Wolves of the Gods

He no sooner spoke than a score of mounted warriors rushed onto the field to do battle. Shouting Kyranian battle cries they charged the beast, firing arrows and waving swords and battle axes.

'Let's think about that running option again,' Gundaree said. 'There's just enough time.'

Still, Palimak didn't budge. Frightened as he was, he'd determined to make a stand.

'Such a stubborn child,' Gundara said.

'I'm definitely going to tell his father,' Gundaree said.

For a moment it looked as if the mounted charge was having some affect. Pierced by arrows and spears and slashing blades, the beast shrilled pain, bleeding oil from many wounds.

'Hate!' It shouted. 'Hate!'

Then it suddenly drew itself up, towering three times the height of the warriors. The beast's mouth yawned open, a great black hole ringed by white skeleton lips.

First smoke belched out, thick, evil-smelling clouds that burned the eyes and seared the lungs.

Then it vomited boiling oil. A great steaming river of it, splashing over the attacking men.

Their cries were terrible, but only a few caught the full blast. They were left groaning on the ground, while the others wheeled about and fled.

High above, Leiria had commanded a position at a bend in the road, shouting into dazed faces, smacking panicked men with the flat of her sword.

'Get them in order! Get them in order!' she shouted, hauling the calmer ones out of the crowd and pointing at the hysterical mass.

Gradually, some order took form as her deputies waded in to straighten out the confusion. Then a camel reared up, frightened and bawling and lashing out with its front feet. It came down, nearly smashing over a wagon, but people caught the rim and tilted it back up. As it crashed to the ground the camel panicked even more, roaring in fear and trying to bite anything in sight.

Leiria leaped over two men who were scrambling to get away from those flat, deadly teeth.

The camel's head snaked toward her, eyes wide and glazed, bloody gums and teeth exposed in a panicked snarl.

Leiria ducked, letting the head sweep past her, then jumped for the rear.

She caught the animal as it came about, jabbing the camel in the hind quarters with her sword. It bawled and galloped up the hill, caroming off of several wagons, bowling over a few people, then disappearing from sight.

Leiria turned, shuddering relief. Then she saw the beast and the fleeing men. Saw the wounded flailing on the ground.

And Palimak, very small, very alone, looking up at the beast.

They was no way she could reach him. Groaning, she looked this way and that, wondering: Where is Safar?

The beast looked down at the injured men and horses. He held up a tarry hand, belching wreaths of smoke.

'Kill later you!' he thundered. 'First kill hate!'

He stepped over them, coming toward the road, eyes sweeping the ground for his small enemy.

Then once again the beast settled its awful eyes on Palimak. Bone cracked as its mouth opened into a ghastly grin.

'I'm going to miss you, Little Master,' Gundara sniffed.

'It'll be a thousand years before we find somebody as nice as you,' Gundaree added.

And the beast shouted- 'Hate! You I hate!'

It stomped forward, ground rumbling under its weight and Palimak conjured up all the power he could find. The Favorites rushed to help him, squeezing out every drop of sorcerous energy, but it was only a slim trickle and Palimak felt as if he was lifting an infant's fist against a giant.

He heard someone shout his name and he turned to see a glorious sight charging toward him. It was his father and Khysmet flying across the plain, the red Demon Moon grinning behind them.

'Pa-li-mak!' his father shouted, voice stretching across the distance between them, long and slow and sweet like grandmother's taffy. 'Pa-li-mak!'

And the beast said, 'Hate! Kill you hate!'

An immense hand swept toward him, tarry fingers the size of ancient swamp stumps, opening wide to grasp.

Palimak closed his eyes.

Then there was a rush of sound and sensation and a hand grabbed him by the collar.

He was lifted up, but so slowly, hells it was slow! Like he was coming up from the same dreamlike depths where the giant turtle had pursued him. Someone-someone he loved, someone who loved him possibly even more-was heaving, kicking, fighting the heavy drowning weight, turtle jaws going snap, snap, snap, kicking hard for the surface.

The dream shattered and everything sped up. Real sensation returned, but in quick jerks-A rush in his ears. Snatched from the ground. Beast spitting Hate! Blistering splatter across his legs as he was snatched to safety. Then all was normal-but upside down normal-as he opened his eyes and saw the ground racing past beneath him.

It nearly made him sick.

He tried to rise, but his father pushed him down with one hand as Khysmet plunged away-contorting his body as he dodged from side to side. Palimak felt like a huge ungainly weight that shifted wildly as Khysmet avoided attack. He saw torrents of smoking oil shoot past, curl into them, then be hurled away as Khysmet changed course, bending as if he were double-jointed.

Then his father reined Khysmet in and the halt was so sudden Palimak's stomach hit an unforgiving wall.

Acid contents splashing about, then racing for his throat.

His father dropped him to the ground and he fell on his knees, spewing.

Palimak wiped his mouth and looked up. His father's eyes were bluer and deeper than he'd ever seen them. Wells of blue, dark seas of blue, so sad and all-seeing in the moment passing between them that Palimak nearly wept.

His father spoke. 'Stay there, son. I'll be back as soon as I can.'

He held the reins tight as spoke, steadying Khysmet who was pawing the earth, anxious to get on with it.

Then he whistled to the stallion and they whirled in their tracks and charged back to face the beast.

'Get ready,' Gundara said.

Palimak fell from safety to fear so fast he thought he was going to throw up again.

'Ready for what?'

'As I see it-tell me I'm wrong if you think differently…' Gundaree said, so slow in his reply that Palimak thought he'd go mad, watching his father and Khysmet plummet toward the hideous creature. '…but in my view we have two choices.'

'Run,' Gundara broke in.

'Yes, we could run,' Gundaree said, impatient with the interruption, but keeping his temper so he could make his point. 'Running is still a very good idea,' he said. 'A course we've urged all along.'

'I hope you tell your father that,' Gundara said, 'because he's going to be really mad when this is all over.

And it wasn't our fault.'

'Never mind fault,' Gundaree said, such an uncharacteristic statement from him that Palimak's attention was riveted. 'The point is, we're looking at life and death, and who our new master is going to be if something isn't done right away. The beast is stupid. I don't mind that. We've had stupid before. But he's also really, really dirty. An affront to all civilized beings. I definitely do not want that … that … thing, for a master!'

Palimak saw his father closing on the beast, the huge, hideous figure turning to fix on them.

'Soooo, if we're not going to run-' Gundara began…