Queen of the Demonweb Pits

'Oh-oh, yeah. Did yours run out yet?'

'Just then.'

'Ah.' The girl suddenly took on a thoughtful look, ducked into the hole and came up with one of the potion bottles. She gave it a sniff. 'Healing potion, Flanaess style.'

'The sausage in the room is lying on a bag. The bag is stenciled with the seal of a Keggle Bend merchant.' The Justicar reached the far room, where Henry was busily dropping a bar into place against the outer door. 'Our snake woman is a busy girl.'

'A busy girl with an agenda.' Escalla climbed out of the hole. Her eye took in the food, doors leading off to two other small, quiet rooms filled with bedding. 'She wants us to rest.'

'She took care of the only thing here that was dangerous. The chief vampire would have been a lot tougher than his bride.' Jus spied a fireplace and checked it-a metal grate sealed off the chimney flue. 'We each need at least four hours to rest and get spells back. Polk and Cinders can keep guard. We can put that mutton on to cook.'

Enid looked up guiltily. The stripped mutton bone lay on the floor before her, and she covered it up with her paws.

'Um, aren't you all going to fry up that nice sausage?'

'I guess we are.' Escalla looked about the table and sighed. 'Any faerie cakes? Honey? Jam? Sugar?'

'No. Sorry.'

'Sod it. If I don't keep my sugar intake up, I get into such a mood!' Escalla tugged at the Justicar, dragging him over to one of the little side rooms. 'All right. You meditate, I'll grab my spell book, and we can grind that diamond. Let's get rested up.'

The next room was small, dark, and had windows bolted, sealed, and shuttered tight. Spreading Cinders out over a chair to keep guard in the kitchen, Jus closed the door on the sounds and smells of dinner. He dropped down into the portable hole, retrieved blankets and a pillow made out of an old sack, then clambered wearily out again. He found Escalla sitting surrounded by her loot and tools-lich staff, frost wand, spellbook, and potion bottles.

Peace at last. Still dressed in her awful makeshift dress, she gave Jus a wan little smile.

'Hello.'

He kissed her softly, and she curled into him. It was a simple, powerful love with so few complications. Escalla wound her arms about Jus's neck, leaned her forehead against his skin and sighed.

They held each other for a long, long time. Escalla rested a hand on Jus's skull as they drew apart, and she scratched his stubble with a smile.

'Stubble.' She loved the feel of it beneath her hands. 'Let's get you shaved. Can't have you facing ultimate evil with afternoon shadow on your head.'

He was tired, but he laughed. She sat on his thigh and raked through the loot, shaking the potion bottle beside her ear. Jus looked at the writing on the label and scowled.

'Elven?'

'Drow.' The girl nodded. 'Yep. All drow. Looks like about five healing potions and five spider venom antidotes: one each. Convenient, eh? Plus we've got a potion of regeneration. All are labeled.'

'I thought so.'

'So what's going on?' Escalla rattled the bottles with her foot. 'You think Lolth's playing with us? Wants us to make it to the palace so she can flatten us?'

'No. The problems we're facing aren't cruel enough.' The Justicar sighed, feeling tired. 'There's nothing specifically intended to make us suffer. It's been just guards.'

'Heh. And Recca and Tielle.'

'Them, too.' The Justicar looked over their weapons and tools. 'Is your frost wand holding out?'

'Yeah. Running low on charges, though. Lich staff too.' The girl ran frustrated fingers through her hair. 'I have to relax! Clear my mind! I can't memorize spells while I'm all keyed up.'

There were empty bottles amongst the full. Jus picked up a familiar little vial and shook it.

'Giant growth potion?'

'Yeah. Last one left.' Escalla picked it up and looked at the liquid gleaming through the clear glass bottle. 'Ah, well. I guess we'll make more some day. I'll find the ingredients somehow…'

Jus rubbed his eyes.

'We should meditate. We only have four hours. Do faeries do anything special to relax?'

Escalla laughed. All of a sudden, she looked at Jus, and Jus looked at her. They looked at each other, then Escalla pounced, tearing at the potion bottle's cork.

Hanging from the door handle nearby, Benelux wailed. No! Not again! No! I demand to be put in another room! The sword buried herself inside her sheath and sang to try to block away the noise. La la la la la!

Outside the door, Enid blinked. She pushed more wood into the fire, hoping the crackling flames and sizzling sausage would mask other sounds. Diligently slicing sausage at the table with Polk, Henry looked at the door in puzzlement.

'What's that noise?

'Mantra!' Enid managed to go pale and blush bright red at the same time. 'Escalla's meditating.'

Polk pricked his ears. 'Mantra? Sounds like she's just yelling 'yes!' over and over again.'

'It's a very happy mantra.' Enid cleared her throat. 'Mmm! Sausages smell nice, don't they?'

She stirred the sausages in the pan and burned her paw. Henry leaped to her aid and knelt with her, cradling her big paw in his hands. They looked at each other, turned pink as crabs, and both hastily looked away- yet stayed sitting as close beside each other as they possibly could.

Draped over the back of a chair, Cinders saw all, heard all, and knew all. He sucked on a lump of prime new coal and slowly wagged his tail.

Funny!

22

'What do you mean there's no sign of them? Have you looked?'

Wild, furious, worn, and thoroughly annoyed, Tielle hovered above a hillside with her wings beating like a mad dragonfly. She had been so certain that today would be the day of her revenge that she had dressed herself in her most outrageous outfit. It consisted of a few threads and thongs-all pulled as tight as comfort would allow. The effect was like a pale white pudding bound up with string. With thirty chain monks spread about the hillsides, with spells and imps and bloodhounds sniffing the ground, she had still failed to find Escalla's trail! The crystal ball was useless, drawing a blank hour after hour. It was as though Escalla had disappeared without a trace!

'Damn her! She can't possibly have a scrying shield! Not every hour of every day!' Tielle sat on a tree stump, the bark agony to her bared bottom, and snatched her crystal ball out of the hands of a monk. 'Where is she? If she's on this plane, then why can't we find her?'

A monk dragged its chains and gibbered at her, waving its arms in a mad attempt to be understood. Blonde, plump, and under-clad, Tielle tossed the useless crystal ball into its arms.

'Don't be an idiot! I know exactly what to do. All we need is a little patience. I'll flay her alive and use the skin to make a puppet show!' The faerie stood, dusted herself irritably, and rose into the air. 'Come on. Gather those other idiots here. We'll head back to the gate and go home!'

The chain monk made a pathetic, hungry noise. From above, Tielle gave it a look of angry contempt.

'I know my sister. Escalla is nothing but a strutting, puffed up little peahen. We've bested her, so she'll want her revenge! All we have to do is wait for her to come into our lair.'

Tielle watched her minions gathering. The search had been long and annoying. To escape her, Escalla must have hidden in the darkest bowels of the earth or the foulest swamps of some other plane. The girl hovered, looking nastily out across the wilderness, consoling herself with the thought of her sister in humiliation and