“What?” Escalla jumped up, clutching a blanket to her skin.“Where?”
Hunched shapes skulked through the rocks, moving faster and faster as they slipped away from the campsite and headed toward the sighing cave. The clank and rattle of armor echoed above the sinister breath of steam.
Staring, Escalla hardly dared to move. Beside her, Jus levered himself up, scratching nails across the velvet stubble of his skull.
“Yep. There they go.”
“Yup.”
“Quick! We have to get in there after them!” The faeriedropped her blanket and hopped up and down on one foot drawing a legging up her thigh. “Jus! They’re getting away!”
The Justicar gave an uncaring shrug.
“And?”
“And come
The Justicar sighed and rearranged his blankets.
“They always planned on ditching us. The Bleredd priest wentan hour ago. The Geshtai only just found out.” The big man gave a yawn filledwith teeth. “Each priest wants to steal both the trident and the hammer.”
Still half-clad, Escalla sped over to Jus and furiously grabbed him by his nipple hairs.
“We have walked over four hundred miles-at least the lasthundred of it through enemy territory to get here.” The ranger regarded the tinyfaerie through hooded eyes. “Just
Escalla folded her arms and hovered in midair.
“Look, we all have our little dreams. In your case, you wanta world of justice for all.” The faerie sulked and flicked long blonde hair intothe wind. “In my case, I just want to roll buck naked on silk sheets big enoughto drape a whale!”
Cinders eagerly began to flap his tail.
“Cinders, you’re not helping!” The Justicar shifted hissword. “Escalla, we came here for the librarian. And wherever
The faerie’s eyes sparkled. “Really true?”
“Really true, just for you. Now get some sleep, and we’ll seewho stayed here in the morning.”
Considerably happier, Escalla jumped back into her bed. The sulphur mists smelled fresh and bracing, and the hiss of steam gave the mountainside a magnificent eldritch power. The faerie disappeared into her shelter, turned around and around like a dog treading a bed, and then wriggled down into the blankets. With a last careful glance about the camp, Jus patted Cinders, popped a coal into the hell hounds mouth, and lay back down.
The silence stretched for ten minutes, and then Escalla’smuffled voice rose into the air.
“Hey, Jus?”
“Yes.”
“How do we know they won’t solve the maze, kill thelibrarian, and get the weapons, treasure and all?”
The Justicar lifted his head and replied, “This dungeon wasdesigned to slaughter entire parties. How far do you think only a couple of people are going to get?”
“Oh, yeah. Yeah, that’s right!”
Escalla settled herself back down. She lay still for almost a minute, and then her voice drifted out into the dark.
“Um, Jus?”
“Yes?”
“If it’s going to wipe out the other guys because there’sonly one or two of them, why are you and I going to be all right?”
“Because you’re a faerie.” The human gave a huge, sleepy yawn. “No onetouches the faerie.”
“Jus, do I look too fat?”
“Nope.” The ranger turned over in his bed. “Go to sleep.”
16
Tying her long boots firmly in place, Escalla cast a glanceabout the empty camp. A dawn as weak as dishwater struggled through the clouds of volcanic steam, making light glitter from countless beads of dew. Steam hissed and shuddered out of the hideous mountain cave, blowing like a breath of evil into the morn.
Jus sat beside the remnants of a hot breakfast and carefully sharpened his sword, holding his whetstone at a precise angle as he worked the weapons point.
The Tiger Nomads had a proverb that said, “Even a blind mancan wreak havoc with a sharpened sword.” The Justicar was a firm believer ingiving a blade an edge that could cut like a razor, and he carefully tended his weapon every day. As Escalla watched, he finished his work, blew tiny fragments of metal dust from the ensorcelled steel, then carefully dusted the weapon with black carbon designed to stop light glinting from the blade.
Jus sensed Escalla seething as she tied on her gear. The faerie growled as she pulled bodice laces tight. “So what you’re saying is thatnot one of the rotten bastards decided to stay? We have absolutely no help at all?”
“We’ve got one.” The Justicar carefully sheathed his sword.“What are you complaining about?”
Staggering around a corner, Polk carried a huge load of dungeoneering gear in his arms. He let the load collapse with a crash to the ground, pointedly dusting off his hands as he caught Escalla’s eye.
“There! I brung the pick of the lot. Iron spikes, sixty feetof rope, six torches, and a flask of oil. There’s a ground-sheet, a mirror, aflask of holy water, a holy symbol, mapping paper, a bullseye lantern, and six sticks of chalk. I’ve got parchment, pens, wax markers, ink, wolfsbane, garlicbud, and a ball of hairy string!” The man brandished a roll of twine. “Bindingforce of the universe, son! Can’t go anywhere without your hairy string!”
With her mouth stuffed full of pancake, Escalla raised an intolerant little brow and said, “Oh, gee. No ten-foot pole?”
“The priest took it. It’s gone. We’ll just hafta do without.”Polk stood astride his mound of loot. “Now, who takes what?”
“I have all I need.” The Justicar abandoned his backpack,hung his holy symbol about his neck, then clasped Cinders into place. “Escalla?”
“Faeries do not
Polk gaped at his companions in astonishment. “But what aboutsacks to carry the loot?”
“You want Jus to try sword fighting while carrying a pack?”Escalla whirred deftly up into the air. “If the loot was moved here, then itwill have to be in boxes or bags. Even mad sorcerers have to obey the laws of common sense!”
The Justicar and Escalla hid their bedding beneath a rock then began a careful approach toward the hissing cave. Polk made a bad-tempered grab for the Justicar’s abandoned backpack, crammed it full of goods, thendumped the huge coil of rope about his own shoulders. He staggered after the two errant adventurers, rope coils slithering all about his neck.
“Son, you can’t go dungeoneering without a rope!”
“You like rope,
