Against the Giants

“Then it’s swim or fight our way out?” Lhors asked. Hecouldn’t decide which would be a worse way to die.

“No,” the mage replied, “I think not. There is a vast complexof caverns south and east of here, and I think they are cells and slave-pens, which will surely be filled with those who have no love for the giants and their allies.”

“But that does not make them our allies,” Vlandarsaid.

“Of course,” the mage said as a mischievous smile spreadacross his face, “but if we do not find those who would be willing to aid us, wemight at the least free them and loose enough chaos that the giants will have more to worry about than finding us.”

Malowan stirred. “The plan has merit. If for no other reasonthan it is the lesser of three evils.”

“Yes,” Vlandar said in resignation. “Well then, let’s be-”

“Shh!” Rowan broke in. “Do you hear that?”

Lhors sat still, not even breathing. Everyone else did the same. At first, there was utter silence, then ever so faintly, he caught the distant echo of picks and faint voices.

“Can you hear that?” Rowan said. “Unless I am very mistaken,Nosnra or his underlings are digging their way down through the rubble of the staircase.”

“All the more reason to be off,” Vlandar said. “This passageis no longer a haven for us-if it ever was.”

12

“Wait.” Malowan laid a hand on Vlandar’s arm as the warriorreached for the door wheel. “A moment, my friend. About prisoners the giants areholding down here. If there are humans…” He shook his head. “You know Icannot leave them behind.”

“Are you mad?” Khlened demanded.

“No,” Malowan replied steadily. “Merely a man trying toachieve what purity of heart I can. I cannot neglect my duty any more than Rowan or Maera would ignore an elf or a half-elf if they knew one was here.”

The barbarian sighed heavily. “What then? You’ll crawlthrough all th’ pens down here? Didn’t Nemis just say there’s more’n one? Andthere’ll be guards-d’ye chance us all gettin’ killed by whatever brutes areguarding ’em?”

Nemis cleared his throat. “It will not be necessary to gointo the cells. Either Mal or I can search other ways. But Mal, I trust you do not plan to free everything down here? The orcs and trolls you save may not thank you.”

“A bargain,” Vlandar put in. “Mal won’t put us all in dangerto save one human captive. That would go against your code also, wouldn’t it?”

The paladin didn’t look very happy about it, but he nodded.“In exchange, Khlened, you and everyone else, keep this in mind. Someone who’sbeen a prisoner here may know his way around this level.”

“Huh,” Khlened replied shortly. “Know ’is way from where ’ecame in to ’is cell.”

“Possibly,” Rowan said, “but the giants often use prisonersfor laborers, and prisoners share information when they can. If I were penned down here, I would learn all I could about the place. Wouldn’t you?”

“And think of this,” Vlandar added. “The person we rescuemight be the one who saves your life down here.”

“Now you sound like a paladin,” Khlened grumbled, buthe sighed faintly and shrugged. “Something to that, I s’pose.” He brightenedthen. “Could be ’e’d know where treasure’s hid too.”

“Just so,” Vlandar said, his face expressionless, thenstepped aside so the barbarian could help him raise the door.

The outer chamber was vaster than it had seemed when Lhors had seen it through the spy hole. The roof was vaulted, its upper reaches hidden in gloom.

“No wonder the staircase was so long,” Rowan murmured.

Vlandar gestured for silence, listened intently, then led them along the west wall where there was little or no light from the one dim torch burning between a north passage and a rough door. Agya touched the warrior’s hand, pointed toward the door and signed, Giant. Beast. Thewarrior worked this out and nodded. After a moment’s consideration, he indicatedfirst the dark opening straight across from them, then the ill-lit door just south of that.

Passage? He signed then pointed toward the opening.

Malowan nodded then pointed at the door and signed back, Prison.

The prison door rattled slightly, and someone behind it cursed in a hoarse, thick voice. Vlandar looked around, then stabbed a finger toward the far side of the chamber. Malowan touched Agya’s arm to get herattention, then sprinted across the vast stone floor to vanish in the darkness of the hallway, the girl right on his heels. Vlandar put Lhors in front of him. Khlened came behind and the rangers, and Nemis brought up the rear.

The mages lips and fingers were moving in his personal beneath notice spell as he gained the east passage. The man spun around and knelt just behind the opening, one hand fumbling at his belt as everyone else crowded close behind him. Lhors could see a little box, but before he could study it further, an enormous, shaggy creature stumbled into the open, backlit by torches in the cell area. The sudden light hurt the youth’s eyes, and heshrank against the wall, blinking furiously. Vlandar’s hand closed reassuringlyover his forearm-the warrior had his sword in the other.

“It’s a bugbear,” he whispered against Lhors’ ear. “We’reprotected by Nemis’ spell.”

The brute snarled an oath at someone in the pens and gestured furiously. The door slammed behind him. Nemis seemed half-blinded by the light as well. He worked the lid from the box by feel, then froze as Malowan touched his shoulder.

“It’s only me,” the paladin breathed against his ear, hisvoice prudently low even with the beneath notice spell in place. “What have youthere?”

Nemis held the box out. “Illusionary wall.”

“Not a good idea. The creature sees a wall where there shouldnot be one and he’ll raise an alarm. Save your box. I know how long it takes toprepare that powder.”

“What would you use?” Nemis whispered.

The paladin grinned, his teeth ruddy in the faint light. “Fear.”

The mage shook his head. “That takes as long as the wall toprepare!”

Vlandar tapped both hard on the shoulders and drew a meaningful hand across his throat.

Nemis eyed him sidelong and nodded. “Won’t do, Mal. He sensesfear, he’ll raise an alarm or run yelling for help. Wait.” He leaned forward,keeping a close eye on the massive brute. It was mumbling to itself in a nasty- sounding guttural voice. The creature shambled off straight south. A little dim light leaked into the chamber as the south door opened, but it cut off as the door slammed. “Save your spell. We are clear for the moment.”

Vlandar eased around mage and paladin. He froze as the door into the prison slammed open again. Lhors swallowed dryly. Someone in there was wailing in a high, broken voice and two guards were bellowing furiously at each other.

How can Vlandar bear that? he thought. The warrior showed no emotion whatever as he looked a question at Nemis, who nodded. I hope that means his spell is still working, Lhors thought.

Another door-the one set in the south wall perhaps-bangedinto stone, the sound echoing briefly through the chamber before it was swallowed by a blare of arguing, shouting, and fighting. Someone stomped into the open and bellowed what sounded like an order. The prison door slammed shut, and a moment later, the second door cracked into its frame. Utter silence followed.

Vlandar sighed and eased back on his heels. “All right,” hewhispered. “Unless the guard and his ape came out unheard during all that, wehave the space to ourselves. I suggest we make use of it and get ourselves down that long hall before someone else comes.”

“No one else is out there,” Malowan said. “I would know. Getgoing, Vlandar, and I will catch up in a moment.