“Trusted?” Rowan protested. “They are barred from theoutside!”
“A loyal slave is still a slave,” Vlandar reminded her, “butthey are not our business. Now, down the right-hand corridor where Lhors heard what could be a smithy, Nemis sensed… you tell them, Nemis.”
“I was aware of several sources of strong emotion: fear andhate mixed, and in some a sense of hopelessness-also extreme heat and at leasttwo giants. Besides the giants, there are slaves-possibly human, perhaps elf ordwarf-I cannot be sure, but they are not orcs or the like. That I can tell.”
Malowan’s eyes fixed on Vlandar, but he said nothing.
Vlandar looked at the paladin and nodded. “Yes, Mal, we willgo there. Nemis, have you another of your beneath notice spells?”
“Better to save those for special need,” the mage replied. “Ican create invisibility, though we will need to be as quiet as possible to pass unnoticed by the two giants in that torture chamber. You do not want to attack the bugbear?”
“No,” the warrior said, “not unless we are seen or heard bythat guard. Their hearing is not keen, and he is concentrating on his task anyway. I’ve fought them before. The noise would alert every giant in thevicinity. No, we deal with those in the torture chamber and the smithy, and
Nemis nodded. “And move with care around here.”
“I plan on it,” Maera said flatly.
“More than usual,” the mage replied. “These walls-all thisdown here-it was not built by giants, you know.” He smiled, but it wasn’t apleasant expression. “Something older and darker…”
“Set me at it with m’ sword, and I’ll gut it!” Khlenedsnarled, but he’d gone very pale again.
“The gods grant you the opportunity and the strength shouldsuch a chance come,” Nemis replied.
“My arms are growing tired,” Malowan added, “and we havestayed here long enough.”
“Agreed,” Vlandar said.
Vlandar led the way, waiting at the end of the north-south corridor while Nemis cast his spell of invisibility. He then divided his company, placing himself at the fore with Lhors and Maera, then Nemis who wanted to be central should he need to reinforce his spell or create a new one. Khlened came next, then Agya and Malowan with Rowan moving silently behind, a drawn bow in her hands and her eyes fixed on the bugbear guard.
Things went well for some moments. They could hear a faint noise from down the east passage, as if someone were dragging stones away from the other side of the barrier. The guard was halfway off his stool, a morning star clutched in one hand and his whole attention fixed on the boulder wall and beyond.
Suddenly he yelled what might have been an order, his voice a hellish roar that echoed in the relatively narrow space.
Vlandar gestured furiously for everyone to back up against the north wall and stay still. Before they could obey, half a dozen bugbears, all heavily armed, poured into the hall, most of them pelting straight for the boulder wall. Unfortunately, the last of the lot stumbled on loose rock, caught the guards stool to right himself, and wound up on his knees, staring straight into Rowan’s eyes. His jaw dropped and he sucked in a loud breath to yell.
Rowan loosed her arrow, which slammed into his throat. The cry became a shrill howl of pain. The other bugbears stopped dead and turned.
“That’s torn it,” Rowan said grimly, and went to one knee,hauling the arrow case over her shoulder and bracing it against her thigh where she could rapidly draw shafts. Maera came up to take a place behind her, loosing a javelin as the other bugbears came pelting toward them, swords, morning stars, and axes ready to strike.
Vlandar edged around the rangers, bringing Malowan and Nemis with him. The three ran straight for the bugbears, holding to the south wall of the passage to give the rangers and Lhors, who found himself between the two, a clear line on their targets.
“Save your javelins until they’re nearer!” Maera told him.
Lhors merely nodded. His mouth was very dry.
Malowan and Vlandar engaged the first of the hairy creatures, Vlandar blocking the morning star on his sword. Malowan dodged the swing of a bugbear’s axe, then swung around reversing his sword and digging in his heels ashe thrust the blade back through thick fur. The bugbear staggered back, clutching its belly and squalling in agony. Vlandar swung his own weapon in a full circle before bringing it crashing down on the back of the brutes head. The creature fell with a crash.
Another set on them at once, and then more. Khlened came running up, snarling. He brandished a sword in each hand, and he clenched a thick, nasty-looking dagger between his teeth.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lhors could see the rangers firing into the crowd of monsters.
The startled bugbears fell back a few paces, a few falling to the rangers’ arrows and javelins. Lhors saved his own spears in case any of thecreatures managed to break past the three warriors. Rowan finally let Maera drag her and Lhors back out of the way. Nemis came running up, stopping just behind the three men who were barely keeping the creatures at bay.
“Vlandar!” he yelled. “Help me! Get them in a line!”
“What kind of a-? Are you mad?” the warrior yelled back as heswung his sword at the nearest bugbear. Blood splurted from a deep gash on the brute’s forearm, and its morning star fell from its hand. “Will you set themdancing?”
“Get them in a clutch then! I have a spell readied, but itwon’t work on them all otherwise!”
“We’ll get them bunched for you!” Vlandar said as he parrieda strike. “Khlened, to that side! Mal, ease back this way with me!”
The three men formed an arc with Vlandar at the center. The bugbears ignored Nemis-the mage wasn’t wielding a blade like the other three,Lhors realized-and threw themselves forward. The air crackled, and a thick,bluish fog wrapped around the shaggy creatures. When it faded, the bugbears were simply gone.
Nemis heaved a sigh. “Apparently they weren’t fluent inanything but their own nasty language-if that. Stupid brutes.”
“Giants might be,” Vlandar said evenly. “Keep that in mind ifwe need to make plans on the spot, will you? Mal, you and Khlened-”
But the paladin had already moved in the direction they’dbeen heading and stood motionless in the corridor. He came back, shaking his head.
“There is at least one enormous blaze going in that chamber.The two giants I sense may be lying in wait to catch us by surprise, but I believe they are asleep or unconscious.”
Maera smiled grimly. She was coming back with all the javelins she could salvage, running the shafts between her hands to test them before stuffing them back into the case. Rowan was doing the same with her arrows. “Better if we know for certain. That would be work for rangers, I think.Come, sister.”
Lhors stared at the spear he held. He hadn’t even thrown one,he realized. The creatures hadn’t come close enough for him to have been of use.He hoped no one else had seen the panic he’d felt when those monsters camecharging.
Rowan touched his shoulder. “We’re going to make certain thegiants up there”-she gestured toward the doorless chamber and the glow offire-“somehow did not hear all that just now. Come help, will you?”
“I… help? Me?” He blinked then nodded. “If I can.”
“You’ll do, lad,” Maera allowed. She melted into deepershadow along the north wall, edging sideways toward the distant firelight. As the rest of the party sought a hiding place away from the scene of battle, Lhors and Rowan went after Maera.
13
As they neared the open doorway, Maera gestured for Lhors toease over to the south wall with her while Rowan kept to the north. She fit an arrow to the string as she vanished into the dark opening that went straight north. Maera signed for Lhors to stay where he was and watch while she slipped partway down the angled
