Baldur's gate II_ throne of Bhaal - Drew Karpyshyn [72]
The higher he climbed, the more difficult the trial became. The atmosphere grew thin, and Abdel found himself gasping for breath. The cold air of the mountain's upper reaches chilled his limbs, making them stiff and heavy. A sheen of icy frost coated everything, seeping into the crevices he used to pull himself along and making his grip slip and slide.
When he finally slung his leg up over the ledge of the plateau at the summit, the sun was at its zenith. The climb had taken him well over three hours, time Abdel was afraid he couldn't spare. Determined as he was to rescue Jaheira, he had no illusions about what would happen if all the dragons returned at once to find him atop their mountain lair. He had barely survived an encounter with a single of the winged monsters-a dozen would shred him to bits.
In the center of the plateau was a great, gaping hole-an entrance to the miles of passages, caves, and caverns descending deep into the mountain's heart. Somewhere in the rock labyrinth, Abdel prayed, he would find Jaheira.
He drew his heavy broadsword from the sheath on his back and marched toward the cavern's entrance. Before he reached his destination, a single figure emerged from the pit and stood to face him.
The thing was shaped like a man, but its skin was patched with multicolored scales. Its head was smooth and hairless, its eyes reptilian in appearance.
"I did not expect you ssso sssoon," it hissed, a serpentine tongue flicking from its mouth as it spoke. "Even now my petsss are out hunting for you in the plainsss to the north."
"I have come for Jaheira," Abdel said, brandishing his sword as he bargained for his lover. "Return her to me and I will leave."
"Your lover isss no more," the monster hissed at him. "I sssaw her lassst breath myssself."
The lizard thing laughed, and Abdel could no longer deny the awful truth. Jaheira was dead. Numb with grief, he could only shake his head in helpless denial. Images of her grisly end came unbidden to his mind, spurred on by the memory of his last image of Jaheira writhing in the dragon's grasp.
In his mind's eye he could see her beautiful features twisted in relentless agony as she was crushed within the dragon's ruthless grip, her bones snapping like kindling. He imagined her head thrown back in a soundless scream as one of the beast's savage talons pierced her armor and chest, impaling her frail body even as she was frozen by the icy winds of the dragon's flight.
"No!" Abdel screamed, his mind desperately scrambling to find some small sliver of hope. "No! I will not accept this!" He remembered this pain. He had thought Jaheira lost to him once before, but she had been brought back to life by the clerics of Gond Wonderbringer.
"Give her to me! She may yet be saved!"
Abazigal sneered, his reptilian lips curling into a disdainful sneer. "What makesss you think I will lisssten to your pleasss?"
Abdel knew how ludicrous his request seemed. He understood the lunacy of begging his mortal enemy for the life of his lover, but he didn't care anymore. All he wanted was Jaheira back.
"I will give you anything," Abdel promised, his voice wild. "My essence, my spirit, my soul… anything!"
The only response was a scornful hiss. "Ssshe isss gone, fool! Her blood-soaked, broken body gasssped itsss lassst as my pet dropped her at my feet, as an offering for my approval.
"Ssshe sssuffered, Abdel," Abazigal whispered, his voice dripping venom. "Ssshe died in pain. And then I gave her to my petsss. They ripped her apart and devoured her mangled corpssse pieccce by pieccce!"
"No!" Abdel's scream ripped the sky, the very mountain trembled beneath the fury of his outrage. Had he the words, he would have vowed a million excruciating deaths upon Abazigal to avenge his fallen lover. But words rarely came to Abdel. He was a man of actions.
"Your half-elf isss dead, Abdel Adrian," Abazigal replied mockingly. "Asss are you."
The creature's taloned hands began to weave the arcane patterns of sorcery in the air, and he began to recite the words of a spell. Abdel leaped toward the monster,