The two prisoners followed the great, shaggy warrior until the Shilo-Thahn stopped and raised his face to the ceiling. His voice rippled through a long, wailing cry-a sound that sent shivers down the warrior's spine.
Immediately afterward a panel of apparently solid rock in the corridor wall slid silently outward. Following Vallenswade, Ariakas passed through the door, with Lyrelee and their guards following.
The first sensation to strike the warrior was the moist, verdant fertility of the air, like garden soil freshly turned after a rain. The chamber was huge, swiftly swallowing the feeble emanations of his magical light. Nearby he saw clumps of fungi, gathered artistically around smoothly paved paths. The Shilo-Thahn warrior started along one of these walkways, leading the prisoners into the huge cavern. As they walked, Ariakas was astounded at the lush beds of huge fungi around them. The plants grew in amazing variety, pale and dark, bulbous and gangly. In clusters they sprouted from all parts of the cavern. Many of them towered higher than his head, and these seemed to be the source of the meaty, rich scent in the air.
Occasionally he saw bright eyes reflecting from the darkness, and he guessed that numerous shadowpeople
were scattered about this huge cavern. Probably their lair, he decided. He tried to estimate the number of the ape creatures around him, but couldn't come up with a realistic approximation.
Vallenswade halted. In the illumination of his gem-stone, Ariakas saw that they had reached a large, circular clearing. None of the cavern walls were visible around him, and when he tipped his head back the ceiling was swallowed by the darkness as well. Stone benches formed a pair of concentric rings around the clearing, which was surrounded by a virtual wall of the tall fun shy;gus clumps.
Several other shadowpeople sat on the benches, and as he cast the light around, Ariakas was able to form a gen shy;eralized impression of these strange creatures. All of them were covered with fur. They seemed to average about seven feet in height, though the lightness to their frames suggested even the large males probably weighed less than Ariakas. Their protruding muzzles and over shy;hanging brows gave them a simian appearance, but the warrior saw many differences in shading, facial features, posture, and mannerism.
He noticed that all the shadowpeople seemed to have the long, loose membrane connecting their arms and wrists to their legs and hips. The skin was a smooth, supple surface that folded neatly against the creature's side, except when the hand was extended. Then the flap swung loose, an elegant wing draped like the regal robe of an imperial monarch.
'These are the councilors,' Vallenswade said as Aria shy;kas and Lyrelee followed him into the center of the circled benches. The warrior saw perhaps a dozen shadowpeople seated around them. As a rule, these looked slighter, a trifle more frail perhaps, than the warriors who had cap shy;tured them. He saw several with fringes of gray whiskers, and at least one who stooped forward in his seat like a very old man. The seated Shilo-Thahn each regarded Ariakas with intense concentration, but if the dark-furred faces betrayed any hint of emotion, the warrior couldn't tell. Still, he felt an intimidating sense of power in these councilors.
His reaction was to stand straight, slowly letting his eyes meet those of the gathered audience. At the same time he noted Vallenswade taking a seat on the closest bench, while the other warriors stood at the outside of the circle. Ariakas made careful note of the Shilo-Thahn who held his crimson-bladed sword.
Why do you bring the dwarf here, Human?
The question hit him with shocking force. He knew that he hadn't heard anything, yet the interrogative could not have been more clearly enunciated. He frowned at Lyrelee, but she returned his stare with a curious lift to her eyebrows-obviously the message had reached him alone.
The mute probe into his mind unsettled him more than he wanted to admit, and so he planted his hands on his hips and met the expressionless faces of the coun shy;cilors with what he hoped was his own look of stubborn noncommunication.
Do you understand the risks?
Again a question, and this time he took a single step backward, literally knocked off balance by the mental probe.
'Who interrogates me?' he demanded, glaring around the ring of Shilo-Thahn elders.
We are the councilors, came the unnecessary reply. We ask again-do you understand the risks?
'The only risks I've suffered have been at the hands of your warrior,' he said, indicating Vallenswade. The Shilo-Thahn grimaced, stung by the inference that he had placed the human in danger.
'Who are you talking to?' hissed Lyrelee, regarding him as if he had lost his mind.
He shrugged off the question, indicating the gathered ring of councilors without elaborating.
You were taking the dwarf and his disease into the treasure chamber. The phrases were heavy with accusation and tinged with confusion. Did you not realize the corruption that could occur?
'What concern is it of yours?' retorted the warrior.
It is the concern of everyone, came the response, a trifle mystified in tone. Don't you understand what could hap shy;pen?
'The treasure that you talk about-it doesn't belong to you, does it?' Ariakas challenged.
Of course not-how could the eggs 'belong' to anyone except the mighty beings who gave them life? The councilors were completely puzzled now.
'There are those who claim the eggs-and are pre shy;pared to defend that claim,' Ariakas retorted.
We know-but the eggs were brought to the catacombs with the understanding that they were to be protected. It is too dan shy;gerous to allow the dwarf to go near them.
'What do you fear?' demanded the human.
Our people have been to Zhakar. we know the horrors that can result from the spread of the plague. It must not be allowed to touch the eggs.
'Is that why you attacked us? To abduct the dwarf? How do I know you've even kept him alive?'
We are not killers-of course he lives. But we have taken him to a place of safety, away from the treasure.
'Why should I believe you? Produce the Zhakar and then we can talk. Until then, I'll assume that your plans for us involve the same kind of fate as you might have already given to the dwarf!'
Ariakas fixed the front row of councilors with a bel shy;ligerent glare. He didn't really believe that the shadow-people would kill Tale Splintersteel-he had seen enough of them to decide that they weren't violent or vengeful- but he didn't want his own conclusion to reach them. Could they hear his thoughts as well as speak directly into his mind? He wished he knew. Angrily he tried to direct his thoughts through rambling, unfocused path shy;ways.
Surprisingly, the shadowpeople seemed a trifle set back by his bluff. The councilors exchanged glances that might have been hesitation or confusion. Abruptly Val-lenswade stood up. He faced Ariakas directly.
'I have told you that the dwarf lives-now, the coun shy;cilors have told you the same thing. Why do you not believe us?'
'Where I come from, captors have been known to lie to their captives-and enemies lie to each other as a mat shy;ter of course,' he replied bluntly.
'We are not your enemies!' insisted Vallenswade, his simian muzzle barking out the words with force.
'Then give me proof!' demanded Ariakas fiercely. 'Produce the dwarf! Show me that he lives!'
Vallenswade slumped back in resignation. The faces of the councilors reflected their confusion, but then the message came.
Very well. We will bring in the dwarf.
'Come with me,' announced Vallenswade with the first trace of ill manner Ariakas had seen in the Shilo- Thahn warrior. The lanky creature led Lyrelee and Aria shy;kas to a clump of the tall, mushroom-shaped fungus. The stems of the plants had grown together so thickly that they created a solid wall of tough, spongy tissue. Val shy;lenswade removed a bar that ran through a pair of sup shy;ports on the solid barrier of woodlike plants. Pushing forward, he propelled a large, wedge-shaped plug into the enclosure Ariakas saw within.
The Shilo-Thahn warrior preceded the two prisoners through the hole, then turned and gestured for Ariakas and Lyrelee. The warriors behind the pair pressed closer, emphasizing the fact-though the one who held Aria-kas's sword maintained a careful distance. With no choice, the two followed Vallenswade into the hole.
The ring of mushrooms surrounded a small, circular corral, no more than twenty feet across. The top of the wall was at least that high above their heads, however, and the caps of the mushrooms overhung the trunks by a good distance, making climbing out an apparent impos shy;sibility. The only access to the outer cavern came
