The froglike monstrosity spied the druid, and it snaked out a long, forked tongue that stretched nearly to Galvin's face.

"Look out, Galvin!" Brenna cried. The slave girl screamed in terror and backed halfway down the staircase behind the sorceress.

The druid vaulted forward and to his right. Drawing his longsword, he sliced at the tongue, cleaving it in two. Black ichor spilled out from the flailing appendage and hissed over the stones. Brenna and the slave girl backed farther down the stairs.

"It looks like acid," Brenna called. "Shall I get the wraiths?"

"No," he barked, taking aim at the froglike creature. "They're worse than this thing."

Again the creature attacked, this time stretching out its half-tongue, spattering the druid's chain and tabard with the acidic slime.

Galvin heard the cloth sizzle and felt the heat against his chest. Using all his strength, he jabbed the sword at the frog's leathery side, pushing it in up to the hilt. The creature responded with a pitiful cry that sounded like a baby and thrashed about, trying to dislodge the weapon. Dark, thick blood began to well from the wound. The frog's bulk worked against it, however. The druid had managed to maneuver himself around to its side, where what remained of the creature's tongue couldn't reach him.

"Can I do anything?" he heard Brenna cry.

"No. Stay back!" he shouted, as he pulled the sword out and thrust it in again. "Protect the girl and save your magic! We may encounter worse creatures than this before we're through!"

More of the black blood oozed out the frog's side as Galvin leapt to the creature's back, but his foot slipped in the acidic mixture and he went sprawling between the giant frog and the wall. Although apparently dying from its wounds, the creature struggled to the end, attempting to pin the druid between itself and the wall.

Galvin pushed with his feet and hands against the frog's body, trying to regain his weapon. Finally he grasped its hilt with both hands, tugged it loose from the creature's side, then struggled to his feet. The black blood had etched holes in his tabard and burned patches of skin on his hands and face, but it hadn't burned all the way through the chain links of his shirt.

The frog moved slowly, attempting to turn itself around on the landing so it could face Galvin. It opened its maw and tried to snap at its attacker, but the druid was too quick for it. He jumped behind the creature and plunged his sword into the center of its back. The frog made a sickly gurgling noise, and the black substance poured from its mouth and began to flow down the stairs. Brenna and the slave girl pressed themselves up against the wall to avoid the trail of acidic slime. Finally the creature grew still.

On the landing, Galvin drew in several deep breaths, then motioned for Brenna and the girl to join him. As the sorceress reached for his hand, she stopped, staring wide-eyed at the creature. Its skin began to bubble like a pool of lava, and spurts of black blood shot out from its body. The frog's skin gradually changed from green to brown to orange, then flaming red, as it melted from the thing's bones and flowed down the stairway.

Galvin, Brenna, and the slave girl stared at the monstrous skeleton, which appeared as white as if it had been picked clean.

Galvin was angry. "Animals shouldn't be turned into something vile and corrupt. I want the man who did this."

"He's not here, but I'm sure you already know that. We'll just have to do." The voice came from the darkness at the end of the hallway beyond the landing. Three men emerged from the shadows wearing the red robes of the wizards of Thay.

The man in the center was the tallest and had large hands and long, slender fingers. The nails glowed orange as he extended his hands out toward the druid.

Galvin went for his sword, but the wizard was faster. Beams of orange light shot from his fingers into Galvin's breast, slamming him against the wall. He grabbed for his chest, trying to make the pain stop. His sword clanked against the marble floor.

The hands of the other two wizards began to glow as they stared at Galvin, but Brenna was quicker. The sorceress mumbled five arcane words, and instantly the hallway was filled with thick, black webs. They clung to the walls, the floor, and the men in the red robes.

Recovering from the orange bolts, Galvin gasped for air and peered into the webs, searching for the wizards.

"If they're lucky they might be able to break free, but by then, we'll be a long way from here," Brenna said calmly.

Galvin looked about the dark hallway until he spotted several torches along the wall. He lit them with a torch from the landing and coaxed the slave girl to climb the stairs. She was reluctant, but she had few other options.

Taking her hand, Galvin joined Brenna. Holding the torch up and peering carefully into the magical web, they spotted the three wizards, struggling futilely to break free of its grasp.

"These wizards probably aren't very powerful," she observed. "Otherwise Maligor would have taken them with him. They're probably apprentices, left behind to defend the castle."

Galvin glowered at the men in the webbing, then held the torch even closer to its fringe. "Cooperate with us," he warned, "and we'll let you live. If you don't, you'll fry in there." He had no intention of setting the webs on fire, but he hoped they believed his threat.

"We'll cooperate," a muffled voice replied.

Brenna released her web spell, then chanted the phrase Galvin remembered hearing in the orchard when she mesmerized the leader of the ore patrol. It had a similar effect on the wizards, who meekly allowed themselves to be tied up with cords from the hallway tapestries.

A group of long-haired slaves appeared in the hallway as the last of the wizards was being trussed up. "Stay back!" Brenna yelled. The slaves did as they were told. The girl at the sorceress's side rushed past the wizards and threw herself at a lanky young man in the middle of the group; Brenna guessed that he was her brother from his close resemblance to her. He held her tightly.

Galvin pulled one of the apprentice wizards to his feet. He looked at the group of slaves and the young girl. "Did Maligor have any drawings or maps? Did he keep them on this floor?"

She shook her head no.

"What's on this level?" the druid snapped at his hostage.

"The chambers for Maligor's apprentice wizards," he said reluctantly.

The druid dragged the wizard down the hallway and pushed him hard against the first door they came to, using the wizard's weight to force the door open. Inside, he saw that the wizard had apparently told the truth. It was a large, ornate room with expensive beds, plush furniture, and mahogany wardrobes. Galvin stuck his head back out into the hall.

"Bring the slaves in here!"

Brenna herded the slaves past the apprentices and down the hallway to the large room. She went back to check the room the slaves had come from to make sure it was empty, then returned and looked for the druid. He was directing the slaves into a corner of the large room. Apparently believing Maligor had been overthrown, the slaves asked Galvin which Red Wizard was in charge of the tower.

"No one at the moment," the druid replied. "We're not Thayvians. I'm a Harper. And you'll have to stay here. It isn't safe outside." He paused, glancing at their worried faces. "You'll be safe together. Just be sure to keep several candles and lanterns lit in this room and keep them going all night. We'll be back after we deal with Maligor."

"He's not here," one of the older slaves said stepping forward. The man had a yellow tinge to his skin and long, thin black hair, indicating he was from Kara-Tur, but his accent was Thayvian. "He left after the army departed, and we don't expect him back for days. You've captured the only apprentices he left behind. He took the rest with him-wherever he was going."