by Allan Cole
The warning came just in time to stay his hand. The Asper snake loomed over him, growing larger and brighter. Heads striking this way and that. Long tongues of flame shooting from its mouths.
"It's on our side, master!” Gundaree shrieked in his ear. “Our side!"
Palimak heard a deep moan of pain and swiveled to see Charize holding up a huge clawed hand to shield herself from the bright light.
The Asper snake swooped about the vast cavern, sparks showering off its long tail as if from some kind of reptilian comet.
Charize's monsters howled in agony, colliding with pillars as they ran this way and that, or smashing against the vaulted ceiling itself as they flew blindly away on their huge wings in their desperate effort to escape the intense light.
Palimak heard Charize scream in fury and pain and as he came to his feet he saw her rushing toward her throne. A enormous bone-white scepter leaned against one arm. Instinctively, Palimak knew it was some kind of weapon.
And then he knew it was because Gundara shrieked, “Run, Little Master, run!"
But there was no place to run, except after Charize, so he charged her, sword outstretched.
It was an unequal contest. Despite her bulk, Charize moved with amazing speed, great wings flapping so that she was carried forward in great hops.
Still, Palimak was right on her horned heels when she reached the throne and grabbed up the scepter.
He struck, but his sword bounced off the scaly armor of her back. Her tail lashed out, sending him flying and he crashed to the ground, dazed.
If Charize had gone after him then it would have been all over. But evidently she saw him as a lesser enemy and focused her wrath on the Asper snake.
Palimak heard her roar words in a language he didn't understand and a bolt of blue flame exploded off the tip of her scepter. It struck the snake full force. The creature hung in the air for long seconds, both heads hissing and wriggling in agony.
Another blast of blue fire from the scepter crashed into the beast. This was followed by an enormous explosion of pure sorcerous energy.
Charize's sisters shrieked in pain as the blinding light burst over them.
Palimak came to his feet, rubbing burning eyes. Then his vision cleared and he saw that the Asper snake was gone and the chamber had returned to its former gloom.
Charize was the first to recover. She shouted to her subjects, “Kill Timura! Kill him!"
Slowly, they formed around her. Then they advanced, Charize at their head.
Palimak backed up, feeling like a fool as he waved his puny sword before him.
"It's been nice knowing you, Little Master,” Gundara squeaked.
"Oh, shut up!” Gundaree snapped. “We're going to be eaten too, you stupid thing!"
For a change Gundara did not reply. For some reason the lack of argument between the twins frightened Palimak more than any other experience in his young life.
Then his heels bumped against the bottom of the stairs leading up to Asper's coffin. Charize's jaws widened into a terrible grin. Her sisters tittered in ghastly amusement.
"And now, little one,” Charize said. “And now..."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
BLOOD AND DARKNESS
Queen Charize leaned forward, one great claw stretching out to slice Palimak's life away.
He cut at her with his sword, but she only laughed and slapped it aside.
At that moment an enormous drumboom resounded from behind Charize and her army. They jolted about to see what this new threat might be. The boom was immediately followed by the trumpeting cry of what Palimak swore was a horse.
Then there was the thunder of hooves and a shouted war cry.
Palimak gaped as some invisible force burst through the line of monsters, hurling them aside.
There was a skitter of horse's hooves, another war cry, and then two more creatures fell to the ground, gutted and fountaining blood.
Then Palimak thought he heard someone shout, “Palimak! To the tomb, Palimak!"
It was Safar's voice.
His father's voice.
Without hesitation Palimak whirled and rushed up the short flight of stairs to the coffin. He was too numb to be surprised when he saw that the huge lid had been thrown open.
The mummified corpse of an enormous demon stared blankly out at him. He had time enough to see that it was dressed in black wizard's robes decorated with bejeweled symbols. Then he heard Charize hiss orders and he came about to do battle.
The beast that was Queen Charize roared at her sisters to close in on the invisible force. At the same time she struck out blindly with her scepter. A blast of blue light shot out, but she must have missed because the magical light hammered at nothingness.
Although for just a moment Palimak thought he could make out the shadowy figure of an armored warrior astride a great stallion.
Then the vision was gone and everything became a strange, violent shadow-play as Charize and her sisters battled the invisible force.
He saw a line of beasts form before Charize, saw that line bend as the force cut through them. Then the way was open and Charize clubbed at the air with her scepter.
Palimak heard a heavy thump and a groan as her scepter struck something.
There was a long pause, as if the attacker were struggling to recover, then the moment broke and Charize roared defiance, charging forward.
He heard a meaty thunk, saw Charize stop in mid-charge. And suddenly a red line jagged across her throat.
Charize toppled over, huge head falling to one side—bony skull held only by a thread of gristle—and she crashed to the floor.
There was a shocked silence as Charize's sisters stared down at their queen's lifeless body. Then that silence grew longer and more thoughtful as both Palimak and the creatures realized that the horseman and his steed were no longer present in the chamber.
First there was a shuffle—many claws and talons clicking against the stone.
Then a single whisper: “Who will be queen?"
That whisper became a chorus, “Queen? Queen? Queen?"
And the first voice began to chant:
"We are the sisters of Asper,
Sweet Lady, Lady, Lady...
The others took up the chant, turning on Palimak as they did so.
” ... We guard his tomb, we guard his tomb,
Holy One ... “
And Palimak had the soul-shivering realization that the battle for royal succession would be fought over his body.
* * * *
Thwack! as Biner once again assaulted the wall. His club blow did so much damage that Leiria had to shield her face against the shattered rock that exploded outward. Even so, a sharp piece of stone cut her hand and the blood started to flow.
Leiria ignored the wound. What's a little blood, even if it's your own? She studied the results of Biner's work. Strong as he was, mighty though his blows might be, he'd only managed to hammer out a shallow depression into the wall. At this rate, hours would pass before they broke through—assuming Biner didn't wear himself out first.
There was one dubious victory his efforts had won—the depression made a kind of funnel that magnified the sound on the other side. They could hear plainly the clash of battle raging in the chamber beyond.
"Dammit, Biner!” Leiria growled. “This isn't working."
Biner didn't waste his energy on a reply. Instead, he drew back the club once again—planting his feet far apart and bunching his big shoulders in readiness for the blow.
"Here, let me help you,” came a woman's voice.
Startled, Leiria turned to see Jooli standing there. Flanking her were the Kyranian soldiers who were gawking at King Rhodes’ daughter. Apparently they'd been so surprised to see her, that they had let her walk right through their ranks.
Biner—stopped in mid swing—glared at her. “What're you doing here?” he demanded.
Jooli gave a throaty laugh. “Not making a fool out of myself, that's for certain,” she s
aid.
Leiria was angry. “I don't know how in the hells you escaped your guard,” she said, “but I don't have time for you. Get your royal behind out of here before I thin-slice it for rations!"
"I'm a witch,” Jooli said, answering Leiria's unasked question. “Right now the guards on your airship think I'm tucked away nice and cozy in that tiny closet of a cabin you gave me."
Biner was furious. “I don't care if you are the witch of all witches!” he roared. “Remove yourself from my sight, woman!"
Jooli chortled. “You have more muscles in your head,” she mocked, “than you'll ever get in your body."
She took a step forward. Leiria started to block her, but there was something about Jooli that gave her pause. Leiria quite liked Biner. But sometimes he did tend to let his brawn get in the way of cool thought process.
Just as he sometimes used his big voice—even more startling because it came from the body of a dwarf—to hammer down people it wasn't always wise for him to overpower.
Jooli plucked the club from Biner's fingers as if it were a feather. He was too surprised to react. Then she made a gesture at the wall with her free hand. And she chanted:
"You are stone!
You were sand.
You are strong!
You were weak.
Strong to weak.
Weak to sand.
Sand to dust!"
On the last line she leaned forward and gently tapped the stone wall with the club.
With barely a sound the entire thing collapsed, making a two-foot-high pile of dust on the floor.
Leiria didn't waste any thought on Jooli's amazing feat of magic, much less her motives for being here.
The only thing she cared about was that the wall that had been barring her way was gone. And now she was staring into a deep, black emptiness.
Although sight was absent, hearing was plain. There was a whispering of many voices. Harsh voices. Alien voices. Growing louder and louder, until the words rang clear:
"We are the sisters of Asper,
Sweet Lady, Lady, Lady ... “
Then she heard Palimak shout: “Get back!"
Leiria hurled her torch deep into the dark cavern. There was a flare as sparks scattered in every direction.
She caught a glimpse of nightmare creatures—enormous things, with long fangs and vampire wings—then the torch guttered down.
"More light!” she shouted to the others.
And she charged through the opening, sprinting toward the place where she'd caught a brief glimpse of Palimak's pale face.
As she ran she heard Biner bellow orders. More torches arced into the cavern. Spears of light crashed against the floor, scattering flame in every direction so that the chamber became like a night sky lit by a meteor swarm.
Ungodly screams came from all around her, as if she'd burst into a nest of banshees.
She collided with a massive body, struck out blindly with her sword. An exploding torch revealed a horrible figure towering over her. As her sword bit into flesh she had time to realize that the creature was cowering in agony.
Warm fluid splashed her arms then she stepped around the creature and kept on running—dodging or slashing at any shadow that got in her way. The images revealed by the hurled torches seemed jerky, unreal, as light gouted, then died, then gouted again.
A smaller shadow loomed up and a stab of light came just in time for her to stay her hand: she saw Palimak—eyes wild, sword stained with gore.
"Leiria!” he cried, voice full of relief.
She leaped to his side, whirling to see a shadow army of shrieking beasts advancing on them. From far across the chamber she heard Biner bellow his war cry, followed by sounds of fighting. The others had joined the battle.
"They fear light!” Palimak shouted, at the same time dodging a huge claw striking out at him from the darkness.
Leiria lopped at the claw, sharp sword cutting through flesh and bone. And she heard a satisfying howl of pain.
"All I need is a little time,” Palimak cried out, “and I can stop them!"
Knowing he meant to cast a spell, Leiria tried to give him the time he needed, chopping and thrusting in every direction. But there were too many of the creatures and after a moment Palimak broke off his efforts and joined her in the fight.
Even so, the fight was clearly turning against the Kyranians. She could hear Biner and the others trying to fight their way through. But her limbs grew weary and each blow seemed to have less effect. The torches were all guttering out and the chamber seemed to grow darker and more deadly by the minute.
Then she heard a wild ululation and a tall, slender figure vaulted over a knot of beasts.
There was a blast of light and the creatures howled, shrinking back. Leiria had time to see a shattered pot of burning pitch on the floor.
The light from the fire dazzled her for a moment, but as the flames died—too quickly! too quickly!—she saw that it was Jooli who had vaulted to their side.
She'd found a pike somewhere and was jabbing at the beasts in the guttering light as they recovered and pressed forward for the kill, mad with pain and hatred.
Jooli leaped up beside her, then turned, her shrill ululating war cry sweeping away Leiria's weariness.
The two of them attacked the beasts full force and it was if they had been a fighting team for years, instead of only a few minutes.
Jooli's pike would thrust at a creature, running it through to the backbone. While at the same time Leiria's sword would slash and cut at any who dared the defensive gap Jooli's attack would leave open.
Then Leiria would dance forward, doing awful damage with her sword, Jooli at her back, lancing pike giving Leiria the room she needed to maneuver.
Even greater damage was done when they would fall back, the creatures surging forward to take them. Their very numbers making them easy targets for the steel snake-like strikes of sword and pike from the two warrior women.
Still, the numbers were so unequal that Leiria knew they couldn't last much longer. And she could tell from Biner's shouts and the sounds of fighting across the chamber that his attack was stalled.
Just then she heard a dry crack! and a cry of alarm from Jooli.
Leiria glanced to the side, but in the stormy twilight of the chamber she couldn't see what had happened. All she knew was that suddenly she was ringed by snarling beasts, talons reaching out to take her.
Leiria struck at a shadowy claw, felt the blade bite, then she was flung back, her sword swept away.
Stone steps cut into her backbone as she fell, knocking her breath away.
And she sprawled there helpless, without even enough fight remaining to kick and bite and claw with her nails.
Two enormous red eyes loomed over her. She saw the glint of long fangs reaching for her throat.
Her mind raged in fighting fury. But she didn't even have breath enough to curse her enemy before she died.
Just then she heard Palimak shout: “Light!"
And suddenly a hot white light seared into being.
It was so bright, so blinding, that Leiria wasn't sure whether she'd been saved, or if she had been killed and her ghost was seeing the fiery entrance to the Hells.
CHAPTER TWELVE
SAFAR RETURNS
Light delivered victory, but it came at a terrible price.
The creatures, with their pale, death-worm skins, cowered on the floor of the vast chamber. Their howls of agony from the light were so intense that even Leiria, the most battle-hardened of soldiers, was moved by pity.
They were like flies in a cruel boy's insect collection—pierced through with needles of light. Pinned to the floor, their immense wings flapping feebly as they circled those impaling shafts on all fours, shrieking in pain and begging for mercy.
After Leiria had recovered she clambered to her feet and saw Jooli rising from the place where she had fallen—tossing away her broken pike. Blood leaked from a shallow arm wound where a talon had caught h
er.
About twenty feet away she saw Biner, surrounded by the other members of the Kyranian party, transfixed by the sight of the groaning monsters. The Kyranians were covered with blood, but when they unfroze from the shock and started to move Leiria sighed in relief when she realized that little of the blood was their own.
Biner came up to her, shaking his big head. “What do we do with them, lass?” he asked. “Make them prisoners?"
Before she could form an answer out of the chaotic thoughts and feelings racing through her mind, Palimak stepped down from what Leiria realized for the first time was a dais.
Behind him she saw the great coffin sitting on the platform—the mighty sarcophagus that was also the source of all that brightness. For out of its open lid spilled a blazing river of light, filling every nook and cranny of the chamber with an intensity that forbade the existence of even the smallest shadow.
The coffin light framed Palimak, silhouetting him larger than life. As intense as that light was, Leiria could see his eyes huge and glowing with magical fires. She saw the long talons arcing out from his fingers. And when he opened his mouth to speak she shivered at the sharp teeth he revealed—almost like fangs.
His ears seemed to have points that were more pronounced than normal. And his pale skin appeared more translucent than usual, with a green cast just beneath the surface. It was as if, she thought, another Palimak were ready to burst through. His demon side. Which was a Palimak she wasn't so certain she wanted to know.
And then she thought, No, it is a trick of the magical light. He's still my little Palimak. My dear little Palimak. The strange child I carried away from Zanzair on horseback. Chortling the first rude words taught to him by Gundara and Gundaree, “Shut up, shut up, shut up!"
He had been still oblivious to the fact that his mother, Nerisa, had just been killed by Iraj Protarus. Or that Iraj and his soldiers were hunting him now, bent on putting Safar, Leiria and the child to the sword.
Palimak turned to her, blazing eyes commanding. But when he spoke, his voice was a soft, almost mournful, counterpoint.
"We have to kill them, Aunt Leiria,” he said. “I'm sorry to make you do this, but I don't think we have any choice. They're worse than any nest of vipers."
