The War God's Own

'And why not?'

'That's more than I can say, to speak truth. Maybe it's naught but the fact that I know what it is we're hunting. That's cause enough for any man to be feeling a bit hesitant, I'd guess. And it's after being the sort of nasty, narrow, twisting place I hate. In fact, it's narrow enough I'd almost think as how the tracks up and vanish right into a hillside to look at it, but it must be there's a way around it on the far side as we just aren't able to see from here.'

'I'd not count on that,' Bahzell said grimly, for a sudden stab of certainty had gone through him like a knife the instant his cousin mentioned a hillside. 'There's no way around that hill, Hurthang. The bastards are after being inside it.'

'Inside?' Hurthang sounded dubious, and Bahzell nodded.

'Aye. Kilthan had the right of it when he said as how Sharna's lot hide themselves underground, and I can be feeling some kind of trickery even from here.'

'Wizardry?' Hurthang hissed, but Bahzell shook his head quickly.

'No, not that, but like it. I'm thinking it's a bit of Sharna himself, spread out so as to be tricking minds and eyes to keep us from seeing what's really there. And I'd not be surprised if it's the real reason the place is after looking 'ugly' to you, too. He'd not want to encourage folk to come right in on his… people.'

'Then just how is it we're supposed to be getting at them?'

'Well, as to that, it's surprised I'll be if Kerry and I betwixt us can't convince that little bit of Sharna to be moving aside,' Bahzell replied, and bared his teeth in a vicious grin. 'Old Demon Breath's scared to death of himself, and I'm thinking that when a pair of champions come calling all unannounced, and bring himself along with 'em when they knock on the door, that door will be after opening.'

Hurthang looked less than totally convinced, but he nodded and waved his men into concealment to wait while Bahzell went back for Kaeritha and the rest of the party. Then the two champions, accompanied only by Vaijon, Brandark, and Hurthang, moved to the very edge of the woods and peered out into the foggy late morning light.

As Hurthang had said, the woods gave way to a narrow valley between brooding hills. The tracks they'd followed this far snaked out into that valley, looking somehow furtive and lost, and seemed to vanish straight into a rough, almost vertical hillside. But the scene didn't look quite the same to all of them, and Bahzell heard Kaeritha- and Vaijon-suck in sharp breaths even as the hillside began to waver like wind-struck water to his own vision. Details were hard to make out, but his jaw clenched as he caught the likeness of a huge scorpion carved out of the rock above an arched opening that was somehow… wrong. He couldn't put his finger on exactly what made that arch look subtly perverted and diseased. After all, how could a simple opening in the stone look 'perverted'? The concept made no sense, and yet that was the only word which fitted that obscene, waiting mouth under the protective claws of the scorpion.

'What is it?' Hurthang asked quickly as he caught his cousin's expression.

'What we came for,' Bahzell replied grimly. He tore his eyes from the rippling hillside to scan the other slopes, looking for any sign of guard posts or sentries. There were none, and he supposed that made sense. Even knowing exactly what they sought, neither Hurthang nor Brandark could see a thing but blank stone. Coupled with the sense of aversion Hurthang had felt for the entire valley-and which Bahzell felt, as well, when he let himself- that offered Sharna's followers almost perfect concealment, and posting sentries would actually be more likely to attract attention, not less.

But Bahzell knew what was hidden there, and his belly tightened as he sensed a dark, malevolent presence inside that hill. Not Sharna himself, though there was a trace of the dark god present. No one who'd ever sensed him could mistake that skin-crawling shudder of pure evil for anything else. But there was something more, another presence, infinitely weaker than Sharna's potential power but enormously stronger than any mortal creature. He glanced at Kaeritha and Vaijon, and their expressions showed they sensed it, too. But they looked perplexed, uncertain as to just what it was they felt, for unlike him, they had never faced one of Sharna's greater demons.

He drew a deep breath, then sank back into the cover of the forest edge and waved his friends in close.

'All right, then,' he said softly. 'We've found what we came for, but I'm thinking we've a real fight on our hands.' He darted a sharp glance at Kaeritha and Vaijon. 'The two of you are after sensing something else in there, too, aren't you, now?'

'Yes,' Kaeritha said shortly, and Vaijon nodded.

'Well, I've sensed its like before-and so have you, Brandark.' He flicked a look at his friend. 'In the Shipwood.'

'Phrobus!' Brandark whispered. 'D'you mean there's a bloody demon in there?!'

'And why not? Sharna is after being their patron, and as Kerry said naught but a moment ago, he's after knowing we're coming, whatever the bastards inside that hill may know or guess.'

'A demon?' Hurthang shook his head. 'That sounds like being just a mite much for our lads to handle, Bahzell.'

'Aye, it does that. And I'll not say I'm looking forward to it myself,' Bahzell admitted. 'Still and all, it's a pleasure I've had before, and if I'm not all aquiver with eagerness, at least I've another champion to back me this time. You and the lads be leaving the demon to Kerry and me, Hurthang. There'll be enough others in yonder for you lot to be dealing with.'

'Are you sure about this?' Kaeritha asked quietly. 'I mean, you're the only one of us who's actually ever faced a demon, but I've always heard the worst possible place to take one on is underground.'

'I've no doubt of that at all, at all,' Bahzell said grimly, 'and I'll tell you true, it was footwork as much as bladework got me off whole last time. But more even than that, it was himself. He was with me when I was needing him worst, and I've no doubt at all as how he'll be with both of us-with all of us-' he amended, waving one hand to encompass their entire party '-this time, as well.'

'I don't either,' Vaijon said, and smiled suddenly at the two champions. 'And if He is with us, what more do we need?'

'Oh, I'd say a bit of courage, a good sword, some muscle, and more than one man's fair share of luck,' Bahzell said judiciously, with a smile of his own. 'Still and all, you've put your hand on the meat of it, Vaijon. And all we need or no, it's a damned sight more than anyone on t'other side is likely to be having!'

He paused a moment, looking around the circle of his friends' faces, seeing his own fear-and he was afraid, he admitted-and determination in their expressions, then nodded. No man could ask for better companions. He would take his chances with Tomanak and these people any day.

'All right, then,' he said. 'Here's what I'm thinking to do… .'

Chapter Twenty-Three

Prince Chalghaz, heir apparent to the throne of Navahk, tried to hide the crawling terror which simmered somewhere deep down inside his pulsing excitement. Until last autumn, he had never so much as suspected this buried sanctuary existed-and if he had known, he would have been as eager as anyone else to see it rooted out and destroyed. But not now. Now his fate had become inextricably bound up with its survival, and he still didn't understand exactly how that had happened.

It was Yarthag's doing. He was certain of that much, and he wondered if Yarthag had… done something to him to bring it about. It was certainly possible, and neither Yarthag nor Tharnatus, the human priest who presided over this enclave, would have hesitated a moment to use any tool at their disposal. Yet in his moments of self-honesty (of which he subjected himself to as few as possible), Chalghaz knew it wouldn't have taken much, for Sharna's support offered him so many things he desperately craved.

The sensual pleasures of the Demon Lord's unspeakable worship appealed strongly to the debauched part of him, of course. Where was the point in possessing power if it did not permit a man to do as he wished? That was