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THE LIVING CASTLE
Pratcus could tell that the half-orcs beside hi, and he frantically cheered theod to bless his allies and sent waves of healingtheir wounds
But still they floundered Arrayan threw out bursts of destructive y, but her repertoire fast diical attacks were no more than cantrips, minor spells that inconvenienced an enemy more than they truly hurt it No one could question the deterainst the current of the gargoyle river - at least at first Eventually the large half-orc see, his very solidity see, Pratcus knew Either the pair was not nearly as forth was draining far too quickly
The gargoyles seemed to sense it, too They came on more furiously and erkhan, the half-orc&039;s sluggish swing not co it, and dived at the cleric
Pratcus threw his hands up defensively, expecting to be overwhelain As the dwarf dodged aside, the creature didn&039;t react but just kept its current course, slaround
Pratcus&039;s eyes widened as he noted two feathered arrows protruding frooyle&039;s side The dwarf scrambled to the northern lip of the hillock and saw his two uarded Mariabronne&039;s flank, herthe reaching lioyles who ventured too near With the warrior-woendary Rover of Vaasa, put his great bow to deadly use, sending lines of arrows soaring into the night sky, aloyle
"I need ye!" Pratcus yelled down, and the two heroes heeded the call and ied the dwarf&039;s way Even thataround Mariabronne, protecting his rear and both flanks, while the ranger&039;s boanged in rapid order, clearing any enemies from before theerkhan was near to collapse The half-orc, down on one knee, barely oyle that would have soon killed hi in the throat
Beside the large half-orc, Arrayan, her spells depleted, stood with dagger in hand She slashed wildly, her everyopenings in her defenses that any novice warrior could easily exploit
Ellery leaped to Arrayan&039;s side as the gargoyle bore down on the half-orc woman, its arms out wide to wrap her in its deadly embrace
That momentum halted when an overhand chop put the warrior-wooyle&039;s chest
Arrayan fell back with a squeal, tripping to the ground Ellery noted a second creature&039;s approach and tried desperately to tear her axe free, but it got hooked on one of the dead creature&039;s ribs Ellery reached across with her shield to fend it off but knew she was vulnerable
The gargoyle&039;s shriek was not one of hungry victory, however, but of pain and surprise, as a pair of arrows knifed into its chest
Ellery lance back and offer an appreciative nod to Mariabronne
The ranger didn&039;t notice, for he was already sighting his next target, bon and arrow ready to fly
Beside hiet to the globe in tioyles disappeared into the darkness Howls and shrieks erupted i at flesh and a cacophony of opposing screeches, blending andof death
"Jarlaxle," Entreri whispered, and he knew again that he was alone
"They do make a mess of it," remarked a familiar voice, and Entreri nearly ju next to him
Jarlaxle held a thin metallic wand tipped with a ruby He reached out and spoke a colobe of darkness
Noting the angle of the fiery pea and the approach of Athrogate, it see it to the roaring dwarf Entreri thought to yell out a warning to Athrogate, but he knew that his call could do nothing to deter the committed warrior
The pea disappeared into the darkness
So did the dwarf
A burst of flalobe, and when it was done, the darkness was gone and six gargoyles lay sate ran out the other side, trailing wisps of sh little fellow," Jarlaxle remarked
"More&039;s the pity," said Entreri
Across the way, Canthan poked his head out of his extra-direat ae to the aid of the dwarf cleric and the two half-orcs and was distracted by the roar of Athrogate - that one was always roaring! - as the dwarf bounded toward a globe of darkness
It was a drow&039;s globe, Canthan knew, and if the dark elf was inside it, the wizard could only hope the gargoyles wouldhis own hands, crossed into his field of vision, right to left, and he backtracked it quickly to see the dark elf standing beside Entreri, wand in hand
A glance back ruff ally, but it was one of instinct and reaction, certainly not of syh the fireball, of course, s
Canthan hardly paid hiaze went back to Jarlaxle Who was this drow elf? And as that deadly sidekick of his, standing aoyles? The wizard didn&039;t lie to himself and insist that he wasn&039;t impressed Canthan had served Knellict for many years, and in the hierarchy of the Citadel of Assassins, survivaleither your friends or your foes
"Why are you here, drow?" Canthan whispered into the night air
At that moment, Jarlaxle happened to turn his way and obviously spotted hireat plumed hat
Canthan chewed his lip and silently cursed himself for the error
He should have cast an enchant his head out
But the droould have seen hirabbed the rope, rolling out so that he landed on bis feet A glance around told hioyles destroyed, and so with a snap of his fingers, he dismissed his extra-dierkhan said
He was bent over at the waist, huffing and puffing, and it seemed to the others that it was all he could do to hold his footing and not sink down to his knees At his side, Arrayan put a hand on his shoulder, though she seerowing," said old Wingha up the northern side of the hill "On the battleht, an to take shape in their vacated places"
"Well now, there is a lovely twist," Canthan remarked
"We must tear down the castle," declared Pratcus "By the will o&039; Moradin, no such an abo that Duic o&039; the place is doing such a thing"
"A high wall of iron and stone," Mariabronne said "Tear it down? Has Palishchuk the capability to begin such a venture as that?" Froer&039;s question was a rhetorical one
"We are fortunate that this group flew our way," said Wingha folk of Palishchuk?"
"Unsuspecting no reed "We will set the defenses"
"Or prepare the runnin&039;," put in a snickering Athrogate
"King Gareth will send an army if need be," said Ellery "Pratcus is correct This abomination will not stand"
"Ah, but would we not all be the fools to attack an ar all eyes, particularly those of Entreri, his way
"Ye got a better idea?" Athrogate asked
"I have soyian constructs," the drow admitted "My friend and I defeated a tower not unlike this one, though abalus"
Athrogate raised an eyebrow at that "Ye were part o&039; that? A few days afore ye - we left on the caravan to Bloodstone Pass? That big ruood dwarf," Jarlaxle replied " &039;Twas ood Entreri here who laid low the tower and its evil minions"
"Bwahaha!"
Entreri just shook his head as Jarlaxle dipped a lo
"The way to win," the drow said as he straightened, "is froh the hard shell to the soft underbelly"
"Soft? Now there&039;s a word," remarked an obviously flustered and suspicious Entreri, and when Jarlaxle glanced his way, he saw that his friend was none too happy And none too trusting, his dark eyes throwing darts at the drow
"We&039;re listening, good drow," Mariabronne proether," Jarlaxle explained, though of course he had no idea if he was on target or not
Certainly the tower back in Heliogabalus had cruem had been plucked fro the lich would have served the sauess concerning the er, then what of its "king"?
"If we destroy this life-force, the tower - the castle - will unbind," the droent on "All that will be left will be a pile of stone and h" He noted as he finished that both Arrayan and Olgerkhan shifted uneasily
That told hi Gareth," a doubting Mariabronne replied
"Master Wingham can send runners from Palishchuk to that end," Comh the shell then and to the soft insides"
"So says yerself," blustered Athrogate
"So I do, good dwarf," said Ellery "I will enter the castle at dawn" She paused and glanced at each of theht you out here for just an eventuality such as this Now the eneet to Bloodstone Village and for an aro in I will not command any of you to follow, but - "
"Of course you will not have to," Jarlaxle interrupted, and when all eyes turned his way again, he dipped another bow "We ventured forth for just an eventuality such as this, and so by your side, we stand" By his side, Jarlaxle could feel Entreri&039;s gaze boring into hiain
"Yes, of course we ate this further," said Canthan
"By Duhaerkhan, you will vanquish this ate asked with a great "Harruha now, and save yerself the trouble!"
"Easy, good dwarf," said Canthan
"We&039;ll be spendingthe eneood dwarf," said Canthan
Arrayan erkhan&039;s side to face the furious dwarf
"We will not fail in this," she said