Ascendancy of the Last - Lisa Smedman [50]
Eilistraee. Cavatina felt certain of it.
Meryl glanced into the shrine, at the two priestesses-then yelped and stepped back quickly as Qiluй snatched the goblet, spilling part of the clear liquid it held, and shut the door in the halfling's face.
Cavatina held her hand still. Leliana would be wondering why she hadn't signaled yet. Logically, now was the time to move, while the "imposter's" back was still turned.
Goblet in hand, Qiluй turned.
Leliana waited, her body tense.
Suddenly, Cavatina understood what the goddess wanted her to do. As Qiluй drank from the goblet, Cavatina whispered a hymn of detection. She finished it as Qiluй lowered the empty goblet. Cavatina saw the high priestess's aura brighten, returning to its usual gleaming silver-except for a faint dimple that was the scar on her wrist. She realized that it must have been holy water the high priestess had just drunk-and that it had done its work.
Cavatina shifted her whispered song. As she'd suspected, there was a dark purple aura surrounding the Crescent Blade. Wendonai was back inside it. Yet even as Cavatina watched, a thread of purple found its way back to the scar on Qiluй's wrist, and taint began to flow back into her.
So soon? Surely holy water would have a more lingering effect than that.
Unless it had been tainted by a dretch.
That hadn't been Meryl. The halfling would have reacted to Cavatina in some way, giving an inappropriate wave, or saying hello. This "Meryl" had simply given Cavatina a fiat, unrecognizing stare.
Cavatina needed to act-and quickly! This might be her only chance to banish Wendonai while he was still vulnerable, before he fully re-entered the high priestess. Yet she'd had no time to prepare. Wendonai was a balor-the most powerful demon of all. Cavatina would need something more than just her sword or holy symbol to…
Wait a moment! Her eyes fell on the sacred stone atop the pillar. Wendonai had been overly clever in bringing Cavatina and Leliana to the shrine. He'd placed the perfect tool for an exorcism within Cavatina's reach.
Cavatina's fingers flashed. Now!
Leliana swept up her sword and lunged, her weapon pealing its attack-a feint Qiluй met with a slash of the Crescent Blade. Their weapons met with a loud crash. Cavatina leaped for the sacred stone. She scooped it from the top of the pillar and hurled it, aiming at the sword in Qiluй's hand. "Begone, Wendonai!" she sang. "Return to-"
Silver fire filled the air with a flash of heat. Cavatina heard a crack-the sacred stone had struck the wall. A welter of fragments pattered onto the floor. Blinded by the aftereffects of the bright flash, she leaped forward, trying to locate Qiluй by feel.
A strident note wailed past her ear once, twice: Leliana's sword blade.
Cavatina ducked. "Leliana! Hold!"
The sword's singing halted.
Blinking against the streaks that obscured her vision, Cavatina fumbled for the door. Her hand encountered an utterly smooth surface: magic-fused stone-hot enough to scorch her fingertips. She yanked her hand back and sang a hymn, one that should have sent her into the corridor beyond. But Eilistraee didn't answer.
As the room swam into focus, she understood why. The stone door had been fused shut by Qiluй's silver fire. On top of that, the entire chamber was glowing. Bright green light sparkled from within the floor, ceiling, and walls: a magical barrier, just like the one Cavatina had seen when she'd been ethereal.
Qiluй had disappeared, and they were trapped.
Cavatina turned to Leliana. "The demon's escaped!"
"That was a demon? A demon took Qiluй's form?"
"Worse than that," Cavatina answered grimly. "That is Qiluй, but only partially. A balor is sharing her body."
"Eilistraee save us," Leliana whispered, her face paling to gray. Her singing sword let out a mournful peal. She looked around. "Why didn't it kill us?"
It was a good question. But Cavatina didn't have time to speculate. With an urgent whisper, she tried sending a warning to Rylla.
No answer came.
Cavatina tried contacting Horaldin-the