of the Third Virtuous Concubine.
After pumping the fluid from Lady Feng's lungs, Tang had collapsed beside her and listened to the drops trick- ling off his feet into the dark pool from which they had come. The steady splashing had ceased not long ago, and now he felt a cool tide creeping up his toes. The water was definitely rising, no doubt because Cypress had blocked the cavern's only outflow.
Tang rolled onto his back, then picked up Yanseldara's staff and held the glowing pommel over the pool. An alligator could hardly have squeezed between the surface of the black waters and ceiling. While lying on his back, it was difficult for the prince to see into all the shadowy corners of the cramped vault, but he discerned no hint of an exit above water.
As though to confirm what Tang already feared, Ge: i eral Fui drifted to the middle of the dark pool, then se* tied beneath the water and stopped to wait.
Lady Feng stirred and rolled onto her back. 'What is happening, Brave Prince?'
'The water rises. We must go.'
Lady Feng grimaced and shook her head. 'We lose our way.'
Tang lowered Yanseldara's staff toward the ghostly head waiting in the dark pool. 'General Fui guides-'
'Lady Feng?' The staff's glowing spirit gem dimmed slightly as a dulcet voice filled the cramped vault. 'Do you hear me?'
The words were Shou, but Tang, who had met Elver- suit's Lady Lord on several ceremonial occasions, recognized the voice as Yanseldara's. 'Who is this?' he demanded. 'You are not Lady Lord!'
'Nor are you, but I hear you in Lady Yanseldara's voice. Are you Third Virtuous Concubine?'
Tang looked to his mother, who appeared only slightly less puzzled than he. She shook her head to indicate she did not wish to speak, then motioned for him to continue 'This is Prince Kao Chou Tang.'
'I am most pleased to hear your voice, Young Prince.' came the reply. 'When I give you leave to fetch Third Vir- tuous Concubine, I do not expect you to be gone so long.'
'Minister Hsieh!' Only the cramped quarters kept Tang from kowtowing to the spirit gem. 'Please to-'
'We discuss your disobedience soon enough,' the man- darin replied. 'I presume you find Yanseldara's staff, or we could not speak. Do you also find Sagacious Mother?'
Before Tang answered, a terrible thought occurred to him. 'Esteemed Minister, Cypress shares gem with Yanseldara. Perhaps he hears us!'
There was a short silence; then Hsieh said, 'It does not matter. Witch has almost destroyed him.'
This drew a smile from Lady Feng, who said, 'I am here.'
'Good. I bear greetings and message from Most High Emperor, but first-'
A sudden burst of darkness flared inside the spirit gem. 'Tang! You are alive!' rumbled Cypress's deep voice.
'Well, no matter. I am not so hurt as those fools imagine.'
Tang was so startled that he let the staff slip from his hands, then barely caught it before it rolled down the sloping shelf into the dark water. Once again, the great topaz in the pommel glowed with the steady, brilliant scarlet light that it had assumed when the two spirits inside it united-though the prince fancied that he could now see glimmers of silver and black whirling deep within the gem.
'Minister Hsieh?'
Tang's only answer was a faint purl as the dark waters seeped onto the ledge where he and his mother lay.
Cypress lay at the bottom of Hillshadow Lake. Save for the golden ball still burning at the end of his sinuous neck, he was a huge black shape barely visible through the curtains of steam rising off the green waters. He hardly moved, and he made no sound; if not for his black tail occasionally rising to the surface, Ruha would not have known whether he still abided in his dark body.
'How long will your fire keep burning, Lady Ruha?'
Pierstar gestured vaguely toward the halo of yellow, boil- ing waters in the center of the lake. 'We've been waiting for it to die out since he went under!'
'The spell draws its fire from the sun.' The witch could hardly bear to take her eyes off Cypress. It would not be long before Lady Feng smashed his spirit gem, and then
Ruha would truly earn the right to be called a Harper.
'The magic will fade when the sun sets-or when I cancel the spell.'
'Then you may call it off when you wish,' Pierstar said. 'We are ready to fight when you are.'
Along with a small company of officers and runners, Ruha and the commander were standing behind the parapets of Baldagar Manor. The villa was the lowest of four keeplike mansions grouped together on the western shore of Hillshadow Lake. It offered the best view of the dragon, and it was also well placed to serve as a com- mand post.
The lake itself lay at the foot of Temple Hill, with beachfront streets encircling one end and magnificent villas the other. Fully fifteen hundred Maces stood along the shores, either arrayed along the cobblestone roads or crowded together atop the roofs of the great mansions. In lieu of their customary maces and horse lances, the men were armed with harpoon-firing ballistae or net-flinging catapults. Should they be fortunate enough to actually bring Cypress down, groups of horse-mounted battle wiz- ards waited in strategic locations to reinforce them.
Ruha nodded. 'Your preparations are beyond reproach, Pierstar, but-how can I put this without seeming rude?'
'Rude?' the commander snorted. 'Why would you worry about being rude when you've met Vaerana Hawk- lyn?'
Ruha smiled. 'Then I will speak bluntly. While it is clear that even the dragon cannot slay all of the men gathered here, I fear you may not stop him from escap- ing. Cypress is no fool. When he leaves the lake, he will not do the predictable thing.'
'Of course not. But how can we predict the unpredictable?' Pierstar asked. 'We are not gods.'
'No, but we can control some things,' Ruha replied.
'By using those to our advantage, we can guide our foe's actions.'
Pierstar raised a bushy eyebrow. 'What are you thinking?'
The witch described her plan, and by the time she fin- ished, Pierstar looked both hopeful and concerned.
'You're taking a big risk on Elversult's behalf, Lady
Witch,' he said. 'Are you sure you want to?'
Ruha nodded. 'I am sure. After Lady Feng smashes Cypress's spirit gem, we will have only one chance to destroy him-and the best way to be certain we do is to use his rage against him.'
'Then Elversult thanks you, and so do I.' Pierstar laid a hand on her shoulder. 'I'll give the orders.'
Before the commander could leave, a breathless mes- senger stormed out of the stairwell. He raised a hand in salute to Pierstar, then rushed over to Ruha. 'Minister Hsieh sends word that he has spoken to Lady Feng-and her son, Prince Tang.'
'And?' Pierstar asked.
'He reports that they have Yanseldara's staff, but Cypress interfered before he could tell them to crush the gem.'
Ruha's stomach turned queasy and cold, and she grew acutely aware of the dull ache of the wound she had suf- fered earlier. She did not realize she was swaying, how- ever, until Pierstar reached out to brace her.
'Lady Witch?'
'We're only fighting for time.' Ruha's voice was so low that even she could barely hear it. 'Unless the gem is smashed, we cannot win.'
'The Shou are a smart people.' Pierstar's confidence sounded forced. 'They will understand what their man- darin wanted.'
Ruha took a deep breath, then nodded. 'Yes, that is what we must hope. We have no other choice.' Gently, she freed herself from Pierstar's supporting hand. 'Per- haps you should issue your orders. There is no telling what Cypress will do now.'
The commander nodded and went to speak with his officers.
