Masquerades - Kate Novak [170]
"What in Mystra's name is that?" Mintassan whispered, finally noticing the serpentlike evil wrapped about the circle of protection and hovering over them.
"The manes have found a focus," the paladin said, "a leader to organize their attack."
Alias spun around and looked up at the serpent of mist. She looked into its bright blue eyes. She gasped. "It's Victor!"
"Move toward the portal," the paladin instructed, taking Alias's arm. "The circle of protection should move with us."
As the three adventurers shifted their position, the serpent hissed with anger, but it uncoiled and let them pass, unable to withstand the magical constraints of Mintassan's spell. It followed them to the portal, devouring mist as it moved, growing larger and darker.
The portal loomed ahead like a hole of darkness. Dragonbait stepped out onto the bridge and held his hand out to Alias.
As Alias stepped into the night sky over Westgate, she took a deep breath of the cool air and laughed. Mintassan
flew out from the portal and swooped over the bridge.
Dragonbait gasped and spun about. His shen sight suddenly perceived a hundredfold increase in the evil emanating from the mane serpent. Mintassan's circle of protection had dissipated when he had flown through the portal. The serpent wavered over Alias's head and struck before the paladin could pull her out of danger.
From the top of the tower, Jamal, Olive, Thistle, and Durgar watched in horror as a huge, dark serpent swung down over Alias and coiled around her body. Dragonbait thrust his fiery blade into the creature, and Alias stabbed at it with her sword. Little bits of glowing mist seeped from the creature wherever it was hit, but the beast remained intact, healing over the cuts almost immediately with some otherworldly power. Mintassan hovered over the beast and sent five magic missiles shooting into the creature's hide, but they passed right through the monster and fell to the ground.
The serpent brought its head down to survey the warrior woman in its embrace. Noxious poison dripped from its fangs. It opened its jaw and brushed its tongue along her face. It was toying with her before it devoured her- lording its power over her, just as Victor had when he had embraced and kissed her poison-paralyzed body.
"Close the gate!" Olive shouted to Thistle.
"If I do that, the bridge will collapse. They'll fall to their deaths," the girl argued.
"Durgar, Lady Thistle said the place was full of manes. Aren't they some sort of undead?" Jamal asked. "Maybe this thing is, too. Use your power to turn it away."
Durgar looked exceedingly doubtful of the actress's suggestion, but he began a prayer, nonetheless, asking Tyr to compel the monster to flee.
"It's working!" Olive shouted.
The serpent began to turn translucent, all except the tongue, which took the shape of a man and fell from the monster's mouth to the ground far below. The body of the serpent began to turn to mist, which drifted quickly back through the portal.
Unfortunately, the part of the serpent that had been coiled about Alias was no longer over the bridge. As the coils dissipated, the swordswoman fell with a shriek toward the ground-
To be caught by the arm by a flying sage.
Mintassan set the swordswoman down on the roof of the tower just as Dragonbait stepped off the bridge. They turned to watch the last of the mist escape through the portal, fleeing from the power of Durgar's god. Thistle flung the brooch across the bridge and into the portal. The bridge retreated and disappeared, then the portal snapped shut, leaving the top of the tower in darkness.
Olive leaned over the battlement and stared down at the ground. Members of the watch held torches aloft as they surveyed the dark shape that had fallen to the ground from the top of the tower.
"It's Lord Victor!" one of the watch shouted.
"He's dead! He just fell from the tower!" another guard cried out.
"No," Olive whispered to Jamal, "he fell a long time ago."
Twenty-Five
Curtain Call
The day after Lord Victor