Inthy gleefully pushed the dagger into Lorianna's still form, watching the blood drip from the many punctures he had already made. He was careful to avoid vital organs and major blood vessels. He could not have her die on him too soon, denying him his pleasure. A tear rolled down Lorianna's cheek, the only reaction she could make. The disguised dracolich gently wiped the tear away with his forefinger and lightly traced the tear's path with the tip of the dagger, leaving a thin scarlet line behind. She would have a nasty scar, he thought, if he let her live that long. He was contemplating which muscle on the thin elf's body to stab next when he saw a bright blue-white flash to his right.

Two lightning bolts flew from Brisid's hands towards Inthealos. The impact shook the entire building, and electricity filled the room. After the sparks died, unable to see through the smoke, Brisid switched to his limited infravision and looked around the room. Lorianna lay moaning on the ground, bleeding from dozens of holes in her arms and legs, only slightly toasted from the magical electricity. Inthy's hold spell had faded when the lightning bolts had impacted. Brisid knelt by his dying sister, cradling her head in his arms.

"Brisid," Lorianna whispered. "I'm sorry it had to be this way."

"So am I," he responded, though his words fell on deaf ears. He slowly laid his sister's head down and searched for the dracolich. A small glowing spot a few feet from Lorianna's head caught his eye. Drawing his sword, he edged toward the motionless dot.

Deallyona and Coraven ran through the halls of the mansion in the general direction of the clock tower. Deallyona suddenly halted, and her brother, unable to stop, crashed into her lighter form. After they disentangled themselves, Coraven asked what was the matter, in not the nicest terms.

"What are we going to do when we get to the clock tower? Brisid is the one that has to cast the spell, remember?" she responded.

Her brother swore as they started back to Brisid and Inthealos. They stumbled as the floor bucked beneath them. A loud boom pounded their ears and the hall shuddered.

Nudging the spot with his long sword, Brisid noticed it was an electric spider. Too late, he started to lift his guard. Inthealos instantly morphed into an ice hound and pounced on the elf, knocking Brisid's weapon away. The elf tried to push the beast off him but became discouraged when he heard one of his ribs snap under the beast's weight. The ice hound slowly closed its jaws over Brisid's neck, crimping blood vessels. Black spots filled the elf's vision as unconsciousness threatened to take him. Suddenly the hound released him and howled in pain. A lance of red flew above Brisid into the beast, eliciting another howl. Turning his head, he saw through his blurred vision a blond-haired figure launching red arrows at the ice hound. Soon, he felt himself picked up and carried out of the room.

Deallyona shot one more fire arrow as Coraven ran into the hallway behind her carrying Brisid. She slammed the door closed just in time to see the ice hound change into a red dragon. Praying to whichever Gods were listening, she sprinted down the hallway, pushing Coraven ahead of her. They dove through a small door and shut it. Magical fire filled the hallway, announcing the red dragon's arrival.

Inthealos tried to deny it, but he was getting tired of his game. He liked a challenge, but the fire arrows that stupid elf-maiden had fired into him had hurt.

He crawled into the hallway and breathed another stream of fire into the expanse. The pure destruction lightened his spirits slightly. Dozens of doors lined the hallway, however-many places for the stupid elves to hide in.

"Too many doors," he declared lazily and blew fire into the nearest door, blowing it off its hinges, and filling the room beyond with flames. "One down, many more to go."

The elves heard a muffled explosion far down the hallway. Soon after, another explosion, a little louder than the first. A third explosion sounded, slightly louder than the previous. The dragon was systematically destroying the rooms, searching for them.

"Gods! What are we going to do?" Coraven asked, trying to calm down his pounding heart.

"Quiet for a second!" Deallyona commanded, shushing her brother. Between the explosions, as Coraven's heart started to slow down, he heard a clicking above his head. The sound repeated itself in regular time intervals. "It's a clock!" Deallyona whispered with excitement. "We're in the clock tower!" Searching the dark room, she found a ladder leading up. She thanked the gods fervently as she climbed up the ladder and helped Coraven with the still unconscious Brisid. They found themselves in a small room, far above the ground. The magical mechanisms of the clock took up one side. The other three walls had large windows. Deallyona noticed the tower was above the black fog which still masked the large house below her. The three windows offered views to the woods, the temple of Mystra and finally the castle!

"The gray moon-elf will cast light from the small tower to dispel the darkness enveloping the throne," Deallyona quietly recited Velisa's curse. She turned to Brisid whom Coraven had laid on the ground.

"Wake up!" she whispered fiercely at the unconscious elf. She poured some fey down his throat and proceeded to slap him repeatedly until his eyes flickered open. "You have to cast a glowlamp there!" Deallyona told the dazed elf, pointing to the third window. After a moment of confusion, Brisid understood and quickly cast a glowlamp into the window.

The three elves sighed in relief. They had won!

The head of a red dragon popped up through the floor-hatch, surprising the elves. "Miss me?" Inthy asked with a smile and then blew a stream of fire into them.