“I know the feeling.” Ignacio stood up and picked at his teeth with a finger. “We better join the others quickly now, friend Socrates. They'll be getting impatient. Especially Bullpole who has been raging with impatience these past three days.”
“I'm ready.” Fastening his garments into place, Socrates led the way out of the chamber with Ignacio following, the muttered curses of the girl fading behind them as they departed.
Bullpole and the Greek were already mounted upon small sturdy horses. Two more such beasts awaited Ignacio and Socrates who silently and swiftly put themselves into the empty saddles.
“What took so long?” demanded Bullpole in a surly tone, glaring at Ignacio. “We've been waiting for hours, you miserable rabble!”
“I was difficult to awaken,” Ignacio lied.
Bullpole swung his fist, the impact of the smashing blow unseating Ignacio and sending him hurtling from the horse to the ground where he sprawled in stunned disorder.
“Enough, enough, old friend!” intoned the Greek calmly. “Let us be on our way!”
Ignacio remounted without a word or a glance at the others, and soon they were riding out of the still sleeping city – the only sound being that of the horses' hooves clattering upon the paved streets. A short while later they reached open country and the pace was increased from a steady trotting to an easy, distance-consuming canter. Bullpole rode abreast of the Greek. Ignacio beside Socrates to the rear of their masters. From time to time, Socrates grinned appreciatively and Ignacio replied to each grin with a roguish wink.
Thusly, they followed a winding road that led to the edge of the sea and down many twisting turns toward the rocky ledges where the fabled sea-cave awaited their invasion of its interior.
Now dismounted, they stood a few yards from the narrow entrance that gaped in the nearby stone cliff, Socrates holding the reins of all four horses and facing the Greek with stiff attentiveness.
“You will await us, here,” ordered the Greek quietly. “You know what to do upon our return?”
Socrates nodded, his eyes troubled.
“Meanwhile, keep a lookout for any travelers that may approach. It's unlikely that any will-this place being so feared by our people-but you stay on the alert, anyway.” Turning to Bullpole and Ignacio, the latter holding the coiled rope-ladder over his shoulder, the Greek put his finger warningly to his lips.
“From this point,” he said in a low voice, “it would be wise to keep our voices as quiet as possible! And do as little talking as necessary. She has sharp ears, that immortal one! The success of this brave experience will hang entirely upon our making an almost silent approach.”
“Understood,” grunted Bullpole. His eyes searched the cliff impatiently, feverishly. “Let's be about this business without further delay!”
Walking swiftly and silently, they approached the narrow opening. Entering it, they found themselves within a fairly spacious cavern. The Greek continued toward the depths of this chamber, now moving even more silently and cautiously than ever before until he stopped at a small crevice in the slime-covered, dripping wall. It was large enough for a man to go through. Gesturing for Ignacio to affix the end of the rope-ladder to the protruding and jagged outcroppings of rock at the base of the opening, the Greek waited until Ignacio had done so. Then he tested the ladder, yanking at it several times until he seemed satisfied with its reliability. Squatting, he slowly fed the ladder through the opening – peering with narrowed eyes as it descended until its entire length hung down into the cavern below, the end of the ladder barely touching a broad, rocky ledge still dotted with inch-deep pools of sea- water from the last high-tide that rose far above it. Now the seawater had receded until it glittered and surged a few feet below the ledge. Rising to his feet, the Greek stared at Bullpole, smiling intently.
“Shall I go first, old friend?” he whispered. “To prove my concern and willingness to share the danger with you?”
Bullpole nodded.
Carefully, the Greek lowered his body, feet-first, through the opening as he began climbing down the swaying rope-ladder. When he had vanished from sight, Bullpole did the same – descending immediately after the Greek and leaving Ignacio squatting at the opening, watching both men as they silently went down the ladder and reached the ledge where they stood, peering into the greenish light of the dimly lit sea-cavern with expressions of tense expectancy.
Then, the Greek raised his arm and silently pointed to a figure sitting with its back to them. The back was beautiful in its nakedness – the back of a lovely woman with long, wavy golden hair streaming down over the ivory flesh. Now a weird humming could be faintly heard echoing through the dank cavern. She was singing quietly to herself, the rise and fall of her strange song almost surging in time to the rise and ebbing of the murky green water swirling and splashing beside the mollusk encrusted ledge.
Stealthily, Bullpole started toward the unsuspecting woman – his great arms outstretched to embrace her in a closing of his arms around her shoulders – a shout of triumph ringing hollowly through the cavern.
“I've – I've got her!” he bellowed thunderously.
Suddenly, he stiffened as she whirled – her maddened and contorted face a mask of hatred and fury as she made an abrupt motion that was blocked from our sight by Bullpole's hulking body which doubled up as he gave a sharp cry of pain – toppling sideways and plunging into the water with an immense splash as his heavy body went under the surface for a moment, rising again to float face-up.
Tiny sparkling glints of light gleamed from the metal handle of the dagger which she had thrust into his fat belly to the hilt, blood cascading around the dagger and thickly flowing over his girth to the water where it spread in a veil of crimson.
The woman crouched with insane eyes glowing wildly, howling most horribly. Her raucous laughter deafening filled the cavern. Bullpole's face was frozen in a death of surprised anguish as he floated lifelessly beside the ledge.
The Greek whirled, leaped for the rope-ladder and started up it with the agility of a frightened monkey, yelling: “Now! Now pull me up!” He clambered swiftly and was halfway up the ladder's length by the time Ignacio – moving as though he had already planned each motion – whipped out a knife and began slicing powerfully at the rope-ends anchoring the ladder to the rocks.
They parted – dropping the Greek and the tangling ladder to the ledge. His head hit with a dull thud and his body sprawled awkwardly upon the rocky surface – inert with instant unconsciousness. He had made not the slightest sound.
Ignacio peered down, breathing heavily. The madwoman stared up at him, her gaunt face empty of all sanity, all comprehension. Then he noticed the water was churning and boiling as a surge of tide lifted it to the ledge.
“He'll be drowned within the hour!” Ignacio muttered. “Both of the bastards will be dead by then! I'm – I'm free! I'm my own man!”
Shaking his head as though to clear his senses, he looked about until he spied a large boulder nearby. Grunting, he pushed and shoved it – manhandling it with great effort until he had rolled it over the narrow opening – sealing off the deathly scene far below. Now the mad creature's babbling could no longer be heard shrilly echoing. Wiping his sweaty face with the back of his sleeved-arm, Ignacio left the chamber and emerged stumblingly into the bright sunlight. Pausing for a moment to compose himself, he stared at the distant figure beside the horses.
Then he started forward.
“Dead!” Socrates' face mirrored incredulity.
“Both of them – dead,” said Ignacio evenly. “I jest not, friend. Our masters are no more.”
“B-But how?”
Taking a deep breath, Ignacio told him the simple truth, watching various emotions – ranging from stunned disbelief to undeniable fear – cross the other's features as he gave a factual account of what had taken place in the cavern.
There followed a long moment of silence.
“I'm not sorry,” Ignacio said quietly. “They were treacherous, cruel masters. Neither really knew the meaning of true loyalty. Of that I'm as sure as I am of the sun rising tomorrow.”
Socrates nodded, his face still somber. “Yes, you're right friend. But how are we to explain all this? What do we do next?”
“I've thought that out. Just as I've thought out many aspects of my life. We merely return, stating that the
