Descent into the Depths of the Earth

“Human-two hundred or more, probably chained at the ankles.See the short steps?” Jus touched the gravel and watched it slide. “This is onlyabout three hours old.”

Trying to emulate the Justicar, Henry inspected a footprint of his own-this time the mark of a slim drow boot. “Is it the hostages from SourPatch?”

“Has to be.” Moving two hundred captives along the maintunnels had left constant spoor. “No troglodytes with them anymore. They’rebeing driven by drow.”

Escalla knelt beside Jus and pulled out the locator needle, which still pointed resolutely to the northwest. The girl shrugged then put the magic trinket away.

“Well, I gather there’s more like Mister Thoopshib here justa ways along the tunnel.” The girl returned another wave from the ferryman. “Youknow, he seems pretty happy for a carnivorous assassin.”

“He likes you.”

“Yeah. How about that?” Escalla frowned. “Matter of fact, Ithink he thinks he knows me.”

The party turned and regarded the kuo-toa, who stood staring at them with his unwinking fish eyes.

The light dawned somewhere deep inside Polk’s skull.

“You mean he’s seen another faerie? He’s met the murderer ashe passed this way?”

“Got it, Polk!” Escalla tapped her chin in thought. “Heobviously thinks we’re one and the same.”

“Guess you all look the same to him, huh?”

“No accounting for eyesight.” Escalla brushed back hershimmering blonde hair. “This is getting interesting. Come on. Let’s see if I’vegot any other friends just down the lane.”

The long passageway continued, now chilled by the breeze thatflowed from the icy river. Other paths joined the main tunnel, and the air took on a distinctly fishy smell. Only Cinders seemed pleased. The rest of the party wrinkled their noses and tried not to gag as the reek thickened until it almost brought tears to the eyes.

Flying cautiously beside Jus, Escalla’s tall ears pricked upat the same moment that Cinders gave a warning growl. Far down the passageway, lurching shapes began to appear. Escalla turned invisible as the remainder of the party faded into hiding against the tunnel walls. Looking over her companions, the faerie moved carefully down the tunnel to investigate the oncoming shadows.

A dozen fish men walked along the passageway in a weird hopping gait. They were led by a vast, powerful kuo-toa, its skin a ghastly white, and its hide covered in thousands of knotted scars. The creatures’ hugeeyes flickered to stare at the invisible faerie, and the fish creatures instantly readied their harpoons.

With her cover somehow blown, Escalla dropped her invisibility. Hiding behind a stalactite, she poked her head out and examined the kuo-toa, then cautiously waved her hand.

“Um, hello.”

She had a fireball spell ready to make instant fish fry, but much to her surprise, the kuo-toa leader gave a croak of something almost like relief. The creature lowered its weapon-almost certainly defusing a spell of itsown- and lifted a hand toward Escalla in a grave gesture. The beast held out itshand with its middle fingers separated into a v-shape.

Always affable when allowed, Escalla copied the gesture with her own small fingers and repeated, “Hello.”

Eight feet tall, fanged and clawed, an eater of human flesh and a drinker of blood, the kuo-toa leader bobbed its head in deference. The girl tried to make a placatory gesture, and the other fish men sank down in ritual obeisance.

From the corridor behind Escalla, Jus’ voice called outcalmly and quietly, “Are you all right?”

“Yeah. It’s more kuo-toa.” Escalla kept her face affable,motioning to the fish creatures in what she hoped was a friendly way. “There’sabout a dozen of them, and they’re getting along with me just dandy. Everyonecome out and be perfectly calm.”

The kuo-toa leader gurgled something to its followers, and the fish men resumed their ungainly march down the passageway. On seeing Escalla’s companions, the creatures saluted casually with the middle fingers oftheir hands spread wide, a salute both uncomfortable and strangely silly. Jus gravely returned the gesture. Polk and Henry did the same, and the creatures continued on their way toward the river and the ferryman.

Jerking with ill temper, the sword Benelux gave a cold growl. Kuo-toa. Assassins! Murderers! We should find their nest and eliminate them all!

“We have a prior task.” Jus settled the sword through hisbelt. “Racial genocide is not my mission.”

Do you call yourself a warrior for law?

“No. I’m only interested in Justice.” The Justicar tookEscalla onto his shoulder as he spoke. “These fish men have done nothing worthyof my attention.”

From Jus’ shoulder, Escalla stretched and yawned.

“Hey, Spiky! Ease up!” Escalla peered down at the sword.“You’ll get wrinkles. You have to expand your emotional horizons. Make a promiseto tell yourself a few jokes in between kills. It worked for me!”

Benelux merely seethed.

Jus tugged at Escalla’s foot, quietening her down as thetunnel opened out into a titanic, echoing cave. An open space more than a hundred yards wide yawned in the gloom. A weird blue light swam like reflections in an ancient sea, and an alien world took hold upon the underdark.

A sinister, stepped pyramid arose at the center of the cavern. The mound served to raise a horrible idol high above the cavern floor-ablood spattered thing shaped like a naked woman with the head and pincers of a lobster. The claws were opened in the same gaping salute used by the kuo-toa in the halls. A still-bleeding human heart was wedged into one of the claws, and an ocean of blood seemed to have poured down the pyramid. Guarding the approaches to the idol were kuo-toa priests and warriors, creatures who even now tore the eyes and organs out of human victims who had slid lifeless down the blood-soaked stairs.

Escalla stared, quite ashen, and felt her skin turn strangely numb. “Now they may have just crossed the line.”

Private Henry crept forward, staring at the shrine-thecorpses and the fish men feeding wetly on their prey. The boy’s hands grippedmore tightly at his crossbow.

“Human sacrifice…?”

“Human sacrifice.” Jus seemed to swell, his huge, bristlingframe turning carnivorous and savage. To the Justicar, no crime was worse than preying on the weak. The kuo-toa suddenly seemed in need of Judgment.

Escalla saw Jus’ stance and felt a cold chill of panic asshe expected him to begin slaughtering the kuo-toa. There were a dozen in sight, but countless carved doorways opened onto temples, barracks rooms, and even palaces.

“Jus! Deep breath! Don’t go all apocalyptic on me!” Thefaerie whacked Jus across the helmet. “I need to clear my name here! This is aprime place for evidence collection!”

“I know.”

“Kill fish later. Help disturbingly attractive yet strangelyinnocent faerie now.” Hastily ushering the group into cover behind an outcrop offungi, Escalla gathered Henry by her side. “Henry, Spiky, brief recap. Yourstruly here has been wrongfully framed and accused of a crime. We’re here toprevent a miscarriage of justice and protect one of the world’s most pricelessbeings from harm-namely me!”

Do tell. Benelux seemed to glow with pure sarcasm. Whowould ever have placed you as a criminal?

“Hey! This is serious!” Escalla whacked at the swords sheath.“A faerie cavalier has been offed, and whoever did it is a faerie who likesusing the underdark as a private holiday home. Whoever murdered Cavalier Tarquil used a marine cone shell. If these fish men down here are an assassin cult, this is probably the place the cone shell came from.”

Brilliant. The magic sword gave a sniff. With wisdomlike that, you should bottle it.

“I’m warning you!” The faerie faced the sword, her antennaestiff and her little fists balled. “I can still find a rust monster! So justshut up and keep your eyes open for evidence. We’re looking for clues-anythingto show that someone’s been getting his murder equipment from the kuo-toa!”