01 Blackstaff Tower by Steven E Schend

Author:Steven E Schend [Schend, Steven E]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Tsarra stood back, drawing another arrow into her bow. "Well, warrior? Surrender or a hopeless battle? Which would you prefer?"

"Neither, Tsarra, thank you," Meloon said, and he backed away, ducking behind a large tree to break the charge of the lion. When it hit the tree, Meloon turned and ran toward the villa and the light.

Behind him, he heard arrows striking the trees and the roar of the lions. He felt more than heard their heavy footfalls in the forest around him. He focused on his first goal—the Stag and Hawk tavern mysteriously moved within this grove. When two arrows struck the trees on either side of him, he marveled at his luck that they'd missed him—

Until sprays of webs came from each arrow. Within a step, sticky arm-thick spiderwebs filled the path before him. Meloon tried to turn, but his feet slid out from under him. A spray of dead leaves covered the lower webs as he rolled to the right. He could see his path to the Stag and Hawk cut off.

Behind him, Tsarra uttered a swear word only his grandfather still used. Meloon got up, only to find his path blocked by two of the lions. He turned back to find the other two lions and the webs preventing escape down his previous path. He tightened his grip on the axe and said, "Come on."

He stepped toward the lion in his path, swinging Azuredge, only to see the lion grow more and more transparent. By the time he closed with it, the lion had disappeared. He broke into a run again.

Arrows sprouted thorn bushes, slinging more webs, and even a few gouted fires or noxious gases when they hit. Meloon charged past all of them, calling behind him, "Tsarra, it's obvious you could easily stop me, so why don't you?"

"Haven't had a good hunt in ages," she said, suddenly beside him. "We rarely get to play here."

"Here?" Meloon asked, dodging away from her and out into a clearing on the western side of the noble villa. "So I'm still in Blackstaff Tower? And since when do wizards use bows or hunt?"

He took a quick look behind to see where Tsarra was, but spotted no one behind or beside him. He picked up his pace, arcing around the clearing to the front of the villa. He ran through the open gates, only to skid to a stop on its cobbles. Tsarra leaned against the villa's corner. On one side of her was the servant's entrance tucked to the side, and on the other the main entrance in proud, overdone details of metal banding and highly polished pharnal wood. Light streamed out beneath both doors and the windows high above.

"Wizards don't, but I do," Tsarra said, as she leaned on her bow.

"Did you hunt down my friends too?"

"Hardly," Tsarra said. "There are others tending to your friends."

"Let us help. You're guarding Blackstaff Tower. Let us help Vajra, and we can all help Waterdeep."

"Did she tell you that?" Tsarra nodded toward Azuredge.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.