Waukeen emblazoned on their chests.
'You have betrayed your kingdom, Korox,' said a man who-had appeared from the dead brush. 'You have traded in our lives for the life of your daughter.
We are here to take your throne and end your rule.' The assassin pulled a pair of long, thin blades from the sheaths at his waist. 'The Matron sends her regards.'
The assassins attacked.
'Magistrates!' shouted Captain Kaden. 'Surround the king!'
A tight circle formed around King Korox as the men prepared to fight for their lives.
Quinn came out of the narrow passage into a high-ceilinged room. His skin tingled in anticipation as he realized where he was. The creatures he followed had led him directly back into Xeries's throne room.
The black beasts were nowhere to be seen. The floor hummed from the magical contraption far below his feet, and the open room was completely empty-except for the arch magus himself.
Xeries stood in front of his throne, intently watching something on the floor, his hunched back and head covered by a heavy robe. Beside him, a half-drunk goblet of wine tested on a short table. If he heard Quinn come out of the tube, he gave no indication.
Lifting himself onto his feet, Quinn stalked silently across the floor. As he drew closer, he could see a swirling image displayed at the foot of the throne. Some sort of scrying spell Xeries had likely cast. Whatever he was watching, it had his full attention.
Moving up onto the dais, Quinn moved into position to cut Xeries's throat. He lifted his left hand, and placed his blades just under the arch magus's throat. He was poised and ready to kill the man who had threatened his king, stolen his love, and neatly destroyed his home. This was why he had come to the Obsidian Ridge. His mission was nearly complete.
But something made him pause.
This all seemed too easy. Why had those beasts led him to the throne room? Why was Xeries unguarded? Something wasn't right.
Looking down at the image at Xeries's feet, Quinn could see two figures. One was clearly Xeries in his heavy robes. The other was less clear, so he moved his head slightly to get a better view.
A chill ran down his spine. The second figure was him.
Quinn and Xeries were looking down at an image of themselves. The arch magus had been watching him sneak up from behind. He knew that Quinn was there, yet he hadn't moved.
Grabbing Xeries by his robed shoulder, Quinn spun him around and pulled back his hood-revealing Princess Mariko. A look of desperation filled her eyes, but she didn't speak.
Pulling the robe from her shoulders, Quinn could see that she-was holding a strange furry creature in her bound hands. It wiggled its nose and sneezed.
Then it looked up at him and said, 'It's a trap.'
The air seemed to waver and bend-like waves of heat coming off a hot stone road. The empty throne room filled with Xeries' minions, the invisible turned visible. Hundreds of them surrounded Quinn and Mariko. '
They pounced on Quinn, knocking him to the ground before he could respond. They tote from him his cape. They took from him his sword and his gauntlet, leaving him empty-handed on the floor, two of the black beasts on each of his limbs, holding him down.
And nearby, Xeries himself appeared. Seemingly very pleased with himself, he stepped up on the dais to look down at Quinn-helpless and unarmed.
'You were right. You did come back for me.' He smiled. 'I thank you for the warning.'
Quinn struggled against his captors, but it was no use. He was held fast. 'Don't mention it.'
'You realize of course that I'm going to have to make you pay for all of this. All of Erlkazar is going to pay for the damage and difficulty you've caused me.'
'Whatever it is you want, you won't get it,' Quinn said.
Xeries laughed, his echoed voice multiplying the terrible sound. 'I already have almost everything I want.' He ran his finger over Mariko's cheek.
The princess pulled back, and the mimmio conveyed her words. 'Don't touch me, you filthy beast.'
Xeries scowled. 'I shall have you despite your defiance. And I shall destroy this little village you call home just for my pleasure.'
He slipped his belt off of his waist and let the robe fall from his shoulders. His body was twisted and blackened, a deformed monstrosity that made both Mariko and Quinn look away in disgust.
'But there is something else.' Waving his hands over his head, Xeries cast a spell. His bent, twisted body grew upright. His blemished, foul skin became smooth. His withered old hands and face became young again. His whole visage transformed.
A chill ran down Quinn's spine and his chest grew cold. Pinned to the floor, he looked up at an exact doppelganger of himself-complete with one bladed gauntlet.
'You wouldn't dare,' spat Quinn.
Xeries smiled. 'Oh no?' he said, his voice no longer echoing, but now sounding like Quinn. 'I want to see the look on your king's face when I tell him-with your face-that I have betrayed him. That I have turned over his daughter without a fight, and that despite her sacrifice, Erlkazarl’s doomed.'
Xeries, wearing the appearance of Quinn, turned and strode out of the throne room. 'Move the citadel over the water until I return,' he commanded his minions. 'And hold those two in my private chamber. I will deal with them both personally when I have finished my business with their king.'
Assassins swirled around King Korox Morkann of Erlkazar and his men, coming in a dozen at a time. They carried all manner of weapons. There seemed no continuity between them except that they wore the same robes and all worked at the same goal-to kill the king.
Already his circle of defenders had dwindled. Four men had died in the opening moments of the battle. Three more and the king's black mount had also been grievously wounded. They tried to hold their ground, but it was no use. There was no way out of this.
Their shouts were muffled by the dead brown foliage on the once-in-bloom trees. The sounds of their blades colliding with those of the assassins wandered off into the dry air, unheard by the waiting troops. Less than a mile from the mustering army, the king, the head of his Magistrates, and their escort were all going to die.
They fought now only to prolong their lives for a few more precious moments. They stayed on their feet, defending themselves and their king for the pride of having been here at the end. If this was the way they were going to go when they were going to fight with every last breath left in them.
'Steady!' shouted the king to his defenders. 'You are the bravest this land has to offer! Your courage will earn you a place in history!'
His words moved them. Though they were wounded and outnumbered, they fought with the strength of a hundred men. But even if they'd had that many, it would still not have been enough.
A shower of purplish blue light came down on the assassins. It looked like thirty or more brightly colored spring birds diving into the fray, striking the black-robed men attacking the king. They hissed and popped as they impacted, burning holes in their targets and dropping a few to their knees.
A huge bolt of lightning shattered the dry afternoon air. It struck one of the assassins in the back then leaped toward another-and another and another. The electricity reached out like the fingers on a skeletal hand, touching at least half a dozen enemies and striking them senseless. When the spell ended, two of the assassins fell down dead. The others staggered a bit, wisps of steam floating off their shoulders and arms.
The sound of galloping horses echoed out of the courtyard and into the field, followed by the appearance of fifty men, half in armor, half in robes. All wore the jade green and royal blue that could mean only one thing-Lord Purdun of Duhlnarim, the Baron of Ahlarkhem had arrived.
'Guardsmen,' shouted Putdun, 'save our king!'
Suddenly the odds had been evened.
The two men had saved each other countless times. Now Purdun had arrived with his elite guard and most of his court mages to protect his friend.
The wizards of Duhlnarim were not a force to be taken lightly. Though there were few of them, they were
