That should hold the captain for a bit, Japheth thought. Long enough to deal with a lone wizard.
Anusha rushed past him with her blade high. Seren incanted another spell, continuing to give no indication she was aware of the threat the invisible dreams in the room posed. He hoped Anusha didn't hurt Seren badly—but that hope did not prompt him to deflect Anusha's charge.
Anusha swatted the wizard with the flat of her blade. On contact, Seren cried in astonishment. Her spell evaporated in a flash of harmless green fire.
"Remember me, war wizard?" Anusha asked the confused Seren. "I saved your life down in Gethshemeth's watery lair. Don't make me end you now. One more spell, and I run you through with my blade!" Anusha's voice wavered, but was resolute.
The wizard swallowed. She said, aIf Japheth the Stubborn would give up the Dreamheart, our quarrel would be done. If you care for the black-caped idiot, tell him to hand it over. For the world's sake!"
This last seemed to deflate Anusha's enthusiasm to batter Seren into unconsciousness or worse. She looked back and asked Japheth, "Is she right?"
The warlock frowned in exasperation. Based on his previous conversations with Seren, he doubted she cared much for Toril's fate. Time was too short for such distractions. "No, we must keep the stone. I need to use the Dreamheart to extract your soul from the Eldest's mind. It was the conduit that sucked you in, and it will serve the same function to pull you out. You and Yeva both."
As if waiting for her cue, Yeva said, "Then the world can look after itself!" She touched two fingers to her temple. A bolt of hazy force seemed to arc from her brow and burrow into the wizard's.
Seren threw her head back in shock. She dropped her wand and toppled backward, narrowly missing the pool.
She lay still, save for her ragged breath and darting eyes. She seemed to be watching images Japheth couldn't see. Mental phantasms?
Thoster yelled, "Godsdamn it, where did that come from?"
The crew woman hadn't moved throughout the entire conflict. When Japheth turned and frowned at her, the woman's resolve broke. She said, "Sorry, Captain, I'm heading back to the ship!" The woman spun and dashed down the tunnel.
The freebooter chose that moment to hurl himself on his stomach three feet closer to Japheth. He still had one hand on his blade, and he managed to shove its tip into Japheth's boot.
"Blast it, Thoster!" yelled Japheth as he leaped back. A sting along the side of his foot told the tale. The blade tip had pierced his skin, which meant some of the venom had likely entered his blood.
The captain struggled to free himself from his shadowy binding. In his fury, Japheth considered blasting the man with a curse. One curse in particular, swimming in his consciousness, desired to burst free... But no. He should save that one for a foe not already lying bound on the floor.
"Leave the stone,*said Thoster. "In return, I'll give you the anti-venom. Otherwise you'll succumb to the poison."
"I wonder," said Japheth. His cloak should shield him from the poison's effects, he believed—it had protected him against the bites of venomous bats and serpents in the past.
But his foot tingled. He'd seen creatures struck down by Thoster's sword blacken in seconds under assault from its poison kiss. A slight numbness followed the tingles. He waited another few heartbeats. Nothing worse immediately occurred.
Japheth announced, "It seems I'll survive your blow, Captain. Which means I bid you good-bye, until next time you ambush me." He moved around the chamber, giving the captain and the wizard extra clearance.
"Release me from these visions, Japheth!" called Seren, her gaze darting.
"I don't think so."
Anusha said, "We're just going to leave them here?"
"For now. The bonds will release the captain eventually."
Yeva offered, "And the wizard will regain the use of her limbs and eyes soon enough."
The muscles below Thoster's mottled scaled skin jumped and strained. He said, "Don't be a fool! You really think you can succeed? That thing's got you hoodwinked—admit it!"
Curiosity forced Japheth to pause. He said, "I suppose you might be right. But I know my own motivations— nothing is controlling me."
"Ridiculous!" said the wizard, her eyes finally finding the warlock. "By Szass Tam's throne, how would you know if the godsdamned relic was warping your mind? When you're captivated by an enchantment, you don't realize it. Even you know that much spell theory, I'm sure."
"Hmm." Japheth considered. He looked at Anusha. He couldn't tell what she was thinking with her helm on, though he knew she had to be desperate to move on.
"Well, answer me this, then," he said. "What did you do with Anusha's body when you chased me from my suite in Veltalar?"
"We brought her aboard Green Siren" said Thoster. "She sleeps there now, guarded by Blackie. She is safe and cared for."
"I thank you for that. And Green Siren is where?"
"Docked at the outer edge of Xxiphu, outfitted for earth sailing, at least for a time. That way. Seren whipped up some fierce magic." The captain nodded toward the exit where the crew woman had loitered.
Earth sailing? He didn't know exactly what that was, but he could guess. He gave an appreciative nod. The wizard was resourceful. If he was going to get out of there afterward, he needed to mend bridges, not burn them.
Japheth made a snap decision. "Yeva? Can you release Seren?"
"What?" said the woman.
"Hear me out," said Japheth. "If Seren wants, she can accompany us. So can Thoster. They can make certain I don't accidentally relinquish the Dreamheart to the Eldest. We could use their strength... and they can make good on their promise to the monk."
"I'm not sure I want to enter into the Eldest's presence," said Seren.
"It's still sleeping, and its servitors are busy waking it. Help me."
"You... would really have me?"
"Of course. I intend to pry Anusha free from this place. But I don't want to 'doom the world,' as you implied I might, in the process. So, aid me instead of hindering me. What do you say?"
The wizard's brow crinkled. "Very well."
Yeva loosed her immobilizing mind lock with a blink. Seren stood, picked up her wand, and straightened her garments.
The captain cleared his throat in an exaggerated fashion.
"Are you in, Captain?"
"Yes, though you're a fool. But let me loose, and I'll keep an eye on you like you said, in case your mind is less your own than you think. If so, cutting you down would be the least I could do."
"I... appreciate that," said Japheth. With a thought, he released his spell. The inky tendrils faded like smoke.
Thoster stood and nodded at the warlock. "Let's be going, then?"
The wizard said, "Before you walked in, Japheth, I used this scrying pool to locate a shortcut from the throne chamber above us to where Green Siren is tied up. Just in case we live and need to beat a hasty retreat."
Thoster laughed. "In case? Count on it. All of us are getting out of here."