Chapter 6
"Stephanie, you go and grab Shadimir and Alustriel," Aliyah yelled. "We'll take care of these creatures."
The doomguide smiled and ran past the zombies and the medusa. One of the zombies tried to make a swing with the club he held, as the cleric ran by. The cleric stopped, and then slashed her flaming bastard sword across the zombie's chest.
Stephanie quickly ran to the corner and sheathed her sword, and then grabbed the trunk. When she picked up the trunk, she was surprised at how light it was.
Deidra watched as Stephanie ran down the hall. She then turned her attention to the two zombies coming towards her with their clubs high in the air. The halfling quickly snapped her daggers forward. She stepped in between the two zombies, and drove one of her blades low, stabbing the zombie on her left. The zombie on her right swiped his club at the halfling's head, but Deidra dropped low enough to allow the club to smack the zombie she had just stabbed.
After the first zombie dropped to the floor, Deidra turned to the other zombie and slashed both of her daggers in a low curve, cutting through the zombie's midsection. The zombie stepped back, but the halfling stabbed her daggers once more, this time finishing the zombie for good.
Ophila draw her maul and cast a quick spell. Several insects flew into the area, covering one of the zombies. When the druid heard the zombie fall to the ground, she turned to face the medusa.
The snakes in the medusa's head hissed loudly. She drew her long sword and slashed at the elf's face. Ophila jumped back to avoid the medusa's sword. The snakes all struck at once, but the druid easily avoided them. The druid then swung her maul hard, but the medusa laughed as she parried Ophila's weapon.
Ophila was ready to make another attack.
She raised her maul high, but just as she was going to swing; her eyes stared at the medusa.
Just as she finished off two of the zombies, Aliyah watched as Ophila's body quickly turned to stone. Another zombie came at Aliyah, swinging his club high. The blond ranger easily deflected the zombie's attack, then made a quick crosscut in the zombie's chest.
The medusa turned to face Aliyah. The ranger spun in the medusa's direction and closed her eyes. With both of her eyes closed, Aliyah swung her scimitars in the medusa's direction. The snake haired woman quickly leaned back to avoid the scimitars. She then slashed her long sword at Aliyah's side.
Aliyah's left eye zipped in the direction where the medusa's sword was coming from. The scimitar in Aliyah's right hand shot forward, knocking away the long sword. The medusa hissed, but her red eyes widened as the scimitar in Aliyah's left hand slashed across the base of her neck.
After hearing the sound of the medusa's head hitting the floor, Aliyah opened her eyes and smiled.
Deidra dashed behind the last zombie and plunged one of her daggers deeply into its back. Before the zombie had time to react, the halfling slashed her dagger hard across the back of the zombie's neck.
Aliyah bent down and picked up the medusa's head. She then walked over to Ophila and sighed. "We'll have to carry her home."
The halfling smiled and pulled her daggers free from the zombie that now was lying on the floor. She quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out two small obsidian figurines that resembled horses. "A gift from Jepetto before he went to sleep. Do you think Stephanie and Shadimir will be all right?"
The ranger sighed. "We'll try and make it back when we drop the Ophila off. Hopefully Jepetto or Alustriel will have something that can turn her back to flesh."
Deidra nodded and prepared to summon the steeds.
Shadimir woke up to find his hands bound by troll-gut rope. The pain in his shoulder had gone down some, but the back of his head was now a little sore from the hit he had taken earlier.
He looked to see his weapons were sitting next to three small books on a large wooden shelf. It took Shadimir a moment to realize that he was in the library.
The vampire who Malice addressed as Bella stood next to the shelf. "You're awake Shadimir," Bella said in her sultry voice. "I hope Lillandra didn't hit you too hard."
"Lillandra?" Shadimir asked in a confused voice.
Bella nodded. She was still wearing Alustriel's blue dress. "You killed her husband Gilles Raist back in the Nether Mountains. She wants to kill you so badly."
Shadimir remembered the vampire Gilles Raise. Gilles had been sending his undead servants, who he called Wolves, into Jalanthar to kidnap the children. Not only had Gilles had taken children from Jalanthar, but the vampire had also told Shadimir that he had sent his Wolves into other parts of the Silver Marshes, and even in the Underdark. After defeating the Wolves, Shadimir, Ophila, and Deidra had gone to the vampire's castle. Shadimir and Deidra had killed Gilles, to ensure that Wolves would never kidnap children again.
Malice calmly walked into the library. In her left arm, she held a large red book. Shadimir recognized the Cult of the Dragon's symbol on the front of the book. He had a hunch that Malice was gathering information to create a dracolich.
"The Tome of the Dragon," Malice said in a soft voice. "With this book and the King's Tear you found for me Shadimir, I will create one of the most powerful dracoliches to walk Fauern."
Shadimir laughed. "You're planning to create a dracolich? I hope he is more impressive than the first one the clerics of Kiaransalee created. Or do you work for the Cult of the Dragon as well?"
Malice stared at Shadimir, holding her book close. "I serve the Vengeful Banshee, but my ties with the Cult are strong. The first dracolich created by the Revenancer's clerics was more of an experiment. Elisondar was weak, and the clerics didn't have the recourses that I now possess. I plan to create a dracolich unlike any the world has ever seen. I'm sure you're familiar with Nalavara the Red, the Devil Dragon of Cormyr. Imagine a Sacred One as powerful as her. I've already found her dead body. Now all I need is a spirit willing enough to possess it."
Shadimir's eyes widened. When he and Stephanie had visited Cormyr, he heard of the devastation caused by the Devil Dragon and her armies.
"But why?" asked Shadimir. "Why create a dracolich? Isn't killing me enough to satisfy your revenge?"
Bella giggled. Malice drew her dagger and walked over to the undead hunter. "Shadimir, there are many who have wronged me in the past. There are those who will taste the power of my revenge. My son Drizzt. The one who caused House DoUrden to fall out of favor with Lolth. Kiaransalee told me you two were friends. He will taste my vengeance. But there is also the city of Menzoberranzen. With the power of the dracolich and my undead armies, I will destroy the City of the Spider Queen. However, you Shadimir, are a nuisance to my plans and must be sacrificed."
Shadimir kept silent while Malice buried her dagger into his stomach. He felt the sharp pain, followed by the flow of warm blood when she pulled the dagger free.
Just as she was ready to stab Shadimir in the heart, Lillandra flew from the ceiling of the library and tackled Malice to the ground. The drow vampire stabbed her dagger in Malice's shoulder, then jumped off of her.
"You dare betray me," Malice spat as she slowly stood up. She pulled the vampire's dagger from her arm. "I thought you wanted Shadimir dead?"
Lillandra stared at Malice. "I do, but I will not let you deprive me of the honor of killing him myself."
Malice chanted a spell to heal her shoulder. "You are a love sick fool Lillandra. You spend your nights, crying over the loss over a man who was weak." Lillandra drew a long sword from her belt, ready to strike Malice for calling Gilles weak. She stepped to attack, but then she heard Bella's footsteps from behind her.
Lillandra turned to face Bella. The vampire who had impersonated Alustriel, drove the wooden stake she held, into Lillandra's heart. The drow vampire gasped and fell to the ground. Malice's ears picked the sound of footsteps coming from the hallway.
"Alustriel, I hear voices coming from the library," Shadimir heard Stephanie shout.
Malice, priestess of Kiaransalee and member of the Cult of the Dragon turned to Shadimir. "Till we meet again Shadimir Deachron." Malice quickly chanted a teleportation spell. She and Bella vanished in a large puff of black smoke.
"You can count on it Malice," Shadimir whispered. He walked over to Lillandra, who stared at him with her colorless eyes. "You're the wife of Gilles Raist?"
Lillandra nodded. The undead hunter sighed. "What Gilles did was horrible. Selling children to vampires. However I am sorry that I had to kill him. I pray that his soul is resting in a better place."
"It is," the vampire whispered. "His soul is lying in the House of the Triad with Siamorphe, a goddess of royalty and nobility. Now I go to join him. I only hope that you meet a similar fate when your die."
Alustriel and Stephanie entered the library and saw Shadimir with his hands bound by the troll-gut rope, praying for the vampire's soul.