Into the Labyrinth (The Death Gate Cycle #6) by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

Author:Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman [Weis, Margaret & Hickman, Tracy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B005B3OW4Q
Publisher: Bantam
Published: 1994-06-15T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 26

THE CITADEL PRYAN

XAR STOOD IN AMAZEMENT. THE TWO WERE GONE, DEFINITELY gone. He reached out mentally, searching for them. He sought them in Death’s Gate. He sought them on the other worlds. No trace. They were, quite simply, gone. And he had no idea where.

If one believed Haplo…

But Xar didn’t. He put that notion out of his mind.

He was baffled, enraged… intrigued. If the dragon and its foe were gone from this world, this universe, then they must have found a way out. Which meant that there was a way out.

“Well, of course there is!” A hand clapped Xar soundly on the back. “A way out. A way to the Immortal.”

Xar turned swiftly. “You!” He scowled.

“Who?” The old man brightened.

“Zifnab!” Xar spat the name.

“Oh.” The old man sagged despondently. “Not someone else? You weren’t expecting someone else? A Mr. Bond, perhaps?”

Xar recalled Sang-drax’s warning. Beware the old man. It seemed almost laughable. Still, the old man had escaped from the prisons of Abarrach.

“What are you talking about?” Xar demanded, eyeing the old man with more interest.

“Beats the hell out of me,” said Zifnab, quite cheerful.

“What was I talking about? I rarely remember. I try not to remember, in fact.”

His face went gray. His eyes lost their vague expression, were suddenly focused, suddenly pained. “It hurts— remembering. I don’t do it. Not my memories. Other people’s memories… easier, much easier…”

Xar was grim. ” ‘A way out,’ you said. ‘A way to the Immortal…”

Zifnab’s eyes narrowed. “The final Jeopardy answer, eh? I have thirty seconds to write down the question. Dum-de-dum, dum, da-doo-de-doo. There! I think I’ve got it.” He looked triumphantly at Xar. “What is the Seventh Gate?”

“What is the Seventh Gate?” Xar asked casually. “That’s the question!” Zifnab said. “But what’s the answer?” Xar was rapidly losing patience.

“That’s the answer! To the question. Do I win?” Zifnab asked hopefully. “Chance to come back tomorrow?”

“I may give you a chance to stay alive today!” Xar snarled. Reaching out, he took hold of the wizard’s arm, gripped it tightly. “Enough foolery, old man. Where is the Seventh Gate? Your companion obviously knew—”

“Why, so did yours,” Zifnab countered. “Didn’t he tell you? Mind you don’t crumple the fabric…”

“Companion? Sang-drax? Nonsense. He knows only that I am searching for it. If he had known, he would have taken me to it.”

Zifnab looked extremely wise and intelligent—or at least he made the attempt. He drew near Xar, whispered, “On the contrary, he’s leading you away from it.”

Xar gave the old man’s arm a painful twist. “You know where the Seventh Gate is!”

“I know where it isn’t,” Zifnab said meekly. “If that’s any help.”

“Leave him alone!”

Preoccupied with the old Sartan, Xar had forgotten the mensch. He turned to find one of them daring to interfere. “You’re hurting him!” The elven female (Xar couldn’t recall her name) was attempting to pry his hand off Zifnab’s arm. “He’s only a daft old man. Leave him alone. Paithan! Come help!”

Xar reminded himself again that he needed these mensch—at least until they had shown him the secrets of the citadel.

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