Melegaunt held him back. 'And it will have you, if you're fool enough to challenge it!'
As the warrior was dragged off, his glassy eyes rolled toward the wizard's face and remained there until he vanished into the shadows. The wizard turned away, his own expression as hard as it was unreadable.
'Take up your friends and keep moving.' He motioned to the big shadow stretcher. 'We must go before more shadator come.'
Only Kiinyon did not reach for his corner. 'We can't leave him.'
'We can and we must.' Melegaunt started forward again. 'Shadator seldom come alone.'
Kiinyon did not move. 'Elves are not cowards. We do not abandon the spirits of our dead to places such as this.'
Melegaunt turned, this time with an expression of genuine sorrow. 'I am sorry for your friend, but there is truly nothing we can do. When the rest of the shadator arrive, they will strike at more capable prey. They'll attack from below, at first taking only one or two of us. But the feeding frenzy will start quickly, and all our spirits will be left to the dark. Is that what you want?'
'Of course not.' Kiinyon's face was silver with rage. 'But I've seen enough of your magic to know you can do something.'
Melegaunt's eyes went dark. 'Sadly, you are mistaken.' The wizard started to walk again. 'You may stay if you wish. It is all the same to me.'
Eyes bulging, Kiinyon started after him. 'You… will… not!'
Realizing the tomb master had been robbed of self-control-and perhaps even his wits-by the past few days of death and defeat, Galaeron blocked his way.
'Master Colbathin, if Melegaunt says he has done everything possible, he has. It's only because of him that you are here at all. I was ready to give you up for dead, but he insisted it was possible to rescue you.'
Kiinyon's fiery gaze shifted to Galaeron-a definite improvement, since Galaeron was not likely to grow impatient and blast the tomb master into shadows.
'Why am I not surprised?' Kiinyon said. 'You and your lazy magic-I should've known you were a coward, too.' 'That's enough.' Vala stepped to Galaeron's side.
Though her tone was calm, the blow that followed was not The tomb master was rocked back into Burlen's waiting grasp, where his arms were pinned to his side. Vala produced a black cord and tied his hands.
'Galaeron deserves this abuse no more than does Melegaunt.' Whether she was speaking to Kiinyon or Lord Imesfor was unclear. She was looking past the tomb master toward the high mage, whose glassy eyes barely seemed to notice the confrontation. 'Nor do we have time for it.'
'Do as you must.' Lord Imesfor held his arms crossed in front of him, his mangled hands pressed to his chest. 'The tomb master will understand when he returns to his senses.' The high mage inclined his head toward their backtrail.
Galaeron looked and saw a ghostly silhouette crossing the light between two shadow hills, four short tentacles where there should have been a nose. He looked away casually, then asked, 'Illithids?'
'They've been following us for some time,' said the high mage. 'I was wondering if they're native to this plane.'
'No.' Despite the softness of his voice, Melegaunt sounded angry 'They're servitors to our enemy. The phaerimm, I fear, have figured out how to track us.'
He gestured in Burlen's direction. The warrior gasped in surprise, then blinked in confusion.
'You will grow accustomed to it soon enough,' said Melegaunt. 'Someone must keep watch behind us.'
Burlen waved a cautious hand behind his helmet. 'You might have warned me. This is… unnatural.'
Melegaunt waved at the maze of shadow and light around them. 'Four eyes are as natural as anything here.'
The wizard nodded to Vala, then started to walk away. She tossed Kiinyon onto the shadow litter with the patients, then Galaeron and the others took up their positions and followed.
Lord Imesfor scurried to catch Melegaunt. 'Perhaps we should tarry. If the shadators are attracted by sound, we might use them to spare ourselves the trouble of ambushing the illithids later.'
Melegaunt continued to walk, and quickly 'A good plan, but one we've no time for. Now that the phaerimm have finally discovered where we are, they'll move to cut us off.'
'Finally?' asked Lord Imesfor. 'The high mages did try shadow walking.'
Earlier in the journey, Imesfor had related how Evereska's army had stumbled into a phaerimm ambush, then been unable to escape via teleport spells, magical gates, or dimension doors. Each time, they ran headlong into another trap, until all that remained were handfuls of scattered survivors. The final blow came when Imesfor attempted to planewalk to Evermeet, only to emerge where they had found him.
'I'm sorry,' said Imesfor. 'We won't escape through the shadows.'
'If we hurry,' said Melegaunt. 'The shadows are a big place, and there are only two ways to track someone through them.'
'Of course. One is to follow physically.' Lord Imesfor craned his neck meaningfully toward the rear. 'The other is far easier. Track their magic.'
'Exactly' Melegaunt's smile managed to be both patient and condescending. 'Tracking elven magic is easy, but mine is another story.'
Galaeron resisted the urge to look back, for he saw what the wizard was planning. As long as they believed themselves unobserved, the illithids would bide their time and wait for the phaerimm to attack. If Melegaunt and the others could slip away before then, they could reach Evereska unmolested.
Lord Imesfor did not share Galaeron's faith. 'You're telling me the phaerimm cannot see your magic?'
'It's true,' Galaeron said, speaking from his place near the front of the litter. 'Nor can they defend themselves from it. You saw how the darkswords cut through their shieldings.'
Imesfor glanced at Galaeron, then back to Melegaunt. 'How?' His tone was not as disbelieving as thoughtful, but there was a hint of condemnation to it. 'I don't understand.'
Melegaunt's voice grew harsh. 'What is there to understand? All you need know is that I can get you past the phaerimm. Do you wish that, or not?' 'Of course.' Lord Imesfor kept his voice carefully level. 'But there is no sense returning to Evereska. Perhaps you could guide us to Waterdeep?'
'Waterdeep?' This from Kiinyon. 'You would ask humans for help?'
Imesfor looked back, sneaking a glance toward their pursuers. A flash of concern suggested he had seen one.
'I mean to ask help of whoever will give it,' said the high mage. 'Human help comes at a dear price,' Kiinyon said.
Imesfor's eyes narrowed. '1 am sure our companions-no, our rescuers-understand the strain you have been under.'
'We do,' said Melegaunt. 'Regardless, we cannot take you to Waterdeep.'
'I thought as much,' said Kiinyon. 'Just like a human to open the floodgates of hell and run for high ground.'
Finally losing patience, Melegaunt wagged a crooked finger back at the tomb master. 'The place I am running is to call the only help that will save your miserable kingdom, which is more than your kind…' Melegaunt let the sentence trail off, then his face turned as dark as his hair. 'Elves! You are too full of tricks for your own good.'
'Perhaps so,' said Lord Imesfor. 'But then again, your kind have always seemed to measure what is good for others by what is best for yourselves.' Melegaunt's bushy brows came together. 'My kind?'
Now it was Imesfor's turn to smirk. 'Whatever that may be. No normal human would have the power-or reason-to live so long in the caverns of the phaerimm.'
Melegaunt studied the high mage a moment longer, then glanced at Kiinyon, and finally looked to Vala. 'You may as well cut Master Colbathin free and let him pull his share. He and Lord Imesfor have been playing us a little bit for fools, I think.'
Vala drew her darksword, and without breaking stride, slashed the tomb master's bonds off. 'We have a saving in my home,' she said darkly. 'The fur of the clever fox is the finest.'
Kiinyon smiled and jumped off the litter. 'Then I shall have to take care you don't skin me.'
