by Allan Cole
"Don't worry about the Guardians," Safar said, matter of factly. "I can take care of them."
"Sure you can, or at least I believe you when you tell me something like that. You're a mighty wizard, and all. But we'll still be outnumbered. They can overwhelm us at will."
"That's true," Safar said, "but you're forgetting something. They need me to stop the machine."
Leiria became angry. "I just don't want you to get killed, Safar!" she said. "That's all. What's down in that damned temple? Who is the Oracle? She could be the great devil queen of all devil queens, as far as we know. What if it's a trap?"
Safar started to laugh. "Thanks," he said. "I feel much better now."
"What are you talking about?"
"You just reminded me of the worst thing that could happen."
"You're damn right. Death is what could happen."
"No, the worst thing that could happen is that we'd be killed by Iraj."
Another laugh. "And can you imagine how angry he'd be if we died in Caluz before he could catch us? If I could see his face just as I died, I'd go to my grave a happy man."
"I never thought about it like that," Leiria said, smiling. "You're right. It does make you feel better."
They came to the top of a rise and reined in to let the others catch up. Some miles away they could see the caravan crawling across a barren plain to meet them. It was late afternoon-the worst time of day in the Black Lands-and the heat was intense, the air thick with sulfurous fumes from the distant volcanoes.
"At least the air is sweeter in Caluz," Leiria said. "They'll be glad of that."
Safar didn't answer and she turned to see him drawn up stiff, peering hard at the caravan.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," Safar said. He pointed. "But look at that crater. Just to the left of the wagons."
Leiria found the crater. Although large, it was only one of hundreds scattered across the plains. The road skirted them all, so after a time she'd grown used to their presence.
"I don't see anyth-" Something swirled in the entrance and she broke off.
Then the swirl became an immense cloud of bats flying out of the crater-rising in a thick column.
Leiria relaxed. "It's just the bats," she said. "They fly out every night about this time."
"It's … not … just … the … bats!" Safar gritted. Then he shouted, "Come on!"
As he charged down the long hill he had a flicker of memory of another such time. Iraj had been with him then.
Racing down the snowy pass to save the caravan.
Palimak was dreaming of the machine. He was asleep, almost in a stupor from the heat, and in his dream he saw the machine as a huge turtle, a gigantic clockwork toy with immense snapping jaws and it lumbered toward him on mechanical feet.
He jumped into a lake and made himself a fish and swam away. But the turtle came after him and its legs became like revolving oars and it churned through the water at an amazing speed. He swam faster, fast as he could, but the turtle got closer, closer, jaws snap snap snapping, snap-
"Wake up, Little Master!" came a voice. "Wake up!"
Palimak's eyes blinked open and he saw two small frightened faces hovering over his chest-Gundara and Gundaree.
"What's wrong?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
"Can't you feel it?" Gundara said. "Something's watching!"
"And it isn't a very pleasant something, either," Gundaree added. He shuddered. "Kind of oily."
And that was it! Palimak could feel it, feel something watching, something big, something mean and something … oily! But thick. Real thick. And hot! How could it live and watch and be so hot?
"Let's go!" he said, jumping up.
The two little Favorites fled back into the stone idol. He pocketed it and leaped out the back of the slow moving wagon.
The Timura wagons were about half way down the long line, herd animals straggling behind the last wagons with boys driving them along. Beyond them was the rear guard. Perhaps twenty armed men. Up front-past the lead wagons-was another force of fifty. In between and along the both sides of the road, people and children walked, talking listlessly in the heat, burping babies, or flicking sticks at goats and llamas to keep them together.
Palimak stood in the road, letting them pass by. He turned, searching for the source of his discomfort.
Then he caught it. On the other side of the road!
He ducked under a camel, swatting its jaws as it tried to snap at him like that damned turtle. Oops!
Shouldn't say damned. It made Grandmother mad.
Then he saw the bats streaming out of the crater. He looked up at the huge black cloud swirling above the caravan. Normally the bats flew away. But this time they were staying in the same place! Millions of them!
"Is it the bats?" he asked.
Gundara's voice came from his pocket. "It's not the bats!"
" Definitely, not the bats!" Gundaree added.
"Quit repeating everything I say!" snapped Gundara.
"I wasn't repeating. I was emphasizing."
"Oh, shut up!"
"Don't tell me to shut-"
Palimak slapped his pocket. "If I get killed or something," he said, "you'd better learn to like oily stuff.
Because that's what your new master's going to be. Big and oily!"
"And hot," Gundaree said. "Don't forget hot!"
Palimak sighed, "Okay, he's hot! But where is he?"
Then he caught it. A filthy presence at the crater's edge. About fifty feet away. And he could feel it oozing out.
"There he is!" Gundara said. "We'd better get you out of here!"
"Lord Timura will kill us if we let something happen to you!" Gundaree added.
"What spell should we use?" Gundara asked his twin.
"I'd suggest running," Gundaree said. "We can think of one while we're running!"
"Good idea. Do you hear that, Little Master? Run! Run like the Hells!"
But Palimak was already running as fast as his little legs could go. But he wasn't running away. He was racing toward his Grandfather, who was driving the lead Timura wagon.
"Grandfather!" he shouted. "We have to get out of here!"
Khadji heard the boy and turned to see Palimak running toward him. "What's wrong?" he shouted.
Palimak twisted his arm to point, still running. "Back there! It's coming!"
Khadji jumped off and swept the child up. He was startled to see his eyes glowing fiercely yellow and he could feel the boy's sharp little claws biting into his arm.
"What's coming?"
Palimak calmed himself down, eyes flickering back to normal. "It's a great big magic thing, Grandfather,"
he said, spreading his arms wide as he could. "And it's going to get us all if we don't run."
He squirmed to be freed and Khadji let him go. He landed lightly on his feet, like a cat.
"Quick, Grandfather!" he shouted. "Sound the alarm!"
"Calm down, son," Khadji said. "Let's see what it is that's bothering you."
He looked around, saw the bats, smiled and looked down at the boy. "It's just the bats," he said. "They won't hurt us."
Palimak stamped his foot. "It's not the bats!" he snapped. He pointed at the crater. "It's in there. And it's coming out and you'd better blow the stupid horn!"
He saw his grandfather flush with anger and realized he wasn't getting through. To Khadji he was just a little boy who'd suddenly become very rude.
But there wasn't time to fool with that adult stuff. He didn't have time to argue or explain. He knew what he could do, suddenly felt the knowledge and power to go with it. Still he held back, reluctant to take action. This was his Grandfather, after all!
"Please, Grandfather," he said, "Please, please, please. Blow the horn!"
"I'm losing my patience with you, young man!" Khadji said in the tones adults used when they'd had enough.
"I'm sorry, Grandfather," Palimak said.
And then he cast t
he spell, right hand shooting out, claws uncurling from his finger tips, eyes glaring yellow.
Khadji twitched as the spell hit him, stiffening to his full height. He looked down on his grandson with fond eyes. Such a wise little boy.
"Please blow the horn, Grandfather," Palimak said as nicely as he could.
"Sure, son," Khadji said, a broad smile on his face. "Right away!"
Khadji jumped up on the wagon and grabbed the long warning horn that every family leader kept nearby at all times. He blew three blasts-the signal for everyone to go like the blazes and ask questions later.
Palimak knew this wasn't the best plan of escape, but it was all he could think of. Other horns picked up the warning and joined in the cry. People shouted, whips cracked, animals bawled, and the caravan surged forward at a much greater speed.
Khadji smiled and waved happily at Palimak as he drove the wagon away. The boy waved back, feeling very bad about what he'd done.
"All right, Little Master," came Gundara's voice, "so you don't like running. I hope you can think of something pretty quick."
"Frankly," Gundaree added, "we're out of suggestions."
CHAPTER TWENTY
BEAST OF THE BLACK LANDS
Palimak walked slowly back to the crater. Wagons and animals streamed past, people running beside them, horns blowing, camels bawling, geese shrieking, children wailing, parents shouting, a whole cacophony of panicked flight.
As fast as they were moving, he could tell it wasn't fast enough.
It was getting darker and oil lamps and torches flared into life, so the caravan became like a stream of stars flying low across the land. A passing wagon hit a rut and a lamp came flying off, shattering against the ground to leave a small pool of flaming oil.
"This thing is hot," Gundara said, "but he doesn't like fire."
"Fire is absolutely not one of his favorite things," Gundaree added. "Apparently he's rather vain about his appearance."
And then a great voice shouted: "Hate!"
It echoed across the bleak plain, striking lightning on the highest rocks. Overhead, the immense swarm of bats shrieked and Palimak's heart jumped so high he thought it was going to fly out of his throat.
Again came the shout: "Hate!"
And then Palimak was trying his best to catch and swallow his heart as the crater began to bubble and froth, foul steam rising to meet those shrilling bats.
A scum formed, cracked and then a mighty head emerged, all tarry and stuck this way and that with the white bones of angry things that had died long ago. Skulls made its eyes. Ribbed spines its nose. And its mouth was a graveyard clutter, opening wide, bone dust expelled in a cloud as it shouted:
"Hate!"
It rose out of the crater, shoulders following head, then arms and trunk and limbs, climbing higher and higher. A massive black tarry beast, all pitted and scarred with oil bursting from those scars and bleeding down the sides.
The creature's head moved slowly, looking for the cause of its terrible wrath.
Then its eyes, all aboil with grinning skulls, fixed on Palimak.
Safar rode full out, urging every ounce of speed he could from Khysmet. Even so, when he saw the beast rise from the crater to confront Palimak he feared he'd be too late.
Far below he could see the crush of fleeing people and wagons and animals race up the hill toward him, flooding the road from bank to bank like a solid wall of onrushing water. He'd never break through to get to Palimak.
He saw a narrow trail to the side that looked like it might lead in the right direction. He shouted for Leiria to meet the panicked horde and guide them, then turned down the trail, praying he'd made the correct decision.
Palimak was frozen with fear. His whole being fixed on those ghastly eyes and bony mouth splitting open into a horrible smile. In the background he could hear sounds of panic as the caravan fled the horrible presence.
Then Gundara said, "You should have run, Little Master."
And Gundaree said, "It isn't nice to say, 'I told you so.'"
"Shut up!" Palimak shouted to them both, breaking from his trance.
He ran to the pool of flaming oil. He made a scoop of his hands and skimmed through the heart of the fire. The light came off, spilling out in beads, but Palimak quickly make a glowing ball of them, holding the ball firmly between his hands.
And the beast shouted-"YOU I HATE YOU!"
Palimak jumped, burning himself on the invisible flame, but he kept his concentration. Pulling up the spell, putting together all the parts of it-light and fire, it was hard, a lot of pieces don't fit. Hurry! Hurry! Don't pay attention when he shouts. So what if he's close-oh, boy is he close!
"Listen to me," he said to the Favorites. "Remember the spell we practiced? Fire follow light?"
"That's a good spell," Gundara said.
"I don't know if I feel like it," Gundaree grumbled. "He said 'shut up' to us. Which was a very rude thing to say."
An immense shadow fell over them. Palimak hunched his shoulders, holding the ball of light close to his stomach.
"I apologize, all right?" he said. "Sorry and double sorry. Now, do it!"
He turned-looking up and up, head craning back, feeling like such a small boy. Standing beneath a living mountain of tar and bone. So close that when the pustules of oil broke they ran down the smoking skin to pool at his feet.
The creature's breath was a hot, foul wind of gritty magic blasting away at his senses. But he closed his eyes and stuck out his chin taking the wind full on his face.
And he chanted:
"Palimak, Palimak,
Here I come!
Demon boy,
Or people boy-
Guess which one!"
He threw the ball of light as high he could, casting the spell, feeling Gundara and Gundaree push in behind it. Blowing it bigger and bigger until it looked like a watery sun when it crashed into the beast's face.
Dazzling light splashed into the creature's eyes and he reeled, screaming as if the light had been acid.
And Palimak shouted, "Fire follow light!"
The Favorites fed him their powers and Palimak's right hand speared out, pointing finger becoming a long, sharp talon. There was a searing from within as the fire leaped from the oil pool to his body, then shot out of his talon, racing to join the light.
A huge blast followed as the two forces were rejoined and the beast roared in pain, stumbling back, head bursting into flame. It beat at its skull trying to put the fire out, but then its hands caught and it was shouting and wailing in agony. Flailing and screaming helplessly.
"Got you!" Palimak shouted.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Little Master," Gundara cautioned. "You might have just made him madder."
"Maybe you'd better consider running again," Gundaree added.
To his horror, Palimak saw the beast had managed to put out most of the flames and was recovering.
What would he do now? The spell had left him drained and he was frightened that even if he could think of another spell he'd be too exhausted to cast it.
"Wait!" Gundara said with sudden excitement. "Here comes help!"
He no sooner spoke than a score of mounted warriors rushed onto the field to do battle. Shouting Kyranian battle cries they charged the beast, firing arrows and waving swords and battle axes.
"Let's think about that running option again," Gundaree said. "There's just enough time."
Still, Palimak didn't budge. Frightened as he was, he'd determined to make a stand.
"Such a stubborn child," Gundara said.
"I'm definitely going to tell his father," Gundaree said.
For a moment it looked as if the mounted charge was having some affect. Pierced by arrows and spears and slashing blades, the beast shrilled pain, bleeding oil from many wounds.
"Hate!" It shouted. "Hate!"
Then it suddenly drew itself up, towering three times the height of the warriors. The beast's mouth yawned open, a great black
hole ringed by white skeleton lips.
First smoke belched out, thick, evil-smelling clouds that burned the eyes and seared the lungs.
Then it vomited boiling oil. A great steaming river of it, splashing over the attacking men.
Their cries were terrible, but only a few caught the full blast. They were left groaning on the ground, while the others wheeled about and fled.
High above, Leiria had commanded a position at a bend in the road, shouting into dazed faces, smacking panicked men with the flat of her sword.
"Get them in order! Get them in order!" she shouted, hauling the calmer ones out of the crowd and pointing at the hysterical mass.
Gradually, some order took form as her deputies waded in to straighten out the confusion. Then a camel reared up, frightened and bawling and lashing out with its front feet. It came down, nearly smashing over a wagon, but people caught the rim and tilted it back up. As it crashed to the ground the camel panicked even more, roaring in fear and trying to bite anything in sight.
Leiria leaped over two men who were scrambling to get away from those flat, deadly teeth.
The camel's head snaked toward her, eyes wide and glazed, bloody gums and teeth exposed in a panicked snarl.
Leiria ducked, letting the head sweep past her, then jumped for the rear.
She caught the animal as it came about, jabbing the camel in the hind quarters with her sword. It bawled and galloped up the hill, caroming off of several wagons, bowling over a few people, then disappearing from sight.
Leiria turned, shuddering relief. Then she saw the beast and the fleeing men. Saw the wounded flailing on the ground.
And Palimak, very small, very alone, looking up at the beast.
They was no way she could reach him. Groaning, she looked this way and that, wondering: Where is Safar?
The beast looked down at the injured men and horses. He held up a tarry hand, belching wreaths of smoke.