“I shall.”
Pug pushed his confusion aside and took Arutha’s hand. The other was joined with Tomas’s, and Macros completed the circle. They all became insubstantial and began to move.
They sank, and light was denied them for a time. Tomas directed Pug, using mind-speech, until after long minutes in the dark, Tomas spoke aloud. “We are in an open area.”
With returning solidity, they all felt cold stone beneath their feet and Pug created light about himself. Arutha looked up. They were in a gigantic chamber, easily a hundred feet in every direction, with a ceiling twice that high. About them rose columns and next to them stood an upraised dais.
Then suddenly, with a booming displacement of air, the dragon bulked above them. Ryath said, “It is near time.”
Arutha said, “What is the dragon speaking of?” He had seen so many wonders over the last two years the sight of a talking dragon was making no impression on him.
Tomas said, “Ryath, like all the greater dragons, knows the time of her death. It is soon.”
The dragon spoke. “While we fared between worlds, it was possible I would die of causes removed from thee and thy friends. Now it is clear I must continue to play a part in this, for our destiny as a race is always tied with thine, Valheru.”
Tomas only nodded. Pug looked about the chamber, saying, “Where is this Lifestone?”
Macros pointed to the dais. “There.”
Pug said, “There is nothing there.”
“To ordinary appearances,” said Tomas. He asked Macros, “Where shall we wait?”
Macros was silent for a moment, then said, “Each to his place. Pug, Arutha, and I must wait here. You and Ryath must go to another place.”
Tomas indicated understanding and used his arts to lift himself upon the dragon’s back. Then, with a thunderous crash, they vanished.
Arutha said, “Where did he go?”
“He is still here,” answered Macros. “But he is slightly out of phase with us in time - as is the Lifestone. He guards it, the last bastion of defence for this planet, for should we fail, then he alone will stand between Midkemia and her utter destruction.”
Arutha looked at Macros, then Pug. He moved toward the dais and sat. “I think you had better tell me some things.”
Guy signalled and a shower of missiles came down upon the heads of the goblins rushing the gate. A hundred died in an instant. But the flood was unleashed and du Bas-Tyra shouted to Amos, “Ready to quit the walls! I want skirmish order back to the keep, no rout. Any man who tries to run is to be killed by the sergeant in charge.”
Amos said, “Harsh,” but he didn’t argue the order. The garrison was on the verge of breaking, the untested soldiers close to panic. Only by frightening them more than the enemy could was there a shred of hope of maintaining an orderly retreat back to the keep. Amos glanced back as the population of the city fled toward the keep. They had been kept out of the streets so that companies could move from section to section without impediment, but now they had been ordered to leave their homes. Amos hoped they would be safely out of the way before the retreat from the walls began.
Jimmy came running through the melee evolving to the west of where Galain, Amos, and Guy stood, and shouted, “De la Troville wants reinforcements. He’s hard pressed upon the right flank.”
Guy said, “He’ll have none. If I pull anyone from their own sections, it will open a floodgate.” He pointed to where the goblins had cleared the breach through the outer gate of the barbican once more and were now climbing up the inner gate. The covering fire from moredhel archers was murderous. Jimmy began to leave and Guy grabbed him. “Another messenger is passing the word to quit the walls on signal. You’ll not be able to reach him in time. Stay here.”
Jimmy signalled understanding, his sword at the ready, then suddenly a goblin appeared before him. He slashed out, and the blue skinned creature fell, only to be replaced by another.
Tomas looked down. His friends had vanished, though he knew they were still in the same place, but slightly out of phase with him in time. Part of Ashen-Shugar’s attempt to hide the gem had been to put the ancient city of Draken-Korin into a different frame of time. He looked across the vast hall where the Valheru had held their last council, then regarded the giant glowing green gem. He altered his perceptions and saw the lines of power spreading outward, touching, he knew, every living thing on the planet. He considered the importance of what he was to do, and calmed himself. He felt the dragon’s mood and acknowledged it. It was a willingness to accept whatever fate brought, but without a resignation to defeat. Death might come, but with it might also come victory. Tomas was somehow reassured by this thought.