'Maybe it still isn't too late,' Khadji said. 'I could get Dario to gather up a few soldiers and go investigate.'
'You won't hear me arguin',' Biner said. 'For all we know those Asper heads have finally dropped their sand bags and gone starkers. He could be surrounded by a whole slaverin' bunch of them for all we know.'
Leiria shook her head. 'Much as I'd like to,' she said, 'we'd best stick to what we all agreed on. Which is to get everybody ready to run like the winds when Safar gets back.' She pointed at the airship. 'Plus, get that thing off the ground and do a little snooping to see what Iraj is up to.'
'I thuppoth you're right,' Arlain said, starting to hand up another crate to Kairo. 'If we thtray from the plan now, we might all be real thorry later.'
'I still don't like it,' Khadji said. He looked around at the others, but they'd all returned to work, lifting and stacking and stowing the gear.
'I wish I could say something to make you feel better,' Leiria told him. 'But anything I said would be a damned lie.'
Safar heard the gates crash shut and suddenly he was enveloped in darkness. There was a blast of heat, the choking smell of sulfur and long tongues of flame snaked out to devour them. Khysmet whinnied in pain and alarm, but Safar tightened his grip on the reins to steady him, at the same time throwing his cloak over Palimak.
He dug in his knees and the great horse charged forward. There was a feeling of resistance, a thick, oily stickiness dragging at them-then they burst through and found themselves charging down a rocky path, the Demon Moon gibbering overhead. Wild spells rushing in from every side with hungry mouths to devour them.
They were in a nightmare reversal of Caluz-a barren valley with black rocks ripping through hard, blood-red dirt where gentle fields filled with fat grains and fruited orchards had once reigned. The flower-bordered pathway was now a ruined roadway filled with razor sharp pebbles and limb-threatening potholes.
Ahead loomed the huge stone turtle that was the Temple of Hadin, straddling two roiling streams of inky water-a veritable sewer of greasy liquid spouting from its beaked mouth.
Drawing on Palimak's powers, as well as his own, Safar hurled up a shield to protect them from the insane magic of the Black Lands. Then he chanced a quick look behind and saw a blasted ruin where the Queen's palace had once stood-columns of foul-smelling smoke rising from the rubble.
The ground heaved under them and Khysmet nearly lost his footing, hooves scrabbling on loosened rock.
Safar threw his weight forward and the stallion broke through, hurling himself down the steep roadway toward the temple.
Palimak peered through the folds of Safar's cloak and saw the temple growing larger as they raced toward it.
Then from somewhere a great horn trumpeted and suddenly the temple seemed to retreat.
He heard his father urge Khysmet on and he felt the stallion strain with effort for still more speed. But the faster he ran, the farther away the temple seemed to be. Retreating across the valley-rivers and all-until it was a mere pinpoint lying against the black mountains forming the most distant wall of the valley.
'It's a trick, Little Master!' Gundara squeaked from his pocket.
'To the right! Go to the right!' Gundaree urged.
Palimak nudged his father. 'That way, father!' he shouted, pointing to the right of the distant temple.
Instantly, Safar veered Khysmet off the path and down a boulder-strewn slope. Now they were heading across the valley floor-appearing to angle away from the temple. They had gone no more than a few yards when the landscape shifted and once again they were closing on the huge stone turtle.
On either side of them the ground erupted like boils bursting and hot, oily liquid spewed out, flowing across their path.
Safar pressed his knees into Khysmet's sides and the stallion gathered himself like a giant spring, then leaped across the smoking streams. He landed with barely a jolt and sped onward.
Huge gray boulders hunched up in their path. Khysmet gathered himself to leap, then reared back as the boulders came alive. Rising up on saw-toothed insect legs-vicious heads beetling out from under the gray shells, pincer jaws scissoring wide.
Safar drew his sword, hacking at the nearest. There was a terrible shriek as he cut into the creature, splitting its shell. Khysmet trumpeted defiance, striking out with his front legs, crushing the attacking insect with his hard hooves.
Palimak struggled to free his own small weapon, but as it came out of its sheath a nightmare face reared up and mighty jaws snatched the sword from his hand. Safar slashed and Palimak heard another shriek, then the creature was gone.
He had time to see several other giant insects fall on their wounded brothers, tearing hungrily at the shells to get at the flesh beneath.
Khysmet carried them out of the bloody chaos and they were free, racing toward the temple-now only a few hundred yards away.
Just then the ground opened up under them and they were falling, Khysmet shrilling in fear and flailing his legs.
Below a huge mouth yawned wide and a long tongue lined with fangs shot out to take them.
In Hantilia's courtyard, the Queen came to her feet, throwing her hands high to beseech the heavens.
'Dear Mother!' she cried over the chanting acolytes. 'Two innocents seek your counsel. Two innocents whose presence you commanded.'
Behind her, the twin-headed snake of Asper reared up from her throne, wings spreading like a cobra's hood, venom dripping from its fangs.
And the Queen intoned, 'Know them, Mother! Spare them! Keep them safe! Remember our bargain, dear lady.
'Take us in their stead!'
Hantilia stared up at the heavens, waiting. Arms spread wide to embrace her fate-and the fate of her followers. For the first time in many years she felt at peace. Her mission was done. What would be, would be.
Then lightning blasted from the skies. She felt a terrible, searing pain.
And all was darkness.
And all was peace.
Leiria was thrown from her feet by the force of the blast. She hit the ground hard, breath knocked out of her. She heard people cry out-some in fear, some calling to others to ask if they were all right.
Then she could breathe again, gulping in all the air her lungs would hold. Awareness returned and the first she noticed was that the air tasted like blood-as if she were suddenly transported to a gigantic meat market, with aisle upon aisle of freshly skinned animal corpses hanging from hooks.
She groaned to her feet, ears ringing from the blast, looking around the encampment with dazed eyes, expecting the worst. To her amazement no one appeared hurt. Like her, people were climbing to their feet, patting themselves for signs of injury, or soothing crying children.
'By the gods who hate us,' she heard Biner exclaim, 'would you look at that!'
She turned to find him pointing at the city-or at the place where the city had once stood. Now it was nothing but a smoking ruin perched on a blasted hilltop. Only the Queen's palace still stood-towers oddly twisted and sagging.
Leiria heard someone moan and saw Khadji, who was staring at the ruins, tears streaming from his eyes.
'Safar!' he groaned. 'Safar!'
Leiria felt as if her heart had been torn from her chest. She raced for a panicked horse, grabbed its loose reins and vaulted into the saddle-wrenching the poor beast's head around until it faced Caluz, then digging in her heels, spurring it forward. She was halfway up the hillside before anyone else had wits enough to follow.
Leiria was a soldier who had seen many horrors, but there was nothing in her experience to brace her for the devastation she witnessed in Caluz. Other than the palace, not one building was standing. Everything, including the strong walls encircling the city, had been reduced to waist-high piles of rubble as if a gigantic hand had flattened
