Tymora's Luck - Kate Novak [121]
"What sort of glass, girl?" the goddess hissed as she moved toward the paladin with her dagger drawn.
"It was a holy symbol," Holly said. "To let Lord Lathander know I'd found you."
"Lathander senses all you do," Beshaba growled. "You broke it so he would know exactly where you were, didn't you?"
"I suppose so," Holly replied.
Something overhead gave an ear-piercing shriek.
Everyone looked up. Swooping toward them was a huge bird with the most brilliant plumage Jas had ever seen. Every color of the setting sun was reflected in its feathers. Its eyes were as red and shiny as rubies. It also flew faster than any bird Jas had ever seen.
"It's a phoenix! Some trick of Lathander's!" Beshaba gasped. "I warned you the bard's life would be forfeit," she growled to Holly. She turned about and lunged for Joel, grabbing him by his ponytail.
"No, Beshaba!" Finder cried out. "He had nothing to do with this. Leave my priest out of it." The phoenix's shadow covered them all.
Finder leapt forward to grab Beshaba, but he was too late. The goddess was snatched up in the talons of the phoenix and carried aloft, screeching like a banshee. Joel was carried off with her, dangling from her hand by his hair like a doll carried by a small child.
Finder jumped back into his carriage, snapped the reins, and gave chase. Within seconds, both the bird and the fiery carriage had become mere dots on the horizon.
Jas and Emilo looked at Holly.
"I had to do it," the paladin whispered, but there were tears pooling in her eyes.
A minute later Finder returned in the carriage. He didn't have Joel or Beshaba with him.
"What happened?" Jas asked.
"The phoenix went through a magic gate that closed before I could reach it," Finder said coldly. He stepped down from the carriage and strode up to Holly. Jas had never seen him look so angry before. His eyes blazed with light and his body shook.
"You," he said, thrusting a finger in Holly's face, "have some explaining to do."
Act Four Scene 2
Once he'd recovered from the initial shock of being yanked into the air by his hair, Joel grabbed at Beshaba's wrist with both hands and hung on for dear life. The phoenix flew with such speed that the wind in his face made it hard to breathe. Far below, the plains of the Out-lands became a blur. For a moment, Joel thought he saw Finder in his flaming carriage, but it might just have been a flash of light in the back of his eyes from the pain in his head.
The phoenix's talons were wrapped about Beshaba's waist and hips, so her arms were free. Although she was now the size of a human woman, she was still possessed of godly strength. With one arm, she raised Joel so that they faced each other eye to eye. The goddess gave the bard a cruel smile, one that reminded Joel of Walinda.
Joel was sure Beshaba was about to drop him to avenge herself on everyone she believed had betrayed her.
"Rat," the goddess murmured, and it appeared suddenly to Joel that the goddess and the phoenix overhead were growing larger.
A great blast of wind hit the phoenix sideways, very likely caused by Beshaba's bad luck. The phoenix lost altitude but recovered quickly.
The bard was beginning to feel relieved that Beshaba hadn't dropped him when he noticed with alarm that there was gray fur on his arms. He felt his nose, and was shocked to discover that it had become a snout. Beshaba had called him a rat, and a rat he had indeed become. Fearful that he might forget he was human, Joel writhed and called out to Finder, but all that came from his mouth was a pathetic squeak. A moment later Beshaba grabbed him about the belly with one hand and slipped him into a pocket of her gown. It was dark inside the pocket, but Joel fought back his sense of helplessness by reminding himself that at least he still remembered who and what he was.
It was also hot and stuffy inside the pocket of Beshaba's gown, but infinitely preferable to being dropped from such a height. In the relative safety of the warm darkness surrounding him, Joel was left to wonder why Beshaba didn't simply