“They’re searching the room,” Vlandar hissed. “Nemis, quick!Use your beneath notice spell.”
Lhors heard the mage whisper a brief incantation. With all of the noise they were making, surely they hadn’t heard Vlandar. Please, Lhorsprayed, please don’t let them have heard him! Everyone in the party was tired.Even fresh, there was no way they could defeat so many giants. Trapped in the pantry as they were, they would have the advantage of surprise for only an instant before the slaughter would begin.
Three of the giants ambled off as their chief shook the door latch. “Locked. Guard killers not be this way. You and you, go into slave pensand look for outsiders hiding! You and you, go search sword rooms! Rest come with me!”
The giants stormed out. Soon, the sound of their footsteps faded.
“It worked,” Vlandar sighed. “They overlooked the pantry.Praise all the gods at once.”
“What next?” Malowan asked. “I can’t tolerate this stenchmuch longer.”
“The large room is empty,” Nemis offered.
“Move out, then,” Vlandar said. “Rowan, you lead. Nemis stayclose to her. Into the hall and start for the entry. Most of that party went the other way, so we should be safe for the moment. The door through the barracks is barred against us. It’s the main way or none.”
They made it safely past the doors, but partway into the south passage, Rowan backed against the wall, dragging Nemis over with her.
“Guards coming!” Rowan hissed.
Vlandar pulled Lhors close. He touched Malowan’s arm then anddrew a hand across his throat.
The paladin nodded and tightened his grip on his sword.
9
The party made it back into the hall before the guards couldsee them. Everyone fanned out around the door, which the paladin shut, leaving just enough of a crack to see through.
The hallway was broad enough for the two giants to come on side by side-barely. One of them was grumbling under his breath, and Lhorscaught the word “orders” but nothing else. The two stopped where they were,effectively blocking the passage.
“Blast Ukruz and his orders!” the first giant snarled loudly.
The other mumbled something in response. He sounded more bored than upset.
“You saw ’em out there, Jinag! Old Furks and his brutes andstupid little Hookin. Ask me, Hookin was drunk and said the wrong words to Furks. Furks hated ’im anyway.”
“Furks hated everyone but his wolves,” Jinag said. “Ukruz’llskin us or feed us them nasty norkers if we don’t get back to-” He turned tolook down the passage. “What’s that?”
The other giant peered into the gloom of the passage behind them. Rowan eased down onto one knee and drew her bowstring back, but before she could fire, the two went back the way they’d come and disappeared down thehallway to the right.
“They won’t stay there long,” Nemis said. “I made a voicespell down there, but it’s only good for a few words.”
“We don’t dare alert the guards searching for us,” Malowansaid, “and there are norkers in the entry.”
“Not anymore, there aren’t,” Rowan hissed. “Look!”
Lhors couldn’t make out much in the gloom, but he couldclearly make out the sound of scuffling feet and the occasional clink of armor.
Vlandar gripped Lhors’ shoulder and pushed him toward thepantry. “Back, everyone! Back into the pantry! Quickly! We’ll let them pass andtry for the entry again.”
“
Lhors followed, but as he reached the kitchen he glanced over his shoulder, caught his boot on a raised stone and nearly went headlong. Malowan hauled him up, but Agya glared at him.
“Pick up y’r feet, y’ oaf,” she hissed.
The youth bit back a retort and followed her into the next room, his thoughts furious. Agya was still mumbling to herself until both Malowan and Maera gestured sharply for her to be still. The little thief glared at Lhors, as if the reprimand was his fault. He glared back defiantly. He thought, my father would never have put me on a quest with such an arrogant, full of herself, spoiled rotten, lousy little flat-chested wretch of a thief!
It wasn’t necessarily all true, but the outburst-even in hisown head-made him feel a little better.
Malowan had the pantry door open as everyone filed in, pulled it shut behind them, then laid his hands against the easternmost wall. After several long, unnerving moments, he nodded. “They’ve passed,” he murmuredsoftly, “small, foul creatures and at least two giants or ogre guards. They wentthrough a door, I think. My sense of them diminished all at once, and I am certain I just heard a door shut.”
“What about th’ others?” Khlened asked softly.
Nemis touched a finger to the barbarian’s lips. “They’renear. Shhh.”
Silence. Lhors could hear nothing but the beating of his own heart.
“Do you sense something?” Vlandar asked the mage quietly.
Nemis replied, “I cannot be certain it was the same twoguards we just saw, but someone came from down south and went toward the feast hall.”
“Well then,” Vlandar said, “the feast hall seems to bebecoming too popular for our purpose. We’ll head down the hall and into thearmory. They’ve searched that, and it’s open at both ends, if I read the mapright.”
“Let’s be at it then,” Malowan said as he pulled the doortoward him. He stepped out first, sword at the ready, but the room was deathly quiet.
“Fast and quiet, lad,” Vlandar said as Lhors edged throughthe opening. “We’ll get out safe.”
The youth merely nodded. He wasn’t certain he could trust hisvoice, and he really disliked that musty little chamber with the steps leading down into utter darkness.
The kitchen was deserted except for the bodies. Lhors wondered why no one had removed them, then realized they hadn’t been dead thatlong-and the only ones who knew about the bodies were the guards who were busysearching for the killers. He swallowed.
It was quiet across the way as well. The doors into the feast hall were closed. Vlandar nodded then drew Lhors into the hall. They stayed hard against the right-hand wall as the others came out, and Vlandar began to edge south away from the light.
Lhors fought a sudden urge to run. Vlandar would keep him safe, he reminded himself,
Nemis edged past them. “No one down there,” he whispered.
Vlandar nodded.
Suddenly Rowan, who brought up the rear, hissed a warning. The latch on the feast hall door moved, and the door slammed open. Two obviously drunken giants staggered into the corridor and fetched up hard against the opposite wall. One swung a massive fist at the other. The blow connected, but only slightly. The second giant fell back a pace and grabbed for his blade. The first drew himself up straight with a sottish arrogance and slapped the second open-handed, sending him reeling to the floor. The brute shook his head to clear it and fought his way onto hands and knees. Halfway up, he flailed for balance, sat hard, and his massive, red-rimmed eyes glared straight at Lhors.
Lhors froze.
The giant froze for an instant as comprehension slowly dawned in his eyes, then he bellowed a warning in Giantish. His companion turned, drawing a long-bladed dagger from his belt. The other staggered to his feet and reeled back across the hall as he fumbled for his weapon. He hauled a club from his belt, but the heavy weapon cost him his balance and he fell again. The dagger-wielding brute snarled at him, then squared his shoulders and lurched
