They quietly made their way forward towards the light and saw the entrance to a room that was definitely the source of the light. He glanced at Sugar one more time. The silver tooth's sharp point shone in the bluish light.

He would distract the monster, draw it to them, and she would stab it anywhere she could. "Are you ready?" he mouthed.

She nodded.

Talen turned and stepped around the corner and into the full light.

He expected an immediate attack. At the very least he expected the creature to see him and charge. But no such thing happened.

Da's voice sounded from around a bend in the room where Talen couldn't see him.

Talen took another step forward, then another, until he saw first Uncle Argoth, then River, the Creek Widow, Da, Ke, and another woman with cuts and bruises whose hair had been shaved off, all manacled at even distances with chains that had been fastened into the semi-circular rock wall. Ke stood. The rest of them sat with their backs against the wall.

The monster was nowhere to be seen.

"Mother!" Sugar cried and rushed forward.

The conversation ceased. All of them looked up.

Sugar ran to the woman Talen had not been able to identify.

"No," the woman said. "Not here!" But she held up her arms anyway and received her girl in an awkward embrace, Sugar holding the hag's tooth well away from her mother.

"Talen," Da said. "What have you done? You must flee."

Talen withdrew the red cloth from his pocket, unfolded it, then held the odd crown up by one of the leather straps. "I thought you might need this."

"Hogan," said the Creek Widow with some hope.

"We can't use it," said Da. He motioned at his neck. "Not with these things devouring our power the moment it springs forth." Da glanced at an exit from the chamber Talen had not seen when he first came in. "I don't know how you found us, but you must leave before it comes back. Go!"

"Wait," said Uncle Argoth. He pointed at Sugar. "Are those the Ravelers?"

All eyes focused on what Sugar held in her outstretched arm.

"Yes," she said.

Uncle Argoth waved to Sugar. "Here," he said. "Quickly!"

Sugar rose from her mother and hurried to Uncle Argoth.

He stretched his neck to one side and motioned to a patterned object encircling it. "Careful now. I want you to p.r.i.c.k the surface. Let it get a taste."

"Stop," said the Creek Widow. "What are you doing?"

Uncle Argoth turned to her. "I've been enthralled once. I will not be enthralled again. Let's see if the tooth can unravel this collar."

"It will unravel you," said the Creek Widow.

"Then so be it," said Uncle Argoth. He turned to Sugar. "Quickly, we don't have time."

Sugar glanced at Talen. Then she turned back to Argoth and brought the tooth close to the collar.

The collar slithered.

Sugar paused, fear on her face.

"Go on, girl," said Uncle Argoth.

She moved the point of the tooth closer and the collar struck, curling an end around the tooth.

Sugar cried out.

The tooth seemed to shudder, then it leapt out of her fingers.

Uncle Argoth gasped.

The tooth was wriggling, entwining with the collar.

"Grab it," said Uncle Argoth.

The tooth and collar were now one, struggling, twisting about his neck.

Uncle Argoth fell back against the wall.

Sugar tried to grab the tooth, but it resisted. She tried again. This time she was able to catch it and tug.

She grunted. "It's stuck," she said.

"Yes," said Uncle Argoth. He winced. "I can feel it weakening. Get a good grip. Be ready to yank it back when I tell you."

The collar writhed.

"It's slipping," said Sugar.

Suddenly the collar jerked, spasmed.

"Now," said Uncle Argoth.

Sugar yanked. The tooth did not budge.

Uncle Argoth cried out, clutched at his neck.

Lords, it was going to burrow into him.

Then Sugar heaved a second time and the tooth came free. It twisted once, twice, and then stilled.

Uncle Argoth grasped the dead worm thing about his throat, ripped it free, and cast it to the floor. A bright spot of red glistened on his neck. He felt it with his fingers and brought them away to look at the blood. "That was a nasty bite," he said to Sugar. "But well done. Now free Ke and the Creek Widow. Then Hogan and Purity. In that order." He turned to Talen. "Bring the crown here. She'll feel the breach. We don't have much time."

Talen hurried over to Uncle Argoth, who was still in chains, and held the crown out to him.

Uncle Argoth took it by the strap and laid the square medallion in the palm of his hand. He stroked its surface with his finger.

Sugar moved to Ke, who stretched his thick neck to the side.

"Wait," said Talen. "Give me the other gauntlet and tooth. We'll do two at a time."

Sugar nodded and removed the second gauntlet from her belt. She tossed it to Talen.

He caught it midstride. It was light as silk and thin. Even the weave in the palm was thin. He expected to feel some surge of power when he pulled it onto his left hand, but he felt no such thing. It felt simply like an exceedingly fine glove. The gold studs were small enough that it wouldn't affect the grip of the glove too much. He had no time to tie the sleeve and let the straps dangle.

Sugar laid the silver case containing the last tooth on the floor and turned to Ke. When she put the tooth to his collar, he gasped. But this time she kept a firm grip, and the tooth did not jump from her hand.

Talen bent down, opened the case, and removed the last tooth. He approached the Creek Widow. Her eyes danced with delight. "Did I not say you were the one to watch?"

She turned her head and put her arms behind her back, her chains clinking and clattering. How they were going to break those he did not know.

He now saw that the collars weren't all one color. Instead, they were dark and muddy, shot through with browns and greens and a heavy blue. There was a pattern to it, but it was all too dark to distinguish it well. They reminded him of hideous eels.

Talen did not hesitate, but quickly p.r.i.c.ked the creature with the sharp point of the tooth.

He was not ready for the power and slipperiness of the tooth. It jumped like a fish from his hand to twine and wrestle with the dark collar. Then it began to wriggle in.

Frantically, Talen grasped for it. He caught the end barely before it completely disappeared into the body of the collar.

He glanced at the Creek Widow's face. She was grimacing in pain, gritting her teeth.

The collar about the Creek Widow's neck jerked and rolled. The tooth strained against his grasp. And then it stopped and the collar hung limp about the Creek Widow's neck.

Talen yanked back on the tooth and it came out, trailing some substance that was dark and sticky.

Behind him, he heard Ke grunt. Talen turned and saw Ke straining, pulling at the chain where it was bolted to the rock wall. He gave another heave and, with a crack, pulled the iron loop from the rock.

Talen shook his head. Admiration bloomed in him: his brother was as strong as any dreadman. Stronger.

The Creek Widow tugged at the creature about her neck. When it came loose, she flung it to the floor and then felt her throat. "You can be sure I won't be asking for one of those during the festival of gifts."

The skin where the collar had coiled about her neck was red and raised in a long welt.

Ke strode over to the Creek Widow, rolling his shoulders and shaking his arms to loosen them. He looked at Talen and grinned. "Step aside, little man."

He picked up the chain binding the Creek Widow to the wall, grimaced, and gave it a mighty yank. The chain ripped completely out of the wall.

Ke grunted.

"Handy, isn't he?" said the Creek Widow. "Now get your sister."

Talen rushed to River and found the left side of her face covered with purpled bruises. She turned her head to expose her long neck, and he pressed the raveler to the thrall. However, it had only begun to work when River cried out. "Remove it!" she said.

Talen yanked the tooth back. "What is it?"

She gasped. "It was in me. Give me a moment."

Behind him, the Creek Widow joined Ke and Uncle Argoth off to one side and formed an odd circle where each turned sideways and placed their left hand on the crook of the arm of the person in front of them. With their right, they each held a bit of the crown. They began a chant where one would speak and the other two would repeat it in unison. Talen couldn't understand the words and realized they were in some odd tongue.

To Talen's left, Da fell to his knees, Sugar's tooth still struggling with the collar about his neck.

"Grab it," Da said to Sugar, gritting the words out.

Sugar grasped the tooth and yanked it out.

Da groaned in pain, heaving great breaths. He turned his head to look at River. "You and I have worn the collars longer. The binding must be tighter. Be prepared: it's going to take a part of you. You're not going to want to let it go."

"I felt that," said River.

Da turned to Sugar. "Finish it."

She put the tooth to him again, and he winced.

Talen turned from Da and looked at his sister. "Are you ready?"

She held her hand up. "A moment," she said.

They didn't have a moment. "The monster's close," he said. "I can smell it."

The Creek Widow cried out in delight. "It's quickened," she said and held the crown aloft.

Da gritted his teeth, his face red and sweating with the strain. "It's done!" he said, and Sugar withdrew the tooth. Da ripped the lifeless collar from his neck, exposing a thin line of blood.

"Quickly," the Creek Widow said and hurried to him. Uncle Argoth and Ke followed.

"The crown's still gold," Talen said. "Shouldn't it be black?"

"I told you," the Creek Widow said. "It operates on different principles, and it's very much alive. Long ago, perhaps in a different age, three years of life were poured into it. The power of three years of life-you can feel it pulsating. It requires three now to waken it."

Da stood and struggled with his chains, but could not remove them from the wall as Ke had done.

"Now," said Da.

The Creek Widow strapped the crown to Da's head.

"Can it be ripped off?"

"Once the crown and your father are joined," said the Creek Widow, "no power can separate them."

Ke, The Creek Widow, and Uncle Argoth formed their odd circle again, turning sideways to the center of the circle, placing their left hands on the neck of the person in front of them, stretching their right arms out to the center of the circle to rest on Da's head and touch the medallion. This time, Da spoke the strange words, followed in unison by the other three.

Sugar, her tooth in hand, stood in the center of the chamber like a guard dog.