Tymora's luck

ACT FOUR SCENE 6

Joel spat out the dirt in his mouth as Tymora formed a protective cocoon around them.

"My hero," the goddess called him as she helped pat out the fire that singed his hair and clothing.

The Limbo-like chaos they had just flown through left Joel dazed. The disorganized elements didn't seem to bother the goddess in the least.

"Thank you for saving my life," Lady Luck said. "You are lucky for me, Rebel Bard. But I think it's time you were going."

"Going where, my lady?" Joel asked.

"You cannot stay in the fusion chamber. You cannot negotiate the chaos matter, and I cannot protect you and defend myself from Beshaba at the same time. Beshaba will either kill you or use you against me, and I cannot allow that."

"The magical barrier surrounding this place holds living matter prisoner," Joel said. "There is no way for me to leave."

"I think I have a way around that," the goddess replied.

"Lady Tymora," Joel objected, "if I leave the fusion chamber, Lathander and Sirrion will begin to merge you with Beshaba immediately. The longer I stay here, the more time I buy for Finder to rescue you."

Tymora smiled and placed her palm on Joel's cheek. "You are so like Finder was when he was young, before he grew afraid of death. Such valor is commendable. Still, you must go."

"Finder will not be pleased if I do not render you every assistance I can," Joel insisted.

"Finder would be less pleased if you should die, though he does not know that," Tymora said. "He needs you. Take care of him, Rebel Bard. Be his luck, as you were mine." She kissed him on the cheek.

Joel opened his mouth to object more strenuously, but his face was suddenly too stiff to move. His limbs felt as stiff as stone. Then he realized that his limbs were stone. His whole body had become a statue. Then his mind went black.

Finder, Jas, Holly, and Emilo burst into the clearing beside the tent near the intersecting streams.

'They're in there!" Holly cried out, pointing to a shimmering portal hovering over a stone altar.

Just as the paladin spoke, a stone statue came sliding out of the portal. It was covered with dirt and dripping with water. Little patches of flame flickered over its surface. Nonetheless, they were able to recognize the statue.

"It's Joel!" Jas gasped. "He's been turned to stone."

Finder motioned with one hand, and the statue levitated to his side. Then he touched the stone, and Joel slumped into his god's arms, flesh and blood once more. The bard moaned softly. He felt as if he'd been sleeping on rocks for days.

As Joel's head cleared, he noticed Lathander, standing beneath the portal with his back turned toward them. The god spun around to face the intruders. He looked surprised to see Holly standing with Finder.

"Paladin, what is the meaning of this? Why have you brought Finder here?" the Morninglord asked Holly.

"Forgive me, Lord Lathander," Holly said, "but something isn't right here. Lord Finder should have an opportunity to speak on behalf of Lady Tymora."

"There is no time, paladin," Lathander said. "If we delay the fusion any longer, Beshaba may destroy Tymora or vice versa. Then Tyche can never be resurrected. Lord Sirrion, are you ready?"

"It will take only a few moments more to drain off enough power from both goddesses to make the fusion safe," Sirrion replied.

"You have your priest, Lord Finder," Lathander said. "I suggest you leave now, before I grow annoyed by your intrusion."

Finder set Joel down beside Jas. The bard leaned heavily on the winged woman, hardly able to move a muscle.

"You can grow peeved, piqued, and provoked, for all I care," Finder said. "I'm not leaving without Tymora."

"You cannot hope to defeat my plan," Lathander said. "I am far, far more powerful than you."

"I need only hold you off until Selune grows suspicious," Finder said.

Lathander glowered at the younger god. "You cannot stop me," he said.

"Did you think that if you succeeded, Selune would forgive you?" Finder asked. "That because she was friends with Tyche, she would be pleased that you sacrificed Tymora?"

"Once it is done, Selune will have no choice but to accept it," Lathander argued.

"If you thought your cause was truly just, you wouldn't be reluctant for the Moon Maiden to know what you intend," Finder retorted.

As the two gods argued, Emilo climbed up on the stone altar where Lord Simon's attention was fixed on the crystals and glass spheres, which glowed and sparked with increasing brilliance. To Jas's alarm, the kender began making all sorts of rude gestures and faces directly in front of the god of the Flowing Flame. He's really pushing his luck, Jas thought as she watched Emilo caper about.

Then Jas remembered with a start that Emilo said Fizz Something had made him unnoticeable except to people from Krynn. Sirrion was from Krynn, yet he obviously wasn't noticing the kender.

"It's time, Lord Lathander," Sirrion said, turning to face his fellow god.

"Keep Lord Finder occupied," Lathander ordered the Flowing Flame.

Sirrion stepped between Finder and the fusion chamber as Lathander went to the altar and took up the blue crystal sphere.

"Lathander, no!" Finder shouted. He made a rush for the altar, but Lord Sirrion grabbed him and held him fast.

Holly was right behind the god. "My lord," she whispered to Lathander, "must you do this? How can it be right if it must be done without the knowledge of your allies?"

"I require your silence now, paladin," Lathander said warningly.

"But-"

The Morninglord glared at Holly as if she were a creature from the Abyss. "I will not tolerate disobedience," he said with a chill in his voice that could freeze the sun. The paladin collapsed to the floor, sobbing, unable to face her god's wrath.

Lathander held up the blue crystal sphere and began chanting Tyche's name. Simultaneously shrieks of "No!" came from inside the fusion chamber as Beshaba and Tymora felt their souls begin to merge against their wills.

Emilo, who still stood on the altar, placed himself squarely in front of the Morninglord and said boldly, "Excuse me, Lord Lathander."

When the kender spoke, Lathander pulled back as if he'd seen a ghost.

"I realize you don't want to be interrupted," Emilo said, "but I really think you should know something." The kender pointed directly at Lord Sirrion, who was grappling with Finder. "That god is a fraud. He is not Sirrion of the Flowing Flame."

Lathander looked at the kender with fury, but he glanced back uncertainly at Sirrion.

"He's not even from Krynn," Emilo insisted. "There, I've done what I came to do," the kender said, hopping down from the altar and running to Jas's side.

"This is ridiculous," Lathander snapped. "If he's not Sirrion, who is he?"

"Now, there's an interesting question," Joel replied. "Can you think of another power who would want to impersonate Sirrion?"

"One with an interest in destroying two goddesses and harming Lord Lathander's reputation at the same time," Finder suggested. "One who'd like to grab the power of those two goddesses for himself," Jas guessed.

Holly gasped with a horrible suspicion. "One who's been missing from his realm for days, not even returning when Beshaba destroyed it," she said as she looked up into Sirrion's glowing green eyes and realized why they were familiar. She had seen eyes just like them on a statue in a temple of evil. "My lord," the paladin shouted, "this impostor is none other than Iyachtu Xvim!"

Lathander whirled around to face the accused. The god who called himself Sirrion had released Finder, but as soon as he let go, Finder had grabbed onto him. The other god growled, a low, feral noise full of hatred. In a burst of godly power, he threw Finder from him.

"The farce is ended," the god said, transforming into the figure of a man with black scales and shaggy black hair, wearing nothing but a loincloth. It was indeed Iyachtu Xvim. "I will take what I am owed," he declared as he leapt across the tent to the altar, scattering the luck fetishes and startling the black cat who had sat so calmly through the whole proceedings. Xvim grabbed the pink rose and the old coin suspended magically over the altar.

"That power is not for you!" Lathander shouted, grabbing at Xvim's arm.

The god of hatred slammed Lathander in the face with the heel of his hand. Stunned, the Morninglord dropped the blue crystal sphere and fell backward. Xvim spun about to leave the tent, but he tripped over the black cat, which howled in outrage. Both power keys flew from the evil god's hands. Joel caught the rose and Jas caught the coin.

"Lucky catches?" Jas wondered aloud.

"And an unlucky trip," Joel said, pointing to the portal leading into the fusion chamber where Beshaba and Tymora stood side by side. The goddesses had cast their magic out of the fusion chamber, protecting their power keys even though they themselves could not escape.

Lathander leapt upon Xvim and held him down on the floor of the tent. Holly retrieved the blue crystal sphere.

"Put Tyche's power key back on the altar, Holly Harrowslough," Lathander ordered.

Holly stood up with the power key of the goddess her lord intended to resurrect and walked toward the altar.

"So, knowing this isn't really Sirrion doesn't change your mind?" Emilo asked Lathander with surprise. "Even though he's an evil god who lied to you?"

Lathander glared at the kender, but then his face grew thoughtful. His head snapped around just in time to see Holly toss Tyche's power key into the fusion chamber.

Lathander's eyes widened in surprise. In a shocked voice, he demanded of his paladin, "What have you done?"

"Now Tymora and Beshaba can use Tyche's power key to escape the fusion chamber," Holly explained.

"What compels you to disobey me?" Lathander asked in an amazed tone. "How dare you risk falling from my grace?"

Tears flowed freely from Holly's eyes. "It would be evil to join the goddesses against their will, my lord," she said.

In the fusion chamber, Tymora snatched up the blue sphere. The shimmering portal flashed with a bright light as the two goddesses flew out of the fusion chamber.

Like hawks swooping down upon their prey, Tymora and Beshaba landed before Lathander and Xvim, who still lay locked together. Tymora slammed Tyche's power key to the ground near Xvim's head. The crystal blue sphere splintered into a thousand pieces, spraying both Xvim and Lathander with the shards.