Jeff Crook - The Rose and the Skull

"This is my domain, Lady Alya," Iulus snarled. "I don't take orders from the Knights of Takhisis. You are my guest, and these are my prisoners. I'll do with them as I like."

"You should listen to her, my master," said a voice from the doorway. "She is right. You have grown too greedy with all this talk of 'ransom.' "

Alya spun to find Lady Meredith standing in the doorway. "Zen! Where is Valian? Didn't you find him?"

Zen edged into the room, arms raised in surrender. Behind him, the dark elf warily crept, his sword poised to strike.

"I am right here, Lady Alya Starblade," he sneered.

Glabella peered around the doorpost. When she saw Uhoh lying on the floor, a whimper escaped her lips.

"Valian, my old friend," Alya smiled. "I was very surprised to learn you were part of this… rabble. I thought you were above this sort of thing."

"I came here for one thing, my lady," Valian said.

"And that is?" she asked as she edged toward the throne.

"Justice. You and Tohr have disgraced the Knights of Takhisis with your dishonorable schemes. I missed my chance at Tohr, but I shall not let you escape so easily." With a snarl, he shoved the sivak to the wall and charged his former leader.

General Zen caught himself before his head smashed into the stone wall. He rose and turned, shaking off the human form of Lady Meredith, just as Valian and Alya's swords clashed. He stood back and solemnly watched developments. Grand Master Iulus, it seemed, was also content to wait and see how things turned out, a hideous grin on his wizened, reptilian face.

The battle between the Knights of Takhisis seesawed back and forth before the throne. Alya gave way before Valian's superior strength, then counterattacked, putting him on his heels. As the fight grew close to the bound prisoners, Jessica gathered her wits and found Glabella near at hand.

"Glabella," she whispered.

The gully dwarf turned, her filthy face streaked with tears.

"See if you can reach my dagger. Cut our bonds," Jessica said.

"Hurry, Glabella!" Ellinghad whispered.

Hesitantly, with a glance at the Grand Master of the draconians, she crept to Jessica's side and felt for the dagger. With a smile, she freed it from the webs and began to cut away at the sticky cords binding Jessica's arms.

She didn't get far before a huge silver claw grasped Glabella by the arm and snatched her into the air. Zen wrenched the dagger from her fist, then tossed her aside. He looked down at the helpless Knights, then glanced up at his master. Iulus, greedy for the sight of blood, still watched the battle.

Jessica, sensing the sivak's next move, closed her eyes. "Make it quick and merciful," she whispered.

"My last act as a Knight of Solamnia," answered Lady Meredith's voice.

Jessica's eyes flew open, but it was still the sivak, hovering over her. Only, something was different, something about the eyes. There was no mistaking: They were the soft blue eyes of Lady Meredith Turningdale.

The sivak smiled, showing his fangs, and lifted Sir Ellinghad to his feet. With one swooping move, he cut the webs from the Knight's arms. Ellinghad struggled free and drew his sword.

"Zen!" Iulus shouted, noticing them at last.

"You have grown soft, my master," Zen said. "Let's see how you fare against a real opponent."

He rolled Jessica over and cut loose her bonds, then dropped the dagger beside her.

"Fare thee well, Lady Knight," he said in Meredith's voice, then the look of her old comrade was gone. Cold black orbs stared back at her.

Zen turned and strode from the room, motioning for the guards to follow him. Reluctantly, they obeyed.

Alya and Valian circled each other, seeking some weakness, some mistake, probing, feinting. Valian was slowly growing weary, while Alya wasn't even breathing hard. Blood seeped through Valian's bandages and onto his sword hand, making the hilt slippery and hard to hold.

Out of the corner of his eye, Valian saw Ellinghad streak past. That one moment of distraction was all Alya needed. Lunging quickly, she caught Valian's blade, then with a deft flip, sent it spinning through the air.

He stepped back, his arms raised.

"Justice is what you make of it, my old friend," Alya said as she raised her sword above her head.

Ellinghad drew his sword and kissed the hilt. Across from him, the Grand Master of draconian assassins sat in his golden throne, eyeing the Knight with contempt. Ellinghad shouted, "For Gunthar!" and charged. Iulus sat unmoving, but his chest swelled as though preparing for the blow.

All of a sudden, his head shot forward and his mouth gaped open, and a cloud of noxious gas poured forth. Ellinghad charged into it, unmindful, but the fumes robbed his legs of their strength. He stumbled and fell, his sword slipping from his grasp. He couldn't breath. He gagged. A shadow loomed above him. He looked up, blinking through the haze of his own tears. Iulus leered down at him, pointed and spoke a single word. Magical energy burst against his skull.

Jessica's only thought was to pull Uhoh to safety. The other Knights could take care of themselves. It was her job to rescue the gully dwarves.

Grabbing Uhoh by his arms, she dragged him to the door, then returned for Mommamose, only to find Glabella had already freed the Highbulp. The two were huddled over something and arguing. Mommamose clutched a thin wand of amber, which Glabella tugged at from one end.

"It mine!" Mommamose snarled.

"I find it at Town. I bring it here. It mine," Glabella responded.

It was at that moment that the aurak breathed forth his cloud of poison gas, felling Ellinghad. As Jessica and the two gully dwarves watched in fascinated horror, Ellinghad clawed at his throat for breath, while the cloud spread across the floor towards them. The draconian stood and spoke a word of magic, calling forth a burst of energy from his palms, which struck Ellinghad.

No!" Jessica screamed as Iulus calmly resumed his seat in his golden throne.

The gully dwarves resumed their squabble. "I say magic word."

"No I say magic word."

And then a rare event occurred. Glabella said, "I hold magic stick, you say magic word."

"Okay," Mommamose said.

Glabella stood and pointed the wand at the Grand Master. Mommamose touched the sapphire at its base. The one good eye of Iulus grew wide.

"Crackling!" Mommamose shouted.

Alya staggered, the sword still poised above her head, as thunder rocked the chamber. Though momentarily stunned, Valian recovered more quickly, and in one fluid motion, he drew his dagger, ducked under Alya's blow, and brought his fist up into her chest. She toppled to the floor, a dagger protruding from her heart.

The force of the magic knocked Mommamose and Glabella to the floor; Jessica grabbed onto something. A lightning bolt struck the heavy throne, lifting it up and sending it crashing partially through the back wall. With Iulus wedged in it, the throne hung precariously, suspended two thousand feet above the raging sea. Rain slashed through the opening in the wall.

Meanwhile, Iulus had begun a horrible transformation. Like other draconians, an aurak underwent a series of changes after death. Usually they were immolated with green flames and entered a killing frenzy. Iulus, though he raged and frothed, remained firmly stuck. The lightning bolt had melded his flesh to the gold throne, trapping him. The throne rocked with his struggles.

Jessica started from her trance when Valian touched her arm.

"Come on," he urged.

"The gully dwarves," she cried, tearing from his grasp. She rushed to Glabella's side and lifted her to her feet.

"That some magic," the gully dwarf said thickly as she rubbed her head.

Mommamose had already regained her feet. She was pointing at something, her face frozen. Jessica spun around, sickened by what she saw. She turned away.