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Narm grinned. "I am but an evoker, lord. I have left one cantrip of little
use."
The words had scarcely left his lips when there was a great crash and a roar
of
moving rock. Suddenly, the world was falling down on them again.
She hurt all over. Why had none of the tales of adventure ever mentioned the
constant pain and discomfort? Shandril rolled over, slowly, feeling many
aches
and twinges. Stones must have fallen on her. Nothing seemed broken, thank the
gods. It was dark, and it felt as if she were somewhere underground. She
could
tell by the cold flash of the beljurils around her that she was still in the
dracolich's grotto. Where was Narm? Then a gem flashed nearby, and she saw a
hand inches from her own. Narm!
Helpless tears blinded her. The hand was cold, lifeless. Then another flash
of
the magical balhiir showed the hand black hair, thick fingers. It wasn't
Narm.
In relief and revulsion, she let go of the dead thing. Where to go? What to
do?
There was the faintest of scraping sounds to her left. Someone was moving
quietly over the stones. "Who's that?" Shandril demanded of the darkness,
feeling for her dagger. "What do you want?"
"Molesting you sounds good" a broken voice croaked at her elbow.
Shandril jumped, startled.
The voice took on a gentler, more human tone in the darkness. "Well met. I am
Tbrm, of the Knights of Myth Drannor. No noise now. It is best that no one
think
you still live. I will be your eyes and ears and hands until we can leave
this
trap. Wait here."
Shandril felt hope leap within her. She reached out only to feel rapidly
receding cloth. "Thanks to you, Tbrm. Why would you aid a stranger?"
The answering voice was fainter as it moved away. "I have a weakness for fair
ladies who reach for boot daggers and face the unknown. Now hush, and wait."
She sat down on the most comfortable stone she could find and composed
herself
to wait.
After a long time there was a stirring in the darkness.
"Tbrm?"
"Rauglothgor's spells search for us even now." Tbrrn whispered in her ear.
"Your
Narm lives and is unharmed. I will take you to him as soon as the dracolich
settles down. For now, we must abide here."
They both sat, and Shandril again felt the dead hand. "Tbrm, there's a dead
man
beside me." She took Tbrm's hand and guided it down in the darkness.
"Gods!" he hissed. "It must be Lanseril. Jhessail told me it was Lanseril
carrying you."
Tbrm slipped around her and Shandril heard him grunt in effort. He began
moving
rocks. "I'll help. If you roll the rocks to me, I can stop them here and you
won't have to carry them as far."
"Dangerous," she heard him hiss through set teeth.
Then, in a gem-flash, she saw another man crouching with a dagger. "An
enemy!"
she hissed.
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Behind her there was a sudden grunt and then a gurgling moan. Tbrm spoke
aloud,
"A dragon cultist, no doubt. Now quite dead. Now, Lady, I need you to help.
We
must get Lan-seril's body quickly. Never mind the noise; the time for quiet
is
past."
Tbrm handed Shandril a hooded lantern and slapped a dagger in her hand. He
moved
Lanseril's body onto his shoulder, and they moved quickly through the
boulders.
Their route rose and fell in the rubble. They heard the
sound of battle several times but never encountered an enemy.
Soon they saw torchlight, and a voice from beyond bawled out merrily, "Where
in
the Lady's name have ye been?"
"Around and about," Tbrm called back. "I found Shandril and she found
Lanseril,
but he needs help. Have you spells left?"
"Aye, if the accursed balhiir stays elsewhere," Rathan rumbled, striding
towards
them. Jhessail was at his back, and Merith, and Narm!
Wordlessly, Shandril rushed forward to embrace him, passing Tbrm like the
wind.
He smiled and said, "I raced back to tell you that some seventy riders are
coming up to the keep above us; dragon cult-ists, most likely. Shall we hit
them
with spells or take them by surprise down here?"
"No magic remains to us that we can trust," Florin told him grimly.
"Well" Tbrm grinned "I hadn't planned on dying of old age, anyway."
Shandril and Narm held each other, feeling that they could take on anything
as
long as they had each other to count on.
Ibrm tapped Narm on the shoulder. "If you ever find yourself tired and need
someone to stand in for you, just call my name."
The look he got made him roar with laughter. Somehow, Narm didn't see
anything
funny about the offer.
"The only place the few of us can defend against so many is that dead-end
where
Florin found you both. Let's move," Jhessail said.
The torches flickered as they hurried through the twisting tunnels in wary
silence. They saw no living creature. There was no sign of the balhiir.
Finally,
they reached the dead-end and readied their weapons. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]