Adon backed up slightly, never taking his gaze from the head, and raised his hammer. The head rushed toward the cleric, but he struck it soundly in the jaw before it had a chance to bite him. Moaning loudly, the head spun madly to the ground.
Moments later, after he dispatched the head, Adon saw that all three of the humanoids who had dared to attack Kelemvor now lay in quivering, bloodless pieces on the ground. But, another pack of the creatures was approaching Kelemvor and Midnight, and behind them, a dozen of the creatures were emerging from the forest, their razor-sharp claws twitching as they sliced at the air.
Midnight ordered her fellows to stand behind her as she attempted to find that perfect center of peace that was required for spellcasting. She began to sway, and her chanting rose above the gibbering of the approaching creatures. Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light and volleys of blue-white missiles leaped from her hands, striking at all of the humanoid creatures in sight. The tide of magic seemed endless, and even Midnight seemed startled by the effects of her spell. The darts of magical light pierced the creatures like daggers, and suddenly the monsters stopped their attack.
Then the ghoulish creatures began to wander. They looked to the sky, then to themselves, and then they fell, one by one, their flesh losing its consistency as the illusion of humanity fell away and their true nature was revealed. Roots erupted from their bodies, entering the earth, and moments later, all that was left of the creatures was a network of black and white vines.
Midnight looked down at the pendant, and watched as a few tiny streaks of lightning played across its surface, then vanished. She felt drained.
The easy prey destroyed, the spider hounds began to emerge from the forest and advance toward the heroes. There were more of the creatures than Kelemvor had realized: at least twenty of the beasts had moved into the clearing.
Suddenly, something fantastic caught Midnight's eye: a blur of movement, the size and shape of a horse and rider. Then, the quicksilver rider was upon them, circling the party with blinding speed. Midnight felt as if she were in the eye of a whirlwind. A sudden yellow flash caught her eye, and she realized the rider was Adon. But how was he able to accomplish this feat?
Midnight turned away from her speculations as she watched Adon break from the protective pattern he had formed around the adventurers and speed off toward the spider hounds. He rode through the hounds, his war hammer cutting through the unprepared horde of creatures like a sickle through wheat, and in seconds the spider hounds retreated into the woods.
Yet even though the threat was ended, Adon and his mount continued to move in a blur until they vanished into the forest. It was obvious Adon had lost control of whatever magic he was wielding.
'By Mystra, you'll be the death of me yet,' Midnight said as ran off on an impossible quest to catch the cleric.
An icy cold rain started to fall and was seeping through the canopy of trees. Midnight felt a biting sensation as the tiny droplets struck her skin and the winds struggled to force her back.
Adon, heart pounding, mind racing as he held on for dear life, realized that his lungs weren't drawing air and his tenuous grip on the horse beneath him was giving way. He had given the beast a dose of his potion of speed, the single item he had withheld during Kelemvor's careful inventory of everyone's belongings. Adon knew that it was wrong to lie about such things, but he also knew that the potion had been a boon from the goddess Sune, and it would be her wisdom alone that guided his hand in its use.
However, when the spider hounds grouped to attack, and Adon received no sign from the goddess, he panicked and took matters into his own hands. He fed the potion to the horse but it was already moving before he could use more than a few drops on himself. The small vial then flew out of his hands as he held on for dear life.
Now, as the horse's speed stole the breath from his lungs and he neared unconsciousness, Adon saw a vision — a beautiful woman's face, carved from the fleeting specks of light and color that surrounded him in the vortex of speed. The woman's hands reached out and touched the sides of his face, gently pushing him this way and that, as if to fully explore the wonders Sune had bestowed upon him.
'He's not hurt too badly,' Midnight said.
Adon blinked, and the illusion of motion began to fade. 'I thought you were Sune,' he said.
'He seems addled,' Kelemvor said.
'Aye,' Cyric said. 'But is that anything new?'
The world abruptly came into focus, and Adon found himself staring up into the faces of his companions. They appeared to be in a forest, although Adon was certain there was nothing but flatlands along the way to the castle. Tiny flickers of scarlet radiance showed through the branches of the trees above them, although some of them appeared quite strange.
'Midnight, you — you saved me!' Adon said in amazement, a smile crossing his face.
'You fell off your horse,' Midnight said. Adon's saddle and supplies were strewn about on the road beside him. Midnight realized the cleric must have been holding on to the saddle, and it was the bonds that held it in place that shattered under the strain of the horse's speed.
Horror surged through the cleric. 'My face! It's not — '
'Undamaged,' Cyric said wearily. 'Same as always. Now give me an explanation for what we witnessed.'
'I don't understand…,' Adon said, attempting to appear as innocent as possible.
'You rode like the wind, Adon. You seemed more a blur of motion than a rider and mount,' Kelemvor said. 'I thought your magics had failed you.'
'I wouldn't phrase it quite that way,' Adon said.
'I don't care how you would phrase it. What are you holding back from us?'
Midnight moved forward, and helped the cleric to his feet. 'Don't be a fool, Kelemvor,' she said. 'It's obvious he can't explain what happened, any more than any of us can explain the madness the Realms have been infected with since the gods fell.'
Kelemvor shook his head. 'Shall we go?'
Adon nodded gratefully, and everyone except Midnight returned to their mounts.
'That was a mistake, Adon.' Midnight spoke in hushed tones. The cleric was about to speak when Midnight cut him off. 'It took me a few moments to understand. You have potions, don't you?'
Adon lowered his head. 'I had one. It's gone now.'
Midnight frowned. 'Any other surprises?'
Adon became alarmed. 'No, Midnight! I swear to Sune herself!'
'Using magic might send you to Sune faster than you'd want, Adon. In fact, you could have killed all of us.'
Midnight nodded.
'Please don't tell Kelemvor what I did. He'd skin me alive!' Adon whispered.
Midnight smiled. 'We can't have that,' she said, and walked away from the cleric.
'Certainly not,' Adon said with a bravado he did not feel. He bent down and began to gather his belongings.
'Come,' Caitlan said to the cleric. 'We must be off to the castle right away!'
'But we're still lost,' Adon cried.
Then, as if in answer to the cleric's words, the trees began to shrivel and melt. Within seconds, the road was again clear and the rain had stopped.
'Sune be praised!' the cleric said, and rushed to join the others.
Because his horse was gone, Adon was forced to ride with Kelemvor. His initial preference had been to ride with Midnight, so they might continue their conversation from earlier that afternoon, but Midnight narrowed her eyes to slits and Adon abandoned the notion. Caitlan rode with the magic-user instead. Because both packhorses had been killed, the party was forced to carry their remaining supplies on the backs of the remaining mounts.
Midnight led her horse, which carried Caitlan, on foot until they were a mile clear of the ruination. The once living forest had already lapsed into an advanced state of decay. Midnight guessed that by morning the forest would be nothing more than the dust and dry earth it had been before their approach.
The heroes made camp beneath the stars, and ate the food that had not been infested by ants or lost to the
