Storm of the Dead - Lisa Smedman [107]
Judging by what Kвras described, the Crones are attempting to open a gate to the negative energy plane, just as they did in Maerimydra, Qiluй told her. And I fear I know what they're trying to bring through it. An army of undead, commanded by a vampire minotaur. The legions of the Death Heart.
"The Death Heart," Leliana repeated, her voice tight.
We must stop them. This time, we won't have the help of the Guardians. And Cavatina…
The voice stopped.
"Qiluй?" Leliana asked. "Are you still there?"
The others had fallen silent. They stared tensely at Leliana.
Cavatina is beyond my reach. I fear the worst.
Leliana felt, rather than heard, Qiluй's anguished sigh.
It's up to you, Leliana. You have to find a way to take the Acropolis. To halt what's happening before the Crones spill an unholy blight upon this world.
"The Nightshadows aren't with us," Leliana said. "They went another way. And we-"
So Kвras told me. You'll need reinforcements. I'll be sending others through the portal, but I want those of you who are already there to move on the Acropolis at once. Kвras said he could already see shapes moving inside the voidstone. It already spat out one monster. It won't be long, now, before the gate cracks open.
Leliana wet her lips nervously. "Lady," she ventured. "Will you be leading the reinforcements?"
I… can't. There are… matters here I have to deal with.
"So be it, Lady," Leliana said. "We'll do what we can."
May Eilistraee lend strength to your sword and harmony to your song. Farewell.
Farewell? The word carved a hollow in Leliana's gut. Did Qiluй have so little faith in her that she was already counting Leliana as lost? For the space of a heartbeat, Leliana regretted ever volunteering for this mission. Then anger eclipsed fear. She would prove Qiluй wrong. She would do it. Take the Acropolis and destroy the voidstone. Without reinforcements.
And if she failed, well, dying wouldn't be anything new. She'd already given her life for the Lady once before. She smiled grimly, remembering the battle in the Misty Forest.
The others were waiting. Leliana steeled herself. Swiftly, she relayed what Qiluй had just told her. "Lady Qiluй has ordered us to attack the Acropolis and destroy the voidstone. She'll send reinforcements, but they probably won't make it in time. Which means it's up to us." She stared at the wall Gilkriz had plugged the tunnel with. "We're going to have to fight our way past that monster."
The other Protectors nodded grimly, their expressions matching her own.
Gilkriz took a deep breath and stared at the wall he'd conjured. "Let me know when you're ready." He raised his hands.
"Wait!" Q'arlynd said. "There may be another way to reach the Acropolis."
Leliana turned. "What way is that, Q'arlynd? Spit it out."
"I have an idea, Lady, inspired by the combined magic we three wizards just utilized to open the door." He gestured at the wall. The door, closed, was once again cloaked by illusion.
"Go on," Leliana said.
"You'll be utilizing positive energy to destroy the voidstone, correct?"
"That's the general plan. With Eilistraee's blessing, enough of us will get close enough to it to do just that."
Q'arlynd actually smiled. "What if I told you I could get all of us to the Acropolis?" He snapped his fingers. "Like that."
"I'm listening."
Q'arlynd slapped a hand against the wall. "The only thing preventing me from teleporting us into the cavern that holds the Acropolis is the Faerzress. There may be a way to counter it, however."
Gilkriz's eyebrows rose. "Suddenly you're an expert on Faerzress?"
Q'arlynd smiled. "When I lingered behind at the Moondeep, I conducted an experiment. I attempted a teleport. Faerie fire didn't erupt from my body, as it did back in Sshamath, but from the cavern wall that I… inadvertently touched. From within the Faerzress. The touch of my body somehow drew it to the surface of the rock. I think the problem