'No, Gord, look yonder. There seems to be a dark patch over there, as if there is wet mud on the floor, and there is an opening in the wall just at the place where the floor meets it. Let's look more closely.' They walked across the chamber to the place she had indicated.
'Wet is right, you sharp-eyed vixen!' Gord said, giving the silvery-haired girl a pat on her round little bottom as he said it. Crouched on his hands and knees, the young adventurer peered down the narrow passage that had allowed the water to escape. 'Not only mud, lass, but a big pool of fresh water beyond! I can smell it and hear drops hitting the sur- Ouch!' Gord whirled around and raised himself to a kneeling position to find out what had struck him so sharply.
Take that, you molesting swine!' Leda had taken the choice opportunity offered to revenge herself for his earlier attack on her posterior.
'You drow are creatures of great evil,' he laughed, trying to grab and kiss her. Leda backed away with an expression of anger on her face.
'One day you might learn the truth of that, you pale pig! Until then, don't joke about dark elves.'
Gord got to his feet and grabbed her by the shoulders. 'And you, Leda, remember that I am no one to trifle with, either!' he said, giving her a shake that rattled her teeth. 'You will fight off the darkness which is trying to overwhelm you, or else I'll know the reason why. The woman I love is not about to transform to a demon before my eyes!'
Leda grabbed him and held on. Thank you, dear. I don't know what happened. But I feel fine now, so let's get the others and show them this pool.'
'Hells, no! Let's you and I have a bath and enjoy ourselves first. Those barbarians will be busy for quite a time searching for loot, and we'd be crazy not to make use of the time that gives us.'
Leda agreed readily, so it was much later when the two of them clambered back up the spiral steps to search for the four Al Illa-Thuffi nomads.
Finding them wasn't very difficult. The tracks in the everpresent thin layer of powder went here and there but eventually joined up in one passageway. Gord and Leda came to a partially open door with light leaking out from the other side of it. Indeed, the four warriors were in the room beyond. The one called Nizamee was lying on the ground in the center of the chamber, stroking a dark red, swollen hand and groaning weakly. The others were farther from the door, facing their comrade but standing motionless — seemingly entranced — before several huge stone chests.
'What is going on here?' said Gord, confused and angry at the same time.
'I… I can help this one,' Leda told him haltingly. 'Go see what is wrong with the rest of them.'
While Leda bent over Nizamee, Gord rushed to where the other three nomads stood like statues. One glance at what was in front of them told him what the problem was — overwhelming greed. They had managed to open the heavy lids of four of the stone boxes that stood in the center of the room. The young thief saw that each container held a fortune in precious stuff — coins, jewelry, uncut gems, ingots of metal. The tribesmen were obviously too taken with this find to pay attention to other things. His entrance with Leda had gone as unnoticed as the stricken condition of their brother Nizamee.
Gord stepped over to Achulka, grabbed him firmly by the shoulder, and shook him. 'Your comrade is dying, and you stand gazing at treasure!' sneered Gord. 'What sort of men are you?' He slapped the other man sharply across the face, and this seemed to bring Achulka out of his dazed condition.
'This is so much…' Achulka said, slowly shaking his head as if to clear it of cobwebs. Then his eyes seemed to clear, and his voice became agitated as he noticed Leda and Nizamee in front of him. 'I remember… Nizamee! He was careless, and a sharp needle stuck his palm. But that is the last thing I remember before- '
'No worry now,' Leda said. She was kneeling by the white-clad nomad, passing her fingers slowly over the injured hand and arm. The dark swelling had vanished, and the nomad seemed to be asleep. She looked up at the two men facing her, both wide-eyed in amazement, and explained. 'As I realized he had been poisoned, something seemed to snap inside me, and a flood washed over my brain. I recalled that I could use spells, so I knelt down, thought hard, and remembered the one which alters toxins to harmless waste within the bloodstream or body. As you brought Achulka from his fascinated daze, Gord, I worked my spell upon Nizamee — just in time. He sleeps now, for a bit, and he will feel bad when he wakes, but he will live.'
'You see what your stupid greed has almost done?' Gord scolded the nomad.
Leda interceded for Achulka. 'Don't blame him entirely, Gord. The stupor he was in — which his two fellows are still under, if you'll bother to look — is induced by a dweomer placed here as a part of the guards and wards of the treasure room. Think you that such a place as this would not be most well protected?' she asked the young adventurer with a hint of acid in her tone.
'Yes, you're right, Leda dear. Sorry, Achulka. Bring your comrades out of their transfixed state, and let's see what is to be done about all this. Excuse me, but I need to speak privately with Leda for a moment.'
Taking her by the arm, Gord steered the dark elven girl from the treasury into the corridor outside. 'What sort of spell ability have you?' he asked in a hushed tone.
'Clerical, Gord. I have spells of the sort common to drow women — females, more properly. I guess I am becoming a typical dark elven female.'
'No, not typical! You are Leda. You are special, and you are my love! If you are a priestess of some sort, what deity do you call upon?'
At that she shrugged. 'I have no recollection of that, and nothing to give me any clue — not even a symbol of any sort. The spell-working I just performed came to mind as naturally as any thought, so there is no hint there either.'
'As I recall, Leda, clerics are able to bring water forth from the air, so to speak. Am I right?'
'Hmmm, let me concentrate a moment.' There was a pause, and then the beautiful dark elf maiden smiled at him and said, 'I can, Gord, and that I know for certain! Now we have no more problems in our quest!'
The two stepped back inside the chamber. Without even really thinking about it, Gord pushed the heavy wooden door until it was only open an inch or two — a habit picked up during his days of thievery. He and Leda stood casually a few feet away from the doorway. The nomads were now lively and alert, except for the comatose Nizamee. The three who were able were busily sorting through the vast array of treasure, selecting and storing away in their packs the choicest items. Gord and Leda both laughed at the sight of the scene, and the warriors stopped their looting and turned sheepish faces toward the two.
'No need to stop that on our account,' Gord said with a chuckle. 'No matter how much the three of you stuff away, there's more here than ten times our number could manage. Help yourselves!' Leda walked over to where she could get a better look at the haul, and Gord enjoyed seeing her eyes widen as she viewed the contents of the coffers.
There were big, golden coins, thick wheels of yellow metal that bore the head of a haughty-faced man on one side and a sun on the other. Only a few of the coins were silver, dark with tarnish from the years they had lain undisturbed in the long-lost treasury of this unknown temple. With all of this were faceted gems, uncut stones, pearls, amber, ivory, and coral. There were strings of gems, wrought jewelry, and more. All of these riches held Leda's attention for a few moments. Then she picked up an ivory scroll case, casually pulled out its contents, and spent the next several minutes apparently studying what was written on the parchment. Gord wondered what she was doing, but didn't bother to ask. The nomads paid her no heed whatsoever, preoccupied as they were with picking out the choicest of the valuable items.
'When you have all you can reasonably carry — and remember that we have a long way to go yet — I'll show you where we can replenish our water,' Gord said to the nomads. 'We'll rest here until tomorrow, and then we head out again for the City Out of Mind.'
Achulka listened to whispered words from the two warriors who demanded his attention. Then he turned to Gord. 'My brothers say there is no need to go farther, Farzeel. They say that here is all anyone could ever want — and I agree,' he said. 'We will head back for the mountains tomorrow. Come with us, and you will be made the chief of our tribe! Not one of the Thuffi would deny you such honor.'
'You pledged your service,' Gord said slowly, without apparent anger.
'Yes, but we have agreed to give back the Arro-den charms, and we do so now.' With these words, he and his fellows stripped off the bracelets and laid them on top of the treasure piles they had been sorting through. 'You may take Nizamee's too, of course, and now we are even.'
Leda gave a sarcastic little laugh at the easy manner in which the nomads disregarded their sworn bargain,
