"Shockingly vulnerable!" Morag shrugged her tail. "In the Abyss, it is hardly a disadvantage. Nothing stays holy there for more than a few minutes."
"I have the tools to win. I can go."
Escalla thought for a moment, heaved a sigh, then handed Morag Lolth's jewel.
"Morag, take me back there, and then go do what you please. If you take my sister to my father's court, he'll give you refuge and help you make a home. There are places quieter than the Abyss for you and your friend."
"You're giving me back my name?" Morag stared at the jewel. "You're trusting me?"
"There was no name on the jewels. I lied." Escalla shrugged. "Sorry. Hey! I'm a faerie."
Morag looked extremely annoyed. She grabbed Escalla, planted her on her shoulders, and growled.
"Meaning Lolth still has my secret name. So now I have to help you."
"Yep."
"I am annoyed."
"Hey!" Escalla looked acidly at the tanar'ri girl. "Remember when you nicked off and left us in the middle of that fight?"
"All right, all right!" Morag seethed. She had been outmaneuvered. "Let's go."
"Hoopy."
Morag summoned one of her followers to collect Tielle.
"So this place your father knows… it's much quieter than the Abyss?"
Still numb with shock and grief, the faerie gave a nod. "Much."
Morag teleported out of the caves, first to Keggle Bend, then the Abyss, the Demonweb-and finally through the brass door to Lolth's home plane. They returned to the spider palace.
The battle against Lolth was about to be rejoined.
Morag teleported them into the engine room. The boilers lay dead and hissing. All powers of flight lost as the physical laws of Lolth's home plane took hold, Escalla leaped down. She ran to the edge of the time-stop field and stared at the weird changes that had taken place.
Manes had come blundering to the rescue. There were perhaps six of them now, all frozen where they had walked into the time field. Escalla ran frantically around the rim of the field, staring in at the scene and trying to plan what she should do.
Enid was dead. Henry and Polk were unconscious and about to be deluged in giant spiders-all of whom hung in mid-leap. Recca had risen halfway from the ground and was reaching for his sword. Jus was on his knees, hanging forward, one hand crammed against the wound in his chest and a look of apocalyptic fury on his face as he turned toward the spider queen.
Working fast, Escalla flung Cinders down on the floor.
"Time!"
Morag had a time-keeping device. She retrieved it from her pocket and opened the cover.
"Time's up."
"Right! Quickly!" Escalla ran fingers through hair made limp with grief and worry. "Put a rag over your hand, grab Benelux, and shove it hilt first at the Justicar. Move!"
The tanar'ri went one way, Escalla went another. She gave a roar of rage and began firing her last few spells into the time field. Magic golden bees froze as she aimed at the giant spiders. Her black tentacles spell hung half formed, frozen in time, ready to choke Recca to death. She swung Tielle's magic horn into her hands, braced herself, and opened fire. Bolts of blue liquid shot into the field and stopped. She aimed to hit Jus right in the chest, then Henry, Polk-and finally Lolth. The girl refilled the horn, fired at Lolth again from another angle, and then she saw the figures in the time field twitch.
"Morag! Show time!"
Cinders lay beside the open portable hole. Escalla turned to refill the magic horn, and Morag threw Benelux in a glittering arc at the Justicar.
The engine room erupted into noise.
Spellfire flashed. A swarm of Escalla's magic bees blasted into leaping spiders, hammering them apart mid flight. Tentacles blasted up from the floor and seized hold of Recca. Water splashed and spellfire came from a dozen directions all at once.
Caught mid-run, Escalla looked wildly at Lolth as great bolts of blue liquid gouted through the air toward her. Escalla screamed in victory, her cry turned to a howl of despair as Lolth teleported away an instant before the blue waters crashed home. Escalla slid to the portable hole, plunged her horn into the blue liquid and felt it sucking in a titanic draft.
She whirled, ready to fight, and saw a vast shape looming over her. Lolth lashed out with one leg and smashed into Escalla. The faerie went cartwheeling away, the magic horn flying from her gasp.
Lolth pursued Escalla as the little faerie crashed against a wall.
"You pathetic little gnat! I'll make you scream for all eternity!"
Morag tried to attack but was smashed aside. Escalla looked wildly about for the magic horn. It lay ten yards away. She sprinted for it, but a wall of flames shot up in her path. Escalla skidded away in panic, backpedaling across the floor as the vast spider, fangs bared, towered over her.
"Morag! Die!" The spider queen hissed in hate. She began to speak the snake-girl's secret name but had only managed the first syllable when she staggered sideways, blood flying from her side. The spider screamed, her titanic body rocking as something smashed with the force of a meteor.
A huge bellow shook the hall. The Justicar, his wounds healed by the magical blue waters, stood sheathed in blood, massive and wild with anger, as he ripped Benelux from the demon queen's shell. The titanic spider turned, and Jus chopped into one of her legs, hacking through the carapace to tear the limb free. Lolth screamed out a charm spell, but it spattered harmlessly from the counter spell of Jus's magic ring. Lolth recoiled backward and opened fire with a magic missile storm.
Red fire darts blasted at the Justicar. The big man roared and moved his sword in a blur. Glowing darts hit, spun, and ricocheted. Others stabbed home, ripping his armor of dragon hide and spraying blood across the floor, but the ranger stood his ground. Morag attacked from behind Lolth, cutting in a frenzy with her swords. She drew blood, and Lolth stabbed out another spell. A huge shockwave hit Morag and flung her against the ceiling. The snake-woman crashed to the deck, stunned and immobile.
Escalla flung herself at one of Lolth's feet and tried to climb up the demon. She planned to turn into a lamprey and gnaw through the demon's guts. Lolth stamped, kicking out her leg and throwing the faerie off. The Justicar ran at her. She turned, fired web from her spinnerets, and almost drowned the human in an avalanche of strands. Escalla flew free, rolling as she fell, the breath driven out of her as she tumbled like a ball across the floor. Bleeding, she managed to lift her head as Lolth reared over her prey.
With a flash, Lolth shapeshifted back to her dark-elven form. Mad wild with the ecstasy of victory, the demon queen paced past Morag, Henry, and Polk-past dead Enid and the trapped Justicar. She advanced on the faerie, panting with a lust for blood.
"No fast talk, Escalla? No clever little plans?" Magic crackled about Lolth's hands as she prepared to inflict an eternity of agony. "Nothing to stop me killing you?" The goddess lifted her hands and gave a hiss of victory. "Has anyone got anything cute they'd like to say?"
Yes.
The voice came from behind. Lolth whirled, horror in her eyes, and a jet of blue fluid blasted into her chest. The goddess screamed, flesh boiling away, the blue water eating like acid into her face and arms.
Cinders lay on the floor before her, the magic horn gripped in his teeth, grinning like a mad thing as he hosed holy water all over his enemy. He humped through the flame barrier like a caterpillar, gleefully charging to the attack.
The blue water ran out. Cinders looked at his friends, wagged his tail, and champed the magic horn in his fangs.
Cinders fetch!
The Justicar ripped free of the webs that held him, Benelux brilliant white in his hand, just as Lolth teleported away. Escalla dived, snatched Cinders and the portable hole, and swarmed onto Morag. She shook the tanar'ri until her teeth rattled, and suddenly Morag came to her senses.