I found Lord Sutton in the third chamber. This was the largest of all of the chambers I had come across, easily half as large as the entire Council Chambers. What was inside of it was a scene from the very abyss itself. A raised dais stood in the middle of the octagonal chamber, raising a few feet above the crystal floor. Rising from the center of that dais was the monstrosity. It was a column of metal and crystal, fused together. I was almost positive that it was a gnomish construction, except for the fact that no gnome had ever made anything so sinister in construction. Hundreds of protrusions spread from the towering monstrosity, all of which were wrapped around the figure that was strapped to the tower. Lord Sutton, in draconic form, was spread out there. His tail lay on the ground, and his snout was pointing towards the ceiling above, with his wings spread. Four of the larger metallic arms were punctured through his sides holding him in that position, even as the hundreds of smaller ones held his wings spread and his body straight.

     It is the most perverse sight I have ever had the malfortune of seeing in my long life. The machine, for there was no doubt that it was a machine, to which Lord Sutton was attached appeared to be draining him of his life force. Everywhere those terrible metallic pincers were driven into his flesh, black silver tinged blood dribbled from his wounds. With a start I realized that the metallic pincers were in fact metallic fangs, through which his blood was slowly being drained. My eyes, almost against my will, followed the lines of those terrible metallic fangs to where they joined the central column and then down to the columns base. There, set inside of a large glass orb, nearly twice my size and covered in ornate silver carvings, his blood was pooling.

     Even as I watched blood dribbled down the sides of the glass to pool at the base, pulsing with every beat of Lord Sutton's heart. I don't know how long he had been attached to this monstrosity, but it must not have been long for the blood was only two feet deep, with another eight to go, before it filled the orb, and it was flowing quickly indeed. I did not need to be told that when the blood filled that orb whatever it was that they wished to use Taltros for, would occur and I had a fairly good idea that I would not like the results.

     Movement along the edge of my vision reminded me that I was not alone in this place and I sank back against the wall, using what little cover there was. A large red wyrm crossed through the another door set in the back of the chamber, paused to watch Lord Sutton, and then headed back out the way he had come, muttering. I knew that face, that walk, and that ugly scar on his side. Grand Councilor Darkheat! So, he had some part in this, I was less then surprised that a red had something to do with whatever plan was afoot.

    I still hadn't grasped the entirety of it, but I would eventually. For now I was going to try and get Lord Sutton free of that monstrous machine.
Quickly I ran across the crystal floor and vaulted up onto the dais. Unconsciously I kept my distance from that machine, which seemed almost to pulse in time with the beating of Lord Sutton's heart. To say it was sickening was a mild understatement. Still, I was his father's kindred, and I had dealt with some bad things in my time. This was quite a ways up the list though. Lord Sutton barely stirred as I worked to climb up the machine towards where those four main metallic fangs kept him in this unnatural position.

     Planting my feet in foot holds on the pulsing column, which more then ever seemed to be almost alive as it drained Lord Sutton's blood, I managed to climb up his side to where the bottom one was puncturing his side. It was then that I realized how bad things truly were. The metallic claw was nearly as wide around as my waist and removing it would surely cause him to rapidly bleed to death. As is it was slowly draining him, but at a slower pace as if it was doing so to draw out his death. My frustration mounted as I saw that all the others were the same, even the smaller ones were driven so deeply into him as to nearly be fatal. The only part of him that did not have some of those horrible things driven into him was his head and the end of his tail.

     With despair I laid my hand on his side, feeling the wetness where blood escaped around the edges of the wound and coated his flanks. I disappeared at that moment. For I was no healer, or mage, but a fighter, one who had been trained in the art of war and to be a kindred. This was far beyond my range of experience and I did not know how to help without killing him.

---------------

     Laureine lowered her head and closed her eyes as she laid a hand on one of Jean's silver scales. The scale itself tinged with his blood, which leaked from the wounds across most of his body. To have come so far and to fail simply because she had not reached him before they did ... whatever it was that they did to him. The sound of a throat being cleared below her caused her eyes to fly open and her sword to almost literally fly into her hand as she dangled from the side of the machine.

    Below her stood a familiar old man.

     "Lord Bahamut!" Her harsh whisper carried a bit further then she wished and she quickly climbed down the side to where she could talk in lower tones. "Help me get him down from that ... thing."

     "I can not until he accepts me, Laureine." The elven woman's eyes narrowed dangerous as she regarded the one infront of her.

     "We are here to help stop whatever it is that Tiamat is doing, and you wont even help me release Lord Sutton?" Her tone was scathing, but the old one in front of her simply looked towards the silver dragon turned pin cushion with sadness.

     "He must ask for my aid in this, or I can do nothing."