"W-w-why n-not?"

The climb was fairly easy for Wikkell, but it took a bit longer for Deek. When they finally attained the orifice, Wikkell noted that it was rather dark within.

"I shall go back down and sc.r.a.pe up some glow-fungus."

"N-n-no n-need. I c-c-can s-s-see w-w-well e-enough." "I shall follow your lead, then."

The two of them entered the pa.s.sage.

Bad luck rode the wings of the first four bats to swoop at Conan. The first attacker became two half bats as he was split lengthwise by the Cimmerian's blade. The second and third bats pulled out of their dives to avoid the deadly sword, but in so doing, they flew within range of the plants and their sticky lines; the plants wasted no time in snaring the hapless bats in their ropes. The fourth bat managed a tight turn, grinning as he avoided a line cast by the Webspinners. The grin disappeared as Conan slashed again, removing the bat's head from its shoulders. The hurtling body sailed into the first pikeman to arrive, knocking him flat.

Elashi and Tull cut with their own weapons. Conan had time to see Tull open the belly of a bat and Elashi's steel take the wing and leg of another.

The racket smote Conan's ears: screaming bats, yelling men, the hiss of plant ropes thrown through the dank air. Even so, he grinned. This was something he could deal with, a direct threat, and it was far better to meet an enemy face-on than to continue skulking about in these blasted caves forever.

With that, Conan stepped forward and whipped his blade back and forth at the next wave of bats.

One of the pikemen charged toward Tull and Elashi, pike extended to impale them. Conan smiled as he saw his two friends leap aside, except that Tull stuck his foot out and tripped the attacker. The unfortunate man stumbled and managed to keep his footing but only after he had run a good dozen overbalanced paces onto the silken floor covering. A pair of sticky ropes flew and connected with the pikeman. Plant food he was, and n.o.body's fault save his own.

No time to think about that. Back to the business at hand!

The Harskeel was altogether enraged: two of its men were down; the other two hopped around like dancers, failing to engage the barbarian and his friends; and the bats were dropping like cut wheat. The Harskeel had drawn its own blade, but it felt no confidence in its men or the b.u.mbling bats. Time for magic, it decided, and quickly!

In the Harskeel's belt pouch were two gla.s.s vials: one was of shroud powder, the other of sundust.

Tossed against a hard surface, the former would explode into pitch blackness, the latter into brilliant light.

Were the Harskeel to use the sundust here in the cave, that brightness would certainly blind any who gazed upon it. Conan and the other two would be easier to deal with were they sightless.

The Harskeel pulled the vial from its belt and raised it for the throw. They must be looking in its direction for the magic to work, so attention must be paid.

"Conan!" the Harskeel screamed.

Hearing his name, the barbarian glanced away from the bat he had just cut down. The sound of its voice calling Conan also drew looks from the man and woman next to him. Good! The Harskeel threw the vial.

On the Sunless Sea, Katamay Rey felt a disturbance in the air. It was a distance ahead, but he was certain that it concerned his quest. To his bearers he said, "Faster! Your best speed!"

The twp cyclopes who carried him complied. Because the dock created never-ending extensions of itself at whatever the speed of its occupants, the party began to move at a run, a pace considerably faster than any man could manage.

Chuntha stopped her living raft at a turning in the waterway and stepped ash.o.r.e. She moved to the cover of a boulder half eaten away by water dripping from the far ceiling, and peeped around the rock to see how far ahead Rey's party had moved. She expected to see him no more than a short distance away, but she was surprised. The wizard had gained considerably; more, he and his one-eyed trolls now moved at more than twice the speed he had been traveling at earlier. Sensha curse him! What was he up to now?

The witch ran back to her raft and increased the turning of the screw that powered her craft. Whatever he had in mind, she would not be left behind!

The raft of worms churned out into the waterway and moved rapidly around the turning.

"M-m-may all th-the g-G.o.ds D-d-d.a.m.n!"

"What is it?"

The giant worm halted his slither and spoke to Wikkell. "I-it's a-a d-d-dead e-end," he said. "Th-the p-p-pa.s.sage n-n-narrows j-just a-a-ahead."

"Is there no alternate pa.s.sage?"

"N-n-none."

"Well, Misha curse it. We will have to go back and try the next pa.s.sage."

"L-l-let u-us h-h-hurry."

Indeed, Wikkell thought, let us do precisely that.

The vial that the Harskeel tossed flew through the air to smash against the rock exactly where it had aimed. The Harskeel closed its eyes and further covered them with an arm in antic.i.p.ation of the blinding flash. One, two, three, that should do it!

But when the Harskeel jerked its arm down and opened its eyes, what greeted it was blackness as thickas cold tar.

Curse all the G.o.ds! It had thrown the wrong d.a.m.ned vial!

The cave suddenly went black, and Conan spun about in wonder. That creature, the Harskeel, had tossed something at the floor that must be the cause of the instant night. But... why? It was magic, right enough, and potent, but how could darkness favor the Harskeel?

Conan did not want to wait around to find out. He whispered. "Elashi! Tull!"

"Here," Elashi whispered back.

"And here," Tull said.

"Move toward me. I think I can lead us past them."

There was considerable thrashing about in the darkness as various beings tried to move without hitting a wall or each other. The bats had a certain expertise, but even they must have relied somewhat upon their eyes. Conan heard thumps as bats. .h.i.t things in the curtain of night that had enveloped them.

"Conan?"

"Here, Elashi."

The woman was very near, and Conan reached out and found her. His hand touched her breast.

"Not now, goat."

"Good that you can joke at a time like this," he said.

At that point Tull blundered into Elashi's backside; Conan could feel the impact as the desert woman was pushed against him.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, la.s.s."

"Hold hands," Conan commanded. "Elashi, grab my hand."

They linked themselves together, and Conan began to edge away from the Webspinners. His sense of direction guided him, that innate knowledge he had, and even though he b.u.mped into things in the darkness-rocks, dead bats, a semiconscious pikeman-he led his party into the tunnel and away from the chaos.

Behind them, Conan heard the Harskeel screaming for its men and the bats to block the pa.s.sage, but it was already too late.

Deek and Wikkell neared the entrace to the cul-de-sac they had taken. Before they reached their intended exit, however, Wikkell pulled the worm to a halt. "Wait," he said. "I hear something."

Carefully the two of them inched closer to the opening. At this stage of their quest, a strange noise might well be worth much trouble, and they agreed without speaking to exercise extreme, caution. Wise that the cyclops and worm did so; the phrase "much trouble" was more than a bit euphemistic, considering what awaited them.

On the edge of the rocky sh.o.r.eline was a wooden dock, doubtless magically created for it had not been there before. Upon the dock stood Katamay Rey, surrounded by several of Wikkell's brothers; more of the cyclopes stood upon rocky ledges.

Wikkell uttered a whispered epithet, the common and impolite word for excrement, and backed hastily into a deep shadow. Deek agreed with the curse and slid back as quickly as did Wikkell.

"We are doomed," Wikkell whispered.

Deek's sc.r.a.ping on the rock was muted, but it seemed abnormally loud to Wikkell. "P-p-perhaps n-not.

L-l-look."

It took the cyclops a moment to understand. The focus of the folk gathered below did not seem to be upon the tunnel entrance in which Wikkell and Deek were huddled. No, the a.s.semblage below appeared to be focused upon the center orifice. Wikkell and Deek's feeling of relief was tempered by the knowledge that this was both good and bad. Good because perhaps Rey did not know they were here; bad because it must mean he did know that the humans everyone had been chasing around the caves for what seemed like forever must be in the next tunnel over. That Rey had to come and fetch them himself boded ill for Wikkell; that Rey might capture the men offered Deek no hope for pleasing Chuntha. A bad scenario whichever way it was constructed.

The thoughts of worm and cyclops were interrupted then as several of the cyclopes gave voice to rumbles, acknowledging the arrival of newcomers upon the scene. Neither Deek nor Wikkell could see who these folk might be, but they could certainly guess. It appeared that the game was over. "I think, Deek my friend, that we are in trouble."

"Y-y-you h-have s-s-said it, f-f-friend."

Katamay Rey smiled at the surprise on the faces of the three who appeared in the mouth of the tunnel.

They had apparently not been expecting a reception, two men and a woman, but their shock did not last.

The larger of the men drew a dark-bladed sword, while the woman and the second man also produced weapons nearly as fast. Doubtless they could cause some damage to his minions with those, Rey thought, and the cyclopes, in their enthusiasm to capture the trio, might also injure one or more of them. After all the efforts expended upon this quest, the wizard had no intention of seeing his prey damaged until he had a chance to attend to that personally. He saw the big man gather himself as if to leap down upon the first of the approaching cyclopes. No, that would not do, not at all.

Katamay Rey waved his hands and uttered several words in a language whose last native speaker had died a thousand years earlier. A net flickered out of the air, a coa.r.s.e-meshed affair stronger than tempered steel and impervious to edged weapons. The net fell upon the three people above, entangling them as they tried to move. Like much of his magic, the use of this spell exhausted certain supernatural elements of the air in the vicinity. Beneath Rey's feet, the dock quivered slightly but held firm after a moment. Too much magic in any given place depleted that area's store of etheric energies for a time, as a wine bottle is emptied of liquid. One had to be careful lest one create a spell that rendered further magic impossible for a time.

Best to always have a reserve for emergencies. Well, no matter. He had the three now, finally...

"Bring them down," Rey ordered. Half a dozen of the cyclopes hurried to comply.

The three within the net struggled to escape, but it was a wasted effort. Until he dissolved the magical device, they were not going anywhere.

Katamay Rey smiled. Whatever threat these three had posed to his control of the Black Caves was certainly past.

Chuntha observed Rey's capture of the three she sought with more than a small amount of irritation.

Sensha blast him! He had beaten her to the quarry!

The naked witch slid behind a convenient boulder and considered her options. Because he was first did not mean he was the winner; the issue would not be resolved until he achieved his own stronghold, with its magical wards. Until then, Rey was dangerous but not unbeatable. She had surprise with her; at the proper moment an attack could be mounted against the wizard that would disrupt whatever plans he had.

Timing was, of course, critical; a mistake could be costly. Still, Chuntha did not despair. She had a few tricks of her own packed away, and the thought of destroying That b.a.s.t.a.r.d once and for all caused a warm glow in her belly. She would have her quarry-two men and a woman, each useful-and with proper planning, Rey would have an unplanned and permanent trip straight to Gehanna.

A most pleasant thought.

Fourteen.

The Harskeel's anger filled it to capacity. When the shroud powder's effect faded, it found itself looking upon a scene of carnage. None of its men remained alive. Of the four, one had been cut down by the barbarian, the plants had apparently taken another, the bats in their confusion had fastened to a third, and the fourth lay trampled upon the rocky floor. More than a few bats lay dead as well. Red was not one of them.

The bat with whom the Harskeel had bargained hopped toward the man, surveying the dead as he came. "Bad business," Red said.

The Harskeel could not trust itself to speak.

"Well, what say we just take our spell and call it quits, eh?"

Now the Harskeel's voice came out, but it came coldly and precisely, the ant.i.thesis of its enraged feelings. "I have another spell. This one is somewhat different in effect. It turns bats into insects." "You jest."

"Would you perhaps like a demonstration? Upon yourself, for instance?"

Red spent little time considering this. "Uh, no. I shall take your word for it."

"Good. Then let us go and capture this barbarian before I decide that all of the bats in this blasted cave would serve me better as b.u.t.terflies!"

Wikkell and Deek watched as the three captives were carried to the magical dock. Their weapons were removed and the net dissolved by the wizard, but only after each human was safely in the grip of a pair of cyclopes. Even the largest one's struggles availed it little against the strength of Wikkell's brothers, and the man seemed to realize this, and was still.

As the worm and the cyclops watched, Rey and the group walked to the end of the dock, which was magically lengthened, the rear section vanishing like so much smoke in a vent breeze. In a few moments the procession was nearly out of sight.

"N-n-now wh-what?"

Wikkell sighed. "We are in deep trouble, I would say. You cannot go home, for your mistress will doubtless be unhappy with you."