A tapestry, a magical tapestry—she almost reached out to touch it, and then stopped herself.
A Transporting Tapestry! That was what it must be! Shuddering, she drew back. She had spied on wizards as they spoke of such things. A Transporting Tapestry—and one that, by the look of it, would deliver her directly into a prison cell somewhere. The room in the picture had no doors, no windows; in one of the rear corners was an opening that might have been a passageway, or might just have been a niche, perhaps where a cot or privy might be.
They had wanted her to plunge right into it, after Lady Sarai— and she almost had!
If she had, of course, they would have had some way to get Lady Sarai out, leaving Tabaea trapped there forever as her punishment for killing their Guildmaster Serem. That would be their revenge—not merely death, but perpetual imprisonment. Perhaps they had other plans for her, as well.
Well, she wasn’t going to fall for their tricks. She turned and marched away, back up the corridor.
And then, as she remembered that Lady Sarai still had the Black Dagger, and that Lady Sarai had just dived headlong into a wizard’s tapestry and was therefore back in contact with the Wizards’ Guild, and that the Wizards’ Guild surely wanted to kill her for what she had done, she began to run.
“I abdicate!” she called as she ran, hoping that someone was listening. “I abdicate! I give up!”
Maybe, she thought, just maybe, if she escaped quickly enough by another door, she could still hide, could find somewhere even wizards couldn’t get her.
But she doubted it.
“I think they’re coming this way,” Karanissa shouted. “They’re still on the stairs, but Sarai wants to come here. And Tabaea’s gaining on her, she’s much faster. Quick, Tobas, do something!”
“Do what!” the wizard asked. “I didn’t bring anything but the tapestry!” He looked around helplessly. Teneria and the warlocks were off to one side; Teneria and Vengar were once again working at repairing Thurin’s wound, but the situation was no longer desperate, and Thurin was conscious and watching.
None of them were making any suggestions.
“Well, then do something with the tapestry!” Karanissa called. “Set it up somewhere Tabaea will run into it!”
Tobas hesitated, then said, “All right, give me a hand with it, will you?” He hurried to the wagon.
A moment later, carefully holding the tapestry by the supporting bar and not allowing themselves to touch any part of the fabric, Tobas and Karanissa had the hanging unrolled, and up against the wall beside the door.
Passersby were staring, but no one interfered. This was clearly either the work of magicians or Tabaea’s followers, and no one wanted trouble with either group.
“How do we get her into it?” Tobas asked.
“Put it across the door,” Teneria called. “Then she’ll run right into it.”
“But Sarai will run into it first,” Karanissa objected.
Teneria pointed out, “Well, at least she’ll get away, then— and with the dagger.” Karanissa looked at Tobas, who shrugged. “All right,” the witch said, “let’s do it.” She swung her end around, and a few seconds later they draped the tapestry across the open doorway.
Vengar, using warlockry, helped them to raise it until it hung perfectly smooth and unwrinkled—the spell might not work if the fabric wasn’t smooth.
“Now what?” Tobas said. “Do you think we could lift it while Sarai dives underneath, and then drop it back before Tabaea could stop?”
“I don’t...” Karanissa began. Then, as the sound of desperately running footsteps suddenly became audible, drew near, and vanished, all in a few seconds, she said, “No.”
“What happened?” Tobas asked.
“Sarai hit the tapestry. She’s gone.” “What about Tabaea?”
“Stopped in time.”
“Then should we put it down?”
“No!” Teneria called. “If we do, she might come out here and attack us!”
Karanissa nodded confirmation, and for a long moment she and Tobas stood absolutely still, holding the tapestry up against the palace door.
Then, at last, they heard retreating footsteps; cautiously, Tobas began to lower the rod, just in time to let them all hear Tabaea shrieking, “I abdicate! I abdicate! I give up! Just leave me alone!”
Karanissa lowered her end, too. “Now what?” she asked.
“Well, if she’s serious, we just forget about her for now,” Tobas said. “We have to deal with the Seething Death.”
“What about Lady Sarai?”
“Oh, damn.” Tobas frowned. “That’s right, she doesn’t know where she is. She’s probably terrified. Someone had better go after her and bring her home.”
“I’ll go,” Karanissa said. “After all, I know the way.”
Reluctantly, Tobas nodded. “You’re right. You go.” He beckoned for Vengar to come hold the other side of the tapestry while Karanissa stepped into it.
Wizard and warlock supported the hanging, one on either side, while the witch stepped up and put her hand on it. Nothing happened.
“She must still be in the room,” Karanissa said. “It won’t work while she’s in the part that’s in the picture.”
“That’s it, of course,” Tobas agreed. “I guess we’ll just have to wait until she finds the passage, or wanders into one of the back corners.”
He and Vengar stood patiently for a moment, while Karanissa kept her hand on the fabric. “I’m getting tired of holding this,” Tobas said. “Maybe we should put it aside for now and see if we can do something about the Seething Death, and then try again later.”
Karanissa, her hand still on the tapestry, started to say something—and just then, she vanished.
Karanissa found herself standing in complete darkness, and the silence was startling after the constant hum of the city. She stepped forward and peered into the gloom, trying to make out whether Sarai was anywhere nearby. “Sarai?” she called. “Are you there? Damn it all, I forgot we’d need a light.”
No one answered; Karanissa frowned. Maybe Sarai had already found the corridor out to the rest of the castle.
“Are you in the passage?” the witch called. “Did you find it? Sarai, it’s me, Karanissa!” “I’m here,” Sarai’s voice replied. Karanissa still couldn’t tell where it was coming from, though.
Well, she was a witch; she could do something about that. She raised her hand and concentrated.
The hand began to glow, a weak orange witch-light. At first, Karanissa saw only the bare stone walls of the arrival chamber, but then Lady Sarai, crawling on hands and knees, backed into the room from the passageway out, and turned to look up at her. “Karanissa,” the Ethsharitic noblewoman asked plaintively, “where ore we?”
“In the mountains between Aigoa and Dwomor,” Karanissa answered. “In a secret room in a castle that Tobas and I own.” “What!? ” Sarai shrieked, as she turned to a sitting position. “We’re in the Small Kingdoms! A hundred leagues away?”
“Not much more than eighty, by my best estimate,” Karanissa corrected her. “But yes, we’re in the Small Kingdoms. I came after you to show you the way back. Now, can we get out of here, please? This light’s very tiring, and there isn’t much to eat around here.”
“Yes! Where? Where’s the door?” She was almost pathetically eager—but then, Karanissa could understand that.