Dragons of Spring Dawning - Margaret Weis [151]
When it reaches my heart, I won’t feel it anymore, he told himself dreamily. I won’t feel anything.
Then he heard horns, blaring horns, brass horns. He had heard those horns before. Where? That’s right. It was in Tarsis, right before the dragons came.
And then the draconians that had been hanging on to him were gone, running frantically back down the corridor.
“Must be some sort of general alarm,” Tas thought, noticing with interest that his legs wouldn’t hold him up anymore. He slid down to the floor, down beside Tika. Reaching out a shaking hand, he gently stroked her pretty red curls, now matted with blood. Her face was white, her eyes closed.
“I’m sorry, Tika,” Tas said, his throat constricting. The pain was spreading quickly, his fingers and feet had gone numb. He couldn’t move them. “I’m sorry, Caramon. I tried, I truly tried—” Weeping quietly, Tas sat back against the door and waited for the darkness.
Tanis could not move and—for a moment, hearing Laurana’s heartbroken sob—he had no wish to move. If anything, he begged a merciful god to strike him dead as he knelt before the Dark Queen. But the gods granted him no such favor. The shadow lifted as the Queen’s attention shifted elsewhere, away from him. Tanis struggled to his feet, his face flushed with shame. He could not look at Laurana, he dared not even meet Kitiara’s eyes, knowing well the scorn he would see in their brown depths.
But Kitiara had more important matters on her mind. This was her moment of glory. Her plans were coming together. Thrusting out her hand, she caught Tanis in her strong grip as he was about to come forward to offer himself as escort to Laurana. Coldly, she shoved him backward and moved to stand in front of him.
“Finally, I wish to reward a servant of my own who helped me capture the elfwoman. Lord Soth has asked that he be granted the soul of this Lauralanthalasa, that he might thus gain his revenge over the elfwoman who—long ago—cast the curse upon him. If he be doomed to live in eternal darkness, then he asks that this elfwoman share his life within death.”
“No!” Laurana raised her head, fear and horror penetrating her numb senses. “No,” she repeated in a strangled voice.
Taking a step backward, she looked about her wildly for some escape, but it was impossible. Below her, the floor writhed with draconians, staring up at her eagerly. Choking in despair, she glanced once at Tanis. His face was dark and forbidding; he was not looking at her, but stared with burning eyes at the human woman. Already regretting her wretched outburst, Laurana determined that she would die before she gave way to any further weakness in front of either of them, ever again. Drawing herself up proudly, she lifted her head, in control once more.
Tanis did not even see Laurana. Kitiara’s words beat like blood in his head, clouding his vision and his thoughts. Furious, he took a step forward to stand near Kitiara. “You betrayed me!” he choked. “This was not part of the plan!”
“Hush!” ordered Kit in a low voice. “Or you will destroy everything!”
“What—”
“Shut up!” Kitiara snapped viciously.
Your gift pleases me well, Lord Kitiara. The dark voice penetrated Tanis’s anger. I grant your requests. The elfwoman’s soul will be given to Lord Soth, and we accept the half-elf into our service. In recognition of this, he will lay his sword at the feet of Lord Ariakas.
“Well, go on!” demanded Kitiara coldly, her eyes on Tanis. The eyes of everyone in the room were on the half-elf.
His mind swam. “What?” he muttered. “You didn’t tell me this! What do I do?”
“Ascend the platform and lay your sword at Ariakas’s feet,” Kitiara answered swiftly, escorting him to the edge of the platform. “He will pick it up and return it to you, then you will be an officer in the dragonarmies. It is ritual, nothing more. But it buys me time.”
“Time for what? What do you have planned?” Tanis asked harshly, his foot on the stair leading down. He caught hold of her arm. “You should have told me—”