Free Journey into the Void by Margaret Weis

off for the time being—” he stumbled against a table, nearly fell, but kicked it asunder and managed to save himself—“but I am wounded and can’t hold out for long. Shakur! Are you there? Answer me!”
    â€œI am here,” was Shakur’s churlish response. “Your orders were to keep your true nature secret. What did you do to provoke this?”
    Inspiration struck Jedash. He knew perfectly well that Shakur would not come to his aid, but Shakur was bound to come to the aid of the Sovereign Stone.
    â€œI have it!” Jedash yelped. “I have the Stone! That is why they are attacking me! They’re trying to take it from me. You have to come, Shakur! Come now!”
    Jedash heard another voice, not Shakur’s. The voice that answered was the voice of Dagnarus.
    â€œYou lie,” said Dagnarus, and his voice was empty and dark as the Void. “You had the Sovereign Stone in your possession, but you disobeyed orders. You were told to bring it to Shakur. Instead, you were greedy, and you lost it.”
    â€œI know who has it!” Jedash whimpered. “I can get it back! Please, my lord, please save me!”
    â€œI have better things to do with my time,” said Dagnarus.
    â€œMy lord!” Jedash cried, clutching the Blood-knife that was made of his own bone. “Shakur! Help me!”
    Silence was his answer. The silence of the Void.
    The magi backed him into the massive fireplace. Terrified, Jedash tried to use his magic, tried to cast again the deadly spell that had slain the first battle magus. He sought for the words to the spell, but the chanting and praying of the battle magi confused him, so that he couldn’t think.
    The spell failed. He tried another, only to have it fail.
    The chanting of the battle magi reached a crescendo. The blessed magic of the gods flashed and blazed in the air, bright and burning as the sun. The magi held the magic fast. Feeling the destructive force building around him, Jedash turned his back and tried to burrow his way through solid brick.
    The battle magi let loose the magic.
    The wrath of the gods struck Jedash. The explosive force of the spell ripped apart the armor forged of the Void, pulverized it, smashed it into fragments that disintegrated in the heat of the magic. The blast tore through the fireplace, blew out the wall, and leveled the chimney. Bricks and mortar and wooden beams crashed down on top of the Vrykyl.
    The building shuddered, and for a moment it seemed as if it might come down on them all, burying Vrykyl and magi alike. The magi were prepared for that, for they are trained to face the possibility that they might be called upon to sacrifice themselves in the destruction of their foe. The tavern was well built, however, and, after one final shiver, asthough the Tubby Tabby was itself horrified by the event, the building settled and held firm.
    Other magi moved in. Those skilled in construction magic came to shore up the weakened structure, while the Inquisitors, those magi who made a study of Void magic, came to search the rubble for remnants of the Vrykyl. The battle magi who had cast the spell departed the field. Drained of energy, two were so exhausted that they could not walk, but had to be carried by their fellows.
    The blast that had leveled his chimney nearly leveled the poor tavernkeeper as well. Having taken Ulaf’s advice, he had fled the premises. Huddled with his family at a safe distance from the scene of the battle, he heard the explosion and imagined the worst. He was on the verge of collapse, when his practical wife pointed out to him that the Church was bound to recompense them for their loss and provide them with money to rebuild. And once that was accomplished, the fame of the Tubby Tabby as the scene of a battle between the Church and a Vrykyl would draw customers from all over the continent.
    â€œWe will put up a plaque,” she said.
    Comforted and reassured, the tavernkeeper