Elminster's Daughter - Ed Greenwood [30]
The Old Mage raised one hand, and Narnra bit her lip and cursed herself for a fool. Doom and icy despair were upon her-and she'd called them down on herself with her own rage and over-loose tongue! Mask and Tymora and Mystra, all, hear me! Aid, if I can win one small shard of mercy! Hel-
As if the gods had heard her and made immediate answer, the cellar shook, tiny sizzling bolts of lightning washed across the ceiling, clawing and spitting, and the mists fell away-just like a bedsheet on a wash-line the Silken Shadow had once sliced with her knife. The Red Wizard fell with them, crashing limp and face-first to the stone floor.
Narnra was also descending, though it felt like drifting down through something soft and thick rather than falling. She was still well off the floor when Elminster spun around to face the cellar arch-and something obligingly appeared there.
Four somethings, actually: four pillars of whirling sparks that occurred quite suddenly, out of thin air, the writhing form of Caladnei of Cormyr in their midst. Dark figures stepped out of those sparks, gesturing in unison-and the Mage Royal's fiery bonds became four tethers that held her helpless between the four newcomers. Four bald, dusky-skinned men whose heads were marked with intricate black tattoos advanced in careful unison. They wore maroon robes and much jewelry, and the eyes in their hard, ruthless faces glittered with anger-and glee.
Elminster spread his hands, fingers twitching and eyes half-closed, for all Faerun as if he was feeling something invisible in the air.
"Stand aside, old fool," one of the four snapped. "You must be of the conspiracy to so leash the Mage Royal of Cormyr-but your life, like hers and that of this masked wench, is forfeit. No one mistreats a Red Wizard and lives!"
The Old Mage murmured something, still seemingly in a trance-and Thauvas Zlorn rose and advanced to meet the nearest of his newly arrived countrymen.
"My thanks for this rescue, Naerzil," he said with a widening smile. "Slay none of these, but keep them captive, for their minds hold-"
"Be silent, Zlorn," the foremost Red Wizard said coldly. "Your fate remains to be decided by those we both answer to, and your orders and suggestions are unwelcome."
"Ah. Such a pity," Thuavas Zlorn murmured, in a voice oddly unlike his own-and sprang forward to throttle his fellow Thayan.
The startled Red Wizard fell with a crash, struggling to keep iron-strong fingers from his throat and eyes. When he slapped Zlorn's arm aside, Thauvas thrust two fingers into Naerzil's nostrils and jerked the man's head back, slamming it onto the stone floor.
The fiery strand leading to Caladnei sprang away, spasming and coiling-and the other three Red Wizards dragged her away, shouting sharp, alarmed incantations.
The two men twisted and struggled on the floor, grunting and cursing-until Naerzil laughed in triumph beneath his foe, and a tattoo on his forehead erupted into blue, crawling flames. They swirled, took the shape of leaping talons, and tore at the face of Thauvas Zlorn.
Blood spurted, an eyeball burst, and the squealing Thayan arched backwards, Naerzil shoving and kicking to gain freedom. The blue flames tore at Zlorn's face and throat until he had nothing left to scream with-but even as his slayer scrambled out and away, chuckling, the dying Thayan formed a sphere with his empty hands-echoing movements that had just been made by Elminster, who was swaying dreamily in the distance-and the blue flames fell from his ravaged face to swirl within those fingers… then leap out like a striking serpent at the startled face of Naerzil.
Thauvas Zlorn slumped to his knees, making liquid mewing sounds of pain, but Naerzil's head blossomed into a blinding whirl of blue flames, racing around and around it in a sphere so swift-snarling that no shout, if Naerzil had tried to make one, could be heard.
The blue radiance suddenly burst into sparks and went out-and a headless body toppled