by T. H. Lain
"Look out!" Regdar shouted uselessly, pulling his sword from its sheath and trying to roll away from the swooping carpet, but he stumbled in his heavy armor and had to catch himself to keep from falling.
The old gnoll fired its second arrow at the azer, but Gurn dived behind the throne and the shaft broke against the wall. Krusk hesitated for a moment, then forced himself to toss the key under the throne. Sweeping out his axe, he returned the gnoll's war cry with a bellow of his own and sprang into battle.
Naull cursed as she fumbled with her new wand. Krusk was almost on top of the blackguard by the time she could aim and the explosion could crisp the half-orc along with the invaders if she spoke the command word. With her free hand she tried to find something in her component pouches that might prove useful, but she'd cast most of her best spells down in the cavern. The rest of her arsenal wouldn't prove more than a moment's annoyance to the blackguard.
Meanwhile, Regdar finished righting himself and Alhandra recovered from her surprise. The two followed Krusk into the fray. The older gnoll dropped its bow and leaped from the carpet just as Alhandra stabbed up at it with her sword. The blade tore the edge of the carpet but missed the gnoll. The humanoid drew its axe and circled around, trying to put the paladin between itself and its leader.
Regdar and the leader squared off near the white wall at the center of the room. The gnoll leader snarled and Regdar nearly growled himself. So intent was the fighter on the gnoll's two weapons that he failed to notice the black knight. After the older gnoll had jumped, she twisted the carpet around and leaped down lightly—amazingly lightly, considering her armor—behind the fighter. As the uncontrolled carpet fluttered down between the knight and Krusk, she moved to strike Regdar in the back.
Krusk bellowed, slashing with his greataxe around the fabric. He missed, but his shout of anger alerted Regdar and the fighter spun just in time to parry with his new sword. The two weapons rang and dark light from the blackguard's blade contrasted with the flaming walls. The black knight moved in to bind, and when the blades locked at the hilt, she pushed Regdar back toward the gnoll leader, laughing as she did so.
But Regdar refused to give much ground. He allowed the black knight to make him take one step back but just as it appeared he'd fall to the waiting gnoll leader's attack, Regdar pressed a small gem on the hilt of his bastard sword. The blade burst into flame and the blackguard sprang back, cursing. The flame singed her long hair but otherwise she appeared unhurt. One wave of the flaming brand made the gnoll spring away and Regdar turned back to the armored woman.
"I'll make you pay for that, filth!" she cried out in anger.
The old gnoll dueling with Alhandra was still hurting from the ambush, but it seemed to have a lifetime of dirty tricks to draw on. It feinted and circled, panting, trying to entice its fresher opponent into an unwary strike. Alhandra desperately wanted to dispatch this creature with the gray snout and help Regdar, but she let her training take over. She kept her impatience in check and did not charge as the gnoll expected. Indeed, the old gnoll took the paladin's hesitation for fear and its tongue lolled in anticipation. Springing forward suddenly, it brought its two-handed axe down in a smashing blow.
The attack was just what Alhandra was waiting for. At the last moment, she leaned to her right and let the axe hammer against her shield. Instead of an arm-jarring blow, however, the axe blade slid down the finely-worked metal and the gnoll stumbled. Alhandra slashed quickly at the humanaid's side. With a choking cry, the creature dropped its axe and fell to the floor. Dark blood poured out to spread in an almost invisible pool against the lava-colored floor. The paladin looked around for her true foe.
Seeing Kark fall beneath the paladin's blade, Grawltak felt a howl of grief rise in his throat, but he refused to let it out. He had the half-orc backed up against the Opal Throne and the barbarian's raging blows could not get past Grawltak's two weapons. As the half-orc surged forward again, Grawltak swept his hooked scimitar low and wide. The spike caught the half-orc just above the ankle. With a tug, Grawltak used the hook to trip him, then sprang back as the barbarian's awkward blow bit into the floor. The gnoll then hurled his hand axe at the half-orc and the missile sliced into the patchwork mail protecting the surprised barbarian's shoulder. The blade cut deep into gray flesh. Stepping forward, Grawltak stabbed at the barbarian who parried the blow with a wild swing and scrambled away.
Naull was the only one of the companions standing near the Opal Throne. She rushed to the azer's side and saw he'd already drawn the arrow from his chest and looked remarkably unhurt.
"Where is the key?" he asked.
Naull got on her hands and knees. She had seen Krusk toss it under the throne and it took only a few moments of blind fumbling for her to find it with her fingertips. The flickering flames made the disk hard for her to grasp, but the wizard managed to draw it toward her an inch at a time.
A howl of anger and pain distracted her. Looking up, Naull nearly screamed when she saw the blackguard, her face a mask of hate and triumph, standing over Regdar. He knelt before her, his flaming sword gripped loosely in one hand and his other arm wrapped around his belly. Blood flowed freely as he looked up at his foe. She raised her sword and laughed. When the fighter turned away from the blow, his eyes met Naull's.
"Regdar," Naull whispered in anguish.
His eyes held pain and despair but she saw something else there, too; something soft that they shared, but never had time to talk about.
Naull's right hand found a spell pouch and she pointed at the blackguard. She spat the command word and a thin, icy beam shot out and struck the black knight in her armored side. A small, white button of frost appeared on the woman's torso.
The blackguard didn't even notice. The sword came down.
Before the blow could land, before Naull could close her eyes, a gleaming shape streaked up from behind the blackguard. Silver arms wrapped around dark steel and both shapes crashed against the stone floor.
Alhandra had crossed the room in a flash, skirting past the gnoll leader and Krusk to tackle the blackguard from her blind side. They tumbled across the floor in a tangle of screeching metal.
The gnoll leader had seen the paladin dash by and tried to hook her with his curved blade, only to miss and curse its slowness. It cursed again for good measure when its mistress hit the floor. The gnoll stood momentarily alone, the only one in the room still on its feet, then it saw Naull lying beside the Opal Thone. Baring its teeth in a snarl of cruelty, the gnoll stepped toward the wizard.
If the gnoll leader saw Naull draw the red-tipped wand from her belt and point it just above its head, it showed no sign.
"Secrus!" she exclaimed, and the bead streaked out to a point barely above the gnoll's canine head.
When it exploded, the edge of the flame reached just short of Krusk and within inches of the bleeding Regdar, but its full fury engulfed the gnoll leader.
When the flames cleared moments later, only the gnoll's charred and crumbling corpse was left behind. Naull barely saw it as she struggled to her feet, so intent was she on reaching Regdar.
The wizard took one step, then two, then felt herself halt suddenly. It was as if something gripped her by the side. When Naull looked down, she wondered at the black steel jutting out from her midriff. Her eyes followed it to a hilt, and a black gauntlet, but pain clouded her vision before she could follow it farther. With a shudder, the wizard dropped her wand and heard it clatter against the blood-spattered floor.
"Well, that's about it, then," a voice said in her ear.
Naull struggled to turn her head and saw the blackguard's face only inches away. She fought to focus her mind and shut out the pain. In the throbbing haze, one corner of her mind noted how similar were this pale face framed with long, dark hair, and Alhandra's. Then her legs collapsed and she slid from the blade.
Lying on her side, Naull thought of Regdar and wondered if he still lived. She wondered, too, if the blackguard would place a foot on he
r chest as Alhandra had done to the gnoll in the street before delivering the final blow. Instead of feeling the black steel bite into her neck, however, she heard a clash of metal and a cry of pain. Turning her neck with a shudder, Naull saw Regdar swaying on his feet, his normally dark face pale from loss of blood. He staggered toward the black-armored woman, his flaming sword trailing sparks along the floor. Behind him, Alhandra struggled forward on one knee, hand outstretched. She seemed to be trying to say something, but when she opened her mouth, only blood sputtered forth.
The blackguard turned back from the grisly pair and looked down at Naull again.
"Give me that," she said coldly.
At first, the wizard didn't understand, then she looked at her hand that was pinned under her body and saw the fiery key hovering above it. She didn't know how it did that; perhaps its magic had been activated when she touched it beneath the throne. Either way, the blackguard wanted it, and for some reason she was waiting for Naull to give it to her.
The wizard didn't move at first, then the blackguard crouched down, reaching toward Naull's bloodstreaked hand.
With a desperate effort, Naull pushed away. She was surprised at the strength still in her arms. The pain in her midsection flared like icy blades and her body left a bloody smear on the floor where she passed. It hurt even more to use her legs, but dragging herself with only her arms was so slow. With despair she realized that she was only behind the throne, bare yards from where she started.
The blackguard's ebony gauntlet gripped her shoulder and Naull cried out weakly in shock. As the hand tugged her back, Naull gritted her teeth and threw the key away from her as far as she could.
It wasn't much of a throw. The key bounced and skittered like a flaming coal jumping out of a fireplace and came to rest about a dozen feet away. Naull heard the blackguard curse and felt the metal gauntlet smash against her ear.
"Fool!" the raven-haired woman spat in annoyance.
Standing over the fallen wizard she looked at the key and at the bleeding woman. Victory was in her grasp. Naull saw the blade glint above her face. Weakly she pawed at her spell pouches. She thought of Trebba spending her last breath to stab the orc lieutenant and desperately hoped she could find something that might save her companions.
The wizard's probing fingers found the small black bead taken from the orc lair. Naull hadn't fully identified it yet, but when she discerned its magical nature she knew it was an evocation spell of some sort. Now it was her only hope. She drew it out and threw it up at the blackguard and the raised sword.
The black bead struck the knight's armor with a small tink! For a brief instant, neither Naull nor the blackguard thought it would have any effect. Then with a roar of displaced air, the space around the two exploded.
Alhandra stumbled over to Regdar and the two lurched forward. Regdar collapsed just feet from the edge of the explosion and coughed blood. Reaching out with a mailed fist, he felt it stop against an invisible field of force.
Naull lay inside a bubble of force. Regdar couldn't tell whether she was alive or dead, but he saw her wound and kept trying to touch her. The force wall stopped him, and he sagged against it.
A warm lightness swelled up against his back and Regdar felt himself regaining some of his strength. He blinked and spat out blood. Turning, he saw Alhandra with blood on her chin as well. She was concentrating gravely as she put her hands on his back, and Regdar felt his wound healing.
She stopped almost immediately and while Regdar knew he was still hurt, he also knew he would live. Alhandra staggered to her feet and looked around. When she saw Krusk lying to one side with the azer tending his wound, she walked slowly toward him.
Regdar turned back to Naull.
A sword clashed against the force wall just as he put his hand up against it. Reflexively, the fighter jumped to his feet.
Inside the bubble of force stood the blackguard, the symbol of Hextor emblazoned in red upon her dark armor. She looked a little worse for wear, her face dark from bruises and her hair singed and tangled. She screamed angrily at Regdar and pounded futilely against the bubble. Regdar ignored her and looked down.
Naull lay at the blackguard's feet. He thought she was unconscious—he even hoped she was unconscious—but then she turned her face toward him and he almost looked away. Her features were scorched and bloody and one eye looked as if it might be damaged beyond normal healing. She reached up and put her hand against the bubble.
"Naull..." Regdar said, pressing his hand to the wall near hers.
The wizard coughed bubbles of blood.
"Got her ..." she said, and smiled grotesquely.
The blackguard cursed but they both ignored her.
"Are you...?" Regdar didn't complete the question. "How did you ...?" He gestured.
"Bead of force," she answered feebly. "Figured it had to be something. Didn't think it would be this good." She smiled weakly, then coughed again and said, "Get the key."
Regdar didn't move. Alhandra stood behind him, however, looking a little better. She felt her way around the invisible bubble to the flaming key. The paladin picked it up and brought it back, then showed it to Naull, who smiled again.
The blackguard's eyes lit up. She brandished her sword and pointed its dark tip at Naull's chest. The wizard didn't react.
"That's it, little sister," the blackguard taunted, holding the sword in one hand and beckoning with the other. "Give me the key, and I will spare your friend. I can heal her, you know."
Alhandra hesitated.
"Can she?" Regdar asked. His voice sounded hollow.
The paladin looked at Naull, then the floor, then back at Regdar, and said, "Not like I do. If she ever served a power of light, Hextor has perverted her ability. He grants the power to destroy, not to heal others."
Alhandra locked gazes with the blackguard.
"Oh?" The blackguard sneered. She tossed her head back and laughed cruelly. Pulling out a short, stoppered bottle, she dangled it in front of the paladin. "Even a servant of Hextor can pour a potion down a girl's throat."
"Alhandra—" Regdar said, pleading.
The paladin nodded, defeated. She held up the key and they watched as a smile grew on the blackguard's face.
"No," coughed Naull, spitting more blood. Regdar saw that she was weakening quickly. Whatever was keeping her conscious was killing her as well. "No, Regdar, you mustn't. She'll kill us all. You don't have much time."
Krusk and the azer joined them. The half-orc pressed his hand against the bubble and tears rolled down his gray cheeks. Naull looked up at him and tried to smile but the pain was too great. She only grimaced.
Gurn said solemnly, "She is correct. I have prepared the throne, but the ritual is fading. If we do not complete it and place the key in its spot, we cannot try again for at least another day."
"Naull," Regdar started to say, but she shook her head. Her eyes were open and clear. Refusing to look away from his partner, Regdar nodded. "All right. Do it."
Ignoring the blackguard's threats and curses, Alhandra handed the key to Krusk and Gurn told the half-orc to sit in the chair.
"Put your right hand here and hold the key with your left," he said.
Alhandra and Regdar stayed at the edge of the bubble. Regdar knelt there, his hand covering Naull's and his eyes shining with grief. The expression exchanged between Alhandra and the blackguard was pure hatred.
"I will kill you for this, little sister," the blackguard spat at her. "I have marked you, paladin of Heironeous, and I will find you again. As Hextor has sworn eternal hatred for his loathsome brother, I swear my hatred for you!"
"likewise," the paladin replied coolly.
Naull looked to be unconscious, but she still breathed shallowly. Regdar said her name quietly as the azer and Krusk began the last element of the ritual. The blackguard turned away from Alhandra and looked down at the pair, contempt plain on her features.
"As for her..." the black knight purred.
&nbs
p; Regdar looked up at her sharply. His eyes met the blackguard's and she looked amused at his rage.
"This bubble won't hold me forever, and I'll have her for company in the meantime."
Regdar stood and brandished his sword. If he was about to make a threat, however, Gurn interrupted it. "Now!" the azer yelled, and Regdar turned just in time to see Krusk slam the flaming key against the Opal Throne.
The entire tower bucked. Alhandra barely kept her feet and Regdar didn't, falling back against the bubble of force, then landing heavily on the stone floor. He peered into the bubble trying to see Naull's face again but the quake turned her body away from his.
Scrambling to his feet he shouted, "What's happening?"
Krusk stood up from the throne as Gurn answered, "The gates are being closed and the city will return to fire. Secrustia Nar is no more."
Gurn looked both sad and relieved when he said this, but Regdar reacted with alarm.
"What about them?"
He turned back to the bubble as the ground shook again. A crack appeared in the white wall and he felt the temperature rapidly rising.
"No time!" Alhandra shouted. "We have to leave!"
With an anguished look back at the bubble, Regdar let Krusk drag him away. The blackguard, rather than looking afraid for her life or even angry that her scheme was thwarted, looked at him with that same smile of taunting satisfaction she'd shown moments before. She knelt by Naull's side and said something, but Regdar couldn't hear over the thunder around him.
"Listen!" the azer said. The harshness of Gum's voice jarred Regdar out of his reverie and he looked at the fiery dwarf. "My mephit servants—they should be able to get you back to the street, but then you must run for the gate. There isn't much time. I'm sorry for your friend; I did not think the collapse would happen so quickly."
Regdar wanted to argue, but another rumble interrupted him. More cracks appeared in the white wall and the floors. A mephit, followed by a dozen more, swirled up around him. He felt himself lifted off the ground then he landed heavily again. He swatted at the azer's servants and growled.