Behind him he heard Merith’s triumphant song as the elf thrust his blade between two of Orlgaun’s armored scales. Manshoon turned, raising his wand, but Florin was there, sword sweeping out. The blade burned across the lord’s fingers like liquid fire, and Manshoon saw the wand whirl harmlessly away in the air amid droplets of his own blood just before the magic missiles struck.
The dragon rider’s globe exploded with stunning force, showering everyone on the ground with a spray of dust and small stones. Larger fragments cracked sharply off the rocks they crouched behind. Only Elminster and a sorely wounded Jhessail still stood in view. The other knights lay still under the dust or crouched behind cover tensely. The earth’s shuddering nearly threw the weary Jhessail to her knees.
Under Narm’s heavy weight, Shandril was jolted into confused awareness of the tumult around her. Where was she now? Wearily she wriggled into the light, scarcely aware that she was pushing away a body, and completely unaware that it was Narm. She saw dust swirl everywhere. In the open pit of tumbled rocks and coins before her Elminster stood calmly, facing to her right and looking upwards.
Shandril peered upward, and saw a dark form approaching rapidly. It was Merith, blade in hand. He was flying somehow, and was hurrying. He seeks Jhessail, Shandril thought dully as she saw his dark, anxious face and where he was headed. Jhessail had just sagged down onto a rock, pain showing on her face.
But beyond the hurrying elf, in midair, Florin was flying with the aid of his shield, and as he hung from it he struck, again and again, at someone who was riding a gigantic black dragon. Whoever it was twisted this way and that under Florin’s blows until suddenly he straightened with a roar of triumph and there was a flash. Florin was hurled end over end through the air like a husk doll. The dragon turned ponderously under its rider’s urging, and thundered down out of the sky at Elminster.
The old mage stood alone. No, not alone, thought Shandril, as she felt roiling fire deep within her where there should have been nothing left. It glinted briefly in her eyes. Not while I live. She struggled to her knees, set her teeth, and pointed her arms at the mage on the dragon. She felt sick and as weak as a newborn kitten, and her head throbbed piercingly, but she could feel the fire flowing within her. Let it be as it was before, she thought. Whoever you are, evil one, burn! Burn! How dare you harm my friends!
She had screamed that last aloud, she realized dimly, as the last of the spellfire roared up out of her in a bolt of crackling fire that drained her utterly. Her knees gave way, and she could not even see if she had struck true as she fell on her face on the rocks.
Manshoon stared at the bolt in astonishment, an instant before it hit him. And then all he could do in the teeth of the blinding roar was scream.
Orlgaun fell away weakly, hearing its master cry out. The dragon drew back, uncertain. It dared not attack anything that had slain Manshoon-and if Manshoon was dead, there was no reason to tarry. It had hurts of its own, deep, raw pain that stabbed to the lungs at each wingbeat.
But Manshoon yet lived, clinging to his wits and his saddle grimly, barely able to hold himself upright. He could not survive another blast like that-and it had not even come from Elminster. The old mage still stood waiting, calmly, and Manshoon knew he could not continue this battle and live.
Beyond Elminster lay the young maiden who had come crawling out from the gods only knew where to smite him with what must have been raw energy: Spellfire! Manshoon shuddered, looked around quickly to ensure that neither of those who had flown to attack him was near, and urged Orlgaun away northward. He tilted the dragon’s body to shield himself from Elminster’s gaze and foil any magic missiles the old mage might now unleash. An attack he could not hope to survive, Manshoon thought despairingly.
Behind him, the air crackled and there was a flash of light as one last lightning bolt struck. Orlgaun convulsed beneath him and fell, the great wings shuddering. For terribly long moments they dropped before the dragon caught itself and began, raggedly, to fly again. He had escaped alive. Not quite the achievement he had expected.
“Shandril!” was all Narm said. It was all he needed to say. They hugged each other fiercely and cried for a long time. Around them, the Knights of Myth Drannor used art to heal each other, and packed yet more treasure, and saw to their weapons, and laughed. In their midst, Elminster, who had cast another spell and now stared off northward with a frown of concentration, stood like a statue. At last, when all were as whole as could be managed, and heavily laden with coins and bars and Jewels, Jhessail approached the embracing couple and touched Narm gently on the shoulder.
“Are you well?” she asked softly, as the other knights gathered around, Torm and Rathan grinning openly.
“Yes,” Narm said thickly into Shandril’s hair. “Right well.” Then he disengaged himself from Shandril anxiously. “How are you, my lady?”
Shandril smiled back at him. “I live. I love you. I am most well.”
Narm smiled in his turn, and then asked very softly. “May I take you to wife, Shandril Shessair?”
Jhessail turned away to seek out Merith’s eyes and found his gaze already upon her. They shared a smile of their own.
The knights waited. Shandril’s face was hidden in her hair, her head bent down. Someone-Florin-looked away in sudden dismay. Silence fell. Then Shandril’s shoulders shook, and they realized she was crying. Her slim hands reached out and found Narm’s shoulders, and she clung to him and pulled herself into his embrace and said brokenly, “Oh yes. Yes. Please the gods, yes.”
The knights let out a great roar of pleasure and congratulation, and hands were pounding the shoulders of the young couple. Jhessail and Merith embraced, Rathan raised a wineskin, and Torm laughed and tossed a dagger high and caught it out of the air as it fell twinkling. Then the thief raced over to Elminster, who still stood motionless with his back to them all. Torm caught at his sleeve, tugged the startled mage around, and shook him in glee.
Elminster spoke mildly. Only his eyes glinted. “Ye’ve ruined the spell, and I’ve lost him. Wd better have a good reason for this, Torm, son of Dathguld.”
Torm stopped in mid-laugh, startled. “You know who my father was?”
Elminster waved a hand in vague dismissal. “Of course, of course,” he said peevishly. “Now, I asked thee thy reason for all this hooting and slapping me about and dancing up and down even now upon my very toes!”
“Oh.” And for once in his life, Torm could think of little more to say, until his own feet were clear of the old mage’s, and his hands free of Elminster’s clothing. Then his joy and his purpose both returned to him in a rush, and he said grandly, “Narm and Shandril are to be wed! What say you? Wed, I say!”
The mage looked bewildered for a moment, and then cross. “Is that all?” he demanded. “Oh, aye-any fool could see that. Ye spoiled my spell and lost me my hook on Manshoon for that? Garrrgh!” He stamped his foot and turned away sharply in a swirl of dusty robes, leaving Torm to stare after him in astonishment. The thief recovered his customary grin when he saw that Elminster was heading straight for the laughing, still-embracing couple.
“Dolt,” said Rathan affectionately, and pressed his wineskin into Torm’s hands. “Come and sit, and have drink.”
Torm shuddered. “I hate this swill!” he protested. “Can’t we just play pranks on each other, instead?”
“I have wondered, friend Torm,” came Florin’s grave voice behind them, “just what you do when really happy.. and now I know. Truly, wonders anew unfold before my eyes every passing day. But the message I bear is to your damp companion. Rathan, Narm and Shandril would speak with you and myself as soon as the gods will.”
Rathan looked at him, momentarily surprised, and then nodded in understanding. “Aye. Of course.” He thrust the skin into Torm’s hands, and said, “Mind this for me then, Torm? Thankee.” Two steps away, he checked, whirled about, and said sternly, “And no pranks, mind!”