Really, she thought, a flash of anger going through her at the thought of River traveling with Praz, well we'll see about that.
Weaving another spell, she pushed the air forward and smiled, thinking she could kill two birds with one stone.
A wave of force was all that was needed to save River from another Goblin thrust, but the cavern once again shuddered in anger at Lissella's magic, and River slipped off the side of the cliff.
Grabbing the edge of the precipice, River screamed out. "Help!"
Lissella walked up to the edge of the chasm and looked down. River was there, barely holding on with one hand.
"Help me," she said, her eyes pleading.
"So you can steal my man again?" Lissella said coldly. "I don't think so."
"Praz!" River called out.
Praz dug his sword into his opponent and punched him to the side. He looked for River, and saw Lissella leaning down by the edge of the precipice.
"Lissella," he called, "where is she?"
Lissella shook her head.
"She's here, Praz! I'm trying to grab her!"
Looking back down at River, Lissella smiled.
"Goodbye, bitch."
She pounded her hands against River's fingers.
"No!" River screamed out. But she couldn't hold on, and her fingers scraped against rock as she fell backward into the chasm.
Lissella then moved, leaning down as she pretended she had tried to grab her, making a good show for whoever might be watching.
"River!" Praz called, rushing forward.
Forcing her eyes to fill with tears and putting an anguished look on her face, Lissella stood back up and turned toward Praz with open arms.
"She's gone!" she cried. "I couldn't hold her! She slipped right through my hands! Oh, I tried, Praz, but I wasn't strong enough!"
Pain scored Praz's features as he peered out into the abyss.
"She was so brave," Lissella said in a broken voice, searching for suspicion on Praz's face. But his eyes were elsewhere.
She looked and saw him staring at Mandel and Lenik as they stepped into the fountain.
"I have to go," he said, and started to turn, but Lissella caught him by the shoulder and pulled him back toward her. Kissing him hard on the lips, she looked seductively into his surprised eyes.
"Be careful, Praz. I don't want to lose you
33
Lissella's words rang in Praz's mind even as he focused on the battles ahead. He couldn't believe she had said it, but more important, he realized now that it was all wrong. Only days ago he would have given anything for her love, but something in her words and actions— something didn't feel right, and Praz had no time to think about it now.
Praz ran up to the beginning of the light bridge, where a few of his friends were staring at the floating fountain and watching Mandel and Lenik standing in the water.
Alagar stood at the foot of the bridge and tried to touch it. His fingertips easily passed through.
"What's wrong?" Jarrell asked. "The bridge won't hold any of us," Alagar replied.
The light inside the fountain grew brighter, like a new sun dawning.
"The magic of the bridge must be tied to Mandel and Lenik," Noleta said. "Just as the Mist is tied to Sendark."
Xarfax marched along the edge of the abyss and marshaled his troops. "Archers! Prepare to fire on my mark!"
The archers drew back their arrows and held steady. At Xarfax's command, they released, and the arrows sped across the bottomless pit. But they stopped halfway and dropped, none of them reaching their targets.
"I can stop them from here," Praz said, looking at the others and readying a spell.
"If you try anything else," Jarrell stated, "the whole place might come down."
"Perhaps," Xarfax said. "But we need to do something—and fast."
Noleta looked at Alagar. "What do you think? It's a no-win situation anyway. If they absorb that power, we might never be able to stop them."
Alagar gazed coldly out at the fountain and then nodded. "Okay," he said, turning to Praz, "it's up to you."
Praz turned and faced the fountain. Closing his eyes, he summoned the strength in him— everything he had, and even he couldn't believe the power he still possessed, even after all he'd been through.
Out in the fountain, Mandel and Lenik turned in unison—as if sensing something.
Praz's entire body began to glow and, as it did, new tremors echoed in the chamber. More rock and mortar dropped from the ceiling, and the sailors drew back in fear from the ledge.
The wall to Praz's left split open and water rushed forward. Xarfax screamed at his men to get ready to leave, but soon all the sounds and screams fell away, and Praz could only feel a massive amount of darkness rising within him.
Suddenly, he unleashed it—willing it forward—and a line of black force whipped ahead and wrapped itself around the fountain.
The fountain shook madly in its floating orbit, and Mandel and Lenik were nearly thrown.
The chamber started to collapse. Huge chunks of ceiling and walls smashed against the ledge and disappeared into the pit.
"We've got to leave," Jarrell shouted, "or we'll all die!"
The sailors had already started to abandon the area. Falling rock struck some of them down even as Xarfax waved his warriors back.
In the center of the maelstrom striking throughout the chamber, the fountain remained intact within a bubble of dark light.
Mandel and Lenik began to feed, growing larger and larger in the blue waters.
Praz opened his eyes—drained, but totally amazed his magic hadn't worked.
Lissella was suddenly at his side. She grabbed his arm and held tightly. "You've got to stop them, Praz. There's still a chance."
As he watched the chunks of the cave falling down, Praz remembered the final test he'd been given by Mistress—by Nymus. Casting another spell, bright red lights flew from his fingertips and shot out around the room. Striking dozens of the falling rocks, the beam flowed around them, until the entire sky around the fountain was filled with floating rocks.
Taking a running leap, Praz jumped to the first chunk. It teetered precariously beneath him but he maintained his balance and moved quickly, trusting his speed and reflexes despite his fatigue and wounds. He leaped to the next, his eyes already seeking out another. Crossing the bottomless pit at almost a dead run, he closed in on the fountain.
Lenik saw him coming first and called out a warning to Mandel, although it was almost impossible to move now that their bodies had grown even larger. Convulsive laughter seized the goblin, and he carelessly waved his hand in Praz's direction. A shimmering wave flew forward.
Praz threw himself to the left and held on to a rock as hard as he could. The air was so strong that he couldn't hold on and, as the last wave pushed over him, he lost his grip and began to fall.
Praz looked beneath him, and just as he did, a strange-looking birdlike creature with the face of a child flew into view and pushed a chunk of floating rock within his path.
Coming down fast, Praz slammed into the rock, fell over, and then grabbed it with one hand. Hauling himself up, he didn't waste a second, and began working his way back up toward the fountain.
In a few leaps he was halfway there again, and in another few he was upon it, jumping off the last rock and grabbing the edge of the fountain as his body glistened with sweat and power.
Hauling himself up, Praz stepped into the wide, circular cistern that held the magical water. The blue fluid reached to his knees, so cold it numbed him almost at once.
Mandel and Lenik stood on the other side of the cistern. Sensing something, Mandel turned, and was shocked to see Praz in the fountain with them.
He pushed on Lenik.
"Kill him!" he roared, laughing at the sight and eager to get back to the druglike effects of the fountain's power.
Praz took his sword in a two-handed grip and stared up at the fifteen-foot lizardman squaring up with him. Praz shifted, keeping his blade loose and ready as his opponent stepped into fighting range.
Lenik was huge, but the sword in his hands was tiny in comparison. Still, he used it like a fencing dagger, moving slowly as he circled Praz, who didn't dare use his magic.
Each stayed out of the glaring blue light that shone down from the suspended sigil, and faced off as the cavern continued to crumble around them.
Praz parried Lenik's first blow, but the lizard-man's strength was so great the impact nearly ripped his arm off. All the while, the water in the fountain continued to soak into Mandel and Lenik.
"You should have fled with the others," Lenik said, grinning maliciously from above as he flipped his tail to throw water in Praz's face.
The water struck its mark and the burning cold invaded Praz's eyes, rendering him blind. He stopped moving and listened for Lenik's movements as he splashed through the water toward him.
With burning eyes closed, Praz struck when he felt that the footsteps were within reach. Bringing the sword up, he slashed sideways and plunged forward—deep into flesh. Lenik cried out in pain and stepped back, and when Praz slashed again he felt only air.
Praz blinked the last of the water from his eyes and stared at his two opponents through blurry vision. Even as he watched, the gaping wound across Lenik's stomach healed.
The bird thing returned and flew overhead. A hoarse, raspy voice came from the lips of the dead girl's face. "They're protected in the fountain," she screamed. "You must break the spell that binds them to it before they fill themselves. It's the gem. Look for the blue gem."
Hearing her as well, Lenik moved immediately to protect the blue gem in the bottom of the fountain.
Looking up, Praz saw that the sigil's blue light shone down onto it. He stepped forward to challenge Lenik.
"Don't let him past," Mandel smiled, but he did nothing himself, as the fountain's powers were already overwhelming his mind.
Lenik threw his tail at Praz's chest. Turning to avoid the bulk of the blow, Praz spun around and brought his sword down. It sliced through the lizardman's tail, parting it from Lenik's body in a crimson rush that turned the waters red.
"Ahhhh!" Lenik roared, turning immediately to attack.
Praz backed up and his foot hit the edge of the fountain. With no time left, and Lenik rushing forward, he had an idea. Jerking to his left, he jumped out of the f ountain, turned in midair, and grabbed the bottom lip as he fell.
Dangling over the bottomless pit, knowing that Lenik could lean over at any moment and catch him completely defenseless, the young warrior sheathed his sword and began making his way hand-over-hand around the fountain. He went as quickly as he could go, swinging his body wildly to get the most of every effort.
A heartbeat later, Lenik peered over the fountain's side cautiously.
Just as the lizardman's gaze found him, Praz reached up and pulled himself over with both hands. Jumping into a forward roll, he landed kneeling near the center of the fountain as Lenik roared and charged him.
But now Praz was right where he wanted to be.
Staying low, he drew his dagger. It was an all-or-nothing move as he waited for Lenik to strike.
Stepping forward, Lenik brought his sword down, an overhand sweep aimed directly at Praz's head.
"Now you die!"
Praz flipped past and rolled, sliding through the blood-tainted water. Even as Lenik drew back for another blow, Praz threw himself forward and slammed the hilt of his dagger against the gem mounted in the fountain's floor.
The gem shattered, and the blue light beams that reached out from the fountain went instantly dark. Without warning, the fountain began to fall.
"Lenik!" Mandel called, waking from his deluded dream. "What have you done?"
Spotting one of the floating rocks, Praz ran through the water and jumped just as the fountain fell beneath his feet. Landing on the rock, Praz watched for one frozen moment as the entire fountain fell, with both Mandel and Lenik looking up in stunned disbelief.
"Praz!" Lissella screamed.