Despite being bound hand and foot, Mommamose managed to lunge at one of the draconians, trying to wield a gully dwarf's favorite weapon-her teeth. The kapak leaped back to avoid those flashing yellow incisors, then brought his mailed fist crashing down on her head. She slumped to the floor.
A door slammed as Lady Alya stalked into the room. She paced before the throne of Iulus, cracking her knuckles in impatience. Finally, Iulus spoke, gesturing to a pillow on the floor beside his throne. "Lady Alya, please relax and take a seat," he said in honeyed tones.
"I can't relax," she snapped. "Hasn't it occurred to you that if they have sent Knights here, then they must know of our whereabouts!"
"If they know so much then, why bother to try to rescue a gully dwarf?" Iulus crooned. "Perhaps they do not yet know how Gunthar died. If they did, the gully dwarf would be useless to them."
"Maybe useless to you, but not to us," Jessica spat.
"See there," Alya said scornfully. "I told you so. They have come because it is the right thing to do." She moved quickly to stand before Jessica. "You know everything, don't you? You're here purely for the sake of honor, aren't you?"
"I am only following orders," Jessica answered defiantly.
With a scream of rage Alya cuffed her with an iron gauntlet. Jessica crumpled to the floor.
"Lady Alya!" Iulus said.
Ellinghad spat the last of the magical webbing from his mouth. "If I were free, I'd make you regret that," he growled.
"Is that so?" she smiled as she brought her knee smashing into his stomach. He gasped and fell to the floor.
"Lady Alya!" Iulus shouted. "Restrain yourself."
"What does it matter? They'll be dead shortly," she said sulkily as she crossed to the throne and flopped onto a pillow.
"The gully dwarves, yes, but these two are much too valuable to be killed right away," Iulus said. "They'll bring a fine ransom, even though I regret not being able to keep the female for my own purposes."
"No ransom!" Alya exclaimed. "They are to be executed at once! They are too dangerous." She climbed to her feet and addressed one of the draconian guards. "Where is General Zen? He should be back with Valian by now."
"This is my domain, Lady Alya," Iulus snarled. "I don't take orders from the Knights of Takhisis. You are my guest, and these are my prisoners. I'll do with them as I like."
"You should listen to her, my master," said a voice from the doorway. "She is right. You have grown too greedy with all this talk of 'ransom.' "
Alya spun to find Lady Meredith standing in the doorway. "Zen! Where is Valian? Didn't you find him?"
Zen edged into the room, arms raised in surrender. Behind him, the dark elf warily crept, his sword poised to strike.
"I am right here, Lady Alya Starblade," he sneered.
Glabella peered around the doorpost. When she saw Uhoh lying on the floor, a whimper escaped her lips.
"Valian, my old friend," Alya smiled. "I was very surprised to learn you were part of this… rabble. I thought you were above this sort of thing."
"I came here for one thing, my lady," Valian said.
"And that is?" she asked as she edged toward the throne.
"Justice. You and Tohr have disgraced the Knights of Takhisis with your dishonorable schemes. I missed my chance at Tohr, but I shall not let you escape so easily." With a snarl, he shoved the sivak to the wall and charged his former leader.
General Zen caught himself before his head smashed into the stone wall. He rose and turned, shaking off the human form of Lady Meredith, just as Valian and Alya's swords clashed. He stood back and solemnly watched developments. Grand Master Iulus, it seemed, was also content to wait and see how things turned out, a hideous grin on his wizened, reptilian face.
The battle between the Knights of Takhisis seesawed back and forth before the throne. Alya gave way before Valian's superior strength, then counterattacked, putting him on his heels. As the fight grew close to the bound prisoners, Jessica gathered her wits and found Glabella near at hand.
"Glabella," she whispered.
The gully dwarf turned, her filthy face streaked with tears.
"See if you can reach my dagger. Cut our bonds," Jessica said.
"Hurry, Glabella!" Ellinghad whispered.
Hesitantly, with a glance at the Grand Master of the draconians, she crept to Jessica's side and felt for the dagger. With a smile, she freed it from the webs and began to cut away at the sticky cords binding Jessica's arms.
She didn't get far before a huge silver claw grasped Glabella by the arm and snatched her into the air. Zen wrenched the dagger from her fist, then tossed her aside. He looked down at the helpless Knights, then glanced up at his master. Iulus, greedy for the sight of blood, still watched the battle.
Jessica, sensing the sivak's next move, closed her eyes. "Make it quick and merciful," she whispered.
"My last act as a Knight of Solamnia," answered Lady Meredith's voice.
Jessica's eyes flew open, but it was still the sivak, hovering over her. Only, something was different, something about the eyes. There was no mistaking: They were the soft blue eyes of Lady Meredith Turningdale.
The sivak smiled, showing his fangs, and lifted Sir Ellinghad to his feet. With one swooping move, he cut the webs from the Knight's arms. Ellinghad struggled free and drew his sword.
"Zen!" Iulus shouted, noticing them at last.
"You have grown soft, my master," Zen said. "Let's see how you fare against a real opponent."
He rolled Jessica over and cut loose her bonds, then dropped the dagger beside her.
"Fare thee well, Lady Knight," he said in Meredith's voice, then the look of her old comrade was gone. Cold black orbs stared back at her.
Zen turned and strode from the room, motioning for the guards to follow him. Reluctantly, they obeyed.
Alya and Valian circled each other, seeking some weakness, some mistake, probing, feinting. Valian was slowly growing weary, while Alya wasn't even breathing hard. Blood seeped through Valian's bandages and onto his sword hand, making the hilt slippery and hard to hold.
Out of the corner of his eye, Valian saw Ellinghad streak past. That one moment of distraction was all Alya needed. Lunging quickly, she caught Valian's blade, then with a deft flip, sent it spinning through the air.
He stepped back, his arms raised.
"Justice is what you make of it, my old friend," Alya said as she raised her sword above her head.
Ellinghad drew his sword and kissed the hilt. Across from him, the Grand Master of draconian assassins sat in his golden throne, eyeing the Knight with contempt. Ellinghad shouted, "For Gunthar!" and charged. Iulus sat unmoving, but his chest swelled as though preparing for the blow.
All of a sudden, his head shot forward and his mouth gaped open, and a cloud of noxious gas poured forth. Ellinghad charged into it, unmindful, but the fumes robbed his legs of their strength. He stumbled and fell, his sword slipping from his grasp. He couldn't breath. He gagged. A shadow loomed above him. He looked up, blinking through the haze of his own tears. Iulus leered down at him, pointed and spoke a single word. Magical energy burst against his skull.
Jessica's only thought was to pull Uhoh to safety. The other Knights could take care of themselves. It was her job to rescue the gully dwarves.
Grabbing Uhoh by his arms, she dragged him to the door, then returned for Mommamose, only to find Glabella had already freed the Highbulp. The two were huddled over something and arguing. Mommamose clutched a thin wand of amber, which Glabella tugged at from one end.
"It mine!" Mommamose snarled.
"I find it at Town. I bring it here. It mine," Glabella responded.