he had survived.
Then slowly his pulse quickened. It was the magic that had
saved him. It was the magic of the Sword of Leah. Shades, it
wasn’t gone after all! At least some part of it still lived, and if
part of it lived then there was a chance that it could be com-
pletely restored, that the blade could be made whole again, the
magic preserved, the power . . .
His ruminations scattered uncontrollably in their frantic pass-
ing and disappeared. He gulped air into his lungs, mustered his
strength, and pushed Teel’s body aside. She was surprisingly
light. He looked down at her as he rolled onto his hands and
knees. She was all shrunken in, as if something had dissolved
her bones. Her face was still twisted and scarred, but the demons
he had seen there were gone.
Then he heard Steff gasp. Unable to rise he crawled to his
friend. Stefflay on his back, the dagger still protruding from his
chest. Morgan started to remove it, then slowly drew back. He
knew at a glance that it was too late to make any difference.
Gently, he touched his friend’s shoulder.
Steffs eyes blinked open and shifted to find him. ‘ ‘Teel?” he
asked softly.
“She’s dead,” Morgan whispered back.
The Dwarf’s scarred face tightened with pain, then relaxed.
He coughed blood. “I’m sorry, Morgan. Sorry . . . I was blind,
so this had to happen.”
“It wasn’t only you.”
“I should have seen … the truth. Should have recognized
it. I just. . . didn’t want to, I guess.”
“Steff, you saved our lives. If you hadn’t awakened me . . .”
“Listen to me. Listen, Highlander. You are my closest friend.
I want you . . . to do something.” He coughed again, then tried
to steady his voice. “I want you to go back to Culhaven and
make certain. . . that Granny Elise and Auntie Jilt are all right.”
His eyes squeezed shut and opened again. “You understand me,
Morgan? They will be in danger because Teel…”
“I understand,” Morgan cut him short.
“They are all I have left,” Steff whispered, reaching out to
fasten his hand on Morgan’s arm. “Promise me.”
Morgan nodded wordlessly, then said, “I promise.”
Steff sighed, and the words he spoke were little more than a
whisper. “I loved her, Morgan.”
Then his hand slid away, and he died.
Everything that happened after that was something of a blur
to Morgan Leah. He stayed at Steff’s side for a time, so dazed
that he could think of doing nothing else. Then he remembered
Padishar Creel. He forced himself to his feet and went over to
check on the big man. Padishar was still alive, but unconscious,
his left arm broken from warding off the blows struck by the
iron bar, his head bleeding from a deep gash. Morgan wrapped
the head injury to stop the blood loss, but left the arm alone.
There was no time to set it now.
The machinery that operated the bridge was smashed and
there was no way that he could repair it. If the Federation was
sending an attack force into the tunnels tonight-and Morgan
had to assume they were-then the bridge could not be raised
to prevent their advance. It was only a few hours until dawn.
That meant that Federation soldiers were probably already on
their way. Even without Teel to guide them, they would have
little trouble following the tunnel to the Jut.
He found himself wondering what had become of Chandos
and the men he was supposed to bring with him. They should
have arrived by now.
He decided he couldn’t risk waiting for them. He had to get
out of there. He would have to carry Padishar since his efforts
to waken him had failed. Steff would have to be left behind.
It took several minutes to decide what was needed. First he
salvaged the Sword of Leah, slipping it carefully back into its
makeshift sheath. Then he carried Teel and afterward Steff to
the edge of the crevice and dropped them over. He wasn’t sure
it was something he could do until after it was done. It left him