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Nozdormu? Pulled your head out of the sand at last? Do you not recall who is most powerful here? Even
the three of you will not be enough!
 Your time isss over! spat the glittering brown behemoth. Gemstone eyes flared.  Come! Take your
place in my collection of thingsss passst. . . .
Deathwing snorted.  And you, Malygos? Have you nothing to say to your old comrade?
In response, the chill-looking, silver-blue beast opened wide his maw. A torrent of ice shot forth,
washing over Deathwing with incredible accuracy. However, as soon as the ice touched the fearsome
dragon, ittransformed,
turning into a thousand thousand tiny crablike vermin that sought to tear at the scales and flesh of their
host.
Deathwing hissed, and from the crimson veins acid poured forth. Malygos's creatures died by the
hundreds, until only a few remained.
Expertly using two talons, the black dragon picked one of these off, then swallowed it whole. He smiled
at his counterparts, revealing sharp, tearing teeth.  So that is how it is to be, then. . . .
With an earth-shattering roar, he leapt at them.
 They will not defeat him! Korialstrasz muttered as Rhonin and he neared the besieged orc column.
 They cannot!
 Then why bother?
  Because they know that it is time to make a stand, regardless of the outcome! Rather would they pass
from this world than watch it writhe and die in Deathwing's terrible grip!
 Is there no way we can help them?
The dragon's silence answered that.
Rhonin eyed the orcs ahead, thinking of his own mortality. Even if he managed to seize this artifact from
Nekros, how long would he maintain hold of it? For that matter, what good would it do him? Could he
wield it?
 Kras Korialstrasz, the disk contains the power of the great dragons?
 All save Deathwing, which is why he cannot be bound by its power!
 But he can't wield it himself because of some spell the others cast?
 So it seems . . . The dragon banked.
 Do you know what the disk can do?
 Many things, but none of them able to directly or indirectly affect the dark one.
Rhonin frowned.  How is that possible?
 How long have you trained in magic, my friend?
The wizard grimaced. Of all the arts, magic truly had to be one of the most contradictory, guided by
laws all its own, laws quite changeable at the worst of times.  Point taken.
 The great ones have made up their minds, Rhonin! By being granted the chance to take theDemon
Soul,you will not only free my queen who will, I do not doubt, rise to their aid but also have the
wherewithal for finally crushing the remnants of the Horde! TheDemon Soulcan do that, if you learn to
wield it properly, you know!
He had not even considered that, but of course a relic like this would serve well against the orcs.  But it
would take too long to learn how to use it!
 The orcs did not have willing teachers! I am not one of the Five, Rhonin, but I can show you enough, I
think!
 Providing we both survive . . . the mage whispered to himself.
 Yes, there is that. Apparently dragons had exceptional hearing.  Aah, there is the orc in question! Be
ready!
Rhonin prepared himself. Korialstrasz dared not get too near Nekros for fear of falling victim to the
Demon Soul,which meant that, despite the talisman, the wizard had to use magic to reach the orc
commander. He had cast many spells in the heat of battle before, but nothing had quite prepared Rhonin
for this effort. The dragon might have tried, but around the vicinity of the relic, his magic would have fared
worse than the wizard's.
  Get ready . . .
Korialstrasz dropped lower.
 Now!
The words came out of Rhonin in a gasp and suddenly he floated in the air, directly over one of the
wagons.
An orc driver looked up, gaped when he saw the wizard.
Rhonin dropped on top of him.
The collision softened his fall, but did nothing good for the orc. Rhonin scrambled to push the
unconscious driver to the side, then searched the area for Nekros.
The one-legged commander remained on horseback, eyes fixed on the turning form of Korialstrasz. He
raised the gleamingDemon Soulhigh
 Nekros! Rhonin shouted.
The orc looked his way, which had been just as the wizard wanted it. Now the dragon remained out of
Nekros's reach.
 Human! Wizard! You're dead! His heavy brow furrowed and a dark look crossed his hideous
features.  Well . . . you will be soon!
He pointed the artifact toward Rhonin.
The wizard quickly cast a shield, hoping that whatever Nekros threw at him would not be as terrible as
the golem's flames. The great dragons had not seen fit to grant him some of the extra strength they had
given to Korialstrasz, but then, the red behemoth had been near to total collapse, and they had needed
the rest of their power for Deathwing. Rhonin's own hopes all lay in his own flagging capabilities.
A gigantic hand a hand of flame reached for him, trying to encircle the mage. However, Rhonin's [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]