Against the Giants

lights didn’t seem to bother the mage. As Eclavdrabegan another spell, Nemis began one of his own.

Rowan, still sobbing, ran out to grab Vlandar from the melee and drag him back behind one of the couches. Her eyes were puffy and red, and tears ran two pale tracks down her dusty cheeks.

Movement along the wall caught Lhors’ eye. Bleryn hadKhlened upright and was trying to get him out of the open. Eclavdra shouted something and a searing flame tore across the room. The fire slammed into Bleryn, throwing him into the wall with a bone-shattering crunch, and the dwarf went up like a torch. He didn’t move as the flames consumed him.

Khlened, who had fallen heavily when the dwarf let him go, dragged himself onto his hands and knees. He tried to escape the hellish heat, but he was too near to get away. The barbarian’s cloak began to smolder, hishair steamed, and then he too was enveloped in flames.

Lhors clapped his hands over his ears to try to shut out the barbarians howls of agony, vaguely aware of Agya huddled tight against him. The agonized cries suddenly ceased, and the only sound from the far end of the chamber was the cruel crackle of flames.

Malowan turned briefly to speak in that direction, his eyes dark with pain. Whatever he did, the fire stayed where it was, and even the smoke didn’t seem toget any thicker.

“We end this now!” roared Nemis.

The drow laughed wildly. “You end this? I think not.”

She lashed out with a spell, and Malowan stumbled and clutched his eyes. Lhors tackled Agya before the girl could run to the paladin. A sidelong glance from Eclavdra told him the sorceress had wanted that.

Ignoring Lhors and Agya for the moment, Eclavdra caught hold of a mace and took a cautious step toward the paladin.

“Mal!” Nemis shouted. “Metal weapon!”

“Can’t see!” Malowan said. He sounded furious.

Eclavdra laughed again, and Malowan turned toward the sound, his hands moving. The handle of her mace suddenly turned a dull red and the drow’s laughter rose to a shriek of pain. She dropped the weapon, and it fellwith a dull thump, the carpet beneath it beginning to smolder.

Malowan’s lips curved in a grim smile.

“Paladin!” Rowan’s voice was low, but it cut throughEclavdra’s wailing and the crackling flames.

Malowan began backing toward her, moving his feet cautiously across the carpet so that he wouldn’t trip over anything.

Eclavdra held up her hands, and Lhors could see that her palms were red and badly blistered.

“You have only one spell to neutralize whatever I use againstyou,” Nemis said grimly. “I know you, Eclavdra- and that was your greatestmistake. When I woke today, I made sure I would have several such spells. Go ahead and try to blind me. You’ll be the one who cannot see. You wasted yourfire on two who couldn’t have fought you anyway. Now you cannot touch me.”

The sorceress’ lips began to move, her black eyes fixed onhis, but before she could complete the spell, an arrow sang past Nemis’ ear andplunged deep into the hollow between the draw’s throat and shoulder. She criedout, staggered, and almost managed to catch herself before she reeled back into the thorns. Blood soaked into her tattered robe as she tried to pull away from the clinging barbs.

Nemis gazed into her eyes for a long moment.

The sorceress drew a deep breath and began another spell. “Ignisthre navlanim,” he said quietly and pointed at her. A spear of fireerupted from his fingers and enveloped her. Eclavdra fell back full force into the thorns and hung there. A faint moan escaped her, and then she hung limp and lifeless.

“Water!” Nemis shouted urgently.

Lhors stared as the blackened horror curled in on itself, still burning. Agya caught up her water bottle and ran across the room. Nemis stopped her from throwing it on the burning drow.

“No! For Mal. Go.”

The mage did something that smothered the flames and stopped the smoke.

“Rowan, leave Mal to Agya and help Vlandar. He is cut badly.Lhors and Gerikh, help me find Eclavdra’s chest. We need to get out of here, butI won’t leave without proof if it is here!”

“What of Maera?” Rowan sobbed.

“She’ll die with the rest of us if we don’t leave here soon,”Nemis said. “The silence spell did not hold. We will all be killed in a fewminutes if we don’t find that scroll!”

“But-”

“If there is anything to be done for her, we can heal her inCryllor! Now obey me!” The mage’s was grim as he looked across the room whereKhlened and Bleryn’s remains lay smoldering. His gaze hesitated on Maera, thenhe turned away. “We owe it to them.”

Nemis did something that reversed the spell on Malowan’seyes. The paladin joined in the search for evidence then. His reveal spell found a chest deep in a cupboard where the clerics’ spare clothing was stored. Hefreed the box and handed it to Nemis. The mage made a quick check for traps, then began rummaging through the chest.

“Here!” He shouted in triumph as he withdrew a scroll.

Malowan handed the chest to Gerikh as the mage began perusing the scroll.

“It’s your only responsibility,” said the paladin. “Keep itsafe.” He moved across the room, pausing to pray briefly over both dead clericsand the sorceress. He walked slowly over to look down at what was left of the barbarian and dwarf. Agya joined him.

The paladin knelt to pray, but Agya stood very still, her head tipped to one side as she listened. “Mal, Nemis! There’s someone comingthis way!”

“I know,” Nemis replied. “Almost ready.”

A white-faced Vlandar stood behind them, his sleeve torn and stiff with blood. Lhors ran to help him. The warrior managed a faint smile for him, but his eyes were dark with pain.

“All of you, over here!” The mage commanded sharply. “Now!”

Agya helped Lhors get Florimund to his feet. Rowan stared down at her sister and refused to move when Vlandar tried to draw her away. Nemis came over then, scooped the ranger up in gentle arms, and handed her toMalowan.

“Everyone, get as close together as you can,” the mage saidsharply.

Lhors could hear deep voices out there now, and someone began slamming something heavy against the wall.

“They can’t get in… can they?” Agya asked nervously.

“It doesn’t matter,” Nemis said simply, then he voiced hisspell.

The smoke and heat and carnage were suddenly gone, and so was the chamber. The world twisted and turned, blurring in and out of existence. Before Lhors could draw breath, he found himself sitting on wiry, coarse grass and cold ground. A cool wind ruffled his air, bringing the smell of road dust and horses. He blinked at the familiar walled city he’d seen only days before.

Cryllor, he thought dazedly. They weren’t more than twohundred paces from the main gates. He could see people on the walls-guards andsoldiers-staring at them. Two farmers riding a cart piled high with hay haddrawn their bony horse to a halt so they could stare.

Vlandar crouched next to him. He was very pale and obviously still in a great deal of pain, but seemed in very high spirits. Gerikh set the chest down at Vlandar’s side and tugged a blanket from his pack to cover thewarrior.

Most of the onlookers had fled in fright, but a few alarmed guards with shields up and spears raised were beginning to approach tentatively. Ignoring their surroundings, Malowan let Agya spread another blanket so he could lay Maera on that. Rowan knelt there, silently weeping.

“It will be all right,” Malowan told her. “We’re safe. Shestill lives. When I draw the arrow out, there likely will be a great deal of blood, but she should be fine. Gerikh and Lhors, you should hold her down in case she wakes.”

As gently as he could manage, Lhors sat across the wounded ranger’s knees and pinned her wrists to the ground while Gerikh leaned heavilyupon her shoulders. The paladin knelt, snapped off the bloody point of the arrow, and with one slow, smooth motion, he pulled it out. There was a horrific gush of dark blood. Maera shuddered