Don Bassinghtwaite - The Binding Stone

Geth whirled the other way. Ashi lay stretched out, scorched and stunned, and Singe was sinking back, but Vennet was still on his feet, swinging his cutlass as Dandra dodged and parried desperately. Geth snarled and leaped for him.

The half-elf's eyes widened at the sight of him. He threw one final slash at Dandra, then tried to scramble back away from Geth. "You don't know how badly Dah'mir wants her, Geth," he gasped. "He's not going to let you rest. He's already on his way!"

"Not here yet though, is he?" Geth said. He twitched to the side in a feint.

Vennet took it. He thrust out with his cutlass, but the shifter sprang to the outside of the blow and caught the blade with his gauntleted hand, forcing Vennet's arm up high-and punching hard at the Lyrandar captain's exposed side with his free hand. Vennet gasped and let go of his cutlass to twist around and punch back. Geth flicked the cutlass away and swept his gauntlet down to knock the blow aside. His left fist smashed into the side of Vennet's face, jerking his head around.

"For what you did to Natrac," Geth growled, then grabbed the half-elf's shoulders as he stumbled, bent him over, and slammed a knee up into his gut. "For betraying us." He dragged Vennet upright and drew back his arm. "And for dumping me," he roared, "in that damned water!"

His arm and shoulder snapped forward, catching Vennet full in the face, and sending him reeling back, blood pouring from a shattered nose. The half-elf swayed briefly, then crashed to the floor.

The entire structure of the old, ruined house around them groaned and shuddered. Dust and boards fell from above. Ashi stirred. Across the room, Fause went pale and dodged away from their mysterious orc ally to run for the stairs. Geth stared at Vennet's fallen form in shock. "I didn't hit him that hard!" he gasped.

Singe had a scrap of torn cloth out and was trying to bind it around his wounded arm. He spun around and stared up at the ceiling, with one end of the cloth clenched in his teeth. "That came from up above! What's going on up there?"

The orc had gone as pale as Fause had. "Vvaraak's wisdom," he breathed, staring up as well. "The Servant of Madness."

Geth looked at him. "Who?" he demanded. "Who's the Servant of Madness?"

Dandra was the one who answered him. The kalashtar's feet were sinking back to the floor. Her eyes were wide and terrified, her body stiff. "It's Dah'mir," she said. "I can feel him. Dah'mir is here!"

"What?" Singe exclaimed. He yanked the makeshift bandage tight and spat the cloth out of his mouth. "How? He should still be days' travel away!"

Overhead, the fleeing cultists let out cries of surprise-and awe. There was a cascade of thumps as knees hit the old floor and then Fause's voice rose in a wild, ecstatic chant of praise. Even over the chant, Geth could hear the measured pace of steady footsteps. "Grandfather Rat's naked tail," he hissed. He crouched down, ready for a new battle.

"No!" said the orc. "You can't fight him! Into the water-I have a boat nearby." Gripping his staff tightly, he ran for the stairs and darted down them.

Geth hesitated and exchanged a fast glance with Singe. He could guess what the wizard was thinking: could they trust the stranger? It didn't seem to him that they had much choice. The orc had helped them. If the footsteps overheard really did belong to Dah'mir…

"See to Dandra!" Geth grunted. He darted to Natrac and heaved the half-orc's body over his left shoulder with a groan and a curse. He staggered back to his feet and turned around.

Singe stood at Dandra's side, murmuring to her, easing down her spear, and trying to get her over to the top of the stairs. Beyond them, Ashi was rising to her feet.

"Singe!" shouted Geth.

The wizard whirled and Geth could hear him try to gasp out the words of a spell, but the hunter was faster. She leaped, lashing out with a fist. Her blow spun him around and sent him sprawling. A snap of her leg sent a hard kick into the softness of his belly.

Like someone waking from a bad dream, Dandra blinked and started to turn away, but Ashi grabbed for her. For a moment the hunter's hand raked the air and it seemed that Dandra might dodge away from her, but the cord that hung the yellow-green psicrystal around the kalashtar's neck snapped tight. She jerked back with a strangled cry.

"No!" Geth yelled. He managed a stumbling step forward even as Ashi wrenched on the cord and hauled Dandra into her grasp. Dandra tried to strain away-

— and the cord around her neck snapped. The psicrystal flew free.

Geth stretched out his right hand and snatched the crystal out of the air, clenching the steel-cased fingers of his gauntlet tight to keep it from slipping through. He spun back to Ashi and Dandra. The Bonetree hunter had her arms wrapped around Dandra, lifting her off her feet and squeezing her in a crushing grip.

"Let her go!" Geth roared. He stuffed the psicrystal hastily into his pouch without looking and started to let Natrac slide to the ground.

"No," called a deep, oil-smooth voice, "hold her. Give up your struggle, shifter-there's nothing more for you to fight for."

Geth spun around.

He had seen and heard Dah'mir in Dandra's memories, but even memory paled in comparison to the majesty of the man himself. Robed in black leather set with priceless dragonshards, just as Dandra had first seen him, the tall, pale-skinned man stood at the bottom of the steps. The gloom of the chamber made his acid-green eyes seem to shimmer. His presence was almost overwhelming-Geth gasped as it washed over him. His gut clenched. Dah'mir was right. There was nothing more to fight for! His grasp on Natrac tightened…

Then he gasped again as the stones of Adolan's collar grew shockingly cold. A new clarity burst inside his mind, driving back Dah'mir's power. Geth shook his head, blinked, and looked at Dah'mir again.

The green-eyed man's presence was strong, but not so overwhelming as it had seemed a moment ago. There were cultists crowded onto the stairs behind him, peering down like a gang of children. A woman in dirty green robes stood at Dah'mir's side. Her face was sharp and almost feral, though it had the look of having once been plump and joyful. Her tall body was hunched and crooked. Beneath smudges of dirt, her skin was dusky; her hair, clumped and matted, was shot through with gray.

It took a moment for him to recognize Medalashana-the kalashtar bore only a distant resemblance to Dandra's memories. Geth drew a sharp breath.

Dah'mir's eyes narrowed. Geth's heart skipped. He glanced quickly at Dandra and Singe. The wizard was still down. Dandra was still folded in Ashi's arms-but she was no longer struggling. She had frozen, staring at Dah'mir as if he was the center of her world.

"Shifter-" said Dah'mir.

Geth whirled, bared his teeth, and snarled.

Medalashana howled in outrage. "Dah'mir! Let me take him! I'll shred his mind and lay his thoughts out before you!"

Geth flinched at the venom in the kalashtar's voice, but Dah'mir held up a hand to her. "Hush, Medala. We have the one we came for. He's nothing. If he wants to defy me, let him."

His raised hand made a pass in the air. A flash of light seemed to grow out of that gesture and arc across the chamber. It took on a shape as it moved: a spectral claw, gnarled and inhuman.

Geth froze, then dodged to one side. The claw drifted after him. Geth growled and swatted at it with his gauntlet, but his fist passed right through it, leaving a chill on the metal.

On the ground by Ashi's feet, Singe raised his head. His lip was swelling where Ashi had hit him. "Get out, Geth!" he slurred. "Run-"

Ashi kicked him hard and he collapsed once again. Geth swallowed. His eyes darted from Dah'mir to the open square in the floor and the water beneath. If their mysterious orc ally was down there…