Then he turned and walked out of the chamber, his footfalls echoing about the dank walls for a long time after he had gone.
Qeteb could not believe his good fortune. He'd entered Spiredore in order to wreak destruction within
— and had encountered DragonStar's five witches!
They were not all together, moving around different portions of the complex, but Qeteb knew that if he could pull Spiredore down about their ears, and kill them all now, before even they met his companions, then DragonStar could do nothing against him.
Nothing. The matter could be settled here and now.
Qeteb smiled, pure evil, then closed his eyes and tilted his head back, combining his power with that of Roxiah still outside.
"Tumble down," he whispered, "tumble down, you masonried piece of shit..."
And matter shifted within the tower.
DareWing and Goldman, preparing to exit through the blue- misted tunnel that Spiredore had opened for them, both fell to their knees several paces away from the tunnel.
"Get up!" Dare Wing screamed, and physically lifted Goldman by an elbow.
The lizard made sure DareWing had a secure hold on Goldman, then he scrambled down the tunnel to safety.
The birdman's wings beat frantically, for they were never meant to carry the weight of another grown man, but DareWing managed to fly down the tunnel. He bounced off walls as his own wings threatened to fail him and Spiredore screamed in its death throes about him, but he eventually dragged Goldman to the other end.
They fell through blue mist into a forest of sharp and angry crystal.
Tumble down, you piece of Enemy excreta. Qeteb's power expanded, thriving on the chaos about him.
Faraday cried out, and clutched at a balcony railing. She fell to her knees so heavily she knocked the breath from her chest.
A movement far below caught her eye, and she saw Gwendylyr, crawling up some stairs on her hands and knees.
"Fast!" Faraday shouted down to her, and Gwendylyr nodded slightly and crawled towards the tunnel that was opening before her.
Spiredore opened a tunnel for Faraday as well, but both women cried out in horror because, just as the tunnels formed, they fell apart, shattered by Qeteb's death grip on Spiredore.
"Spiredore!" Faraday cried, finally managing to rise to her knees. "Do this for Azhure! Please! Be strong for Azhure!"
Azhure? The name rippled through the tower, and just for a moment Spiredore fought back, hard enough to give Qeteb pause, and long enough to reform both tunnels again.
Neither Faraday nor Gwendylyr wasted time. They literally clambered to their feet, picked up their skirts, and fled down the tunnels as fast as they could go.
Leagh was not so lucky.
Of them all, she was the one on the lowest stairs of the tower. Spiredore trembled violently when it lost concentration, will and power once Faraday and Gwendylyr had passed through, and Leagh was flung down a series of stairs until, horribly, horrifically, she rolled to the feet of Qeteb himself.
"Well, well," Qeteb said, "what a pretty lady."
Leagh rolled away as far as she could, but she was hurt and winded and terrified beyond measure, and she feared that she, and her baby, were dead.
Oh, DragonStar! I couldn't even reach Fernbrake Lake for you!
Qeteb reached down enlarging hands —
What was that strange smell? It seemed to be emanating from the woman ... no! It wasrising as a smoke from around her figure!
Qeteb's hands halted, and an expression of utter surprise came over his face.
It was the heady scent of a field of lilies.
"No," he whispered, and reached out for the woman again.
Leagh backed away on hands and buttocks, trying desperately to get out of his reach, yet knowing it was impossible.
Qeteb grinned, shunting the scent to one side — a field of flowers was not going to stop him! — and reached out hands that had turned into talons.
The woman was as good as dead. He could take one, at least —
Suddenly Qeteb screamed, for it felt as though fire had enveloped his feet.
He looked down. There was a ball of light enveloping his lower legs, a light with no discernible form, but with what certainly felt like terrible teeth.
And it smelt. Horribly. Like crushed lilies.
Behind Leagh, Spiredore roused itself one last time, one last desperate time, and a tunnel of blue mist formed.
Get you gone, girl!
Leagh was still terrified by Qeteb, even though something had distracted him for the moment, but she managed — infinitely slowly — to turn her head and look behind her.
