Crown of Fire - Ed Greenwood [75]
Narm threw something into the fallen lantern's flames to make them blaze like a bonfire. By its leaping firelight, he spotted the gargoyles. With one hand, he caught Shandril's arm and dragged her around to see this new danger. Small bolts of light streamed from his other hand, but the monster ignored them as it plunged toward the human maid, claws reaching out to rend and slay.
Shandril turned in time to stare into red, baleful eyes close enough to touch easily with her fingertips.
Startled, she screamed-spitting spellfire into the face of the thing as it crashed into her, slashing with cruel claws. She screamed again. Spellfire suddenly exploded into a bright ball around her that made Narm stagger back-and the gargoyle disappear forever.
In the wake of her fire-burst, Shandril lay dazed, smoke drifting from her torn clothing. Where the gargoyle's claws had slashed her, ribbons of blood glowed briefly with the came radiance as spellfire, and then faded.
On the trampled grass nearby lay Narm, groaning and clutching at his eyes. The burst of flame must have blinded him, at least for now.
Delg cursed as he ran toward them both. He saw the second gargoyle flying in for the kill. sinuous stone wings beating as it stretched out long-clawed limbs. With a last, desperate hound, Delg leapt at it It sensed him, and slid aside with frightening speed. Delg found himself about to pitch over its moving body, but he hooked his axe around one of its wings. The shock as he was brought up hard against a stony flank a moment later told him he'd succeeded. The gargoyle had crashed to the ground.
The dwarf kicked and scrabbled against living stone for a few frantic moments, then got to where he'd hoped to be: crouched low astride the back of the gargoyle, with a firm grip on the root of one wing. He raised his axe to hack and hew.
The gargoyle charged at Shandril-and with jarring force Delg brought his axe down on the side and top of its head. Stone chips flew. Beneath him, the monster shook and screamed. It tried to stand up, stony muscles surging-and Delg hacked at it again, putting his whole shoulder behind the blow. Sparks flew from the striking edge of his axe, and the gargoyle shuddered. A good part of its shoulder broke off and fell away-and a maddened instant later, the thing and Delg were both aloft. The beast whirled, buffeting Delg with stony wings, trying to shake him off.
At the stars overhead, Delg snarled, "For the glory of the Ironstars!" and brought his axe crashing down again. The unwilling mount of living stone he rode plunged earthward with terrifying speed.
Rocks rushed up to meet him like hungry teeth. Delg clung to the gargoyle, hacking desperately. Air roared past him in an angry wind-and at the last instant, the gargoyle twisted aside and shook itself, tearing his fingers free.
The impact of the stone, smashing through his chest and guts like a great fist, drove the breath from him, and his axe spun away like a hurled hammer. Delg scarce heard the despairing cry of the Zhentilar it happened to strike, for he himself hung impaled on stone.
Stone-always his friend, something he could work to his bidding, and trust, something solid and dependable.
As if from a great distance, Delg Ironstar heard the voice of one of the elders, telling him long ago-so long ago-From stone we come, to stone we return, in the end.
He looked out as the shattering pain rose to choke him, and he saw Shandril's eyes blazing with grief and shock as she screamed his name. She was running toward him through the fray. Dying, Delg of the dwarves of Mintarn Mountain, Harper, and Shield-Son of Clan Ironstar, wondered if the young lass he'd come to love so much would reach him in time.
Chapter 11
TOO LITTLE TIME, TOO MUCH
DEATH
Splendid, heroic deaths? Only in tales, ballads, and books, kitten. Death in battle is always brutal, painful. and messy-and there's never