Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 11:58:36 EST
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Sword of Kings - chapter 16

Legal Notice:
The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts.
The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality.

Don't read this story if:
**You're not 18 or over,
**If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live,
**Or if you don't want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex.

The author retains copyright to this story.  Placing this story on a
website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's
permission is a violation of that copyright.  Legal action will be taken
against violators.

I wish to extend my thank you to Ed for his editorial assistance with this
chapter.

If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me at
http://members.tripod.de/wolfslair, in the 'Other Stories' section.

E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive'
comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.

                *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

The Sword of Kings-by BW (Fantasy/Sci.Fi.).      Copyright 2000 by billwstories
Chapter 16 - Using the back door.                September 2001

Kieren and Garreth had never been as depressed or despondent as they were
now, heartsick over the events they had just witnessed.  They felt even
worse knowing that their efforts to save Romaric might have caused their
friend's death.  Images of their friend flashed through their minds, from
the time they saw the snow bridge collapse beneath him, until they saw him
sprawled unconscious or possibly even dead in the snow, and finally as the
avalanche began and they watched his body being swept down the side of the
mountain.  Tears began to well up in their eyes and flow down their
cheeks,, and they continued to blame themselves for what had happened.
Even though the warriors tried to console their grief and attempted to
explain to them that what had happened was not their fault, the boys could
not give themselves absolution.  Now they remembered happier times with
Romaric, the good times they had together while growing up in the Woods of
Wildoness.  They remembered the times they played together or the occasions
when they had come to each other's defense, but these visions only reminded
them that they had failed their childhood friend when he had needed them
most.  Dazed, they sat in the snow, the tears pouring down their faces and
their bodies shuddering from this emotional release.  As the warriors tried
to comfort them, the pair tried to pull away, feeling that they did not
deserve sympathy after what they had done.  Garreth got up and began to
kick the snow about in all directions, trying to release his anger and
frustration.  Although it did help to release a bit of the tension he felt,
it failed to provide the catharsis he was unconsciously seeking.

Uncertain as to what move, if any, they should make, the remainder of the
party stood immobile around them, trying desperately to think of some way
to comfort them and alleviate their feelings of guilt and loss.  Even
though they had tried to offer sympathy and compassion over the deep loss
they all shared, the boys felt it more strongly than the others, and it was
compounded by their assumption that they had caused the avalanche that tore
Romaric away from them.  The warriors let their minds race over similar
incidents where a member of one of their units had been lost, but nothing
was comparable, as they were more accustomed to losing others in battle or
during the hardships along the way.  It was different for the boys,
however, as they hadn't anticipated losing one of their own before any
battle had even begun.  The companions didn't want to emphasize that it was
Romaric's own abandon that had caused his demise, as they felt that would
only complicate the issue for the two boys and not help to resolve
anything.  Due to those considerations, they decided to just let the boys
work it out for themselves, giving them time to deal with it in their own
way.  They stood back and tried to envision what the boys were going
through, as the pair dealt with the shock and utter helplessness they now
felt.  The warriors watched the youths trying to support each other, with
each one willing to take the lion's share of the guilt for what had taken
place.  The two teens attempted to share their feelings with each other,
and then find a way to deal with their grief, as they began to deal with
the deep wounds left by Romaric's passing.

Without warning, a bone-chilling cry split the air.  "Nooooooooooo," it
rang out, and Rhys was the first to realize what it was.  He raced to
Kieren's side, pulled the lad's head into his chest, and urged him to
'shush' before he gave their location away.  It was the prince who had
cried out, unable to contain his remorse and pain any longer.  "He can't be
dead," he said as Rhys held him, but he was not speaking to the Akiktite in
particular.  "He can't be dead.  Tell me this hasn't happened.  Tell me it
isn't so!"

Rhys wrapped his powerful arms around the boy's torso, drawing the
trembling youth tightly into his chest.  He let one hand slide up until it
was on the prince's face, and then he began to stroke his hair, as he tried
to comfort him.

"Why couldn't it have been me instead?" Kieren sobbed.  "Why did it have to
happen to Romaric?  We've got to look for him.  He might not be dead, but
only hurt.  Maybe he's lying down there in pain, waiting for us to come to
rescue him.  We've got to hurry."

"I'm sorry, Kieren," the powerful warrior began, his deep voice sounding
like the distant rumble of thunder.  "He's gone.  You must accept that, and
you must continue on and complete your mission."

"Why?  What good will it do?  How can I save Tarolia when I couldn't even
save my friend?"

"There was no way you could have prevented what happened to Romaric.  He
was careless and he failed to heed the warnings the dwarfs gave us.  He did
not stop to think before he acted and that's what caused his demise.  As
for the avalanche, almost anything could have set that off at any time, but
if we hadn't tried that rescue, he would have surely died anyway, if he
wasn't dead already.  You must not let this lessen your resolve or stop you
from trying to complete your task.  There is much riding on the outcome of
your mission and there are many people who are risking everything that you
will be able to fulfill your destiny.  If you fail, more lives than just
Romaric's will be lost."

"But I can't.  I just can't."

"Kieren, you've come too far and done too much to give up now.  If you
don't at least try to carry out the prophecy, then your friend will have
died needlessly.  You must go on and give some measure of meaning to his
death, some justification for this tragedy."

The prince did not respond to Rhys' comments, but merely looked up and
stared at the warrior, though he was not really seeing anything.  After
continuing in this trance-like state for a short time, Kieren buried his
face into the chest of his comforter once more, and he began to sob like a
newborn babe.  This affected Qaim more than any of the rest, and the aignx
sought to console the lad who had previously been his protector.  When Qaim
had realized what had happened to Romaric, he moved within an arm's length
of Kieren, and now the young man's sorrow was more than the furry little
guide could endure.

"Please, nice master, no cry.  Qaim help.  Tell Qaim what to do.  Qaim
help."

Although the prince was so overwhelmed by his grief that this heartfelt
gesture didn't register with him, the others in the party were quite moved
by this sjmple and sincere overture of friendship.  "I'm afraid there is
nothing you can do to help, my enigmatic little friend," Hadwin told the
uncomprehending aignx, knowing that Kieren was too encumbered by his own
emotions to respond.  "Your offer has probably not registered with him yet,
but I'm sure he'll acknowledge it and appreciate its significance, once he
quits blaming himself for what has happened.  Although he is still too
saddened to yet appreciate the sincerity of your offer, the rest of us will
acknowledge it for him, letting you know that we now view you in a new
light and we respect your contribution to this group."

Qaim, still hoping he could get through to the prince, slid closer to the
young man and hugged his leg, much the same as he had done when he had
sought Kieren's protection on other occasions.  This time his intent was to
reassure his benefactor that he was not alone and that he shared his grief.
The hairy little guide clung as tightly to the teen's leg as he could,
nuzzling his cheek against the young man's outer thigh, continually trying
to pass his concern and support along through these simple actions, until
Kieren reached down and patted Qaim's head.  This response let Qaim know
that his attempts to console the prince were being acknowledged and
appreciated, making the aignx feel better about his attempt.

While Qaim was trying to comfort Kieren, Alaric had moved over beside
Garreth to offer the same sort of sympathy and support.  Unfortunately,
Garreth wasn't responding in the same way Kieren was, instead he withdrew
deeper and deeper into himself, shutting everyone and everything around him
out.  Even though the others discussed possible ways to get through to the
young elf, they could not stem the tide of his depression, as he slipped
even farther into this catatonic state.  The larger elf tried to whisper
words of encouragement and support into the younger elf's ear, but Garreth
was unable or unwilling to be consoled and no one knew what they could do
to break his stupor.

A short distance away, Rhys was still embracing Kieren in his powerful
arms, while the aignx continued to nuzzle with the prince's leg, as each
tried to ease the young man's sense of loss and guilt.  All eyes were
focused on the two friends, as each person searched his mind to discover a
way to mollify the teens' loss and their sense of personal responsibility
for what had happened.  The warriors were beginning to feel powerless and
out of their element in dealing with this type of situation, and they had
no idea about what they should do next.  Almost imperceptibly, Kieren's
body became rigid, as his emotions, which had run the gamut from disbelief,
to remorse, and then to guilt, were now reaching the next stage, anger.

"This mission never had a chance of succeeding," the prince screamed out,
"and Beraut sent us out here to meet our end, knowing that we could never
do what was required.  Even the gods are conspiring against us, confronting
us with so many obstacles, new enemies, and dangerous situations that we
cannot possibly overcome them all.  I shall never forgive that senile old
wizard and I shall always curse his name.  We must give up this foolishness
and return to our homes, to allow fate to run its course.  It is the gods
who shall determine who will rule Tarolia and there is nothing we can do to
alter their choice."

"Nay, my Lord, thou art mistaken about this," boomed the voice of the
Mitikuan giant.  "Master Beraut hath not condemned us to death and he truly
believes in our quest.  Prithee, tell me why thou hath turned against the
one who hath been like a father to thee?"

The prince now thought about the words he had spoken and what Turquinine
had said to him.  Slowly he turned all this over and over again in his
mind, trying to make some sense out of all that had happened.  Although he
couldn't find a reason to justify Romaric's death, he did realize that he
had been wrong about his mentor.  He now conceded that the wizard had done
all in his power to guide, protect, and prepare him, and that he HAD been
like a father or grandfather to him.  Beraut wasn't responsible for what
had happened to Romaric, it was Romaric who was responsible for his own
fate. He was the one who hadn't listened to the warnings.  He was the one
who took the risk.  He was the one who foolishly went off on his own.  At
this point Kieren hit his emotional low-point, and he suddenly became a
quivering waterfall.  Now he wished he could take back the terrible things
he had said.

"I'm sorry," he began.  "I didn't really mean those things I said.  I don't
really know what I meant.  It's just that I feel so terrible about what
happened to Romaric that I needed to blame someone.  I know that it isn't
Beraut's fault and that he wouldn't have sent us on this mission unless it
was absolutely necessary.  I know his intentions were good and that he
hadn't even been the one to send Romaric along.  I'm sure he did all he
could to protect us and give us a plan, but I just needed to blame someone
for what happened, and he was the one I thought of first."

"No, you must blame the one who is truly responsible," roared Hadwin.
"Blame Madumda.  Use your anger over what has happened to prepare yourself
to face this vile being.  When the time comes, unleash that anger against
him and make him pay for the harm he has caused, including the loss of your
friend.  Focus your hostility on him, and then use that force to stand
against him and destroy him."

Kieren listened carefully to what his friends had just told him and he
finally came to grips with the truth they spoke.  Now his anger and his
frustration had a new focus, shifting from Beraut to Madumda.  Gradually he
renewed his resolve to complete his mission and a sudden urgency swept over
him.  The Dark Lord would pay for the loss of Romaric and he wanted to get
this over with quickly, before he lost this newfound strength and purpose.
One by one, he made eye contact with each of his companions, radiating the
new self-confidence and resolve he now possessed.  He was ready to be off
again, when his gaze fell on the still distraught form of Garreth.  He made
his way over to his other lifelong friend, placed his arm over the elf's
shoulder, and he offered him a few words of comfort.

"No one can appreciate your suffering more than I, my dear brother, but I
swear to you that Romaric's death will not have been for naught.  I shall
complete this mission and destroy Madumda for the harm he has caused us.
I'm not sure, but somehow I feel as though I have acquired Romaric's
strength and courage, much like Madumda absorbed the combined power of all
the honest wizards he destroyed, and now I feel that I'll be able to
fulfill my destiny.  We shall both find time to grieve when this is all
over, but for now we must set aside our sorrow, so we may continue on to
Treblanc to find the Sword."

Kieren embraced the young elf and then pushed back, holding his friend an
arm's length away.  He locked onto Garreth's face with a stiff gaze, as if
he were trying to will his own strength into his lifelong companion, while
trying to see if there were any signs that he was getting through to him.
After a few moments, Garreth looked up in Kieren's direction, until their
eyes met, and suddenly they shared each other's feelings.  Now they could
read the sadness and pain reflected in the other's eyes, and this gave each
boy a truer appreciation of what the old expression 'the eyes are the
window to the soul' really meant.  There was no need to ask any questions,
there was no need for emotional outbursts or histrionics, for each youth
knew the other hurt and grieved as much as he did, causing them to embrace
once more.  When they had completed comforting each other and drawing
strength from the other's touch, Kieren turned toward the three dwarfs and
spoke.

"Since you understand the dangers here better than the rest of us, would
you please be so kind as to lead us out of this place and get us where we
need to go?"

The dwarfs all mumbled various words of agreement and they touched each boy
reassuringly, to let them know that they too shared their sorrow and that
they were not grieving alone.  After only a couple of minutes of this
reassurance, the dwarfs got everyone up and moving, once more seeking a
natural land bridge that would lead across into the other mountain range.
It was more than an hour later before one of the dwarfs located a promising
formation and they set about to test it to see if it was what they hoped
for.  Cautiously they approached the span, which from its outward
appearance wasn't any different than the span that had claimed their
friend, and they set about preparing to test it.  After being secured by a
long rope, which was anchored by the other warriors, Sedain started out
over the span, using a pike and a lance to probe beneath the surface.  He
would plunge one and then the other into the ground, using them to probe
what lay beneath.  When he could probe no further, he would widen the hole,
to discover what it was that stopped his progress.  Was it ice or was it
land?  He decided to inform the others about what he was doing.

"Do not get your hopes up too soon," he advised them, "for this may only
mean that the center of this arch has turned to ice, and it is not the
ground or rock that rests there.  We will open it up, until we can
determine which it is, and we will only rejoice if we discover that it is
land at the center."  Carefully the dwarf would excavate downward, looking
for signs of what type of bridge this was, until he neared the center of
this promising structure, not really willing to believe that this was what
they sought.  Finally Sedain announced what he had uncovered.

"It is land, but we must now test its strength, to see if it can support
our weight.  I shall test it first, taking all the typical safety
precautions as I do so, and then we shall decide if it is safe enough for
all to use."  He moved back with the others, extracted a second rope from
the packs, and tied it around his waist also.  Then he had half of the
group anchor the first rope and the others anchor the second, in case one
rope broke or that group lost their grip on it.  Now he walked out over the
span, gingerly testing it as he went, until he reached the center of it,
where he stopped.  Now he stomped a foot against the structure beneath him,
seeing if it was going to give way.  When nothing happened, he stomped
harder, and then he began to jump up and down on the area, to see if it
would stand up against greater weight and impact.  When he was satisfied
that it was strong enough to support the larger warriors and permit them to
cross safely, he continued on to the other side.  When he reached the other
slope, he untied his ropes and let the others drag them back, so they could
secure the next person for the crossing.

Rhys immediately volunteered to go next, but he quickly gave way to
Turquinine, after the giant of a man suggested that his body weight would
be the truest test to see if it could support everyone.  He had some other
reasons for this as well, mentioning that if it gave way under his weight,
they would only lose him and strand Sedain on the other side, but the rest
of them would still be there to protect and defend Kieren, if need be.  No
one could find fault with his argument, so the others split into two
groups, each to anchor one of the two ropes that would protect him, with
each member silently praying that they would not be tested to see if they
could keep the Mitikuan's immense weight from tumbling down the mountain if
this didn't work.  The giant knight began to move purposefully across the
span, though not recklessly, and carefully he moved from one side to the
other.  After what seemed like forever, the Mitikuan reached the far slope,
and then he untied his ropes so that the next person could follow.  Alaric
was the next to go, followed by Doenilio, and then they decided to reverse
the shore on which they anchored the crossing member, as they had greater
strength on the far slope now.  This time they did not let them drag the
rope back across, instead keeping their end and using it to anchor the next
one to cross, which they decided should now be Kieren.  They had four on
this side of the slope to defend him, should anything happen, and they
would quickly bring the others across too, to improve the odds.  The prince
had the ropes securely fastened around his body, and now he made the trip
across the exposed area.

Kieren stepped carefully across the narrow bridge, picking his steps with
much care, making sure he didn't slip and fall.  Once he reached the other
side, they all realized at once that they now had a new problem, one they
had not foreseen.  Kieren had crossed the span safely, but now both ends of
the rope were on the same side and they had to find a way to get one end
back across the gap, to those waiting on the other side.  Alaric was the
one to come up with the solution.  He extracted a spool of heavy string
from his pack and tied one end of the string around the ends of the two
ropes, before he unwound the remainder of the spool and tied the other end
around the shaft of an arrow, just behind the head.  After all of that was
completed, he notched the arrow on his bowstring, took careful aim, and
then let it fly to a safe spot on the opposite side.  Now those on the far
side retrieved the arrow and used the string to pull the rope to where they
stood.  Once they had the ropes again, they tied them around the next
adventurer and he was asked to carry the arrow with him as he made his way
across.  This was the procedure they would follow until each of the others
was brought safely over.  After Kieren had made it over the span, Garreth
was the next to go, and then Qaim, before Quintain and Hadwin crossed over
too, leaving Rhys as the last member of the group to join his companions.
Once they were all together again, the dwarfs looked around to get their
bearings, before deciding on the direction they should go.  Now they were
one step closer to finding the rear entrance to Treblanc.

This time everyone seemed to move with a greater purpose and there was a
bit more urgency in their pace.  The accumulation of snow still made the
travel more difficult, but they didn't let it bother them as much as it had
in the past.  They continued on, lifting their legs high to get through the
snow, until they realized that it seemed to be getting dark early.  They
decided that it would be wise to stop for the night, not wishing to take
any foolish risks in the waning light, so they began to search for a place
to camp.  Hadwin was able to discover a wall of boulders they could use as
a basis for another campsite, from which they could drape their blankets to
make another temporary shelter.  They did so as quickly as they could,
making the tent-like structure, and then they ate, before they posted the
first guard.

Each member of the party was exhausted from the day's activities, so they
prepared their bedding and settled in for the evening.  Soon everyone had
fallen asleep, except for the guard on duty, but Kieren and Garreth's
slumber was plagued by visions of their lost friend.  Images of Romaric's
final moments with them filled their dreams and the pair continually
recounted every painful step that either of them had taken during that
entire time.  This dream continued to repeat itself, interspersed with
memories of other more enjoyable times they had spent together, which
helped to break up their torment, at least for brief periods of time.  When
finally they were awakened the next morning, they were thankful that the
trip down memory lane had ended, as most of it had been extremely painful
to recount.  The activities of the new day would temporarily distract them
from their grieving, as had happened on the previous day, but they were
still unsettled by those visions.  Once they were on their way, they would
be so preoccupied with their journey and concentrating on watching for
signs of the condor or other dangers in the mountains, they wouldn't have a
chance to ponder their loss or dwell on the unfortunate circumstances
around Romaric's death.  Now they were preparing to break camp again, ready
to resume their mission.

They downed a quick breakfast, not wanting to waste any more time, and they
were eager to begin and seek out that long forgotten rear door to Treblanc.
This time Qaim took the lead, and Kieren remembered the wizard's
instructions that he was to be the one who would locate that hidden
entrance and then take them safely through the passages that led up to the
fortress itself.  Kieren focused on this mystical little creature and noted
every movement that the furry critter made.  This was the first time since
they had discovered Qaim in Briarwood that the young prince had actually
paid attention to Qaim's movements for any prolonged period of time.  For
the most part, he hadn't consciously been aware of the aignx's presence,
and had merely just accepted him as part of the group.  Now, as the lad's
gaze followed his new guide, he became increasingly aware of the aignx's
furtive movements, his uncanny sense of direction, his primitive cunning,
and his unerring instincts.  Only the wizard could have equaled his
extraordinary abilities, and Kieren began to have the same amount of
confidence in Qaim that he had placed in Beraut.  The wizard had also
voiced his faith in the aignx, after they had first been introduced to each
other at Thorold, and the others merely accepted this, because Beraut knew
more about the aignx and his lineage than they did.

The day passed quickly and unusually uneventfully.  Not only had the
weather improved as the day progressed, but their journey was free of
obstacles and intrusions from that blasted bird.  Due to those factors,
they had been able to cover more ground than they had on previous days and
spirits seemed to be on the rise when they took a quick break.  They didn't
wish to waste any more time than they needed to, so they quickly rummaged
around in their packs for a bite to eat, finding their choices slim.  After
they made their selections and consumed their meal, they were on their way
again.  Everyone once again moved energetically along the slopes, knowing
that they must be getting close to where they needed to be, and they were
discussing where they should make camp, as the sunlight began to fade from
the sky.  Before they had a chance to make any decisions, Qaim stopped dead
in his tracks and spoke.

"Qaim bring you here safely."

Everyone looked around, puzzled by his statement.  All they could see was
the same snow-covered mountains over which they had been traveling.
"Brought us where, you blasted ninny?  We're in the middle of nowhere,"
bellowed Doenilio.  "There is nothing here."

"Qaim bring you to nasty wizard's secret door."

"I don't see any door, you witless fool," chided Hadwin.  I believe you
must be going daft."

"The door is here.  Qaim knows where door is.  Qaim check to see if nasty
wizard has set a trap on it."  The aignx's hands darted in and out of the
snow, moving so quickly that the others were not sure what he was up to.
He continued this flurry of activity for several minutes and then he
stopped.  At that point Qaim turned to the others and announced, "It's safe
for Qaim to take you in now."

Once more his hairy hands were thrust into the pile of snow, but this time
there was an audible click just before his hands stopped moving.  The aignx
then started to struggle, using both hands to pull on some unseen object.
None of them knew for sure what they should do to help, until it seemed
like a small piece of the mountain slope began to move toward them.  The
dwarfs reacted first, helping Qaim struggle with this, pulling on the
object and causing the snow that surrounded it to be pulled forward at the
same time.  Slowly an archway appeared behind the moving wall and the
companions could indeed see what appeared to be the opening to a long
abandoned tunnel.  The opening was covered with a thick coating of sticky
cobwebs and didn't look very inviting.

"This is the way to bad magician's home.  You follow Qaim.  Qaim take you
there."  Suddenly the aingx bolted through the opening, the webs sticking
to his furry coat as he went through, but the others hesitated following
him, unsure if that was what they were supposed to do.  That question was
soon answered for them, when their guide returned.

"You come inside, so Qaim can shut door..  No go far.  You wait for Qaim."

The others followed his suggestion and moved through the opening, but only
far enough to actually claim they were inside.  They guessed that Qaim's
warning about not going very far was made because he feared there might be
booby traps awaiting them, so they were not going to venture any farther
than they needed to.  Now they stood and waited for their furry little
leader to tell them what to do next.  They watched as Qaim slowly pulled
the door shut, swallowing them up in total darkness, and now they couldn't
even see the person standing next to them.  This unsettled everyone but the
dwarfs and Qaim, causing the rest of them to stand perfectly still, hardly
even daring to breathe.  After they waited for their eyes to adjust to the
blackness, they stood in silence and waited for someone to tell them what
to do next.

"You follow Qaim, but not too close," the aignx announced.

"We can't do that," Rhys advised him, "because we can't see a thing in
here.  Give us a little more time for our eyes to adjust."

"Wait," ordered one of the dwarfs.  "We have something that may help here."
Suddenly the three rummaged through the packs and each extracted some
things.  What they had pulled out were small torches, which they soon lit
by striking two pieces of flint together in front of them.  Slowly an eerie
light began to break through the consuming darkness, until they could see
everything within a short distance around them.

"We go now?" Qaim inquired.

"Yes," Hadwin responded, "we can go now."

"Qaim go first, then you follow.  Qaim show you the way, but Qaim make sure
you no get hurt.  Bad wizard has set many traps to keep others from getting
to where he lives.  Qaim undo traps and make it so you not get hurt.  Qaim
good guide."

"Yes, you are," Kieren told him, "and Beraut was right about you and your
abilities.  You just tell us what to do and we shall do it."  Qaim nodded
and then scurried forward, keeping close to the left wall as he went.  He
had gone several meters down the corridor when he stopped, the others still
keeping him just within their sight, and now he began to run his hands over
the surface of the floor of the tunnel.  After many seconds of this
activity, he seemed to have found what he was looking for, and then he came
back to the others.

"Qaim need to borrow long stick," he said, pointing to Rhys' lance.

Rhys hesitated at first, but then he held out his weapon to his furry
little friend, realizing there must be a good reason for the aignx to ask
to borrow this now.  As the Akiktite slowly reached it forward, Qaim
snatched it from his hand and scurried back down the corridor, until he
reached the spot where he stood before.  Once again he located whatever it
was he was looking for, and then he backed up from whatever it was he
found.  Now he lay down on the floor, reached the lance out as far as he
could, and then he lifted it up and down in front of him.  Qaim must have
snapped a tripwire, for suddenly a series of lengthy, pointed metal rods
shot out from both walls, knocking the lance out of Qaim's hand and sending
it clattering to the ground.  The rest of the party jumped slightly when
this happened and now they stood looking at this overlapping pattern of
sharp metal poles and understood that everyone walking down that hallway
would have been skewered by those rods, once their leader had inadvertently
tripped the activation device.  For the first time the boys began to
appreciate how dangerous this passage could be.  Garreth nearly urinated in
his trousers when he realized what might have happened to them, had Qaim
not been there to protect them.

"Now what do we do?" asked Rhys, looking at the barrier of rods that
extended for three meters or more before him.

"We crawl," Qaim replied, pointing at the small gaps between the lower
bars.  Almost instantaneously, all eyes now focused at the lower section of
this obstacle and they noticed that after the first row of rods, which were
about 10 to 15 centimeters off the floor, the next set of rods jutted out
about a half-meter above that.

"That will be easy for most of us," responded Sedain, "but it will be a
very tight squeeze for Turquinine.  Do we have another alternative?"

"No, only way," Qaim responded dryly.

"Thou need not worry about how I shall navigate this obstacle," the knight
informed them.  "I shall go last and thou canst leave me behind should I
fail."

"We shall not leave you," Kieren responded emphatically, "and we will see
that you make it through.  If Qaim says this is the only way, then we shall
follow him through this."  Each member of the party nodded in agreement,
though some not as quickly as the others, but now they knew what they would
be doing next.

"Do you think it will be safe?" Alaric wondered aloud.  "I mean, do you
think there might be a second trigger or another trap set to prevent
someone from crawling through as we intend to do?"

"No, no more traps here," Qaim said assuredly.  "We crawl through opening
and go on until Qaim find another trap."

Although nearly everyone took furtive and sidelong glances at the others to
gage their reaction, no one was ready to disagree or question their guide.
Beraut had reassured them before they left Thorold that the aignx knew what
he was doing and had all the necessary requisites to get them through
safely.  Now they had to trust in not only Beraut's wisdom, but Qaim's
magical abilities to see them through, and the young prince seemed ready to
end any doubts the others might be facing.

"Follow me and let's get moving," Kieren announced.

"No!" Rhys commanded, emphatically.  "I shall go first and, if I cross
successfully, then the rest of you will follow."  He saw others begin to
protest, but he cut them off before they could speak.  "I will not be
dissuaded, so save your energy and your words.  I shall go first, then the
aignx, and then the rest of you can follow.  Turquinine can go last, if
that's what he wants, but I shall be the first to venture across."

As the others thought about this and eventually gave in, they turned toward
the path they were about to crawl through, only to see Qaim already
slithering his way across.  He had proved he was not one for many words,
but was more a creature of action, and he had made his own decision and was
nearly halfway across this obstacle.  Before long the aignx was standing on
the other side and Rhys began his journey to join him.  He made his way
across quite easily, retrieved his lance on the way through, and then he
urged the others to follow, as he waited impatiently on the other side.
Turquinine did go last, finding very little wiggle room as he went and
occasionally he had to drag his frame past areas where the rods were so
close together that he could barely squeeze his bulk through.  Eventually
he made his way across, and now they were all standing together again on
the other side.  The aignx did not give them a chance to savor their
success, however, instead letting them know it was time to move along.

As soon as he made his announcement, Qaim started down the corridor, with
the others following cautiously behind.  They hadn't gone very far before
their guide once again signaled them to halt, and then he urged them to
place themselves tightly against the wall.  As they all stood with their
backs pressed against the cold stone that comprised the corridor, Qaim slid
his foot forward, tripped a catch wire that extended almost invisibly
across the path, releasing a menacing log pendulum, which swung past them
with a tremendous force.  In fact, it created such a vacuum as it passed
them that it almost sucked the lighter members into the void it created as
it swooshed by, before it swung back again with nearly equal force.  The
return path of the log would have finished them off, if it had failed to do
that job on its first pass by, but because of Qaim they were all free from
harm once more.  They all clung tightly to the wall, watching the huge log
swing back and forth several more times in front of them, each time with
less force than the previous pass, until it finally came to a complete
rest.  The members of the party were all a bit shaken from another near
miss and the boys were queasy, thinking about what that ramrod would have
done to their bodies if Qaim hadn't forewarned them.  For some reason they
lifted an arm, so they could reach out to touch that huge log, compelled by
some invisible force to feel it and verify that it was real.  Once they had
felt how large and solid it was, they concluded that it would have
splattered them all over that corridor if Qaim hadn't been with them.

Now that their curiosity had been sated and they had regained their
composure, Qaim made a renewed request for them to follow him again.  They
all obeyed without question, trusting the aignx implicitly after these
first two saves, but they kept their distance behind him, wondering what
type of trap would be waiting for them next.  As they made their way down
the darkened corridor, Kieren was noticing that his body was quite weary,
from having spent so much physical and emotional energy along the way, and
he was wondering where and when they would stop and rest for the night.  He
wasn't sure how long these tunnels were, or if they went in a straight line
to the fortress or wound in a serpentine fashion between the rear door and
the sorcerer's lair.  Was this a short walk or would they cover many
leagues before they reached their destination?  He was about to ask one of
the dwarfs this question, to see how much longer they might travel today,
when the aignx signaled them that he had located another device.  They
waited quietly and backed away from their guide, giving him plenty of room
as he investigated the triggering device.  After feeling around for a short
time, he asked Rhys if he could borrow his lance again.  The warrior didn't
hesitate this time, thrusting it into Qaim's waiting hand.  The aignx took
it, spun around and moved into position to set off this next device,
keeping back and reaching out as far as he could with that long pole.
Finally he hit the device just right, setting it off, but this time the
floor of the tunnel dropped out of sight and crashed into a chasm that
extended far below the ground on which they were standing.  It took all of
Qaim's strength to maintain his grip on the lance as the floor disappeared,
and two of the dwarfs ran forward to grab hold of him, so he wouldn't lose
his balance and tumble into the void too.  After everything had settled
down again, the dwarfs released their guide and crept forward to the edge
of the missing walkway, holding their torches out over it so they could
assess the amount of damage that had been done.  Once they had investigated
this thoroughly, they sought to determine if there was any way around this
new obstacle.  After several minutes of discussing this amongst themselves,
they returned to the others to explain their options.

"The gap caused by this last booby-trap is considerable and it extends from
wall to wall, leaving us no path around it.  We do not have sufficient
light to tell how deep the crevice is, but we can tell it is deep enough to
prove deadly should anyone fall into it."

"Have you any suggestion on how we might cross it?" Alaric wondered.
"Would it be possible to bridge it in any way?"

"We don't have the tools or the supplies necessary to do that, but I'm not
sure there's any other way over it," Quintain answered.

"Do any of you have any suggestion on what we might do?" Hadwin wanted to
know.

"I'm not sure," Doenilio told him frankly.  "It might be best if we rested
here for the night, and we might see things differently after our strength
has been restored and we've had a chance to sleep on this."

"Do you think this place will be safe?" Garreth wondered.

"Yes," replied Kieren, "this will be safer than any place else we might
find.  We know there's nothing behind us and, if there is anyone in front
of us, they would have just as much trouble getting to us, as we would have
getting to where they are."

The others agreed with Kieren for the most part, recommending that they
post a guard to make sure that nothing entered through that rear door to
surprise them.  After that they did move back away from that gaping hole in
the ground, lest someone should stumble in it accidentally, and then they
unpacked their bedrolls and prepared to settle in.  When they had arranged
their sleeping areas and made up a guard rotation schedule, they selected a
bit to eat before they prepared to sleep within the realm of the Dark Lord.
Kieren sensed the apprehension among the others and thought a diversion was
necessary to keep their minds from darker thoughts.  Soon he had a crude
plan in his mind and he put it into action.

"Do you realize that we're nearly done with this mission and soon this will
be all over?" he told the others.  "We have almost reached Treblanc and all
I have left to do is find the Sword and confront Madumda with it.  In a few
days this should be all behind us and we should be on our way home to our
families.  It has been a very long time since I have seen my parents and I
can hardly wait to return to the elfin kingdom.  I have so much I want to
say to my mother and father and there are so many things that I want to do
when I get there that I can hardly wait.  I'm more excited now than for any
of the celebrations of the day of my birth, when I anticipated all the
gifts I would get and all the games I would play with my friends. Although
I know I still have Madumda to contend with, my thoughts keep drifting to
what I will do when this is all over."

"Can we go to our fort and go swimming when we get back?" Garreth asked
him, in hopeful anticipation.

Kieren chuckled to himself before he answered.  "We may have to wait until
it gets warmer, but we can do that and much, much more.  We shall have a
lot of catching up to do and we shall do everything we have missed out on
since we left our homeland."

The others were now letting their own thoughts turn to their homeland and
their families, swaying from fond memories from their past to making plans
about what they'd like to do when they returned to their homes and loved
ones.  Kieren could almost feel the change of mood, as he looked from face
to face, until his eyes came to rest upon Qaim.  He could tell from the
aignx's body posture that his new friend was depressed, but the teen didn't
understand why.  In an effort to learn the reason for his attitude, the
prince asked their guide straight out.

"What's wrong, Qaim?  Aren't you happy about being able to go back to your
home and family soon?"

"Qaim got no family.  Qaim's only home is in woods where beasties live."

Kieren now understood the uneasiness that his furry friend was now feeling.
He had lived all alone in a place with nothing but threats for him, but
that's all he had known.  Since he'd had a chance to travel with the others
and bond at different levels with them, now he realized what he'd be
missing and how lonely it would be for him to go back to that life again.
Kieren knew he had to offer words of comfort, so he turned and knelt in
front of the small figure.

"Don't you worry, my new friend, you shall not have to be alone again.  You
have done so much for us that I would be happy to take you home with me.
You don't have to go back to Briarwood and I shall make sure that you are
happy and that all your needs are provided for."

"You will take care of Qaim?" the aignx asked, bewildered.

"Yes, for as long as you live."

"Young master very kind.  Qaim like young master.  Qaim thank you and Qaim
not forget."

"It's the least I could do.  Don't you worry about a thing, for I shall
make sure you are happy, but now it's time for us all to get some sleep.
Why don't you sleep over here, by me?"  Kieren couldn't tell if his guide
smiled or made any facial acknowledgement of his offer, as his furry face
made that impossible to see more than his eyes, but the aignx did follow
the prince to his sleeping area and then he bedded down on one side of him,
while Garreth slept on the other side.

Even though Kieren had eased a great deal of the tension they had felt
earlier, many prayers were still secretly offered up that evening.  Nearly
everyone asked the gods to shield them from discovery in these dank ancient
hallways and to keep them out of reach of Madumda's watchdogs, so they
would be able to reunite with their loved ones again.  As the guard stood
watch, everyone else was soon asleep in the bowels of the Dark Lord's home,
seemingly not bothered by how close they were to the citadel itself.  Many
of the warriors had planned to sleep with one eye open, just in case
something unexpected should happen, but Kieren's little ruse had given them
something else to think about, so they soon forgot about their previous
intentions.

The night proved uneventful and it ended when the final guard went about
his duty of rousing every member of the party from their slumber.  They did
not rise rapidly, and some even tried to catch a few extra winks before
they had to get up, but eventually they arose and began their day.  At this
point Kieren wondered what time it was, seeing there was no way in here to
tell the hour, and the guards had merely guessed at the length of their
shifts and when it was time to get everyone up.  Now the young prince
wondered how long they had been within these tunnels and how long it would
take them to get to the main part of the castle.

The dwarfs seemed energized from being underground again and they were
filled with a new sense of purpose and urgency, including their thoughts of
returning home.  Everyone rushed through their morning preparations, eating
quickly and getting everything packed away, and the dwarfs had slipped away
to examine that gaping hole before the others had completed their tasks.
They held their torches out over the void, surveyed the surrounding area,
and soon they had devised a plan of action to get around this.  Now they
went to explain their plan to the others.

"We have discovered that there is still a narrow ledge along the wall,"
Doenilio told them, "where the roadway joined the wall before it crashed
into the darkness below.  This is not wide enough to walk over, as we might
have wished, but it will provide enough of a foothold so we can use this
ledge to help us cross over to the other side.  I shall go first and chisel
handholds into the wall, so the rest of you will have something to grip and
steady yourselves as you make your way across.  We shall do this one at a
time, taking as many safety precautions as we can to protect each other."

As Doenilio finished speaking, he tied one end of the combined length of
rope around his waist.  It was the same rope they had used in their
attempted rescue of Romaric.  Once he had fastened it securely, he told the
larger warriors to grab hold of the other end and be ready to keep him from
falling to the bottom of the pit, in case he lost his balance as he tried
to chisel the handholds into the rocky wall.  Slowly he moved out along the
ledge, feeling his way as he went, with the others giving him enough slack
to move along.  Every so often he would stop, chip out another handhold out
of the solid rock, and then use that new grip to steady himself while he
reached out to hollow out the next handhold.  After many minutes of this
arduous labor and after a couple of scary occasions where the dwarf had
almost lost his footing or grip and fallen into the chasm, he did finally
reach the other side.  Now he untied the rope from around his waist and let
the others pull it back, so they could secure the next traveler as he
crossed the treacherous pathway.  Sedain and Quintain went next, and then
they kept their end of the rope on that side, so they could help protect
the others.  They told the next one who was about to cross to tie the other
end of the rope around his waist and then fasten a second rope about him as
well.  That way he would be anchored from both sides of the gap, making it
even safer than it was for the first ones to cross.

Hadwin was the first to venture forth in this manner, but he was accustomed
to journeying in mountainous terrain, so it might not have been necessary
for him.  Hadwin did find it much more difficult than the dwarfs had made
it look, as only his toes and part of the balls of his feet would fit on
that narrow ledge, and he also thought the handholds were too close
together and not nearly high enough for his tastes.  It was awkward and
uncomfortable for him as he crossed, but he finally made it to the other
side and he quickly undid his safety harnesses.  Once he had joined the
dwarfs, he expressed his concern to the dwarfs that Turquinine and Rhys
would find it even more difficult than he had.  The dwarfs advised him that
those two would have to do their best, as there was no other alternative
for them to use.

Kieren and Garreth were the next two to cross, before it was the big
Mitikuan's turn.  It was somewhat difficult for Turquinine and there were
some nervous moments, but he did make it across, leaving only Rhys, Qaim,
and Alaric on the other side.  Rhys was going to go next, and then Qaim,
but Qaim made an announcement that changed their plans.  "You no tie ropes
around Qaim.  They burn Qaim.  You no tie ropes around him."

"But you can't risk trying to cross without them," Alaric told the furry
little guide.

"No ropes.  Burn Qaim.  Qaim no use ropes."

"But we'll have to do something.  We can't risk you crossing without some
sort of a safety harness," Alaric informed him.

"Qaim no use ropes."

"Wait," Rhys interrupted, "I think I have another way.  I'll take Qaim
across on my back."

"No," Alaric responded.  "His additional weight might throw you off balance
and then we'd lose both of you."

"No, I'll tie the ropes around my chest and then you can help me use one of
the blankets to secure Qaim to my back.  Then we can both cross and still
maintain the needed safety factor."

"Well, I suppose that might work," Alaric agreed, grudgingly.  "All right,
I'll help you do it."

Qaim was about to object when Rhys held up his arm to stop him, letting the
aingx know that they would not consider any more of his protestations.  "My
friend, we have sorely misjudged you in the past and you have proven your
worth many times since then.  This is the least that I can do to make
amends for our earlier shoddy treatment of you.  Besides, we need you to
continue to guide us and we can't take the chance of anything happening to
you, so either we do it this way or you must let us tie the ropes around
you."

Qaim thought for a minute and then replied.  "Qaim let you carry him."

Immediately Rhys had Alaric bind him with the two ropes, and then the elf
hoisted Qaim onto Rhys' back.  As Qaim held himself in position, Alaric
pulled out a blanket, wrapped it around Qaim, and then he brought it under
Rhys' arms and tied it behind the warrior's neck.  Now the duo was ready to
go and delicately Rhys started to make his way across.  At one point it
looked like Rhys might lose his balance and topple backward, but Alaric
used the rope he was holding to help steady him long enough for the warrior
to regain his grip and continue toward the other side.  When they finally
reached the others and were helped safely onto the roadway, they signaled
the elf that it was now his turn to make the same journey.

Alaric did not pull the first rope back across, instead merely tying the
end of the rope he was holding under his arms so he could make his journey.
Seeing there was no one to anchor him from this side, it just seemed like
the logical thing to do.  The end of the other rope was also tossed back to
his side, as an added precaution, and he tied that securely into place too.
As he made his way along the narrow ledge, he reached into one of the
handholds only to discover it was not one that Doenilio had chiseled out of
the rock.  As he gripped it, he realized that it was merely some kind of
outgrowth from the rocky wall, but it broke off even with just the small
amount of weight he had placed upon it.  This threw him off balance and
caused him to fight to remain upright.  His one arm was flapping to help
him keep his balance, but in doing so one of his feet slipped off the
narrow ledge, causing him to fall into the darkness of the gaping hole.

Although startled, the others braced themselves to keep him from falling
all the way to the bottom.  They knew his weight and the rate of his
descent would drag them forward when all the slack had gone out of the
rope, but they were determined not to let him die too.  The sudden jerk
pulled them forward, and they desperately tried to keep their footing and
not fall into the chasm themselves, praying that Alaric had not already
suffered fatal injuries in the process.  Qaim, who had not been holding the
rope, noted their desperate attempt to save the elf and he ran to add his
strength to their efforts.  With the quickness of a cat he pounced upon the
line, jerked it back quickly, and turned out to be the extra effort they
needed to keep everyone safe.  Once the rope was still, Quintain walked to
the edge and held the torch out to see if he could see the elf.  He also
called out in a hushed voice, to see if he could get a response.

"Alaric, are you all right?"  There was no response.  He tried again.
"Alaric, are you able to respond?"

Again there was no answer and that's when the dwarf began to fear that the
elf had either been harmed when the rope stopped his fall or he had slammed
into the rocky wall, possibly knocking him unconscious.  Fearing the worst,
the others began to try to pull him up, though his dead weight made him
seem nearly ten times as heavy as he really was, and they looked for
something to help them anchor this burden.  No matter how much they hoped
to find something that would aid their efforts, they found nothing and were
forced to struggle to pull the elf's limp form to the surface.  As they
brought him closer and closer to the top, they finally heard Alaric groan
and then speak.  "Oh, damn.  What happened?"

"You slipped and fell," Quintain told him.  "Are you injured?"

"My head hurts and my body is really sore, but I guess I'll survive.  I
kind of remember what happened now.  After I lost my balance, the ropes
stopped me from falling all the way to the bottom, but they also squeezed
my body and left bruises, before I slammed into the rocky wall.  That must
have caused me to lose consciousness.  Are you going to be able to get me
out of here?"

"We'll have you up shortly."

Immediately they began to pull him up and Alaric did what he could do to
help, by trying to find areas he could grab hold of or get a foot into, so
he could assist them as much as he could.  It was a long, slow process,
with everyone becoming very weary with all the effort, but soon his head
was peeking above the roadway and they were dragging him onto the smooth
footpath above.  They could see how his face was already bruised and
swollen from having been banged around, but he was alive and they were all
glad about that fact.

"How do you feel?" Garreth asked him.

"My chest is bruised and very sore, my head is all battered, and I feel as
if I'd been in a lengthy battle, but I will survive."

"Will you be able to go on with us?" Kieren wanted to know.

"Yes, and I'll try not to slow you down.  I'm just sore and bruised,
nothing more."

The others seemed comforted and reassured by Alaric's words, so they turned
to start down the hallway.  They hadn't even taken a step before Garreth
stopped them again.  "Wait, something's wrong with Qaim."

Everyone turned to find their hairy little companion and noticed that he
was holding his hands awkwardly, at least that's how it appeared to each of
them.  "What's the matter, Qaim?" Kieren asked him.  Qaim didn't respond,
but merely held his hands out.  They were all raw and bloody, and they
looked really bad.

"It appears that the rope burned his hands when he jumped in to help us
save Alaric," Hadwin told them.  "If he hadn't have done that, we wouldn't
have saved the elf, but it seems that he paid quite a price for doing so."

"Let me see what I can do to bind them," Sedain told the others.  "I have
had considerable training in taking care of wounds, and I shall be honored
to treat our friend here."  The others recognized the sincerity of Sedain's
offer, especially remembering that he had been one of the ones who had not
trusted the aignx when they first found him, but Qaim seemed in too much
pain to pick up on the hidden meaning.  Qaim stretched his arms forward,
holding his hands out to be inspected, and the dwarf rummaged through some
of their packs until he found an ointment and some bandages.  He quickly
treated the injuries, but as he did so he could hear the others talking.

"Will his injuries prevent him from leading us now?" Garreth asked.

"I shouldn't think they would," Rhys told him.

"But will he still be able to find and disarm other traps?" Garreth
continued.

"That might be a problem," Hadwin responded.  "I don't know how he'd be
able to manipulate those delicate triggering devices with his hands
bandaged like that."  At that point everyone looked over at Qaim and
noticed the thick bandages wrapped around his palms, leaving only the
fingers sticking partially out.

"Someone else will have to take over," Quintain stated, matter-of-factly.

"No, we can't do that," Kieren informed them.  "No one else has his
abilities, and Beraut said only Qaim can successfully lead us to Madumda's
fortress.  If we have to, we'll just wait here until he can perform his
duties again."

"That will take far too long," Alaric informed them, "and we don't have
time to waste.  He injured himself while trying to save me, so I shall
assist him with his duties.  It was my clumsiness that got us into this
mess, so I'm volunteering to help get us out.  I will scout the way and
face any dangers that might still lie ahead."

"No, Qaim still lead," a little voice squeaked up from behind them.  "Qaim
will take young master to bad wizard's home."

"Qaim, it will be too dangerous for you to even try," Sedain pointed out.
"You might accidentally trip any devices you might encounter because of
those bandages."

"No, Qaim lead and Qaim do what he promise."

"Wait, I'll go behind Qaim and help him do what he is unable to," Alaric
told the others.  "It's the least I can do, seeing he injured himself while
saving my life."

Without waiting for any type of reply, the aignx started down the corridor,
sending the others scurrying and trying to grab their belongings, so they
could follow him.  No one knew how much farther they would have to travel
before they reached the home of the Dark Lord, but they believed that it
was probably still a considerable distance and they didn't have time to
waste.  They knew there might be other obstacles to overcome before they
reached their objective, so they didn't try to stop Qaim or ask him to
wait.  Alaric followed as closely to Qaim as he dared, but the others left
a respectable gap between them, in case something unexpected should happen.
Qaim obviously didn't detect any other traps here, but the others weren't
going to take any chances and felt the spacing was a wise precaution.

The floor of the tunnel was very flat and smooth and the temperature was
cool, yet still comfortable.  They all thought this was much better than
the snow and cold they had been traveling through earlier.  It was nice not
to have to worry about the condor, though they knew that other dangers
might still be lurking within, but they continued on.  They had traveled
unhindered for quite some time, having found no new obstacles, threats, or
other traps in their path, but Alaric finally called them to a halt.

"What is it?  What's wrong?" Hadwin asked the elf.

"There is a scattered collection of bones along the tunnel's walls and I
think we should examine them."

"What for?" asked a bewildered Garreth.

"Well, I think it's important to know what species they are and then see if
we can figure how they came to be here."

"Well, they probably just wandered in here somehow and were killed by traps
or died of hunger," Garreth answered, nonchalantly.

"Your conclusions are impetuous and flawed, my young friend," Rhys advised
him, "and you have not stopped to consider things you already know.  The
entrance behind us was sealed and the traps we encountered were unsprung,
so they could not have wandered in from that direction.  Secondly, there
are no signs of any traps having been activated, nor has Qaim detected any
such traps being around.  If they came from the other direction it would be
wise for us to know what they are, so we might be prepared for what lies
ahead."

Garreth just let his head drop onto his chest, feeling foolish for having
missed those obvious clues, and Rhys and Alaric moved over to the pile of
bones and began to investigate.  Sedain stood behind them, holding his
torch so they could see more clearly, and the pair began to pick up and
handle the bones, examining them quite closely.  After several minutes of
such study, they moved back to the others and made their report.

"Unless I am mistaken," Rhys informed them, " the remains are a collection
of bones for different animals.  It appears these are not the complete
remains of any one creature, but various parts of several different
creatures.  I don't believe any of these animals were killed or died here,
but somehow these bones did end up here."

"How wouldst such a thing occur?" Turquinine wondered aloud.

"Well, this is only conjecture on my part," Rhys told them, "but possibly
one of Madumda's slaves were to dispose of the remains and got lazy and
stashed them here, thinking no one would discover them.  It is also
possible that these are the partial remains of various species, including
Qaim's ancestors who were killed or perished in the tunnels, and then
brought here to be nibbled upon by some scavenger that lives within these
walls.  It is hard to tell how long they have been here, but I take it that
it's been a while.  There is no flesh or meat on the bones, so I don't
think it has been too recent, but there are some interesting gashes on some
of them."

"And what do you think this tells us?" Quintain asked.

"Nothing, yet.  There is not enough information here upon which we could
base any conclusions.  I suggest we keep our eyes open for further evidence
of what might have happened."

"Agreed," Turquinine added, offering his support.

"Qaim no like bones," the aignx chimed in, seemingly bothered by the
discovery.  "Qaim have bad feeling about bones."

"I think we all do, my nervous friend," added Doenilio, "so let's move on."

Qaim agreed with that logic and turned to start back down the corridor.
Every time they passed another pile of bones they would stop and
investigate, but they didn't really pick up on anything that would shed
more light upon how the bones got there.  Finally, after their most recent
investigation, they had only gone a short way before Qaim made an
announcement.

"Qaim no want to go on.  Floor wet and slippery.  Make it hard for Qaim to
walk."

Almost as one, the others stopped to see what it was the Qaim was talking
about.  Some knelt down while others merely bent over, but they all ran
their hands along the tunnel floor, only to discover a slimy coating which
covered the surface of the walkway.  Qaim was the only one not wearing
boots, so he could feel this muck on the soles of his feet.  Now they began
to study the liquid, to see if they knew what it was.

"What is this stuff?" Sedain wondered.  "I have lived and worked for many
years below the surface and I've never seen anything like this before."

The others could offer no suggestions, as none of them had ever witnessed
anything like this before either, but they continued to examine and make
observations about it.  "It seems to be concentrated in the center of the
corridor," Quintain noted.

"Is it possible this is something Madumda put here to make sneaking in more
difficult or cause us to leave tracks, which could then be followed?"
Kieren suggested.

"It's hard to say," Hadwin responded, "but if that were the reason for this
gunk, I think he would have spread it from wall to wall, not just at the
center."

"I agree," Doenilio offered.  "He has left the edges dry and uncovered, so
that would make me believe that it was not placed here to hinder
admittance."

"Well, let's just move to one wall or the other then," Alaric suggested,
"and that will allow us to continue making our way toward the fortress."
The others agreed with Alaric's suggestion, but Qaim was still
uncomfortable with the amount of slime that still adhered to his feet.
After a few more paces, Qaim stopped again.

"Qaim's feet hurt.  Qaim want to stop.  Qaim not walk more."

Alaric moved next to his hairy little companion and examined his feet.
After doing so, he turned toward the others.  "I believe it would be best
that we clean his feet and possibly bandage them.  The soles of his feet
are very red and tender and it's obvious to me that this stuff on the floor
is what caused it.  It must be very painful and difficult for him to walk,
so why don't we take a meal break and take some time to tend to this poor
creature's needs?"

Everyone agreed that this would be acceptable, and Sedain moved up to see
what he could do.  Alaric had already pulled some cloth out of his pack and
was cleaning Qaim's feet with it, so Sedain dug out the salve he had used
on the aignx's hands earlier and then rummaged for more bandages.  When
Alaric had finished his task, the pair switched places, so Sedain could
perform his tasks.  Qaim just sat there allowing them to take care of him,
just as a child would let a parent tend to his needs.  He offered no help
and seemed content to let the others take care of him, feeling relief as
they did so.

"You're lucky I brought these things with me," Sedain told him, "for I
don't recall having done so.  This should help to relieve the irritation
and soreness, and you should be able to continue in about a half hour."

 "Thank you, master dwarf.  Qaim like you."

"You're welcome and I like you too.  Please let me know when you think you
can continue."

"Qaim will."

Garreth made his way down to where Qaim was being treated and the young elf
handed a pair of boots to their guide.  "Here, these are my old boots, but
they may help you now.  I put them in my pack when we were given these new
boots at Leander.  I thought I might need them in the future, but you need
them more than I do.  Please take them and use them to protect your feet."

"Qaim no wear boots.  Qaim not put things on his feet.  Qaim be all right."

"But." Garreth started to protest, but the dwarf cut him off.

"That was a very noble and generous offer, Garreth, but I'm afraid that
they might do more harm than good.  You see, being unaccustomed to
footwear, your boots would probably be an even greater source of discomfort
for him.  They would most likely irritate the skin and give him blisters as
well, but I'm sure he appreciates your offer.  The balm I applied to his
feet should do the trick and he should be able to continue before long."

"Yes, Qaim thank you.  You very nice to Qaim."

"That's okay.  I just wanted to help."

"You did, whether the boots were of use or not," Sedain advised him.  "You
have shown great compassion for him, and that did as much for him as those
boots could have ever done.  Now get back and make sure you get something
to eat, and Qaim and I will let you know when it's time to continue."

Garreth did as he was told, returning to his place next to Kieren, and it
wasn't all that long before they were on their way again.  As they
proceeded down the tunnel, they passed several corridors that joined it
from either side, but other than making sure no one was down them, they
didn't seem concerned about them at all.  Qaim never hesitated or was
tempted to investigate any of these new passageways, and they continued to
move steadily forward.  Kieren wondered momentarily if possibly they should
have taken one of those other tunnels, but then he remembered Beraut's
words that they should trust the aignx, as he was the only one who could
lead them, other than the wizard himself.  Kieren now shed his doubts and
followed his guide down the corridor.  They continued on like this for many
minutes more, until the aignx signaled them to stop and form around him.

"Qaim know there something ahead," he told them.  "Qaim know something else
in the tunnel too."

"Do you have any idea what it is?" Rhys asked him.

"No, Qaim not know, but Qaim feel something else here too."

"Thou must remain and protect our liege," Turquinine solemnly told the
others.  "I shall go ahead and investigate what might lurk there.  Thou
must remain here until I return."

The other warriors began to object, telling Turquinine that they should
send a party to check out Qaim's warning, but the warrior wasn't about to
listen.  Instead, he drew his sword and started to creep down the
passageway, thinking he was leaving the others where they were.  They,
however, had a plan of their own and they followed behind their giant
friend, but left a considerable cushion between them.  The others had taken
time to order Kieren and Garreth to stay far behind them, with Alaric
guarding their rear, but they were not about to let the Mitikuan face any
possible danger on his own.  The dwarfs had left the torches with those at
the rear, not wanting to forewarn whatever might be there about their
approach.  Now they each grasped their favorite weapon, ready to defend
themselves and dispatch whatever enemy lurked ahead.  At this point Garreth
turned to Kieren and urged him to use his cloak to protect himself from
being seen.  Kieren didn't want to do this, especially since the others
didn't have the same protection, but he finally agreed and pulled it
securely around himself.  Now they waited to see what happened next.

Turquinine continued to make his way forward, not slowing further until he
noticed a faint glow radiating from somewhere ahead of him.  He had widened
the gap between himself and the others, so no one was too close by, but he
continued onward, not waiting for assistance.  The light was coming from
around a slight bend in the tunnel, and cautiously he crept forward until
he could peek around the wall and see what possible danger lurked in front
of him.  First he knelt down, getting close to the floor, and then he
pushed his head past the rocky surface, and he spied a troll sitting alone
in the corridor.  The troll was considerably larger than even the giant
knight, and he posed an immediate threat to their safety.  Turquinine
scanned the area to see if there were others or anything else that he
should be aware of, but the only things there besides the troll were
several torches hanging on the walls, which lit the area quite nicely.
This would make it difficult for the warrior to sneak up on him or for them
to try to slip past him.  Not knowing what else to do, the knight continued
to observe him.

Turquinine seemed confused, trying to figure out what the troll was doing,
as it appeared the ogre was talking to someone, but no one else was there,
at least not from Turquinine's vantage point.  After straining to see if he
had missed anything or anyone, Turquinine finally concluded that this
creature was merely carrying on a conversation with himself.  That titan
sat on a boulder, tossing a collection of pebbles at a small hole in the
opposite wall, continually muttering at himself as he did so.  Turquinine
slid forward, along the base of the wall, to see if he could make out what
the troll was saying, and finally he was able to discern some of his
monologue.

"It's not fair that Bilgy have to stay down here all the time.  The master
should make others come down here too, not just Bilgy.  Bilgy wants to take
his pet out for a walk.  Bilgy like to walk at night and take Srejan out
with him to eat."  The troll was muttering now, and it was hard for the
Mitikuan to make out what was being said, and he was only catching bits and
pieces of what he was uttering.  Frustrated by this, the knight slid into
the shadow area around the corner, where some of the torchlight broke the
darkness.  As he did this, the troll stood up and the giant warrior froze
in place, fearing he had been discovered.  Slowly the giant knight reached
down and gripped the hilt of his sword, but the lumbering ogre merely
walked over to collect his pebbles again, before he moved back to his seat
and started his game over.  Once more he began his soliloquy, not knowing
or suspecting that he had an unwanted audience.

"Why can't Bilgy go above and be with all the others?  They think Bilgy too
ugly and too dumb to be their friend.  I not too dumb and I want to be able
to take my pet out to play.  We want to have fun too, but no, Bilgy always
sent down to watch the tunnels.  No one care what Bilgy think.  No one
cares how Bilgy feels.  Bilgy just have to sit down here and wait.  Bilgy
supposed to kill anyone who tries to get to his master.  Bilgy stuck here
many months, just sitting with only Srejan for company.  Sometimes Bilgy
play with his pet, but we can't go outside to play.  It not fair.  Maybe
Bilgy take his pet and go out back door instead."

Having made this pronouncement, the troll looked down the hallway, toward
the backdoor, and he spied the soldier along the wall.  Turquinine tried to
blend in with his surroundings, but it was too late and his position had
been compromised.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the troll demanded to know.
Bilgy picked up a large wooden club as he stepped toward the knight and
Turquinine leapt to his feet, withdrew his sword from its scabbard, and
stood across the tunnel opening.

"Drop thy weapon or die," the knight said loud enough for his companions to
hear, hoping they would come to assist him.  Turquinine backed around the
corner, so the others could see him, and then he braced himself to do
battle.  He grasped the hilt of his broad sword with both hands, waiting
for the ogre's approach.  As the troll rounded the corner, the knight
struck the first blow, rending a large gash in Bilgy's left arm.  The troll
screamed out in pain, and started swinging his club wildly about with his
other hand, desperately trying to strike the one who had caused him such
pain.  As his club flew harmlessly through the air and then finally slammed
into the stone wall, Turquinine merely avoided his wild flurry, preferring
to wait for the others to join him.

A short distance down the tunnel, the companions heard their friend's
challenge, then the scream from Bilgy, and they were almost there when they
heard the dull thud of the club hitting the rocky wall.  They moved forward
as quickly as they could in the dark passage, not wanting to arrive too
late.

Bilgy's fury was immense and now he was coming closer to hitting his
target.  The Mitikuan continued to parry his opponent's blows, but the
assault was staggering and Turquinine could only assume a defensive stance.
The knight wasn't sure he had ever faced anyone with this much raw strength
before, and it took all his concentration to ward him off and still keep
his own balance.  The warrior from the north studied every move his immense
opponent made, as he looked for an opening he could take advantage of.
Just as he was ducking a powerful swipe at his head, he spied a momentary
weakness in the troll's attack, and he thrust his blade at his opponent's
right thigh.  The troll screamed out again, just as the others came into
view, and then he began to give ground, having been shocked by their
approach.

"You come here to harm Bilgy's master," he stated dryly, merely expressing
his thoughts aloud.  "Bilgy can't let you do that.  Bilgy must kill you
all."

Bilgy lunged at Turquinine, and instinctively Rhys jumped forward to assist
his companion.  Hadwin also stepped forward, but couldn't get past the
large bodies of the other two, while Alaric and the dwarfs formed a barrier
behind them, to protect the young prince.  Rhys feigned a lunge and then
waited for Turquinine to make his move, then the Akiktite made his thrust
and pierced the troll's side, with the blade breaking through the rough
hide just above the waist.  Bilgy recoiled in pain and cried out, knowing
he could not hold all these warriors off by himself.

"Help me, my pet, help me!" he screamed.  "They hurt Bilgy bad.  Help me,
Srejan, please help me!"

Kieren heard that scream from where he was waiting and he wondered whom the
Dark Lord's minion was summoning.  Instinctively the prince surveyed the
tunnel, seeing if whatever was being paged would be coming from behind
them.  Seeing nothing there, he urged Garreth and Alaric to move closer to
the action, so he could see what was going on.

By now the troll had regained his composure and was ignoring his pain, as
he realized he had a job to do, no matter what the consequences would be
for him.  He launched a new assault now, figuring his best chance was on
offense, and he initiated an attack against the two warriors.  Neither of
them expected such a move, but Turquinine reacted first and stepped forward
to take the force of the first blow.  The impact was so powerful that it
knocked him off balance and he fell backward onto the ground.  As Rhys
tried to move forward to protect his companion, Bilgy swung his club back
in the other direction, with the same powerful force, and he knocked Rhys
off balance as well.  Now the troll raised his club with one arm, ready to
smash it into Turquinine's skull, but an arrow sprang from Alaric's
bowstring and slammed into Bilgy's chest, making him drop his club behind
him.  The large wooden weapon clattered to the ground and the startled ogre
looked at the shaft protruding from his rib cage, a short distance below
his chin.  Alaric and the two boys had run up to see if they could be of
assistance, and he was just in time to see the troll knock Rhys off
balance.  Seeing he had an arrow notched and ready to go, the elf merely
took a quick aim and let the feathery missile go. Now the troll made one
final plea, as he began to weaken, and he dropped to his knees, still
hoping that someone or something would come to his rescue.

"Help me, Srejan.  Bilgy dying.  They kill Bilgy.  Please, my pet, help
me!"

He reached for the shaft of the arrow with his good hand and ripped it from
his chest.  It wasn't a wise decision on his part, because the blood now
flowed profusely from the hole that it left behind.  He reached behind him
for his club, so he could attack the one who had put the arrow in him, but
his strength was failing him.  Hadwin jumped in between them, ready to
protect the elf, but it was unnecessary.  Turquinine had regained his
stance and he struck Bilgy with a skull-bashing blow, dropping the troll in
his tracks.  The ogre never moved again after that and everyone gawked at
the battered body that now lay sprawled across the floor.  As soon as
things quieted down, Kieren stepped forward to check on his protectors.

"Are you all right?  Are any of you injured?"

"Nay, sire, merely bruised and sore from the pummeling," answered
Turquinine.  "I shall be fine."

"I am also uninjured, though a bit shaken after that encounter," responded
Rhys.  "The troll was indeed a very powerful adversary."

"Most certainly," Turquinine added, "and I thank thee for thy assistance."

"What did that troll keep calling," Kieren wondered.  "What kind of pet do
you think it is that he was calling?  Could it be one of those giant
condors?"

"Thou knowest as much as any of us, though I doubt a bird would live in
tunnels such as these.  I heard him speaketh of this pet earlier.  I know
not if this thing be near enough to hear its master's cries, but I beseech
thee to make haste and flee this spot, lest that creature be close at
hand."

"Turquinine is quite correct," interjected Sedain, "and we should all heed
his advice.  Qaim, would you please lead us out of this place as quickly as
you deem prudent."

"We go now.  Qaim lead you.  Follow Qaim."  With that said, the aignx spun
around and moved into the chamber in which Bilgy had been found, with the
rest in close pursuit.  The others trailed behind their furry little guide,
past the body of the dead troll, through the lighted chamber, and quickly
Qaim chose one of the tunnels that led from that large open area.  Kieren
had fallen to the rear of the formation, unnoticed by the others, because
he had pulled his cloak securely about himself again, and now he was
virtually invisible to the others.  Just as he was leaving the chamber, he
noticed a head pop through from one of the other tunnels, and the prince
was aghast and somewhat queasy from what he saw. It was an enormous,
misshapen, lime-green mass with saucer-like ebony eyes protruding from
either side of it.  Kieren's blood turned cold at first sight, and he
guessed that this might be the pet that had been summoned.  Kieren moved
quickly to join the others, as more of the enormous body slid into the
chamber, and he quickly informed his protectors about what he had seen.  It
was about that time that they heard a shriek, and they assumed the troll's
pet had discovered what was left of its caretaker, and they concluded it
would be seeking them out before long.

They urged Qaim to move forward, as quickly as he dared, and the warriors
all moved to the rear of the formation, constantly glancing behind them as
they went.  They had just entered another chamber, quite like the one in
which they had slain the troll, when that ugly, misshapen head appeared
from a tunnel entering from another direction.  Kieren's blood turned cold
again, as he caught another glimpse of the creature, and slowly the
grotesque beast pushed more of its body through the opening and into the
chamber.  The behemoth focused on the small party, which had frozen where
they stood when the monster startled them with its appearance.  They
weren't sure if this was the same beast or another, which would have been
identical to the first.  Now they were forced to monitor this threat, while
constantly scanning behind themselves too, not sure of they would be
trapped between a pair of these freaks of nature.  Garreth also found this
creature vile and repulsive, and as he struggled with an instinctive urge
to turn away, Kieren had overcome his uneasiness and was now studying this
new threat to see if he could spot a weakness they might exploit.  The
prince noted two protrusions on its face, located on each side of what
appeared to be its mouth, extensions that he at first thought were a pair
of horns.  Upon further study, he decided those two outgrowths were part of
its food gathering mechanisms, like the mandibles he had seen on various
insects.  He concluded that these could be dangerous weapons in close
combat and they could probably sever an appendage or crush a chest or a
head.

Kieren now began to study the rest of the body, at least the part that had
come into view, and he saw that the body was divided into segments and each
of these sections had their own pairs of legs.  Its green hide was smooth,
but appeared rugged, and it was covered with bright yellow and pale blue
lumps, which erupted from its skin like festering sores on a diseased limb.

While all of this was going on, their new opponent was studying them as
well, but Quintain finally spoke the words many of the others had been
thinking.  "Would you agree that this is probably what the troll was
referring to as his pet?"

"I believe you are correct," Hadwin replied, "though I wish it had not
responded to its master's call."

"I agree as well," Alaric added, "and I've concluded that there is only
one.  If there was a second of this type of animal, it would have appeared
behind us some time ago."

"I agree totally," chimed in Doenilio.  "If there were more than one I
think they would have tried to split our attention and attacked us
simultaneously."

"So what are we going to do now?" Garreth wanted to know.

"We're going to sit tight and not make any sudden moves," the Nardian
informed him.  "I think it best we let it make the first move, but
hopefully it will not like the odds and retreat."

"I doubt that will happen," Alaric countered, "as we slew its friend and
master, but it may be wise to give it the opportunity to do so first."

Thus it was decided and the standoff began.  The creature remained
partially exposed in part of the chamber, but the rest of him was still
down the corridor.  No one knew for sure how large this unnatural creature
really was, but it appeared to be massive.  All that was happening was that
each side was staring at and sizing up the other, waiting to see what each
was planning to do.  Suddenly Qaim burst back into the chamber, having
returned from investigating one of the other tunnels, and he stopped in
mid-stride when he saw the creature.  The sudden emergence of the aignx
startled the monster and it withdrew back down the tunnel through which it
had entered the chamber, deciding that it was suddenly the best thing for
it to do.

Kieren took this opportunity to make sure his hood was still secure, his
cloak was fastened, and that he was covered completely.  After seeing this
new mutant, as opposed to the condor, and realizing the threat it posed, he
was thankful for the camouflaging potential of this garment and he felt it
would help to make sure he survived to complete his assignment.  The only
part visible was his short sword, which he held clinched in his fist, with
the hilt pulled partially up his sleeve.  During the time he was checking
his cloak, he never let his gaze move from the opening through which the
beast had disappeared, when suddenly it stuck its head into the opening
again and began to work its way back into the chamber.  Slowly it eased
itself into view, still leery of these intruders and how it would attack so
many, when Doenilio suggested their next course of action.

"Qaim, was that the correct tunnel?"

"Yes, we go that way."

"Well, the rest of you start making for it and we shall guard your rear."
Of course he was referring to his countrymen with the 'we' reference.  "Go
quickly before that thing decides to attack."

The aignx moved back to the tunnel, followed by Kieren and the others, and
the three dwarfs backed up, until they blocked off that opening.  As soon
as the others were moving down the hallway, the three dwarfs took turns
following down the corridor behind them, constantly watching their rear.
They had gone a couple hundred meters down the shaft when the heard another
pitiful wail, and they stopped to count their number and make sure each of
them were there.

"What do you think that was?" Kieren wondered.

"Methinks the pet hath gone back to mourn its master," replied Turquinine.
"It would be best if we hurried on our way, before it concludes that we
must pay for that deed."

They agreed without speaking another word and moved very quickly down the
corridor.  They were rushing along when Kieren decided to peek over his
shoulder to see which warriors were behind him, when he suddenly discovered
that none were.  With his cloak pulled around him and in the confusion of
their hurried departure, everyone had passed the prince by, without even
knowing they had done so.  He turned forward again and immediately saw that
the others were moving farther away, so he tried to run to catch up to
them.  Suddenly he heard movement behind him and turned to see what was
there, when he saw that green nightmare bearing down on him.  He tried to
run faster, but couldn't with the cloak so securely fastened about him, and
now he realized that thing would soon overtake him.  Not knowing what else
to do, he flattened himself against the wall and prayed that it would pass
him by.

The worm-like creature soon came up the tunnel quite fast and Kieren braced
himself and pushed his body as far into the stone as it would go.  As the
beast passed him by, Kieren was able to look to the side and down at the
multiple legs churning just about as fast as they could go.  He thought the
legs looked too small to move such a massive body, but he just assumed that
the numerous legs made up for how inappropriate they looked.  That massive
body finally moved by him completely and Kieren went to step away from the
wall, when he slipped and his left hand dropped down to the floor, as he
tried to keep from falling, but that's when he discovered another surprise.
His hand landed in something slimy and he instinctively pulled it out of
the goop as soon as he could.  Now he tried to use his right hand to brace
against the wall, to keep himself from falling completely.  He was not
totally successful in his effort and his right hand slid down the wall,
stopping only when the sword in that hand hit the rock floor, making a dull
thud as it did so.  He thought he had caught himself in time, but then the
blade slipped and his other hand ended up covered with slime too.  Now
Kieren was really uncomfortable.

As Kieren stood back up and tried to wipe the substance from his skin, he
began to wonder what it was.  Then it dawned on him that this creature must
be producing and spreading that goop as it traveled.  That's how it moved
its giant girth around, by sliding it over the slick lubricant that its
body secreted, because those tiny legs, no matter how numerous, could not
support the enormous bulk of this freak of nature.  This adaptation allowed
the creature to move freely and swiftly as it guarded the numerous tunnels
that intertwined throughout this subterranean maze.  Kieren moved closer to
the wall, to keep from slipping in this slime, but he found that too much
of it already coated his boots, which made it difficult to move quickly.
He tried desperately to catch up with his comrades, but gradually fell
further behind them, and as the seconds passed he realized that the gap
between his friends and him was widening.  As he rounded the next bend in
this winding tunnel, he caught sight of his former pursuer slipping down a
side-shaft, and instantly he made the decision to remain in the main tunnel
and not to follow the enormous beast, as it deviated from what Kieren
surmised was the course the others had followed.

Even though there was a chance that the prince had calculated incorrectly
and his friends had indeed taken that other corridor, he couldn't see any
advantage to being behind that monster now.  Gradually the slime left the
soles of his boots, leaving visible footprints showing where he had been as
he continued on, but now he was able to pick up his pace and he moved more
speedily as time went on.  As he made his way through the darkness, he
began to notice an ever-increasing brightness ahead of him, possibly
another chamber or maybe another threat.  As that source of light began to
penetrate the gloom, he cautiously proceeded toward it.  He had immediately
realized that this was much more light than the dwarfs' torches could
possibly give off, so he was curious as to what produced it.  He felt his
cloak protected him well enough that he could continue to move toward it,
so he continued on.  As he approached what he realized was another chamber
chiseled out of the solid rock, he heard the muffled sounds of voices
coming from within.  He wasn't close enough to hear what was said or
identify the race of the speaker, so he kept inching his way forward,
straining to hear as much as he could.  Finally he was able to discern what
was being said.

"When was the last time you saw him?" the speaker asked.

"I think it was when we started down the tunnel," another answered.

"Does anyone remember seeing him after that?" a new voice wondered.  There
was a pause after that question was asked, but Kieren had heard enough to
determine his next move.  He boldly passed through the opening and spoke.

"Just exactly what is it you wish to know?" he asked, without reservation.
The startled group looked about, their heads jerking from side-to-side,
trying to locate the speaker.  Just when they started to become frustrated,
the prince reached up and pulled his hood back, suddenly making himself
visible to the others.  His companions looked relieved by his reappearance
and they began to barrage him with their questions.

"What happened to you?"  "Where have you been?"  "Are you all right?"  "Did
you have a run in with that creature?"  "Do you know where it went?"  The
questions came all at once, and the teenager didn't know which question to
answer first.  As he was trying to decide what to tell theem, Hadwin made
another valid point.

"Look, all that doesn't matter now and we must move on and put some
distance between us and that beast.  We can discuss all this later, once
we're in a more secure location.  This area is too exposed, with too many
entrances in and out of it, so we need to move along and have Qaim lead us
to some place safer."

"Qaim take you.  You follow Qaim," their enigmatic guide informed them.
They agreed that would be appropriate and they were ready to move out of
the chamber when their adversary's head and first few body segments burst
in from one of the tunnels in front of them.

"That blasted thing must have circled around us, while we worried about
what had happened to Kieren," Alaric shouted.

"It has indeed done that," Sedain added.  "Now what do you propose we do?"

"It looks as though we're going to have to fight it," Rhys offered, as he
gripped the hilt of his sword and stepped toward the beast.

>From this distance, they could see the hatred in the monster's eyes and
feel the tension and purpose in its every movement.  There was no doubt in
their minds that this creature sought revenge for what they had done to its
friend and benefactor, and now they had to quickly determine how best to
dispose of this threat.  The entire party had brought their weapons to the
ready, except for Qaim, who remained unarmed.  They spread out horizontally
across the chamber, so it could only attack one of them at a time, though
they made Kieren and Garreth remain in a second row behind them, with
Kieren once again invisible under his cloak.  Hadwin made the first move,
seeing the creature turn its head to look toward those on the other side of
the chamber, and he made a bold assault to the area just behind its eye.
The creature shrieked out in pain and swiveled more quickly than the
Nardian expected, now facing the warrior just as he was attempting to stab
it for the second time.  The blow, which had been aimed for the side of the
creature's head, was now going toward its face, and the beast was able to
clamp down on Hadwin's right arm, grasping it securely in the vise-like
grip of the horny appendages that were located on either side of its mouth.
The warrior released a groan of agony, as those pincers tightened and
rendered his flesh, and the other warriors immediately moved to the attack,
trying to free their comrade from that painful hold.

Turquinine made the speediest retaliation, spurred to make a rapid
counterattack because of memories about what had happened to Selvaggio in
the Murky Marshes.  This caused him to unleash a powerful swipe of his
broad sword, which severed one of their opponent's front limbs, and then he
instinctively prepared for another blow.  The giant knight was inwardly
pleased with the result of his actions and prepared to make his next move.
At the same time, Rhys had thrust at the other side of the monster's body,
leaving a deep and lengthy gash along that side of the creature's head.
These two new wounds caused their adversary to release its grip on Hadwin
and then retreat slightly, giving the others a chance to pull the Nardian
to safety.  As they dragged him back away from danger, Alaric voiced the
thought they all were sharing.

"We aren't going to be able to destroy this thing on our own and I don't
see how we're going to get around it.  We're going to need more than metal
blades and arrows to overcome this assailant."

While the others were discussing what they were going to do next, Kieren
was groping at his cloak, trying to pull it open so he could get at his
medallion.  Finally his clasps gave way and he reached inside and extracted
the large metal disk, positioning it carefully in the triangle formed by
his index fingers and thumbs.  Now Kieren pointed it in the direction of
that monstrous being, stepped in front of the others, and whispered his one
word command.  "Destroy!"

A blinding light burst from the face of the golden insignia and shot into
the center of the visible portion of the creature's body.  The force of the
explosion knocked the others off balance and filled the room with a
brilliance that left them temporarily blinded.

                   *    *     *     *     *     *     *

If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me
at http://members.tripod.de/wolfslair, in the 'Other Stories' section.
Emails may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.