Japheth eyed the captain's weapon, then looked to Seren. 'You are against me too?'
The wizard drew her wand and said, 'You may be a natural charmer, my dark-haired friend, but you're not bringing the Dreamheart upstairs. If you do, the aboleths will take it from you, and all we've suffered to reach this nightmarish place will be for nothing.'
'Don't be too sure,' the warlock said. 'I've reached something of an accommodation with the creatures of this city.' Which was technically true, though Japheth lied by omission. He had an accommodation with the denizens of Xxiphu only insofar as he shared something of the same power they called upon. That didn't make him and the Sovereignty allies any more than it made allies of opposing armies who brandished swords forged by the same dwarf clan.
In any event, his admission didn't allay Seren's concern, it enflamed it. She exclaimed, 'You've become a pawn of the Dreamheart!' 'No. Listen, none of us have time for this kind of squabble. Aboleths are waking and hatching below, and the Lord of Bats is loose somewhere in Xxiphu too, looking for me so he can have his vengeance. I've wasted too much time already. Stand aside.'
Seren sighed, then hurled a magical orb of force toward his head. He turned sideways at the last moment. The orb struck his shoulder. It burst in a flurry of slashing shards.
His blood made tiny ribbons in the air, but the cut was superficial. A few of the force shards scattered behind him. One caught Yeva in the stomach. The strange woman doubled over in pain. He saw Anusha draw her dream blade even as her helm shimmered into place over her head.
Time to try out something more aggressive from his new pact. Even as Thoster charged around the limb of the pool, Japheth called on one of his new star-born powers.
He finished the spell just before the captain made it into sword range. Inky black, frigid tendrils seemed to burst from the freebooter's body. The captain cried out in surprise and pain. The tendrils curled and wound back around their host instantly, so tightly that the captain's headlong dash ended in a sliding sprawl.
That should hold the captain for a bit, Japheth thought. Long enough to deal with a lone wizard.
Anusha rushed past him with her blade high. Seren incanted another spell, continuing to give no indication she was aware of the threat the invisible dreams in the room posed. He hoped Anusha didn't hurt Seren badly-but that hope did not prompt him to deflect Anusha's charge.
Anusha swatted the wizard with the flat of her blade. On contact, Seren cried in astonishment. Her spell evaporated in a flash of harmless green fire.
'Remember me, war wizard?' Anusha asked the confused Seren. 'I saved your life down in Gethshemeth's watery lair. Don't make me end you now. One more spell, and I run you through with my blade!' Anusha's voice wavered, but was resolute.
The wizard swallowed. She said, aIf Japheth the Stubborn would give up the Dreamheart, our quarrel would be done. If you care for the black-caped idiot, tell him to hand it over. For the world's sake!'
This last seemed to deflate Anusha's enthusiasm to batter Seren into unconsciousness or worse. She looked back and asked Japheth, 'Is she right?'
The warlock frowned in exasperation. Based on his previous conversations with Seren, he doubted she cared much for Toril's fate. Time was too short for such distractions. 'No, we must keep the stone. I need to use the Dreamheart to extract your soul from the Eldest's mind. It was the conduit that sucked you in, and it will serve the same function to pull you out. You and Yeva both.'
As if waiting for her cue, Yeva said, 'Then the world can look after itself!' She touched two fingers to her temple. A bolt of hazy force seemed to arc from her brow and burrow into the wizard's.
Seren threw her head back in shock. She dropped her wand and toppled backward, narrowly missing the pool.
She lay still, save for her ragged breath and darting eyes. She seemed to be watching images Japheth couldn't see. Mental phantasms?
Thoster yelled, 'Godsdamn it, where did that come from?'
The crew woman hadn't moved throughout the entire conflict. When Japheth turned and frowned at her, the woman's resolve broke. She said, 'Sorry, Captain, I'm heading back to the ship!' The woman spun and dashed down the tunnel.
The freebooter chose that moment to hurl himself on his stomach three feet closer to Japheth. He still had one hand on his blade, and he managed to shove its tip into Japheth's boot.
'Blast it, Thoster!' yelled Japheth as he leaped back. A sting along the side of his foot told the tale. The blade tip had pierced his skin, which meant some of the venom had likely entered his blood.
The captain struggled to free himself from his shadowy binding. In his fury, Japheth considered blasting the man with a curse. One curse in particular, swimming in his consciousness, desired to burst free… But no. He should save that one for a foe not already lying bound on the floor.
'Leave the stone,*said Thoster. 'In return, I'll give you the anti-venom. Otherwise you'll succumb to the poison.'
'I wonder,' said Japheth. His cloak should shield him from the poison's effects, he believed-it had protected him against the bites of venomous bats and serpents in the past.
But his foot tingled. He'd seen creatures struck down by Thoster's sword blacken in seconds under assault from its poison kiss. A slight numbness followed the tingles. He waited another few heartbeats. Nothing worse immediately occurred.
Japheth announced, 'It seems I'll survive your blow, Captain. Which means I bid you good-bye, until next time you ambush me.' He moved around the chamber, giving the captain and the wizard extra clearance.
'Release me from these visions, Japheth!' called Seren, her gaze darting.
'I don't think so.'
Anusha said, 'We're just going to leave them here?'
'For now. The bonds will release the captain eventually.'
Yeva offered, 'And the wizard will regain the use of her limbs and eyes soon enough.'
The muscles below Thoster's mottled scaled skin jumped and strained. He said, 'Don't be a fool! You really think you can succeed? That thing's got you hoodwinked-admit it!'
Curiosity forced Japheth to pause. He said, 'I suppose you might be right. But I know my own motivations- nothing is controlling me.'
'Ridiculous!' said the wizard, her eyes finally finding the warlock. 'By Szass Tam's throne, how would you know if the godsdamned relic was warping your mind? When you're captivated by an enchantment, you don't realize it. Even you know that much spell theory, I'm sure.'
'Hmm.' Japheth considered. He looked at Anusha. He couldn't tell what she was thinking with her helm on, though he knew she had to be desperate to move on.
'Well, answer me this, then,' he said. 'What did you do with Anusha's body when you chased me from my suite in Veltalar?'
'We brought her aboard Green Siren' said Thoster. 'She sleeps there now, guarded by Blackie. She is safe and cared for.'
'I thank you for that. And Green Siren is where?'
'Docked at the outer edge of Xxiphu, outfitted for earth sailing, at least for a time. That way. Seren whipped up some fierce magic.' The captain nodded toward the exit where the crew woman had loitered.
Earth sailing? He didn't know exactly what that was, but he could guess. He gave an appreciative nod. The wizard was resourceful. If he was going to get out of there afterward, he needed to mend bridges, not burn them.
Japheth made a snap decision. 'Yeva? Can you release Seren?'
'What?' said the woman.
'Hear me out,' said Japheth. 'If Seren wants, she can accompany us. So can Thoster. They can make certain I don't accidentally relinquish the Dreamheart to the Eldest. We could use their strength… and they can make good on their promise to the monk.'
'I'm not sure I want to enter into the Eldest's presence,' said Seren.
'It's still sleeping, and its servitors are busy waking it. Help me.'
'You… would really have me?'
'Of course. I intend to pry Anusha free from this place. But I don't want to 'doom the world,' as you implied I
