by Troy Denning
"I'm tired of telling you." Atreus caught Yago's eye, swung his chin toward the Mar, and said, "Feel free to break an arm if he doesn't give it to you."
Instead of rushing to obey, the ogre asked, "You sure about that?"
"What?" Atreus gasped, astonished by Yago's disobedience. "You can't be with him!"
Yago scowled, clearly insulted. " 'Course not!" he said. "I'm just trying to figure out why you want to stay ugly for the rest of your life." The ogre glanced at Rishi and added, "He's right about Sune. You know he is. I didn't come all this way to see you go home empty-handed."
Atreus fell silent, weighing the ogre's opinion and hating himself for it. To even consider the possibility that Sune had sent him after the cup was a betrayal of Seema's love, yet the way she continued to struggle in his arms made it clear that she believed he had already forsaken her. He glanced down and noticed his blood drops falling into the stream of sparkling water and turning into little beads of gold. Everyone but him, it seemed, knew exactly what the goddess expected.
"On my heart," Atreus growled. "How I wish I could stay."
"But the Sannyasi will not permit it, and so he deserves what he shall receive." Rishi smirked, then started back up the dais. "Come along, Yago, and help me retrieve the rest of the treasure."
"No," Atreus said, closing his eyes. "Don't do it."
Seema stopped struggling, astonished, and Rishi spun on his heel, spraying her and Atreus with a stream of shining water.
"What?" the Mar demanded.
Atreus opened his eyes again. "We came to fill the vial." He pointed his chin toward the cup. "Put it back."
Rishi glared at Seema icily, clearly blaming her for the loss of his fortune. A crafty gleam came to his eye.
"You are very clever, good sir. If the water loses its sparkle again, we can always return for the cup in the morning. But how will you pay me with all your gold lost in the river? Even the clothes on your back are not your own."
Seema tensed at Rishi's words, but she did not resume her struggle. Though even Atreus could not say what he would do if the water lost its sparkle again, he sensed that Seema hoped as much as he that he would not have to make the choice. He glanced in Yago's direction and nodded.
"Give me that!" Yago's gangling arm lashed out, ripping the cup from Rishi's hands and inadvertently turning it upside down.
It was as though the ogre had punched a hole in the bottom of a lake. A raging torrent of water poured from the mouth of the chalice, instantly sweeping the legs out from under Atreus and Rishi and sweeping them down the aisle.
Fearing the Mar would take advantage of the situation, Atreus released Seema and grabbed Rishi instead. They tumbled a dozen paces down the aisle, before Yago finally thought to right the cup. The torrent ended as swiftly as it began, depositing Atreus and his captive among the moldy-smelling rugs on a meditation platform.
"There is no need to crush me," Rishi wheezed. "You are the ugly one. If you do not want to steal the fountain, then I am as willing as you to leave it behind."
"I'll believe that when we're back in the Five Kingdoms," Atreus said.
He glanced up and saw Seema across the aisle, wiping the moldy remnants of a carpet off her cloak. The flood itself had spent its fury washing onto the meditation platforms and was slowly draining back into its main channel. Yago stood near the bottom of the dais, holding the cup upright and staring at its gem-studded rim as though he were clutching a live cobra. In this position, the fountain looked much the same as any other chalice. There was no water spilling over its rim and only a faint aura shining up from its interior.
Atreus dragged Rishi over to Yago's side, exchanging the indignant Mar for the platinum cup.
"Keep an eye on our thieving friend."
"Why do you insist on insulting me, good sir?" Rishi protested. "Did I not give you my word? I have completely forgotten the Fountain of Infinite Grace. If you cannot see that Langdarma has nothing to fear from me, then you are certainly the fool they took you for in Queen Rosalind's court!"
"I've been called worse than a fool." Atreus glanced back at Seema, who was watching him with veiled emotions, and added, "Perhaps rightfully so."
Atreus climbed the dais and laid the cup on the alabaster altar, restarting the flow of shining water. Though he had reached the end of his quest, he experienced no exultation or relief, only a queasy sort of guilt that made him feel hollow and cold inside. He removed the empty vial from his cloak and held it beneath the falling water and, as the flow spilled over his fingers, took no joy in the sweet tickle of its magic.
When the vial was full, Atreus corked it, carefully wrapped it inside a cushioning rag, and began to descend the dais.
"Ain't you gonna take a drink?" asked Yago, oblivious to Atreus's remorseful mood. "I'd kinda like to see you handsome."
"Yes, drink," sneered Seema. "If the magic here is as potent as you hope, you will be handsome forever."
Stung by the sarcasm in her voice, Atreus started to decline, then realized she was right. Whether the magic lasted or not, he stood to lose nothing by drinking, and it just might be what Sune had intended all along. Anything as worth a try, if it meant avoiding the decision of whether or not to steal the fountain.
Atreus knelt beside the altar, then opened his mouth under the cup and let the shining water pour down his throat. He experienced the same airy giddiness as before, save that it was a hundred times as strong, so strong that he felt its radiance shining inside every part of his body, filling him from head to toe with a sweet burning he swore would turn him to smoke.
A terrible thought occurred to Atreus then, and he turned to see if he could read any sign of betrayal in Seema's face. She grimaced and looked away in disappointment, but Yago smiled broadly.
"Now, if that ain't a wonderful sight!" said the ogre. "I wish they could see you back in the Church of Beauty!"
"Yes, he is as handsome as a prince," drolled Rishi. The Mar twisted around to look up at Yago. "Now, perhaps we should turn our concerns to the real danger in our midst. Seema certainly knows whether or not the magic will last, and even as we speak, she is most likely plotting to set the Dweller upon us."
"Rishi, how can you say such a thing?" Seema asked. She appeared more amused than affronted. "Even if the Dweller were mine to control, to do such a thing would be to kill… and you know I would never kill, not even to protect Langdarma."
CHAPTER 17
Atreus stood with his companions at the temple exit, staring down the granite stairs into the cloudy brilliance below. The Dweller was still down there, calmly sloshing through the Pool of Gems with its long tentacles. Though the dam had obviously survived Yago's flood, there was no telling what the monster had made of the change in flow or if it had noticed at all. Atreus suspected it had. As alien as the creature was, it struck him as anything but stupid.
"Are you worried the Dweller will sense your guilty conscience?" Seema asked.
"My conscience is clear," Atreus replied. "I have taken nothing but water."
"Today, but what of tomorrow?" Seema said as she stepped around Atreus and started down the stairs. "The Dweller knows me. I will go down first and watch how it behaves."
When Atreus made no move to stop her, Rishi cried, "Are you mad? She will run and sound the alarm and perhaps leave us trapped in here with the Dweller!"
Atreus caught Seema's shoulder and asked, "Is he right?"
"Why should that matter?" Seema asked. "If you are taking nothing but water, no one will try to stop you."
"Maybe I'll go first."
Atreus pulled her gently back up the stairs, then descended into the aura. The sloshing sounds ceased, and a few steps later he saw the monster's amorphous bulk silhouetted in the brilliance below. It swung its head in his direction, fixing its trio of red eyes on him and clacking its beak. Atreus averted his gaze and continued down the stairs, his heart hammering in his chest.
When he reached the edge of the pond, one of the sc
aly tentacles, swollen and lumpy with gems, rose to flit over his body. He waited and allowed it to inspect him. The finger-tendrils squeezed the pocket containing the vial, apparently trying to make out the shape of the container beneath his cloak. Atreus remained as still as a statue until he felt the tiny mouth nibbling at the cloth.
"Hold on!"
Very gently, he removed the vial and unwrapped it, displaying the shimmering contents within. The finger-tendrils danced over the glass briefly. Then the monster seemed to lose interest and returned to searching for its gems. Atreus finally exhaled and went to stand by the marble bench where they had left their empty pebble buckets.
"It's okay to come down," Atreus called, returning the vial to his pocket, "but don't be surprised if it inspects you."
As Seema descended the stairs, Atreus stood across from the Dweller, trying to keep an eye on the monster without meeting its gaze. Of them all she seemed the least likely to be attacked, but he did not want to take any chances with her safety. Even without getting her injured or killed, he felt vile enough. He still did not know what he would do if the water's sparkle faded, and he hated himself for being such a weak and wicked person.
The Dweller let Seema pass with only a cursory examination. She came to stand near Atreus on the dam, just out of arm's reach. He did not try to apologize or speak to her. There was nothing he could say she did not know already.
Yago and Rishi came next, the ogre clasping the Mar's shoulder and carefully sidestepping to fit his huge feet on the wet stairs. As they neared the bottom, the Dweller swung a tentacle over to inspect the pair as it had Atreus.
Rishi stared wide-eyed at the approaching appendage and forgot to watch his footing, missed a step, and tumbled screeching into the pool. Yago tripped over the fallen Mar and splashed down on top of him.
Atreus's first thought was of the Dweller. He snatched a bucket off the bench and raised his arm to throw, but the monster remained on its side of the pool, tentacles hovering above the frothing water as Yago and Rishi struggled to untangle themselves. Rishi seemed particularly confused, clutching at the ogre's heavy cloak while at the same time pushing him off. Yago simply tried not to crush his panicked companion, holding himself up over the Mar on splayed limbs.
Atreus stepped into the pond to help. The water was only waist deep, but the loose bottom made moving difficult. Though the distance was a mere two paces, it took several moments to catch the Mar's arm and haul him out from under Yago.
As soon as Rishi's head cleared the water, he cried, "A thousand blessings on you!" He glanced back at Yago's sprawled form. "Had you not rescued me, I would certainly have drowned beneath that great buffoon."
"Hardly," Atreus said, dragging Rishi toward the edge of the pool. "All you had to do was stop panicking."
Atreus demonstrated by standing the Mar on his feet.
As soon as his boots touched bottom, Rishi's face flushed with embarrassment.
"Oh, what an ox I am!" He turned to the ogre and said, "My apologies, as profuse as the luxuries that once filled this palace. First I trip you, and then I blame you for my own clumsiness."
As the Mar spoke, Seema's jaw dropped. "Yago!" she cried. "Watch your-"
A wet slap sounded behind Atreus, then Yago bellowed in pain and splashed into the water.
So astonished was Atreus that he did not instantly comprehend that the ogre was being attacked. By the time he spun around, the Dweller had turned the surface of the pool into a churning mass of froth, and he could see nothing but flailing arms and lashing tentacles. Rishi was already wading into battle, one hand thrust down under the water, struggling to pull something from his boot.
Atreus stepped toward the fight, demanding of no one in particular, "What happened?"
Yago bellowed and screamed, pummeling the Dweller's head with his boot heels. One arm was wedged down inside the tentacle, but the other was clutching the tip of the scaly appendage, struggling to keep its waving finger-tendrils away from his face.
Rishi's hand came up holding a long, thin knife. The Mar hurled himself into the attack, stabbing madly at the black coil wrapped around Yago's chest. On the third try, the blade finally slipped between two scales. A whistle trilled from the monster's beak, and the tentacle loosened. Atreus wrapped his arms around the appendage and began to pull, half blinded by the dazzling gleam of splashing water.
A second tentacle came up beneath the Mar, heaving him out of the pool. Rishi cried out and arced away over the dam, releasing his hold on the knife. There was a dull thud as he struck the wall, another as he fell to the floor, and after that only silence.
At last, Atreus opened enough space for Yago to free his trapped arm. The ogre lunged for shore, releasing his grasp on the tentacle to grab the marble bench. The scaly tip shot toward his face, its powerful finger-tendrils digging his eye from the socket. Yago howled in pain, but snatched the bench off the dam and smashed the edge down on the Dweller's head. The tentacle slackened, and Atreus stumbled backward, pulling the coils open as he moved. The ogre took advantage of the opening to twist around and slam his makeshift club into the Dweller's face.
The bench cracked in two, and the tentacle went limp. Atreus fell, landing up to his chin in water. The Dweller's body seemed to sag and spread, and for a moment the monster appeared unconscious. Yago dropped his broken weapon and raised a hand to his mangled eye, roaring in pain.
"No! You must not touch it," cried Seema. To Atreus's surprise, she was in the water beside him, reaching out to take the ogre's arm and guide him to the bank.
Then the Dweller lurched forward, heaving its bulk onto the dam and thrusting its head completely into the pool. The resulting wave washed over Atreus's face, filling his eyes with dazzling sparkles of silver light. He heard Yago bellow, then there came a tremendous splash and another surge of water. Atreus stood and reached toward the sound. Through his spotty vision, he could barely make out the ogre stretched across the water, surrounded by lashing tentacles, flailing his long arms in a mad attempt to keep his head above the surface.
Atreus wiped the water from his eyes and the image grew a little clearer. He saw that two of the monster's tentacles lay over Yago's shoulders, trying to pull him down under the water. A third tentacle lay floating just beneath the surface, the handle of Rishi's knife protruding from its flesh. The rest of the appendages, about half a dozen, were sticking up out of the water, ringing the ogre's wailing figure.
Seema dodged forward and grabbed Yago's head, holding it up so the ogre could breathe. A tentacle wrapped itself around her waist and tossed her against the dam. Atreus slipped forward and grabbed Rishi's knife, plucking it from its scaly sheath and unleashing a gush of brown blood. The murky syrup turned instantly to silver and dropped out of sight in the magic water.
A tentacle slithered around Atreus's waist He hauled it out of the water and brought the knife down. Though hardly as powerful as Yago, he was much stronger than Rishi, and the blade shattered the thick scale, sinking deep into the Dweller's flesh. The monster flailed its other tentacles, but slipped one around Atreus's waist, and began to lift
He brought the knife down again, burying it to the hilt. When the Dweller still did not release him, he twisted the blade, working it back and forth, slashing muscle and severing tendons. The tentacle fell limp, and Atreus stepped to Yago's side, grabbing another appendage and driving his weapon through the six inches of scale and sinew. The Dweller beat the water again and drew its bulk off the dam, pulling both Yago and its own head out of the shining pool.
What Atreus saw made him wish the monster had stayed in the water. The thing had caught Yago's leg in its beak and was frantically snapping its way up his thigh. Long sections of bone lay exposed to the open air, and the ogre's blood was pouring into the pool and sinking to the bottom in a steady cascade of golden nuggets. Atreus grabbed a handful of Yago's cloak, then swung around and slashed at one of the monster's red eyes.
The orb exploded in a gout of frothing br
onze blood. Yago screamed as the beak clamped down on his leg. Atreus reached over to slash another eye, when a thick tentacle slapped his neck and began to tighten around his throat, fluttering its finger-tendrils before his eyes and pulling him away from the Dweller's face. Atreus lashed out at the monster's head but felt no telling cascade of hot blood.
He glimpsed Seema stepping in beneath him with a bucket of shining water. He tried to call her off but could not force the words past his throat. His vision began to darken, and the last thing he saw was Seema flinging the bucket at the monster's eyes.
"Strike, Atreus!" Seema's voice sounded tinny and weak, as though she were calling from a great distance. "Strike!"
Atreus swung blindly. The knife bounced off the Dweller's scaly face, and he struck again.
The blow never landed.
He felt himself arcing through the air until his legs slammed into an alabaster pillar. The impact whirled him around, and he hit the floor spinning like a top. Both knees erupted into aching pain. He clenched his teeth and scrambled to his feet. His head was reeling and the knife was still in his hand, but when he finally collected his bearings and found the pool, his heart sank.
It was already retreating through the alabaster forest, belly scales clattering on the floor and Yago screaming in its beak.
"No! Stop!"
Of course, the Dweller did not obey. Atreus lurched after the monster at his best sprint, but even without aching knees, he was no match for the thing's speed. The creature pulled steadily away, growing fainter and fainter until it finally disappeared into the murk.
"Atreus, wait!" called Seema. "The Dweller does not need light, but we do."
Atreus turned to find Seema approaching with two buckets, a small aura of silver radiance hovering above each. He took one and set off through the alabaster maze, following the Dweller's wet slime trail to the mouth of one of its dark tunnels. Yago's voice was echoing up from somewhere below, alternately cursing the beast and screaming in anguished incoherence.
