Temple Hill - Drew Karpyshyn [98]
Corin wasn't exactly surprised by the arrival of the cultists. Azlar's plan was very much like the one Fendel had proposed-come in through an unexpected route and catch the guards unprepared. Instead of using the long forgotten sub-tunnels, Azlar had simply used his magic to blast a completely new route through the earth. And instead of a single gnome inventor, Azlar was accompanied by forty or fifty fanatically loyal Cult of the Dragon soldiers.
Corin had suspected all along that Azlar was somehow using him as bait, and the manner of the wizard's timely entrance merely confirmed his suspicions. Azlar had expected Corin to try and blunder his way in through the main entrance, approaching through the tunnels to the north. If he had come that way, Corin knew, he would have been spotted long before reaching the heart of Xiliath's lair, drawing the attention of Xiliath's troops away from the treasure room itself.
All of this passed through Corin's head on an intuitive level. The information was cataloged and analyzed instantaneously-then filed away as useless in the current situation. As usual, the whys and hows of the situation mattered little to Corin-it was only the here and now he cared about.
All around Corin armed men were engaged in brutal hand-to-hand combat, but for the time being, the cultists and Xiliath's men were focused on each other. Conscious of possible broken bones and other injuries, Corin rose gingerly to his feet and stood alone in the center of the melee like a calm eye amidst a raging storm. His head moved quickly from side to side, seeking out Fendel. At last he found him. The gnome was crumpled on the fringes of the battle. Injured by the blast, Fendel writhed in pain. Fortunately, like Corin, he was being ignored for the moment.
Corin raced across the battlefield, ready to slash down any foe foolish enough to get in the way of his reckless charge to the old gnome's aid. But the soldiers of both sides were far too concerned with the enemies bearing directly down on them to take notice of a single man running past on the fringes of their peripheral vision, and he reached Fendel's side without opposition.
"Here!" Fendel shouted as Corin dropped to a knee beside him, trying to be heard over the thunder of battle and the blast still ringing in his ears. "Take this." He stuffed the hard leather case containing the potion to reverse the medusa's curse into Corin's belt. "Find Lhasha!"
"What about you?" Corin yelled back.
"Can't walk," the gnome said with a shake of his head, clutching his leg just below his knee. "Broken, maybe. I'll only slow you down. You go. I'll stay here and try to cover you."
There was no sense arguing. After a quick check to make sure the bottle was secure, Corin waded back into the fray, determined to find Lhasha at any cost.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Then he burst through the wall of Xiliath's treasure room, Azlar was momentarily surprised to find several guards in the chamber. He had expected the one-handed man's suicide mission to draw their attention away from this room. If he had looked closely, Azlar would have noticed a familiar form crumpled against the crates near the far wall, but the young wizard's attention was drawn elsewhere.
He noticed a white-haired mage lying on the floor, a glowing ring pulsating on his finger.
The ring! Bring me the ring! Snap the old man's bony finger off if necessary, just bring it to me now!" He recognized the blue flame that sprung up in a protective circle around Xiliath's wizard, but he didn't bother to warn his men about the possible consequences.
Azlar watched with detached interest as the first of his men was incinerated by the spell surrounding the old wizard. However, his nonchalant attitude changed to one of eager fascination as an enormous figure entered the fray.
A giant orog in black armor rushed to the fallen mage's defense. In one great leap the beast crossed the distance between itself and the incapacitated wizard, chopping down the cult soldiers who were standing over the