Rather than skulk in the shadows, he marched boldly along the center of the street toward the palace. He passed several groups of guards, all of whom spoke to him in a harsh goblin dialect. Riverwind grunted and kept going.

He crossed the footbridge at the base of the East Falls and entered the ancient palace by means of the old postern door Di An had been taken to. The smell of the draconian officers' quarters was overwhelming.

“What do you want?” snarled a draconian.

Riverwind hunched his shoulders and let the helmet slide down over his nose. “Master Krago sent for me,” he said gruffly.

“Well, get going,” the draconian said. “Stupid goblin.”

Riverwind moved on, keeping the cloak close around him. To his right were more alcovelike rooms occupied by the draconians. To his left was an empty corridor. He skirted the open door and headed down the passage.

Four goblins stood, two on each side of the door. “Master Krago sent for me,” he said, keeping his face averted.

“G'wan in,” said the nearest guard. Riverwind put out a hand to grasp the bronze door handle. When he did, he exposed his arm.

“Huh? What's this?” said the near goblin. He drew his sword. “You ain't one o' us!”

“Thank the gods for that!” Riverwind exclaimed. He whipped back the cloak and drew his goblin sword.

He took the chief guard's attack and turned it, thrusting his point through the goblin, below his breastplate. The guard fell backward, knocking down his comrade. Behind Riverwind, the second pair of goblins closed in. He felt a sword tip rip through his cloak. He turned sharply and harried the two guards away. The narrow corridor did not allow much room to maneuver, so the goblins' advantage of numbers was largely nullified.

“Yah-ha!” Riverwind shouted, just to rattle his foes. The goblins kept off until he found the door handle behind his back and twisted it. Riverwind slipped inside and threw the door shut.

The room was a frozen tableau. Catchflea, quill in hand, sat by Krago at the table. The young cleric's mouth was open in midword. The room was cluttered with books, papers, jars, and beakers. Riverwind didn't see Di An.

“Riverwind! You're alive!” Catchflea cried, astonished.

“So far!”

The old soothsayer hopped up, spilling the ink pot over the transcript he was making. Krago's surprise at seeing Riverwind changed to dismay at the damage done to the paper. He groaned loudly, trying to stem the flow of ink over the scroll. “Look what you've done!” he cried.

“You keep still,” Riverwind warned.

He thrust his sword through the door handle and latch plate, holding the door closed. The goblins rattled and pounded on the outside. Riverwind and Catchflea pushed a table, a set of creaking shelves, and a heavy oaken chest full of chemicals against the door. As books and bottles fell from the shelves, Krago wailed, “Stop, you idiots! Those are important and valuable books. You're destroying my work!”

Riverwind withdrew the goblin sword from the door. He advanced on Krago, point held out. The young cleric stood his ground until the tip pricked his skin. He shuffled backward.

“You dare not hurt me! The dragon will wreak terrible vengeance on you if you do!” he gasped.

“You keep invoking this dragon, but I've seen no evidence of one,” Riverwind said levelly. “I think it's all a pose to keep the lizard men in line and make them do what you want.”

“There is a dragon, you'll see!”

“Shut up and sit down,” Riverwind replied. The pounding on the door got louder and more regular. The goblins had fetched help.

“There's no room to swing a battering ram out there,” the plainsman said, “but we can't keep them out for long.”

“What do we do?” asked Catchflea.

“I'm thinking.” He surveyed the cleric's quarters. “Where's Di An?”

“Here.”

Riverwind turned to the sound of her voice. She came from the far side of the room, rubbing her eyes as if she'd been asleep. He looked twice before he realized it really was her. The change in her was even more noticeable to him, since he hadn't watched its gradual progression. Di An had grown six inches in the short days since he'd seen her last. Her black hair now almost reached her shoulders, and her white skin had a pink tinge. Though still quite thin, she had the figure of an adult elf woman, all the more apparent in her ragged, and now short, girl's dress.

“I knew you would come back,” she said. Even her voice was slightly lower.

“What's happened to you?” The young plainsman's question was punctuated by a splintering crash. The bright edge of an axe showed through a newly cut crack in the door.

“Is there another way out of here?” Riverwind demanded of Krago.

“Do you expect me to tell you?” the cleric said with a sneer.

“You will if it means your life!” Riverwind raised the crude sword to strike Krago.

“If you kill me, you will all perish. Shanz will show you no mercy.”

Riverwind lowered his weapon. He grabbed Krago by the front of his robe and dragged him to his feet. The slight cleric's toes brushed the floor as Riverwind held him up.

“Tell them to back off,” he said. “Back off, or I'll hack that monster you're making to bits!” Krago paled at this threat. All his work Wasted-what would Khisanth do to him then?

“This is Krago!” the cleric shouted. “Get back from the door. Get back, I say!”

They heard Shanz's muffled reply, “Master Krago, are you all right?”

“For now, good Shanz. The barbarian has threatened to harm Lyrexis if you don't stop now!”

“As you wish.” More muffled commands, and the axe squeaked free of the door and disappeared. “We're withdrawing” Shanz called.

“Tell them to go to the great plaza,” Riverwind said. Krago repeated the order.

“Very well.” Heavy footsteps tramped away.

“Show me the creature,” Riverwind said.

“You will not harm her!” Krago cried, twisting in River-wind's grip.

“Show me.”

“It's almost awake,” Di An said after Krago led them to the vat room. She stood apart from Riverwind and did not meet his eyes.

The vat of quicksilver churned in slow ripples as Lyrexis stiffly moved her arms and legs. In the past day, her eyes had darkened, and her lids cracked apart just enough to expose the vertical green pupils. Her scales were hardening, losing their translucency. When the humans and Di An drew near, the creature sat up and made inarticulate sounds through closed lips.

Riverwind found himself staring at Lyrexis in awe. He knew that Krago's work was evil, and yet, he had actually created life.

“This is a very crucial time!” Krago said excitedly. “When her eyes are fully open, I must perform the Spell of Awakening. It will lessen the shock of her birth and make her acknowledge me as her true, ah, parent.”

Riverwind brought his mind back to the situation at hand. “We've no time for that,” he said. “We're leaving, and you're our hostage.”

“Ignorant lout! You don't understand! If Lyrexis awakens without the proper soothing spells, she'll run wild. There's no telling what harm she'll cause and come to!”

“Tie his hands, Catchflea. If he talks, gag him.”

“He may be right, tall man. I have been reading his spells, yes? The creature has an almost human form, but it still has the mind of a serpent.”

“You too, Catchflea? If the creature is going to die, let it die now before it is aware of its evil purpose.”

Di An stared at Lyrexis. “I say kill it now.”

“What?” asked Riverwind.

“Kill it now. Take a sword and cut off its head!”

All the agitated shouting seemed to galvanize the awakening creature. It ceased its plaintive mumbling and threw a leg over the side of the vat. Its movements were smoother now, more like those of a fully conscious being. Everyone drew back as the creature, some seven feet tall, swung to its feet.