Elminster's Daughter - Ed Greenwood [147]
Alusair laughed bitterly as two swords reached for her. "Yes, but for how long?"
* * * * *
"Gala, we've got to get back to Luse and Fee," Laspeera panted. "They'll get butchered!"
"If we don't drive off these dragons," the Mage Royal of Cormyr spat back, "we'll all wind up fried, crushed, and entombed before six-toll!"
"They're drawing off!" Laspeera gasped, pointing. "Look! They're flying away!"
* * * * *
"ENOUGH!" Joysil roared, in a voice that shook every spire in Marsember. "We can do no more without destroying every human down there! Come-to the sanctum!"
'To the dragonbinder!" dragon voices thundered in chorus, and wings flapped and wheeled in the sky.
* * * * *
"Shields!" Caladnei cried, clutching at Laspeera. "Find them! We must raise the shields around them again!"
Laspeera peered helplessly around the darkened confusion of the hall, made a sound of exasperation, and cast a bright radiance spell out into the chaos.
Everywhere, knots of men were fighting, their swords flashing. Bodies lay huddled in their blood everywhere, too, and robed War Wizards waving daggers were rushing down stairs and along balconies, shouting.
"There!"she cried, pointing to where she'd seen Alusair's familiar hair swirl, just for a moment, amid a glimmer of clashing blades.
Hip to hip the two mages worked a casting, then collapsed with a groan.
"I worked an ironguard on them," Caladnei gasped. "Rhauligan's coming-see?-and he should be able… to take care of… men who can only punch… and gouge and strangle."
"Wait, what's that?" Laspeera snapped. Where they'd thrown their shield, something flared like a momentary star.
"Fee's teleport gem," Caladnei said with a grin. "She's taken them back to the Palace. Find that portal, and let's get there before Luse tries to bring every last Purple Dragon in the place back here!"
* * * * *
"What was that, Mother?"
"My teleport gem," Filfaeril gasped. "This dolt of a Dracohorn brought his blade down on it, before I… before I…"
"Mother!" Alusair cried in alarm, whirling back to the queen. Filfaeril was clutching at her side. She sat down against a heap of bodies, managed a little smile, and said rather triumphantly, "Before I put my little knife through his eye." She waved a hand. "Don't worry, I'm just winded, not cut. I trust."
The singing of a shielding-spell-at least, Alusair hoped it was a shielding-spell-rose around them, and she waded through the dead and dying to get to her mother.
She was still two paces away when the balcony above, smoldering in the aftermath of a spell, tore loose and crashed down on them.
* * * * *
"Hah!" Darndreth Goldsword cried triumphantly, as something splintered and the door sagged open. "Out, lads! Out!"
The dozen or so nobles of the Rightful Conspiracy surged forward as one, panting in fear and weariness. This had all gone so wrong- dragons,by the gods!-wizards everywhere! More grim men with swords than they'd been able to muster in the first place! And all the doors spell-sealed, too!
This was the only one they'd been able to get open, and now they'd have to run far and fast before the Obarskyrs set the hounds of the realm on-
Darndreth staggered back with a cry, almost spitting himself on half a dozen swords. "Who-?"
"No one important," the lady who stood outside replied calmly, her eyes large and dark in the glow of the conjured dagger and whip-sword in her hands. "Just someone who grew bored in Can-dlekeep and looked in a scrying-stone to see what was happening back in Marsember. Not that I found anything surprising."
"Stand back!" one noble shouted.
"Make way or we'll kill you!" the youngest Goldsword added, in a snarl.
The lady slashed his thrusting sword aside with her own, the meeting of blades numbing his arm as if he'd touched lightning. "You may