenched a fist, letting out a horrible scream.
Another bolt of magical lightning exploded against the black knight's breastplate. This time Kern could discern its source-it came from the shadowed mouth of an alley on the edge of the square.
The charger reared again, then suddenly dissipated in a cloud of acrid smoke. The knight crashed to the cobbles and lay still. The flaming plume atop his helm guttered and died out. A few last sparks of magical energy skittered across his armor.
Cautiously Kern approached the fallen knight. With the toe of his boot, he tapped the scorched breastplate. A thin wisp of yellow smoke drifted out of the visor's eye slit. That was all.
"I think he's dead," Kern said grimly, returning the magical hammer to his belt.
"Oh? And what gave you that bright idea?" Listle said in a wan attempt at a jest. She couldn't stop shivering.
"Oh, he's well and truly dead," a rich, musical voice interjected.
Kern and Listle turned in surprise. A woman stepped from the dim arch of an alleyway.
She was beautiful. Her eyes and hair were a deep, dark color that seemed to glow with radiance. Her skin had a smooth, coppery sheen to it, and her features were finely wrought, almost aristocratic. She was obviously a wizard of some sort, but the white full-length robe she wore was different from the shapeless utilitarian smocks kindly old sorcerers favored. The shimmering cloth was diaphanous and slightly translucent in the fading daylight, hinting at an alluring shape underneath.
The woman walked fluidly toward Kern and Listle. The elf eyed her warily, but Kern offered a friendly smile.
"Are you hurt, good paladin?" the mysterious wizard asked kindly, her voice concerned.
"No, we're all right. Thanks to your spell, that is." Kern did his best to sound noble. She had called him paladin! He resisted the urge to shoot a smug glance at Listle. "Your intervention came just in time."
"Of course, we were doing just fine on our own," Listle noted sullenly.
"Of course," the wizard agreed, nodding graciously in Listle's direction.
Kern frowned at the elf. "But the help was welcome all the same," he added pointedly, smoothing over Listle's rude remark. Couldn't she even be civil to a stranger who had just saved their lives? Sometimes the elf infuriated Kern.
"I'm Kern Desanea," he ventured, "and this is Listle Onopordum."
The wizard held out a graceful hand. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."
Kern gripped the proffered hand and gave it an awkward shake. A slightly bemused expression crossed the wizard's face.
"I don't know how we can repay you for your help…" he said, hesitating gallantly, "but if there's anything we can do, you have only to ask."
"There's no need for repayment," the wizard replied with a dazzling smile. "Though it was a happy accident that I decided to journey all the way to Phlan this evening. I have been traveling south these last few days, from the Dragonspine Mountains. I intended to make camp north of the city this afternoon, but when it began to rain, I decided to push on. I'm glad now that I did." She cast a glance at the fallen knight. "Do you know who that villain was? Or why he might have had cause to attack you?"
"Something tells me it has to do with the quest I'm setting off on tomorrow."
"Quest?" the wizard asked.
"I'll be journeying in search of a holy relic, the Hammer of Tyr."
"A holy relic? That sounds like a terribly important task." Suddenly the wizard looked crestfallen. "And I suppose that means you wouldn't be able to… Oh, but never mind."
"What is it?" Kern asked.
"It's nothing, really…"
"Tell me," he insisted gently.
She hesitated, her expression unsure, then shrugged.
"I suppose there's no harm in telling you why I came to Phlan. I was hoping to find adventurers who might be willing to journey back to the Dragonspine Mountains with me. That's where my tower is. You see, I'm a wild mage. I learned magic from an old hermit rather than in a formal school in one of the cities on the Moonsea. But now the valley where my tower stands has been overrun by a band of gnolls. They…" She sighed deeply. "They killed my mentor. I suppose I ought to leave the valley, but it's always been my home. I can't just abandon it to those awful gnolls. Unfortunately, the monsters are too many for me to fight alone. So I came here, hoping to hire a few able warriors such as yourself to help me." She smiled briskly. "But you're busy, I can see, so I'll leave you to your-"