new threat that was taking shape. Although he raised his spear, the half-giant realized it would be futile to strike a blow, and instead he gaped upward, wondering how the three of them could possibly hope to survive this creation of a god.
A pair of burning eyes glared down at the three intruders, like spots of fire in the heart of a blast furnace. A mouth took shape amidst the vague semblance of a face, and when that mouth opened, the bellow that emerged shook the very air with a pure power that superseded the hurricane roar surrounding them, rattled the ground, and roiled Ankhar’s guts, almost compelling him to drop to his knees and beg for mercy.
Only his unwillingness to shame himself in front of his companions kept him on his feet. Laka was glaring upward with her usual fierce, exultant grin, while Hoarst looked remarkably calm as he shifted the pair of manacles he held in his hands.
But as yet, there was nothing to shackle. Between the fiery eyes and cyclonic breath and the rock-solid pillars of legs, there was an intangible middle, only a wispy outline that churned and billowed like a storm cloud. The wisps parted for a moment, and Ankhar briefly spotted a heart of pure water, pulsing and surging like a living organ, shooting gouts of fire and water and air throughout the condensing, gigantic form.
Abruptly, two arms took shape, each as large around as Ankhar’s waist. They were capped by fists of black rock, attached to the huge torso by seething tendrils of black cloud. The half-giant almost laughed aloud at the absurdity of trying to subdue those great limbs with the tiny manacles, toylike, that Hoarst was now raising in the air.
“It is time!” cried Laka, her shrill voice somehow piercing the thunderous commotion-almost as if she had spoken directly into the minds of Ankhar and Hoarst.
The magic-user shouted out some arcane phrase that was immediately swallowed by the din. He held aloft the two measly rings of metal. But the manacles glowed brightly and caught the attention of the fire-eyed giant. Its mouth gaped, a cavernous maw that sucked in air like a vortex, sweeping Ankhar off his feet and sending Hoarst, clutching his manacles, lurching forward toward that ravenous orifice.
The mighty creature’s two fists swung together, down toward the Thorn Knight, a blow that would inevitably crush the magic-user to jelly. Ankhar felt awe at the human’s courage, to face such a fate without quailing. He himself was ready to turn and run, uncaring of the steep hillside or the burning lake at ground level. The half-giant was doomed, for certain, and the only choice he had was to select the manner of his death.
Instead of fleeing, however, he continued to stare, rapt and horrified, as the creature’s mighty fists swept toward the Thorn Knight. As they did, the glowing bracelets changed, surprisingly; they were still shooting beams of golden light, but they had grown huge all of a sudden and were great hoops outstretched in the magic-user’s hands. Then, in a flash too quick for Ankhar’s eye to follow, the manacles were gone from Hoarst’s grasp, magically transported to clap themselves around the arcane giant’s wrists.
In that same instant the great gale of noise fell away, utterly vanquished by the power of Hoarst’s spell. The monstrous creature still stood before them, but its mouth was closed, its blazing eyes banked. The thing raised its two great fists, staring in stupefaction at the golden rings that encircled its arms and compelled its obedience.
A groan sounded in the stillness. The Thorn Knight, pale and trembling, was swaying on unsteady legs, and Ankhar quickly stepped to his side, grabbing him before he collapsed.
Laka, overjoyed by their success, launched into a frenzied, primitive dance, gyrating around the shackled monster and calling out praises in the name of the Prince of Lies.
Ankhar lowered the unconscious Hoarst to the ground and looked up at their new slave, the king of the elementals, a mighty recruit for his surely now-invincible horde.
Laka grinned triumphantly at her son, making a dismissive gesture toward the Thorn Knight, stretched on the ground. The magic-user would recover soon enough.
She produced a small box, studded with bright rubies, and opened the lid. She hurried to each of the four pedestals to collect a bit of residue from each, scraping it into her box. She placed that box between the mighty feet of the elemental king, and it slowly began to shrink, as if the entirety of that massive form was being sucked into the little container. In just a few breaths, indeed, the monstrous being had disappeared, and all that was visible, when Ankhar peered down into the box, were the two metal rings, circlets again small enough that they would have looked comfortably sized around his stepmother’s thin, bony wrists. She lifted the sparkling red box and handed it to the half-giant.
He gazed upon it in wonder. Ankhar muttered in pleasure, “The walls of Solanthus will not stand for long.”
CHAPTER TEN
The lord marshal left Selinda in her chambers. The princess was still distraught but at the same time overwhelmed by her new pledge of troth. She had wavered between weeping and pleading, and he had been forced to physically pry her arms from around him.
Gently but firmly Jaymes told her it was time for him to go and defend himself. He asked her not to come and witness the duel, but had little doubt she would do as she pleased.
The contest was to take place in an area called the Dog Run, which was actually a small courtyard to the rear of du Chagne’s massive palace. Jaymes was making his way there, alone through the empty hall, when he spied a white shape among the shadows. Coryn stepped into view from between two pillars where she had been waiting for him.
“Hello,” he said lightly. “I imagine you’ve heard the news. Came for the spectacle, did you?”
“I came to warn you,” she snapped. “Du Chagne is up to something. This whole match smells of his doing, and he’s not enough of a gambler to take chances with such a game. They must have something rigged, some kind of treachery.”
“I don’t doubt that for a moment,” he agreed. After a pause, he added, “Thanks for the warning, though. I’ll be careful. I had hoped… that is, would you second for me?”
She nodded curtly. “Yes, Kingfisher Moorvan and I have agreed to keep an eye on things. The Clerist inquisitor will be the judge of the event. He’s du Chagne’s man, but I think he still has a conscience-unlike some of the rest of that circle.”
“If you say so,” Jaymes replied. He did not appear overly concerned about the matter.
“Listen. You have to understand, I won’t be able to do anything to help you,” Coryn warned.
“I realize that. Don’t worry; I can take care of myself.”
“Can you? It was only two nights ago that the Kingfisher distracted you with a spell, so much so that you completely forgot your purpose in coming here. If it wasn’t for that misadventure, we wouldn’t be in this mess today.”
He glared at her. “Well, I will count on you to guard against any further magical treachery. As for Frankish’s steel, I shall meet that threat on my own terms.”
She drew a harsh breath. “What were you thinking, letting him goad you into a match like this? He’s the most accomplished swordsman in Palanthas; he kills for sport. While you-you have far more important things to do, like winning the war against Ankhar! Instead, you’re risking your life in a duel over a woman!”
“Believe it or not, winning this duel might aid the war campaign more than anything else I could be doing right now. This duel is not over just any woman, remember. And I told you: I didn’t instigate the challenge, Frankish did. But now that I have agreed to a duel, I think I can turn the situation to my advantage.”
“How?” she demanded.
“You’ll have to wait, but you’ll see, just like everyone else. Meanwhile, you might be interested to know that your potion seems to be very effective.”
“Dammit, why do you have to be so difficult?” she cried, tension cracking her voice. Angrily she clamped her mouth shut, her lips set in a thin line. “Just try not to get your head lopped off!” she snapped before turning and stalking away into the darkness.
“I will try,” he said, too quietly for her to hear, before he followed her to the gate leading to the Dog
