Black wizards - Douglas Niles [120]
The luminescent fungi were common, so that much of the path was illuminated enough to allow them to travel safely. In those caverns where darkness reigned, Alexei simply pulled the glowing piece of wood from beneath his robe, and they carried their own light with them. In those instances, however, they had to slow somewhat – at full flying speed, they did not have time to avoid obstacles as they fell within the circle of light.
Tristan began to thoroughly enjoy the sensation of flight. He felt a freedom of movement he had never known before.
Sure enough, Alexei soon pulled up to hover before them. "We don't have much more time. The spell will only last for a few more minutes – I'd like to find the passage up before we're grounded!"
"Maybe we should land now to be safe" suggested Tristan.
But Alexei suddenly cried out in glee. "There – that's what I was looking for!"
He dove through a narrow portion of cave, brandishing his light before him. Tristan and Daryth followed, pausing at the base of a long shaft. They might have been in the bottom of a gigantic well.
"Hurry!" urged Alexei. The mage immediately started to fly straight up.
Tristan and Daryth followed. They ascended a smooth-sided shaft, perhaps fifty feet in diameter. The cave that had given them access to the base of the shaft seemed, thus far, to be the only entrance. There was not even a ledge they could have landed on along the cylindrical sides.
If the spell wore off while they were here, there was nothing to prevent them from falling many hundreds of feet to the rocks below. Tristan hoped that Alexei knew what he was doing.
On the other hand, they climbed rapidly – far faster than they could have done on foot, and every inch they ascended took them closer to the world of sunlight.
"Here – we're nearing the top," said the mage. In a moment, he swerved to the side of the shaft and came to rest upon a broad shelf of smooth stone. The edge of the shelf was marked by hanging columns of stones; they looked like icicles, or, in a more sinister vein, like the drooling fangs of a supernatural beast.
Daryth and Tristan quickly came to rest beside Alexei.
"We made it just in time," explained Alexei. "The spell could not have lasted much longer."
"Where are we?" asked Tristan.
"Some distance outside the walls of Callidyrr, I should say," ventured the wizard. "Though I don't know exactly where. These caves up here should allow us to emerge somewhere in the countryside of Alaron."
"We have a companion in Callidyrr!" objected Tristan. "We can't leave him there!"
"I'm sorry," responded Alexei, unmoved. "My objective was to get away from the city."
"Pawldo will be all right," said Daryth, apparently realizing there was no safe way back into the city.
Tristan was not convinced.
"The choice was not ours to make," persisted the magic user. "I never expected to find a community of duergar below the castle of the High King. They block our return via the underground route, anyway."
"What did you call them?" asked the prince.
"Duergar – the dark dwarves. They are the bane of the underdark. They're greedy and malicious, and they strive to enslave all the races that dwell beyond the reach of the sun. We are fortunate that we did not encounter a larger party of them, or we would not have escaped with our lives."
"But why would they be under Callidyrr?" asked Daryth. "Does this have something to do with Cyndre?"
"I am certain it does. He draws his allies from all who are evil and brutal – even those who live underground or underwater for that matter. Allied with him, the duergar can prevent any approach against the castle from below."
"From below?" Tristan was incredulous. "Who would try to move an army around down here?"
"We would."
The voice,