The bottle suddenly began to gush. Escalla flung holy wine over the lich’s face, and the monster screamed and began to dissolve. Themonster screeched and thrashed, hurling its magic crystal. Escalla hit the crystal with the lich’s own staff, shattering it like glass and thus ending anyhopes for the lich’s return.
Tossing the magic flask into the portable hole, she grabbed hold of Cinders, and ran as if every hungry denizen of the Nine Hells were right behind her.
Outside the lich’s cave, the beholder rampaged in a mad danceof destruction. Roofs were collapsing, and rocks showered down everywhere. Escalla folded up the portable hole, shoved it through her belt, and dived beneath the hell hound skin. She ran like a mad thing, holding Cinders’ headover her own. The result was like watching a fireside rug zooming off to hunt for prey.
Escalla raced along the northwest passageway. Behind her, the beholder roared, still unmoving, but able now to thrash its many eyes. Spells lashed out to rake the caves, keeping rock falls thundering from the ceiling high above.
Jus stood waiting in the dark, sheltering behind a rock as beholder spells blasted through the air. Passing the paralyzed Private Henry to Polk, Jus reached down to save Escalla from drowning underneath Cinders’ fur.
“Cinders!”
The sword in Jus’ hand made a sound uncannily like clearingher throat. Jus held the sword out at arm’s length to stare at the blade andasked, “Escalla, where did you get this?”
“Found it!” The faerie installed herself upon Jus’shoulders. “Shiny, huh? I told you I’d find you one!”
Somewhat annoyed, the sword gave a self important sniff.
“Justicar.” Jus looked at the blade in bemusement. “Niceknowing you.”
Fairly happy with her day, Escalla shrugged expressively shrug. “I call ’er Spiky!” The girl whirred upward, dragging her friends downthe passageway. “Guys? I think the beholder is about to vaporize the last of thetrogs. We should probably get moving before he uses us for after dinner mints.”
The faerie sped off down the tunnel. With the beholder causing a slaughterhouse somewhere behind them, Jus and Polk hastened to follow the girl’s lead. Jus slung Cinders abut his shoulders, picked up Private Henrybeneath one arm, and marched off into the dark. Gleaming bright in his hand, the unsheathed sword flooded the passageway with light.
Benelux’s voice echoed happily as the adventurers walked.
Cinders wag-wag-wagged his tail.
Benelux seemed indignant.
With his big grin gleaming, Cinders’ sniggered in the gloom.
As the group jogged off down the tunnel, Benelux addressed the Justicar.
Ignoring it all, Jus merely walked faster. Far behind him, distant walls crumbled as the beholder rampaged through the lich’s lair.
17
“Oh! Oh yeah! Yeah! Harder!
Lying face down on Cinders, scrubbed clean and awaiting her fire-beetle roast, Escalla groaned and sighed as Jus massaged her back with one careful finger and his thumbs. Escalla drummed her fist on the floor in fits of ecstasy. Still paralyzed, Private Henry sat propped in a corner and could only stare. Polk had been reunited with his whiskey bottle and was already giving the day’s horrors a rosy glow. Jus, now repaired and wiped clean, sat beside thesteaming cooking pot that had served as Escalla’s bath, attending to the girl.Knowing his friend far better than she thought, he rewarded her for the rescue in the most practical way.
“Oooooh!” Escalla slumped in a post-massage daze. “Ooooh, Ilove you!”
Jus gave a slow, knowing smile and let the comment slip. Escalla sighed, unaware that she had ever spoken.
Propped within swift reach of the Justicar, Benelux made disapproving sounds as Escalla’s noises went on.
“I’m a screamer! What can I say?” Escalla answered the swordwithout real malice. “You never get polished or anything?”
“Yeah, but they add to the fun.” Escalla turned to jelly asJus hit the right spot just in the hollow of her neck. “Ooo yeah.”
A tireless man with strong hands, Jus showed no signs of slowing in his work.
“Benelux, true worth is never obvious. Find the good in otherpeople and work outward from there.”
“Oh, be my guest.” Jus worked carefully on Escalla’s feet,making the girl claw the giggling hell hound and scream like a happy banshee. “But there are some battles best not fought.”
Benelux made a noise of scorn.
“No argument there.”
Private Henry tried to talk but could only mumble. Escalla looked up and patted the boy on one boot. He was at least back in his own physical shape. White hair had hardly suited him.
“You all right, Hen?”
“Mrl murgle mungle.”
“Hoopy!” Escalla smiled then hissed as her calves weremassaged. “You’d think drow would carry the antidote to that stuff.”
Looking happily up from his bottle, Polk wreathed himself in smiles. “There must be antidote there. Elves are elves. Ain’t all elveslogical?”
“Polk, they’re dark elves. If they were animals, they’d bepond dwellers who eat their own young.”
The teamster looked about the little cavern in clear, undiluted joy and said, “We now have one portable hole, ten feet deep by tenfeet wide.”
He folded up the portable hole and took charge of it himself, putting it in his breast pocket with a satisfied pat. Reaching for his bottle, he gave a toast to victory.
