“There,” the mage said after a while. He looked pleased. “Theway is blocked from bottom to top, and Mal used a spell to seal the upper door. It’s as good as any locking spell I have, but I had learned none for today.”

“Just as well,” Malowan said. “We had more need of yourprotective spells.”

“Look,” Maera said. “See? The dust is going. There’s a holeor two in this place.”

“Holes,” Khlened whispered. The barbarian was sweating, hiseyes fixed on the blocked entry. “What if there’s no bigger opening?”

“There is,” Nemis said firmly, “and I will find it, but Iwould like a few minutes to rest and catch my breath first.”

“Huh,” Agya snorted. “If there’s a door from this place, I’llfind it right now.”

“No,” Malowan said. “Nemis is right. Sit and catch yourbreath. He and I need to be certain there’s no great danger for us out there.”

The mage smiled tiredly. “Danger? What? In the dungeons ofthe Steading?” His lips moved briefly, soundlessly. “There are creatures near,but not very near. They are not coming any closer. We’ll do here, for themoment.”

“We’d been better above,” Khlened said, possibly to himself.

Malowan shook his head. “Four giants and a hobgoblin guardingthe way out, and at least four giant guards with clubs and their chief in the feast hall. We managed by luck and skill to injure or kill some, but that luck would not have lasted.”

“It would not,” Nemis said, his eyes closed. “Nosnra wasbellowing orders for one of them to loose his cave bear.”

“Bear?” Agya whispered, her eyes suddenly huge.

“It cannot come this way,” Malowan reminded her. “Besides allof that, Nosnra’s lady was bellowing for aid. We could never have held outagainst a dozen or more giants.”

The barbarian grunted.

“So, that was Yk’nea?” Rowan asked. “I thought itmight be, the way she was shouting orders-especially at the last. Did you hearher? She sounded genuinely afraid.”

“She was,” Nemis said. “She was shouting at Nosnra-somethingabout ‘they do not accept failure’ or some such.”

Malowan moved away from the wall where he had been listening. “Nemis, there is more than one stair to the dungeon level, you know.”

“I know, but there is nothing to be done for it now. We seemto have thrown off pursuit for the time being. I think we are safe for a while at least.”

“Safe?” Khlened inquired dryly. “How can we be safe when y’just cut off our only way out?”

“It was not our only exit,” Nemis replied, “but itwill cut off our pursuers for now. Returning to the fortress is no longer an option with the whole place roused against us. We must find another way.”

Khlened growled something that Lhors couldn’t make out andstomped away.

“We must take a short while to rest,” Vlandar said, “thenmove on. We’ll set watches two at a time so no one falls asleep. Nemis, wouldyou rather have another watch than the first?”

Nemis shrugged. “I’m no more tired than you or anyone else.I’ll take first with Agya. She wants to find doors, and I would like to testwhat I can of the space around this chamber.”

Vlandar nodded and moved into the far corner, pulled his hood low over his eyes, and stretched out on the stone floor. Khlened was already down, eyes closed, and as Lhors looked for a place that might somehow be more comfortable, he saw the rangers settle with their backs against the wall and lean into each other to rest sitting up. Rowan’s strung bow lay by her leg, twoarrows set close to the string where she could readily lay hands on them. Maera had two spears leaning against the wall near her shoulder.

Lhors feared that despite what they knew from the scrolls, the giants had other ways to the lower levels. He didn’t want to think aboutsuch a thing. He’d be too afraid to sleep, and he desperately needed to rest. Hepulled two boar spears from his case and settled down against the wall partway between Vlandar and Rowan. The warrior seemed to be asleep.

As Lhors settled his small pack under his head and lay down, he caught Rowan looking at him. The ranger glanced at his spears, smiled at him, and nodded approvingly. She then closed her eyes. Lhors sighed very faintly and closed his own.

10

Lhors woke some time later, too warm and disoriented from adeep but inadequate sleep. After his share of the watch, he sought his corner again. It was utterly quiet all around them, leaving him to wonder if there was anyone alive on this level except his party. Don’t think that or you won’tsleep, he ordered himself. Oddly, no one seemed to be trying to dig down through the rubble of the broken stairway.

Lhors soon fell into a doze, vaguely aware of the others and the hard stone beneath his hip. He woke some time later to find Nemis prowling the little chamber, now and again mumbling under his breath or leaning against the wall and listening intently. He held open the large book that Lhors already knew was the mage’s tome of spells. Memorizing spells, Lhors realized. Vlandarhad said both mage and paladin needed to learn anew each spell they might want to use each time. Malowan sat nearby, helping Vlandar out of his armor.

“I do apologize if this hurts,” the paladin said as thewarrior hissed in pain, “but the healing touch works faster if I can lay myhands on the wound itself.”

The warrior grunted. “Just not so quickly, Mal! A man of myyears gets mightily stiff after sleeping on hard stone. Ah, better.” He metLhors’ eyes and smiled.

“I didn’t know you were hurt up there, sir,” the youth said,and his heart sank.

Malowan glanced at him. “It’s not so bad, a bit worse than ascratch. Most paladins can heal scratches, and I can heal far worse.”

Vlandar winced as he raised his arm to look down at his ribs. The skin was very pale except for a massive bruise running from armpit to his hip. “This’ll teach me to be faster on my feet,” he said, forcing a painedsmile. “No blood running down my side. Must not hurt me, as my old father usedto say.”

Lhors managed a smile in reply, but he didn’t feel muchbetter. Vlandar is a good man, a friend, a little like Father. Suddenly, Lhors couldn’t bear to think that Vlandar might die here. He looked up to see thewarrior’s steady gaze on him. The man often seemed to sense what the villageyouth was thinking.

“Fortunately, I’m fast enough on my feet and reasonablyskilled with my blades.”

“And smart enough to back off when the opposition isunbeatable,” Malowan added. He laid his hands lightly on the warrior’s side.Vlandar set his jaw, but a moment later, the warrior smiled and flexed his shoulder.

Lhors stared in amazement. Where there had been an ugly blue-black bruise, there was now no sign of injury except for a very old scar, much like one of his father’s.

“And smart enough to bring a paladin with me in case I do gethurt,” Vlandar added and drew his thick blue jerkin down over his head.

“Khlened,” Malowan said as he rose, “I swear you were cut upthere.”

“Nothing so bad,” the barbarian grumbled.

Lhors could see a little dried blood on the man’s hand. Hewas stripping off the few bits of wicker armor he wore on his forearms and tossing them aside. “All the coin I paid that yellow-eyed southerner for thisfancy stuff, man’d think it’d take a blow or two.”

“Your southerner probably never planned on fighting giants,”Malowan said. He got up and resettled next to the barbarian. “I am surprised itworked as well as it did. Here, sit still a moment. Let me.”

Eyes apprehensive, Khlened edged away as the paladin held out his hands.

“You needn’t strip off your shirt for me, man. Or for Rowanand Maera.”

To Lhors’ surprise, the northerner blushed a furious red.

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