Crusader. Novel by Sara Douglass

Faraday nodded, accepting, although she did not like the situation, nor envy Leagh her aloneness

with whatever she met at Ferabrake Lake.

No, DragonStar whispered in her mind. Faraday, be still, and trust and believe in Leagh.

Again she nodded, and, as did Gwendylyr, Leagh and Goldman, withdrew her folded

doorway from a pocket in her robe.

“The Strike Force?” DareWing said.

“I will command them for the moment,” DragonStar said. “They are mobile enough without

Spiredore.”

“And you?” Goldman asked. “How will you travel about once Spiredore is gone?”

DragonStar grinned. “I have my Star Stallion,” he replied, “and he is as effective as Spiredore for

travelling about Tencendor itself … and less vulnerable.”

The worried look reappeared over his face. “Quick! Quick!”

Then DragonStar turned his head to one side and gave a piercing whistle.

The feathered lizard bounded out from the pack of Alaunt, grinning from ear to ear as if it had been

summoned for a game of hide and chase.

Goldman and DareWing looked at him, and smiled.

“Share!” Qeteb whispered in Roxiah’s ear. “Share the Enemy’s power with me, and together we can

tumble this tower to the ground!”

He rested a splayed, hammer-fingered hand on Roxiah’s belly, and pressed.

Roxiah considered this request. It knew it was a good idea so far as demolishing Spiredore was

concerned, but to share this new-found power with Qeteb? What if Qeteb did not want to give

it back?

“Share!” Qeteb whispered, and dug his fingers in a little.

Roxiah trembled and, fearing for the life in its womb, shared.

Qeteb shuddered as the strange power thudded through him, then he leaned his head back and

laughed.

“Spiredore! I have you!”

“Quick! Quick!” DragonStar almost pushed the other five towards the glowing doors. “Fast!”

DareWing and Goldman stepped through, the lizard bounding after them, and their doorway

folded closed.

Then Gwendylyr stepped into her door, having given Leagh a fierce hug and a kiss goodbye.

Then Leagh picked up her skirts and stepped through her door, DragonStar watching and wishing

her luck silently.

He turned to Faraday. “I wish you would trust me,” he said.

She blinked back tears, then stepped forward and hugged him. “I love you,” she said, her

head against his chest, “but I find it hard to forget the past. DragonStar, please, do not abandon me in the

Maze!”

He tilted her chin up with a finger, then leaned down and kissed her.

“Go with my love, and my promise that I will never let Tencendor claim you as sacrifice again.”

She trembled. “Katie …”

“I will watch over Katie, and you will surely see her again.”

“Keep her safe,” Faraday said, but at that DragonStar lifted his head and avoided her eyes.

“There must always be some pain, mustn’t there,” Faraday said, her voice bitter, and she drew back

from DragonStar.

“Go,” he said sadly. “Go.”

And she was gone.

For a moment DragonStar stood, gazing into the emptiness where once had been friends and lovers

and glowing doors.

Then he turned and walked out of the chamber, his footfalls echoing about the dank walls for a long

time after he had gone.

Qeteb could not believe his good fortune. He’d entered Spiredore in order to wreak destruction within

— and had encountered DragonStar’s five witches!

They were not all together, moving around different portions of the complex, but Qeteb knew that if

he could pull Spiredore down about their ears, and kill them all now, before even they met his

companions, then DragonStar could do nothing against him.

Nothing. The matter could be settled here and now.

Qeteb smiled, pure evil, then closed his eyes and tilted his head back, combining his power with that

of Roxiah still outside.

“Tumble down,” he whispered, “tumble down, you masonried piece of shit…”

And matter shifted within the tower.

DareWing and Goldman, preparing to exit through the blue- misted tunnel that Spiredore had

opened for them, both fell to their knees several paces away from the tunnel.

“Get up!” Dare Wing screamed, and physically lifted Goldman by an elbow.

The lizard made sure DareWing had a secure hold on Goldman, then he scrambled down

the tunnel to safety.

The birdman’s wings beat frantically, for they were never meant to carry the weight of another grown

man, but DareWing managed to fly down the tunnel. He bounced off walls as his own wings threatened

to fail him and Spiredore screamed in its death throes about him, but he eventually dragged

Goldman to the other end.

They fell through blue mist into a forest of sharp and angry crystal.

Tumble down, you piece of Enemy excreta. Qeteb’s power expanded, thriving on the chaos

about him.

Faraday cried out, and clutched at a balcony railing. She fell to her knees so heavily she knocked the

breath from her chest.

A movement far below caught her eye, and she saw Gwendylyr, crawling up some stairs on

her hands and knees.

“Fast!” Faraday shouted down to her, and Gwendylyr nodded slightly and crawled towards

the tunnel that was opening before her.

Spiredore opened a tunnel for Faraday as well, but both women cried out in horror

because, just as the tunnels formed, they fell apart, shattered by Qeteb’s death grip on Spiredore.

“Spiredore!” Faraday cried, finally managing to rise to her knees. “Do this for Azhure! Please! Be

strong for Azhure!”

Azhure? The name rippled through the tower, and just for a moment Spiredore fought back, hard

enough to give Qeteb pause, and long enough to reform both tunnels again.

Neither Faraday nor Gwendylyr wasted time. They literally clambered to their feet, picked up their

skirts, and fled down the tunnels as fast as they could go.

Leagh was not so lucky.

Of them all, she was the one on the lowest stairs of the tower. Spiredore trembled violently when it

lost concentration, will and power once Faraday and Gwendylyr had passed through, and Leagh was

flung down a series of stairs until, horribly, horrifically, she rolled to the feet of Qeteb himself.

“Well, well,” Qeteb said, “what a pretty lady.”

Leagh rolled away as far as she could, but she was hurt and winded and terrified beyond measure,

and she feared that she, and her baby, were dead.

Oh, DragonStar! I couldn’t even reach Fernbrake Lake for you!

Qeteb reached down enlarging hands —

What was that strange smell? It seemed to be emanating from the woman … no! It was

rising as a smoke from around her figure!

Qeteb’s hands halted, and an expression of utter surprise came over his face.

It was the heady scent of a field of lilies.

“No,” he whispered, and reached out for the woman again.

Leagh backed away on hands and buttocks, trying desperately to get out of his reach, yet

knowing it was impossible.

Qeteb grinned, shunting the scent to one side — a field of flowers was not going to stop him! — and

reached out hands that had turned into talons.

The woman was as good as dead. He could take one, at least —

Suddenly Qeteb screamed, for it felt as though fire had enveloped his feet.

He looked down. There was a ball of light enveloping his lower legs, a light with no discernible

form, but with what certainly felt like terrible teeth.

And it smelt. Horribly. Like crushed lilies.

Behind Leagh, Spiredore roused itself one last time, one last desperate time, and a tunnel of blue

mist formed.

Get you gone, girl!

Leagh was still terrified by Qeteb, even though something had distracted him for the moment, but she

managed — infinitely slowly — to turn her head and look behind her.

Whimpering, hardly able to believe that she would be able to make it, she turned over onto her

hands and knees and scrambled as fast as her cumbersome figure would allow her towards the end of

the tunnel.

Qeteb paid her no notice. He was directing all his power down to the light … more … more

… now! that had the thing! Qeteb scampered about until he’d managed to get both legs free of the mass

of white light. Just as he thought he’d succeeded, the light surged forward, concentrating its

burning fury on Qeteb’s

left foot. Roaring, he drew his leg back, then kicked it forward, trying to finally dislodge the irritating

piece of —

The ball of light flew off his foot … straight down the blue-misted tunnel.

As it flew through the air, it transformed, until it took the shape of a white lily.

A portion of railing fell from above and struck Qeteb on the head. He grunted, and thrown

momentarily off-balance, he missed the chance to direct his power after the fleeing woman.

The tunnel wavered, and closed.

Qeteb went berserk.

By the time he’d finished, there was nothing left of Spiredore save a wisp of smoke and a pile of pitiable

debris.

Chapter 36

Pretty Brown Sal