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wait so long to use it?"
"I had hoped not to have to use the amulet," the wild mage replied. "It may
have stopped the flood of ghouls, but it has also sealed off the only way out
of this cham-ber."
They saw to their battle wounds then. Most had escaped with only a few
bruises, but the gash on Daile's arm was more urgent. A wound caused by a
ghoul's filthy claws invariably festered, poisoning the blood.
Eventually, the victim would die and become a ghoul.
"Fear not, Daile," Miltiades reassured the ranger. He knelt beside her,
removing his gauntlets, and whispered a brief prayer to Tyr. A blue nimbus
sprang to life about his skeletal hands. In moments the gouge on Daile's arm
closed and scabbed over. Miltiades nodded in satisfaction, replacing his
gauntlets. "It is done."
She sighed in relief. "Thanks, Miltiades."
Kern gazed at his own hands wistfully. He wondered if there would ever be a
paladin's healing in their touch. He shrugged and put the thought out of his
mind. They had more pressing matters to worry about
"None of these walls are illusory," Listle proclaimed in disgust after
searching the throne room for the third time. "And I can't find the slightest
hint of any hidden door-ways."
"I thought elvenkind had particularly keen eyes in such matters," Sirana
murmured. The wild mage was examin-ing a bruise on Kern's arm where his armor
had been dented.
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"This is absurd!" Daile exclaimed in exasperation. "I can't believe we've
journeyed all this way and been through ... through so much just to end up
locked in a room full of moldering old junk." She kicked a broken table out of
her way. Feeling weary, she climbed the mar-ble dais and plopped down into the
massive onyx throne. It was so large that her feet swung freely in the air.
Each of the throne's arms ended in gnarled, fiendish claws. Daile gripped them
tightly in frustration.
The right claw moved.
She sat up with a jolt, fearing the throne was enchanted. Then she realized
that the stone claw was
simply attached to the arm of the throne by a small, nearly invisible hinge.
Curious, she lifted the claw.
A low grating sound rumbled through the chamber. Daile gave a small cry as the
throne lurched beneath her. All watched in astonishment as the entire dais
slid to one side, revealing a spiral staircase leading down into dark-ness.
"I knew that would happen," Daile lied with a crooked grin.
* * * * *
The songlike trilling in Kern's mind was strong. They were close to the
hammer. Very close.
"I recognize this place." Miltiades spoke softly as the five moved stealthily
down the dim passageway.
"We are near the cavern where Phlan was imprisoned by the Red Wizard years
ago."
The passageway bent sharply to the left. Suddenly the ceilings and walls
dropped away. The group found them-selves standing at the head of a flight of
stairs, gazing out over a cavern bathed in a crimson glow.
"Tyr have mercy!" Kern whispered.
The vast cavern was filled with undead.
Corpses in every imaginable state of decay writhed below, as if performing
some horrible mockery of a ball-room dance. So numerous were the refugees from
the grave that Kern couldn't even spot the floor.
Withered mummies covered with parchment-dry skin, bloated zom-bies dragging
slimy entrails, and skeletal beasts baring feral fangs dotted the throng.
Loose skulls rolled around the floor, nipping at heels, while severed arms
scuttled through the crowd, trying to attach themselves to other undead
beings.
These were the denizens of the coffin-walls, Kern real-ized. He gripped his
enchanted warhammer. "I
want to thank you all for coming this far with me," he said to the others, his
green eyes solemn.
"You're not thinking of going down there, Kern!" Listle said with a horrified
expression. "I know you've had some dumb ideas before, but next to this, an
ogre looks like a genius."
Kern swallowed his misgivings. "I have to go ahead, Listle. It's my destiny.
But all of you can head back to the surface. There must be an exit other than
through the throne room."
"No, paladin." Sirana laid a hand on his arm. "I made a promise to you. I
intend to keep it."
"I, too, will stay at your side, Kern," Miltiades mur-mured in his sepulchral
voice. "It was for this mission that Tyr raised me once again from the grave.
It is my duty."
Daile shot Listle a fey grin. "I don't want to be the only one missing out on
all the fun," she told the elf.
Listle rolled her eyes in vexation. "I can't believe I'm going to say this,
but..." She sighed deeply. "Count me in, you ogre-brained oaf."
"Thank you," Kern said gruffly.
The five started down the stairwell.
The undead mob jabbered exultantly. Kern raised his warhammer as they
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