by Paul Kidd
The tanar'ri stood, trying to appear serene. Her thin, beautiful face betrayed her nervousness. She looked anxiously at Escalla as the faerie appeared.
"What happened?"
"I got it. The vampire pool's water, charged with the lifeblood of a good creature." Escalla nodded. "Lolth's vulnerable to holy water."
"Shockingly vulnerable!" Morag shrugged her tail. "In the Abyss, it is hardly a disadvantage. Nothing stays holy there for more than a few minutes."
"I have the tools to win. I can go."
Escalla thought for a moment, heaved a sigh, then handed Morag Lolth's jewel.
"Morag, take me back there, and then go do what you please. If you take my sister to my father's court, he'll give you refuge and help you make a home. There are places quieter than the Abyss for you and your friend."
"You're giving me back my name?" Morag stared at the jewel. "You're trusting me?"
"There was no name on the jewels. I lied." Escalla shrugged. "Sorry. Hey! I'm a faerie."
Morag looked extremely annoyed. She grabbed Escalla, planted her on her shoulders, and growled.
"Meaning Lolth still has my secret name. So now I have to help you."
"Yep."
"I am annoyed."
"Hey!" Escalla looked acidly at the tanar'ri girl. "Remember when you nicked off and left us in the middle of that fight?"
"All right, all right!" Morag seethed. She had been outmaneuvered. "Let's go."
"Hoopy."
Morag summoned one of her followers to collect Tielle.
"So this place your father knows… it's much quieter than the Abyss?"
Still numb with shock and grief, the faerie gave a nod. "Much."
Morag teleported out of the caves, first to Keggle Bend, then the Abyss, the Demonweb-and finally through the brass door to Lolth's home plane. They returned to the spider palace.
The battle against Lolth was about to be rejoined.
Morag teleported them into the engine room. The boilers lay dead and hissing. All powers of flight lost as the physical laws of Lolth's home plane took hold, Escalla leaped down. She ran to the edge of the time-stop field and stared at the weird changes that had taken place.
Manes had come blundering to the rescue. There were perhaps six of them now, all frozen where they had walked into the time field. Escalla ran frantically around the rim of the field, staring in at the scene and trying to plan what she should do.
Enid was dead. Henry and Polk were unconscious and about to be deluged in giant spiders-all of whom hung in mid-leap. Recca had risen halfway from the ground and was reaching for his sword. Jus was on his knees, hanging forward, one hand crammed against the wound in his chest and a look of apocalyptic fury on his face as he turned toward the spider queen.
Working fast, Escalla flung Cinders down on the floor.
"Time!"
Morag had a time-keeping device. She retrieved it from her pocket and opened the cover.
"Time's up."
"Right! Quickly!" Escalla ran fingers through hair made limp with grief and worry. "Put a rag over your hand, grab Benelux, and shove it hilt first at the Justicar. Move!"
The tanar'ri went one way, Escalla went another. She gave a roar of rage and began firing her last few spells into the time field. Magic golden bees froze as she aimed at the giant spiders. Her black tentacles spell hung half formed, frozen in time, ready to choke Recca to death. She swung Tielle's magic horn into her hands, braced herself, and opened fire. Bolts of blue liquid shot into the field and stopped. She aimed to hit Jus right in the chest, then Henry, Polk-and finally Lolth. The girl refilled the horn, fired at Lolth again from another angle, and then she saw the figures in the time field twitch.
"Morag! Show time!"
Cinders lay beside the open portable hole. Escalla turned to refill the magic horn, and Morag threw Benelux in a glittering arc at the Justicar.
The engine room erupted into noise.
Spellfire flashed. A swarm of Escalla's magic bees blasted into leaping spiders, hammering them apart mid flight. Tentacles blasted up from the floor and seized hold of Recca. Water splashed and spellfire came from a dozen directions all at once.
Caught mid-run, Escalla looked wildly at Lolth as great bolts of blue liquid gouted through the air toward her. Escalla screamed in victory, her cry turned to a howl of despair as Lolth teleported away an instant before the blue waters crashed home. Escalla slid to the portable hole, plunged her horn into the blue liquid and felt it sucking in a titanic draft.
She whirled, ready to fight, and saw a vast shape looming over her. Lolth lashed out with one leg and smashed into Escalla. The faerie went cartwheeling away, the magic horn flying from her gasp.
Lolth pursued Escalla as the little faerie crashed against a wall.
"You pathetic little gnat! I'll make you scream for all eternity!"
Morag tried to attack but was smashed aside. Escalla looked wildly about for the magic horn. It lay ten yards away. She sprinted for it, but a wall of flames shot up in her path. Escalla skidded away in panic, backpedaling across the floor as the vast spider, fangs bared, towered over her.
"Morag! Die!" The spider queen hissed in hate. She began to speak the snake-girl's secret name but had only managed the first syllable when she staggered sideways, blood flying from her side. The spider screamed, her titanic body rocking as something smashed with the force of a meteor.
A huge bellow shook the hall. The Justicar, his wounds healed by the magical blue waters, stood sheathed in blood, massive and wild with anger, as he ripped Benelux from the demon queen's shell. The titanic spider turned, and Jus chopped into one of her legs, hacking through the carapace to tear the limb free. Lolth screamed out a charm spell, but it spattered harmlessly from the counter spell of Jus's magic ring. Lolth recoiled backward and opened fire with a magic missile storm.
Red fire darts blasted at the Justicar. The big man roared and moved his sword in a blur. Glowing darts hit, spun, and ricocheted. Others stabbed home, ripping his armor of dragon hide and spraying blood across the floor, but the ranger stood his ground. Morag attacked from behind Lolth, cutting in a frenzy with her swords. She drew blood, and Lolth stabbed out another spell. A huge shockwave hit Morag and flung her against the ceiling. The snake-woman crashed to the deck, stunned and immobile.
Escalla flung herself at one of Lolth's feet and tried to climb up the demon. She planned to turn into a lamprey and gnaw through the demon's guts. Lolth stamped, kicking out her leg and throwing the faerie off. The Justicar ran at her. She turned, fired web from her spinnerets, and almost drowned the human in an avalanche of strands. Escalla flew free, rolling as she fell, the breath driven out of her as she tumbled like a ball across the floor. Bleeding, she managed to lift her head as Lolth reared over her prey.
With a flash, Lolth shapeshifted back to her dark-elven form. Mad wild with the ecstasy of victory, the demon queen paced past Morag, Henry, and Polk-past dead Enid and the trapped Justicar. She advanced on the faerie, panting with a lust for blood.
"No fast talk, Escalla? No clever little plans?" Magic crackled about Lolth's hands as she prepared to inflict an eternity of agony. "Nothing to stop me killing you?" The goddess lifted her hands and gave a hiss of victory. "Has anyone got anything cute they'd like to say?"
Yes.
The voice came from behind. Lolth whirled, horror in her eyes, and a jet of blue fluid blasted into her chest. The goddess screamed, flesh boiling away, the blue water eating like acid into her face and arms.
Cinders lay on the floor before her, the magic horn gripped in his teeth, grinning like a mad thing as he hosed holy water all over his enemy. He humped through the flame barrier like a caterpillar, gleefully charging to the attack.
The blue water ran out. Cinders looked at his friends, wagged his tail, and champed the magic horn in his fangs.
Cinders fetch!
The Justicar ripped free of the webs that held him, Benelux brilliant white in his hand, just
as Lolth teleported away. Escalla dived, snatched Cinders and the portable hole, and swarmed onto Morag. She shook the tanar'ri until her teeth rattled, and suddenly Morag came to her senses.
"Lolth!"
"She's trying to leave the plane." Escalla clambered onto Morag's back, dragging Cinders behind her. "She's headed for the door into the Demonwebs!"
Morag surged up from the floor. As she began to teleport, Escalla yelled back at the Justicar.
"We'll take her!"
Recca had torn free from the black tentacles spell and was already screaming.
"Kill Recca! Take out his heart! It's not his! It's like his foot and hand!" Escalla's voice hung in the air even as she teleported away. "His heart…!"
With a flash, Morag, Escalla, and Cinders vanished. Wiping blood from his face, the Justicar turned, looking across the corpse of his friend the sphinx. He flexed huge shoulders and strode slowly toward Recca to deal Justice.
The cadaver held its red sword, dropped into its fighting stance, and hissed like a serpent.
The Justicar never slowed. His stride sped into a hard march, then a run that ended in a sword blow against Recca's sword that drove the cadaver to the floor. Jus spun and kicked, sending the corpse flying like a puppet.
Recca smashed into a broken furnace, and the Justicar bellowed in fury as he relentlessly closed on his foe. Recca staggered and came back into the attack, lightning fast. The red blade flashed in a mad web of attack, severing pipes and levers as Benelux hammered it aside. Steel rang on steel. Sparks flew.
Henry groaned. Polk stirred. Both of them stared as the Justicar strode past them, driving Recca back in fury.
Recca fought exactly as he always had-his showmanship immaculate, his acrobatics dazzling. He leaped over his foe-exactly as Jus knew he must. Jus abandoned swordsmanship and grappled, and the fight suddenly became a battle of pure rage against rage. The Justicar's helmet smashed into Recca's face. He hit three times, then roared and punched his fist through the rough-stitched hole in Recca's ribs. Roaring, the Justicar clamped his hand and ripped the stolen, bloody heart out of his enemy. Recca screamed, green troll blood spurting from the wound. Jus shoved Recca back. Green blood drained from Recca's head and upper body, spattering the floor.
Recca staggered, took a two handed grip on his vampire blade, then made a wild swing at the Justicar. Jus blurred sideways, Benelux slicing a deep wound into Recca's thigh. Green blood drained from the wound. The cut flashed and healed, but Recca's upper torso was now drained of troll blood.
The monster attacked, leaping, whirling, screaming, slicing. Jus met the blade in three lightning-fast parries, spun, and severed Recca's arm. The limb flew free, green blood closed the wound, but this time the arm did not grow back. Yammering in rage, Recca blundered away, cocked his long sword clumsily in one hand, and charged straight at the Justicar.
Jus turned, caught the sword, and shattered Recca's elbow. The vampire sword flew out of Recca's hand. The undead warrior slashed with clawed fingers, and Jus twirled into the blow, caught, tripped, and shoved, ramming Recca backward to smash the cadaver's spine over his bent knee.
Recca screamed.
The undead swordmaster thrashed like a broken toy as the Justicar lifted him up over his head. Recca shrieked as the Justicar walked to the furnace, his huge strength holding the living corpse over his shoulders. The Justicar gripped, wrenched, and bowed Recca's body, bending it like a green stick. Bones split, flesh tore. With a hideous crack, Recca split in two, top ripping from bottom and troll blood spraying onto the walls. The Justicar tossed the monster's thrashing legs into the furnace where they instantly caught fire. The upper body still fought and screamed. Jus held Recca by the neck, looked at Enid's corpse, and said-"Here's Justice"-then flung Recca's body to the flames.
Recca wailed as he burned. The Justicar held Recca's stolen heart in his hand and pulped it, hurtling the remains into the flames. Recca's stolen troll blood boiled, and his flesh blazed like paper. The blazing skull howled once more then split in the ferocious heat. Bones and teeth scattered as the monster crashed dead into the fires.
The Justicar turned and retrieved Benelux from where she lay. The sword seemed strangely subdued.
Well done, Justicar.
"Not well done. It cost a friend."
He strode over to Polk and Henry, both now stirring-both smothered in dead spiders and splashed with blue fluid. Dazed, Polk stared over at the furnace where Recca burned.
"Son…?"
"You're all right. It's done." The big man set the badger on his feet then helped Henry to stand. "We're leaving."
The whole palace suddenly gave a titanic shudder. The floor split open, and blank, empty space appeared in the gap. Whatever will had held this plane together, it was now breaking apart.
Henry tried to lift Enid and drag her away, but she was too heavy. Stricken, the boy looked up at the Justicar. The big ranger sank to his knees and rested a hand upon Enid's braided hair-still soft, still warm and fragrant. He surged to his feet, pushed Henry on his way-and with one stroke of his sword, cut off Enid's tail. Henry cried out, but the Justicar already had the bloody fragment through his belt. The ceiling ripped open, and blank nothingness flooded into the hall.
The Justicar grabbed Polk and Henry and ran hard and fast for the stairs.
"Go! Back to the bronze gates! We're leaving!"
The spider palace tilted as its legs gave way. Fighting through the crash and fall of wreckage, the Justicar hauled his friends outside, leaving Enid's corpse to the flames.
Lolth lurched down the trail, blind from the pain. Her entire body was a raging ocean of fire. Flesh still hissed and dripped from her bones. She promised eternal torture to every one of her enemies.
The bronze gates that led into the Demonweb were just ahead. Once there, she could hide, heal, and abandon this damaged body for a new one. On any plane but here, she was immortal. Anywhere but here, she could come back to fight another day. Feeling each step tearing her flesh, Lolth lurched into a run.
That damned Justicar and his worthless faerie! Lolth turned, saw her huge spider palace through a haze of agony, and then croaked out words of command. Explosions rocked the palace and it began to dissolve, breaking apart as Lolth abandoned the magics that held it together. She betrayed her palace staff, her handmaidens, and her followers as she left the palace behind, certain of killing her enemies in the wreckage.
The gates were only a dozen steps away, when a voice snapped out at her from the rocks.
"Hey, bug bitch! Here's a present from Enid!"
Escalla!
Lolth dived, and a jet of blue holy water crashed into the ground behind her. A tiny splash of it seared her flesh. Lolth blindly fired a lightning bolt, shattering rock and dirt, but the faerie had gone. Looking wildly about, Lolth prepared a spell-then decided to turn and run. She saw the bronze gates ahead, laughed wildly, and ran through the shadows as she sped along the path.
The Demon Queen focused all her attention on her goal. She was only four steps away from salvation when the ground fell away beneath her. A cry of agonized despair escaped her as she looked down and saw the yawning portable hole, filled with shiny blue liquid.
There was a splash and a scream. Morag slithered up the path, over a boulder, and stopped at the big brass gates. She stared as she saw Cinders the hell hound lying splayed over a rock, his nose pointing down and his tail all a-wag. Escalla-filthy, tired, and worn-was wiping her face. She looked up at Morag, then stooped to pick up the portable hole that lay spread out across the trail.
Expecting a savage fight with Lolth, Morag readied her blades. She looked sharply about the shadows and the rocks.
"Well, is she here? Did you find her?"
There was a snigger, and a thump-thump-thumping of a hell hound's tail.
Spider lady take B-A-T-H!
Escalla silently closed up the portable hole, sealing away the open well of blue liquid. On the ridge above them, Lolth's spide
r palace exploded, crashing in fragments to the sands. With Henry under one arm and Polk under the other, the Justicar sped out of the mouth of the palace just as it collapsed. The big man turned, watched the palace fall, and then looked over at Morag, Cinders, and Escalla. Cinders lit a flame to guide his friends.
They came together by the gates. Jus held Escalla, burying his face in her hair, while Henry looked desolately at the palace ruins. Morag heaved a sigh of release and opened up the gates into the Demonweb, quietly ushering the adventurers home.
In the fields of the Flanaess, an army stalled.
There were long columns of spiders, gargoyles, and trolls. Demons had been marching, surrounded by stinking legions of undead. The whole mass had been poised like a spear aimed at the cities of the Nyr Dyv, the great inland sea. The army now numbered almost a million strong.
And then a presence-a purpose-lifted from their minds.
The insensate carnivores staggered. The multitudes of scorpions and spiders suddenly animated, their will their own again, and they found themselves hostile, hungry, and surrounded by prey. Giant spiders flung themselves on screaming trolls. Gargoyles turned and ripped into packs of flapping varrangoin. Demons raved and tore each other into fragments, while the undead fell apart or simply wandered away.
A million strong, then a hundred thousand. A hundred thousand, and then a few small bands gorging themselves on carrion. The armies of Lolth dissolved like mist upon the winds. Lolth's spells were broken, her realm destroyed, and Keggle Bend was avenged.
26
In a strange, warm land of sand and palms, the skies shone a clear metallic blue. No clouds broke the smooth arc of the heavens. No storms or winds were allowed to spoil the careful order of each day. It rained at appointed times, heralded by the appropriate deities riding chariots through the air. The crocodiles basked, the ibises strutted importantly across the shores, and all seemed well with the outer planes.
The river Lethe flowed slow and solemn here. Every day, a fanfare of trumpets sounded just after dawn. The denizens of this place-clean, white beings with the bodies of humans and the heads of ibises-strode to the banks, and with formal gestures bid the reborn to arise. Dripping with the waters of forgetfulness, worshipers of Thoth who had deceased on the material plane arose blinking from the waters. Their ibis heads were new and unfamiliar, and they walked clumsily with their new bodies. The attendants wrapped them in white robes and led them to the temples where they would be instructed how to serve their benevolent, wise god.