Keith Baker - The City of Towers

Daine took the lead, and the two of them slowly walked down the first catwalk. There were no torches in the chamber, and the only light came from the bubbling pools thirty feet below. Daine couldn’t see any sign of Chyrassk, but there was a patch of oily green blood on the catwalk ahead. As far as he could tell, there were no other exits from the room.

“Lei, what do you make of this?” he whispered.

As his eyes adjusted to the light, he could see that there were a series of chains and pulleys fixed to the ceiling. Some of these were supporting the catwalks. But others descended into the pools below.

Lei peered over the edge, studying one of the pools. “I think it’s some sort of incubator. Look where the chain is touching the surface? There’s some sort of casket down there. I think that people have been lowered into these pools.”

“But why?”

“Think about it. Teral and his followers had those things grafted to their bodies. We know that it’s something they were continuing to do here. The container at the end of that chain may hold some sort of creature waiting to be grafted to a human host-or it may be the human subject, recovering from the experience.”

“That’s great,” Daine said. “So each of these chains is attached to a monster-to-be? What do we do about that?”

“Cut the chains?”

“I suppose there’s not much choice.”

Daine looked down at the catwalk, studying the way the steel segments were joined together. He felt a growing sense of satisfaction. Just a few more steps …

“Lei! Move!” he cried, charging forward and shoving her with all his might. Caught completely by surprise, she tumbled forward. Nearing the edge of a catwalk, she managed to stop her movement by plunging her staff through a gap in the floor of the platform.

“Dolurrh!” she swore. “What do you think-”

A tremendous crash struck behind her, and she spun around. The catwalk that they’d been standing on a moment earlier had dropped to the floor of the chamber. The suspending chains had come undone, and Daine had barely pushed them onto the next segment in time.

“Chyrassk is here,” Daine said. “I can feel him.”

Lei studied the supporting chains and drew the lightning wand. “I think this platform is stable, but now we’re cut off from the exit.”

Daine watched the shadows. He could feel a presence, a gloating thought in the back of his mind. Two have no hope , he thought. Best to end it quickly . They were his thoughts, pure and natural, and for a moment he shifted his balance and prepared to throw himself to the floor.

Only Lei stopped him, holding him back with the darkwood staff. “Daine, what are you doing?”

“I was … I … don’t know,” he said. “It … was … I … there!”

Chyrassk stepped out from the shadows. Its slick skin glistened in the light of the pools, its golden eyes gleaming in the shadows. Chyrassk was less than thirty feet away, but it was on a different catwalk, and at a quick glance it was impossible to see how to reach it. It raised a hand in their direction.

Fall and be done .

Once again Daine was caught in a storm of savage thoughts, a mental tumult that drowned out all conscious reasoning. He staggered in the wake of the mental blast-then the pain was gone. There was a sound, faint but clear, that seemed to surround him and drive the madness away. It took him a moment to realize what it was.

Lei’s staff was singing. The tiny darkwood face was fully animated. Its voice was faint but clear. Daine could feel Chyrassk’s fury, and again the storm of chaotic thoughts lashed, only to scatter against the barrier of song. Daine glanced at Lei, but she seemed as surprised as he was.

Daine didn’t like the darkwood staff. There was too much they didn’t know about it. The sphinx had wanted Lei to have it, but it still seemed possible that Flamewind had sent Jode to his death-or at least set him on the path that killed him. And when it had sprouted thorns to catch Hugal’s hands …

What was it? What did it want?

It was too dangerous. He needed to get rid of it. He’d find a way to deal with the mindflayer, but he needed to be able to trust the people at his side. How could he know that this thing wasn’t manipulating Lei’s mind? He still had the long chain attached to his wrist, and he lashed out with it.

Lei was just as surprised as Daine when her staff began to sing. It was clear that it had hidden powers, but with the chaos of the last few days she hadn’t had time to study it properly. Was it actually sentient? As expressive as the tiny face was, it was entirely possible that the powers of the staff were triggered by certain events. The song seemed to be shielding both of the from Chyrassk’s attack, but for how long? Lei knew she had to act.

“What do we do?” she said. She glanced over at Daine-and jerked back, just in time to avoid the blow of the chain. Dropping the wand, she took up a defensive posture. “What are you doing?”

“Get rid of the staff, Lei,” Daine said, moving toward her. She stepped back, but there was little room to maneuver on the narrow catwalk. “Throw it over the edge. It’s done something to you, and we can’t take any chances.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! It’s the only reason we’re still standing!”

“It’s manipulating you, Lei! If you won’t get rid of it, I will.”

Daine lashed out again. Lei managed to turn the edge of the blade with the staff, but Daine’s dagger drew a long furrow against the shaft. For a moment, the song took on a pained note.

It’s Chyrassk, Lei realized. The mindflayer was standing, unmoving, on the catwalk across the chamber. Chyrassk must be amplifying Daine’s fears and suspicions and using them to control him. If I drop the staff, we’re both defenseless.

“Daine, stop! What happens once the staff is destroyed?”

Daine was still weak from his injuries, and that was the only reason she’d been able to avoid his attacks as long as she had. But now he was moving in, trying to grab the staff with his free hand, and she was running out of room to retreat.

Calling on desperate reserves of willpower, Lei reached out with her mind. Her armor was a family heirloom, designed to hold temporary enchantments. While it normally took a significant period of time to weave an enchantment, she could weave minor effects into her armor swiftly, though it was just as much of a drain on her energy as crafting a longer, more powerful enchantment.

As Daine came forward, she whispered a word of power and leaped forward. The golden studs of her armor seemed to pull her into the air. It wasn’t full flight, but she could ignore much of the pull of gravity, and she sailed over Daine’s head. She landed on the platform behind him. Turning around, she gave him a quick shove with the staff. He staggered and almost tumbled off the edge of the platform.

“Damn it, Lei, are you trying to kill me?” Daine cried. He spun around, and now there was real fury in his eyes.

What can I do? She thought. In his weakened condition, it was possible that she could knock Daine off the catwalk. Then what? But if she let Daine destroy the staff, they’d both be helpless.

Daine charged again. Lei leaped a second time, but she had underestimated him. This time he was ready for her, and as Lei sailed overhead his chain wrapped around her ankle and she landed hard, barely staying atop the catwalk. Daine faced her, and his expression was grim.

“No more running, Lei. Can’t you see what it’s done to your mind? Or is it too late to save you?” He paused for a moment, as if listening to inner voices. “Either you throw the staff below or I’ll have to kill you. It’s the only way … the only way to be sure. It’s for your own good.”