He moved closer, hypnotized by the beauty of the emerald drum. He didn't know how much it would be worth to a jeweler or a collector, but the burnished surface captured the light from his lantern like a fire had started deep within the emerald. He reached for the drum.
Before his hand touched the drum, a strident voice rang out behind him.
'Stay away from that!'
Baylee turned, bringing the long sword up.
Folgrim Shallowsoul floated through the door on the flying carpet. His clothing still held sparks that burned bright orange. He gestured toward the ranger.
A wall of incredible force slammed into Baylee. He flew backward, flailing to regain his balance. He rolled across the broad floor but came up on his feet.
'You're in league with that foul baelnorn,' Shallowsoul said as he drifted into place behind the stone desk. The carpet landed gently beside the desk. 'But you're too late to stop me from shifting this library to the astral plane where you and your kind will never find it.'
Cordyan rushed for the phylactery. Before she reached it, a gust of wind blew her aside.
Baylee slipped a throwing knife from the gnomish leather. He flung it from the side, trying to mask the movement till the last possible moment. The knife flew like a dart.
The lich raised his hand and caught the knife in his skeletal fingers. He walked behind the desk without concern. 'The baelnorn has killed you all,' he declared as he took the seat behind the desk. Tossing the knife away, he waved his hand over the desktop. 'I've kept this library safe for hundreds of years. How can you think I'd shirk my duties now?'
Without preamble, an earthquake tremor shivered through the room. Baylee braced himself, amazed at how the books didn't fall from the shelves.
A cloud of smoke erupted from the top of the desk, taking the shape of a huge, naked humanoid. The smoke kept coiling and climbing. In less than a moment, the desk was gone, reshaped into a stone golem that stepped ponderously toward Baylee.
The golem stood nine and a half feet tall and was as broad as any two men. The stone flesh marbled, turning white under the ranger's lantern light. It opened its mouth in a soundless scream.
'In moments, this library will shift to the astral plane,' the lich said. 'There's nothing you can do to stop it. And once we get there, you won't escape this labyrinth alive!'
Moving much faster than the stone golem, Baylee swung his long sword at the creature's arm, hoping to sever the limb or at least render it useless. Instead, the sword shattered against the stone skin, falling in gleaming shards. It swung its hand at the ranger.
Baylee barely managed to duck under the blow. The huge hand slammed into the nearby bookshelves, toppling them over.
'No!' Shallowsoul screamed, sitting upright in his chair. 'Don't hurt the books!'
The golem hesitated for just a moment, giving Baylee time to discard the useless sword hilt. He unfastened the straps holding the battle-axe he'd taken from the hobgoblin, bringing it around swiftly in his hands. The ranger gave ground, using the time to his advantage. He ran for the emerald drum.
Xuxa, Baylee called.
I am here, the azmyth bat replied. / know the lich controls the golem. When I have a proper opening, I shall try to distract him.
Be careful. Baylee placed a hand on the emerald drum in the twisted statue's hands. A tingling sensation, like that he received from the haft of the battle-axe, ran through his palm. The magic in the emerald drum was a physical presence.
'Destroy him!' Shallowsoul ordered.
The golem lumbered to do the lich's bidding.
Another tremor ripped through the library. Baylee barely maintained his balance. He tried to pry the emerald drum from the statue's hands, but failed. Grabbing the battle-axe up, he brought it smashing down hard against the emerald drum. Bright green sparks jumped from the keen edge, but there was not even a crack to mark the blow he'd struck.
'You're going to need more magic than that pathetic axe has to destroy my phylactery,' the lich said.
Switching his grip on the battle-axe, Baylee smashed the heavy warblade into the statue's upraised hands. The wrists shattered, but the stone hands still clung to the emerald drum. However, it was enough. Baylee grinned, knowing his success was only seconds away from being taken from him as the stone golem bore down on him.
He reached down and seized one of the broken stone hands holding onto the drum. The phylactery was heavier than it looked, but he managed it easily enough.
Baylee Arnvold. The ranger recognized the baelnorn's voice in his head, sounding weak and agonized. Bring the phylactery to me. I am downstairs with the astral shift spell. I can help.
Baylee ducked under the golem's arm. The huge stone hand thundered against the wall, knocking books from the shelves and breaking a dozen vases or more. He looked up and spotted Cordyan slipping behind the golem. She swung her blade with force and using all of her body weight. The sword bit into the golem's back, sending fracture marks through the stone.
The golem turned ponderously, as if unwilling to shift too much and put strain on the wounded area.
'Get back,' Baylee said.
The civilar slipped out of the way of the golem's fist. Then the creature turned completely, trying to trap her between its outspread arms.
Unbelievably, Cordyan froze where she was.
Baylee's stomach turned over at the thought of what those terrible stone hands would do to her. 'Move!' he shouted, already on his way to the door.
Cordyan didn't flinch at all as the golem reached for her.
Looking past the civilar, Baylee saw the lich holding a hand toward her. He guessed that Shallowsoul had enspelled her. Xuxa, take him. The ranger rolled the emerald drum toward the door, then took up the battle-axe in both hands. 'Cordyan, when you're free, get the drum.' He launched himself at the golem, pulling into position, then bringing the axe into the creature's knee joint.
The axe head buried deep in the stone flesh, sending fissures running through the injured leg. Stunned and hurting, the golem turned back to Baylee, its face a mask of inarticulate rage.
Baylee ducked under the outstretched hands. He caught a brief glimpse of Xuxa streaking across the intervening space in front of the lich. Then the azmyth bat raked her claws across the back of Shallowsoul's hand. The lich drew his hand back, breaking the spell.
'Get the drum,' Baylee said. 'We've got to get it downstairs to the baelnorn.' He drew back the axe and chopped at the golem's leg again. Fist-sized chunks flew from the creature's limb this time.
Cordyan broke free and streaked for the drum. She caught it up in one hand and ran for the door.
'No!' the lich screamed behind her.
Baylee drew back from the golem, luring it into position so that it blocked the lich behind it and served as a shield from any spells Shallowsoul might cast. He turned and ran after Cordyan, vaulting over the headless corpse of Krystarn Fellhammer.
A concussive wave overtook him, buffeting his body. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the stone golem suddenly blown toward him, coming at him impossibly fast. Ripped from the floor, the creature flailed soundlessly in the wind blast.
'Get down!' Baylee yelled in warning, diving to the ground beside the door.
The stone golem blew by overhead, rolling and turning as it shot out over the railing. But one of its flailing hands caught Cordyan a glancing blow, knocking her over the side. She almost caught herself, one hand wrapping around the railing.
Baylee pushed himself up, aware of the emerald drum balanced precariously on the edge of the railing, one of the broken stone hands still holding onto it, somehow wedging against the railing. He dropped the battle- axe.
He ran forward, telling himself there was time to save both, to save the woman and the phylactery. Both had managed to find a grip on the railing. The phylactery would have to come first, of course. After all, it was
