by Clark Bolton
“Don’t think me powerless human!A sphinx has many ways of ending lives!”
Berdtom spoke up again. “A sphinx!” His mind raced with the ramifications of that fact. “If you are that then can you not bargain with us, for there is no need for us to fight a noble beast such as you. As Autbek has said, we are no grave robbers and seek nothing that is not ours to take.”
The sphinx focused his eye upon Berdtom. “You may not leave with even one grain of sand, for I guard all things in this valley.”
Berdtom paused, considering his options. “That is foolish, for we do not wish your life, and if we take it, all of this would be ours by right!”
Murac had moved over to Haspeth who was now casting an enchantment upon his long sword. “Listen to him, lord of the skies! I will wait little longer before cutting you with this, and the mages above you are preparing spells! Are you immune to fire also?”
Autbek thought Murac might be giving him a hint as to what to try next, so he stood up in the cave mouth as if to cast a spell. This caused the sphinx to stop licking its wounds and look up at him with a growl.
“What do you seek?” It asked Autbek.
“I seek two Ausic rings that lay on the bodies of my master’s brethren; no more than that!” He thought he saw the sphinx’s eyes focus on his ring but could not be sure at this distance.
“You are an Ausic Mage?” The sphinx demanded to know.
“I am an Ausic apprentice of the fourth rank and the master I serve is himself an Ausic mage!” He held up his finger with the ring on it as evidence.
“Come closer so I may see!”
Berdtom stepped out away from the cliff to look up at Autbek. “Wait! If he is a sphinx then you are bound by honor, so swear to us that this is no trick.”
The sphinx’s tail thrashed a bit in irritation. “It is not, though know I will use any advantage later that comes of it!”
“Fair enough.” Berdtom conceded, as he motioned Autbek to come down.
He used a levitate spell and the rope to descend and then after glancing at Luzac, who appeared to still be breathing, he walked several steps toward the sphinx until he stood next to Murac. Holding up his ring finger again he asked. “What does this mean to you?”
“It means little, but more than enough!”
Berdtom scoffed. “Is this the start of your riddles, sphinx!”
“Maybe so, but have I not the right to speak with one from those who bound me here?”
Murac glanced at Autbek. “Will you know when the spell ends?”
Autbek could see where this was leading. “No, it could already have happened.”
“We want a promise of no aggression from you!” Berdtom demanded. “Not until we have stopped negotiating and have had time to separate!”
The sphinx laughed for the first time. “Nicely said, and for that I will agree if the promise comes from this Ausic Mage.”
“It does.” Autbek replied.
“Then it is agreed! I shall leave this road and fly from this canyon before I bring harm and death to you.”
That seemed to satisfy most but Murac kept his sword out anyway, but then tensions rose again as Castor called out from above. “It is healing its wounds!”
They looked for signs of this and found them, for where there had been six or seven arrows protruding from its flesh there was now but two and no signs of the wounds the others caused. The flank of the sphinx was also looking better as it licked away the blood.
“Castor! Bring everyone down!” Autbek hoped they would be quick about it since what he planned was short to execute, but he knew not how fast the sphinx could fly from the canyon and then turn to attack them again.
The sphinx eyed each of the girls closely and then Castor as they descended with help from Haspeth and Negorch. Onaleen quickly went to attend Luzac as did Pemmesa.
“The illusionist I think. I will not make that error in judgment again, I assure you!” The sphinx said, obvious to all that it referred to the dire-wolf that had leaped from the cave.
Castor bowed and then proceeded to start drawing runes upon the cliff face. Autbek carefully paged through the scrolls he had on him and pulled out the one he had been thinking to use. “This scroll will allow us to leave here, for it will teleport us to Astrum if need be.” He hoped this help convince the beast that it had lost the battle, though to use this scroll was taking a great risk.
“You would need to return then mage! And so we would be where we stand now!”
Berdtom saw an opening. “Yes! But we would return prepared for a sphinx. Perhaps even with Autbek’s master, a superior Ausic mage!”
The sphinx seemed unimpressed. “I suppose if there are only two Ausic mages in the world one must be the superior.”
Autbek found it alarming that the sphinx could know such information, though they themselves could not be certain the world did not contain other Ausic Mages. “How can you know this?”
The sphinx licked its wounds some more before it spoke. “I do not sleep mage nor do I whittle away the time staring at the shrines of humans. My kind has always kept knowledge scared and our sources many. So know that the Ausic have all but passed from this world and your efforts might have succeeded in halting that, but for the mistake of coming to this place.”
Berdtom stepped up next to Autbek. “Then I have you at our mercy ancient one. For we have something that no creature, sphinx or otherwise has gazed upon in this age nor the one before it! Some knowledge that even you would fear to lose over all that is contained here in these shrines!”
“Grrrr! Do not bluff so human you do not know what is here or what lore I possess.”
Berdtom raised his chin. “Then take my riddle as safe passage for us out of here with what we seek!”
The sphinx paused and stared intently at Berdtom, and then did another surprising thing, it started purring. The low forceful sound of it resonated through the rock and into the bodies of the whole party.
“That would be all but impossible for you to satisfy, for I think you will claim not to have your precious knowledge about you and so proof of it I will not have!”
Berdtom was not perturbed for a second. “I think we both know you have ways to determine truth!”
The creature laughed for the second time. “I do but they are not for the faint of heart, and I think with the love you have for my roar you shall not agree to my method!”
“Take the riddle and we will take your test of fear and truth!”
The purring increased and went on in silence as the sphinx sat motionless with eyes closed for what seemed to the party like several minutes. Murac looked about to make sure everyone was aware that he was expecting to have to battle this beast again. Two of the girls were bandaging Luzac who still had not moved of his own accord, but they were not likely to assist him and the others anyway he knew.
“I agree!” The sphinx suddenly stated.
“As do we!” Berdtom replied without hesitation.
“State this fabulous knowledge now human or this bargaining session ends immediately!”
Berdtom smiled and bowed. “We have been working with the Un Sha on something they deem so fabulous as you put it, that they have sent us a monk and scribes so that they may produce a copy of it for themselves.”
“Hmmm … impressive and most interesting. Tell me more.” The sphinx purred.
“It is something thought lost, or at the very least recalled by the gods themselves!”
The purring became almost numbing to their feet as now it produced vibrations that caused small pebbles to dance about on the road. Autbek began to fear they were indeed out matched by such a creatures that could cause the earth to shake so easily.
“Enough! State its true nature or risk my wrath!” This came as nearly a roar.
Berdtom took a step back, then steadied himself. “We have a complete Tesslodken Sta … the Book of Warriors!”
The sphinx’s eyes snapped open and its purr stopped. “Now the p
roof of this!”
Berdtom looked frightened now. “Name the test!”
The purr started again as the sphinx paused and closed its eyes. “One of you must place your head within my mouth and state the truth of this you claim!”
“What?” Haspeth gasped. He had been quiet since the battle had started for fear of the creature but that was beginning to wear off. “Bloody well no!”
“Do this now, or I fly from the canyon.”
They looked to Berdtom as if he should be the one to do it, then they looked to Autbek. Both stood paralyzed as they stared at the creatures fangs.
Murac sheathed his sword and spoke quietly to Berdtom. “Do these things keep their word?”
“Ahhh tales say they do!”
“Then what’s the problem?” With that said Murac walked up to the paws of the beast and stared up into its eyes. “Well!”
The purr increased again as the creature bent its head down and opened wide. Murac could have crawled into the maw had he chose to as it was that large, instead he turned his head sideways and laid his ear to the beasts tongue.
“Do you have this Tesslodken Sta?” Came the muffled question.
Murac looked around the inside of the sphinx’s mouth. “We do!”
The purr reached crescendo, causing small rocks to tumble down the cliff face. The girls did their best to shield Luzac from them as the others cringed, fearful of Murac’s fate.
“Is it complete?” The sphinx asked.
“Yes!”
The sphinx then gently lifted its head allowing Murac to withdraw. Turning to Berdtom it stated. “Take only the two rings, you’ll find them there in the shrine you were in, then go!”
Berdtom nodded his head several times. “Agreed! We will take them and go immediately.”
The purring had dropped to a very low rumble now. “We shall meet again, perhaps!” The creature then prepared to take flight.
“Wait!” Came a weak cry from Onaleen. “Please, sir, can you not heal him?”
The sphinx paused, but did not so much as glance at Luzac. “Honor and oaths forbid me, though this much I will say in aid!” Turning to look at Onaleen he added. “You healer, are capable enough if you strive.” It leaped into the air as it growled out. “Look to your scrolls!”
They watched in amazement as the huge beast took to the air and climbed seemingly effortless out of the canyon and out of sight. Moments passed before anyone dare say anything.
“We would have been slaughtered, battle-mage and all!” Castor commented as he prepared to climb the cliff face again.
Haspeth looked at him in contemplation for several moments, then searched the sky for signs of the sphinx. “Naw! We just needed to figure out the right spells to cast.”
“And those would be what?” Castor asked as he climbed.
“Aaa, fire maybe or freeze him!”
“You can do that can you?”
“Well … hey that thing I found…that ivory, I’m thinking maybe that’s able to do something like that!”
“You found!” Castor said, pausing to look down at Haspeth, who ignored him as he pulled the ivory handle from his pocket to once again examine it.
They found the bodies of the two Dieknotkow where the sphinx said they would be. The bodies were nothing more than dried husks with a few remaining feathers. The rings on their fingers seemed fused with their finger bones so they had to remove the entire finger from both and take that with them.
“Hope this is not taking more than we bargained for!” Haspeth commented as they descended back down to the road.
“Why, ain’t got that freeze spell working yet?” Castor jived.
They both stopped talking as they reached the road where the girl’s continued to do their best for Luzac. Onaleen was sitting with her back resting against the cliff face studying a handful of scrolls, looking very distressed.
Autbek climbed down from the shrine and walked over and knelt beside her. “Onaleen, have you come to a decision yet?” She looked older and very tired as she looked into his eyes.
“I don’t know, I think I should do as the sphinx said. If I don’t I’m sure he will not make it much longer, and if we tried to move him now …”
“You mean cast from one of these scrolls?” He asked as he looked to see which one she had selected. They had found a handful of healing spells but they all proved beyond her skills except for a few cantrips. To cast a spell, even from a scroll that was way beyond ones abilities could cause unexpected results, even death he knew.
She lowered her eyes to look upon Luzac again. “Yes, O’t, I have no choice … do I?”
He inhaled deeply then furrowed his brow. “I don’t know but I don’t think we do. Murac and Berdtom think that the monks would likely have town folks with them now and might not be of help anyway. Plus they don’t think Luzac will survive if we try to take him down to the monastery.
“I’m ready then.” She announced, with little resolve in her voice. They helped her to her feet and then she walked to Luzac’s side. His entire torso was soaked in blood and he seemed only to breathe slightly.
“Murac, you mentioned we should make a litter.” Autbek asked. Murac then nodded and went to retrieve poles they had seen in one of the shrines. As Onaleen started casting the spell he looked to the sky with tears forming in his eyes. “Gods.” He muttered.
The shimmering about Luzac’s body lasted for several seconds and then was gone. No other sign that a spell had been cast was evident. When done casting Onaleen rocked back on her ankles and closed her eyes, as if praying. When suddenly Luzac began inhaling deeply and regularly she began to cry.
The others gazed in disbelief as the dwarf opened his eyes and managed a whisper to Negorch who had never left his side. The words were in dwarven so Negorch had to translate though only he was close enough to hear them anyway.
Smiling, Negorch looked to Onaleen. “He wants to know if this is his stone-bed!”
“What?” They asked, not understanding.
“He means why have we laid him on his burial stone if he is not yet dead!”
They laughed nervously at what was apparently a dwarfish joke of some kind. As color returned to Luzac’s face they thought to prepare to leave as concerns about villagers and a returning sphinx entered their minds.
With help from Negorch, Murac built a litter of long poles and then they all looked about to decide where it was that they would be going to. The road was at an end and the only ways to go were down off the end of the road, which was a sheer cliff, or back to the monastery. They refused to consider climbing up the cliff, as that looked to lead nowhere.
“Down then!” Murac announced as he prepared ropes. The drop was enormous and so would take all the rope they had. “Mages, figure out how to anchor these ropes such that we can retrieve them from below.”
Castor nodded his head to Murac and then turned to Autbek as they prepared their packs. “O’t, can you check again to see if there might be more rings, or something else made from that stuff yours is?”
Autbek nodded his head. “Good idea though you know we can’t take them!” The two of them then laid out the locator and after casting the spell they glanced at each other knowingly. “Something’s up there!” With that said they went back to packing as they occasionally glanced up in the direction the needle had pointed.
They cast levitate spells on Luzac, and on everyone else which took its toll on Haspeth and Autbek. Each spell casting took a bit of energy and time to recover from.
Berdtom watched Murac and Negorch start the descent alongside Luzac who was strapped to the litter. “We need to cut back to the road between here and the city of Urbourkas on the other side of the village I think. If we try to go across these hills for long I think we will not make the rendezvous point in time.”
Autbek and the others agreed, though when they discussed the option to hire a fishing boat to take them up the coast to where they needed to go, there was no general agreement rea
ched. Some feared going into the city again and others simply feared getting in a boat again.
“We can decide that in the next day or two I think.” Berdtom announced as he started the descent himself.
Chapter 30
Nothing remarkable happened over the course of the next few days. The party was able to bypass the village at the base of the monastery with difficulty, costing them a day’s travel. Luzac’s condition remained the same despite the constant jarring of the litter as they walked. Thanks to a constant succession of levitation spells the litter was manageable though it still slowed them a lot.
On the second day of travel they stopped along the road in a secluded gully and there Pemmesa did a divination. Taking the herbs she had been given by the vixen and using the clearest water they could obtain, which was from a nearby creek, she placed them in a small cook pot. After heating this in a small fire she gazed into the mix for a while.
No other of the mages had the talent to see the likely path of the future, though Autbek could see swirling shapes on the surface of the liquid but they never solidified as they did for Pemmesa. “Take your time, Pemmesa. Anything you can tell is more than we know now.” Autbek told her.
“I see colors, O’t, colors that we saw before when the Bone-Cutter first arrived in Astrum.”
He nodded his head encouragingly, liking what he was hearing. If a ship was confirmed to be coming then their path was clear, else they had to decide if the trip to the rendezvous point was worth it. Some had been suggesting they should just take passage on a ship bound for Astrum, though it would take a couple of months to get there.
“I see the lightning too … but I don’t see any ship.”
That was enough to decide things for most of them. They all wanted the ship to come though they knew the dangers of traveling the astral plane and thoughts of two long months on a ship at sea was turning out to be a big motivator for all of them to accept that risk.
When they reached the city of Urbourkas again they elected to bypass it slightly and head for a neighboring fishing village they could see from a vantage point on the road. There they hired a fishing boat large enough to accommodate all of them. It required spending some of the gold they found, as the fishermen were leery of them as well as the destination.