"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 anticipation 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 thick as cold tar.
Curse all the gods! It had thrown the wrong damned 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 hit 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, lass."
"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 bumped 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 passage, 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 shoreline 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 scraping 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 assemblage 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 coarse-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 Bastard 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 antithesis of its enraged feelings. "I have another spell. This one is somewhat different in effect. It turns b
ats 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 butterflies!"
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."
"Th-that p-p-puts it m-mildly."
"Nor can I return to my own caves, since the wizard himself had to come and fetch those I was sent after. He has no use for failure."
"Wh-what a-are w-we to d-do, th-then? Live as o-o-outcasts?"
"Well, better outcasts than not at all, but I confess that scrounging a living on our own has little appeal for me."
"I-I a-agree."
Wikkell nodded, and the idea that had been nebulously floating about in his head took on more solidity. "Ever wonder how much better off we would all be had not the witch and the wizard ever come to reside here in the caves?"
"M-m-more th-than o-once."
"Or, since that is wishful thinking, were they to leave, or perhaps destroy each other?"
"M-more w-w-wishful th-th-thinking."
"Perhaps not. Neither of us can go home again while those cursed two inhabit the caves. Our lives are practically worthless. As such, might not we try and spend them in a manner that might benefit both our peoples?"
"A-a-are y-you s-suggesting r-r-revolution?"
"I am indeed. What have we to lose?"
Deek considered this. Wikkell's idea, which would have seemed hopelessly absurd only a few days past, did not now sound quite so insane. Not when the only other choice was to spend the remainder of one's allotted time slithering from shadow to shadow against the day when either Chuntha or Katamay Rey would discover and thus put a quick end to them.
"Not to put too fine an edge on it, Deek, but… it is either them or us, and given my current thoughts on the matter, I would rather it be them."
"I-I a-agree," Deek said. And why not?
"Well, then, let us see what we can do to gather help."
Every so often Conan tensed his muscles and tried to break free of the two cyclopes holding him, but he might as well be trying to fly by flapping his arms for all the good it did. They had a grip like iron, and he was in no position to kick them where it would hurt the most.
Elashi and Tull fared no better, and Conan's smiles did not seem to particularly reassure them. The future did not shine brightly at the moment. Then again, the Cimmerian had been in difficulties at least this bad before and had survived to live another day. Who could say? There was little point in worry since it would not help, and he would better spend his energies preparing to seize any opportunity to better their situation. Even free and with his blade, defeating these giant one-eyed beings, not to mention the wizard, might not be the easiest thing he had ever done, but one had to assume that anything was possible.
Chuntha watched from concealment as the wizard and his troop went past. The time was not yet ripe, but it would happen before Rey reached the safety of his own caves. She would make it happen.
The Harskeel and its entourage of Bloodbats reached the mouth of the tunnel that led to the Sunless Sea in time to observe Katamay Rey and his prisoners departing the scene. Red identified the wizard and indicated that irritating the same would be paid with dire consequences.
The Harskeel thought it would explode from the anger within it. Fortunately, it managed to keep its temper. Why did the gods thwart it so? Was that a part of the curse, somehow kept secret from it?
"Very well, we shall follow them and seek an opportunity."
"An opportunity to do what?" Red asked.
"Never mind. Just get the boat into the water."
As the Harskeel and the bats entered the water and started after the wizard, Deek and Wikkell watched from within their small cave.
"I wonder how this strange-looking man figures into all this. Doubtless you recall him or her or it, whatever it is, from the encounter in the bat cave?"
"I-I-I r-recall. A-a p-p-puzzle."
For his part, Katamay Rey was feeling very pleased with himself. He had captured the three with more ease than he had anticipated, given Wikkell's failure to do so. He looked forward to inspecting and questioning them at his leisure once in his own chambers, and doubtless that would provide him with many hours of amusement. The big one, especially, should last quite a while before he gave up the spirit.
Then the ceiling of the cave just ahead rumbled and dropped several large rocks into the water, splashing the dock-walkers. Almost immediately, a screaming apparition fell from the hole opened high above, coming right at them!
Rey's surprise was such that even the most basic defensive spells escaped him. He barely had time to make a warding-off motion with his hands. It was sufficient to change the path of the shrieking monster slightly, so that it missed the dock and hit the adjacent water. Still, the attack was enough to startle all those who beheld it. These included the cyclopes attending to the prisoners.
Rey's attention to the attack from above slowed his gaze at the prisoners for a single beat too long.
Conan's guards had relaxed their hold enough for him to free one arm. The second guard had a firmer grip, but unfortunately for him, Conan was able to twist about and bring his booted foot into contact with the most sensitive part of males of virtually all upright species. The cyclops, for all his size and power, gave voice to an almost girlish screech at the strike and suddenly found better uses for his hands than holding on to Conan. The cyclops clutched at himself, doubled over, and moaned.
Conan was already moving. He leaped at the single cyclops holding Elashi and repeated the strike that had worked so well before. This cyclops was faster, but in order to protect his ability to sire children, he let go of Elashi to block Conan's foot. That was all the Cimmerian needed, and at the last moment he pulled the kick and threw his weight instead into a shove. Big as the cyclops was, he was too close to the edge of the dock to withstand Conan's full weight. The hapless cyclops teetered on the edge of the dock and then fell into the water.
Elashi, meanwhile, went for the weapons. In the confusion following the attack from above, the desert woman managed to collect the swords and Tull's knife. She tossed Conan his blade, and the brawny Cimmerian began whipping it back and forth at the Cyclopes holding Tull. Said guards wanted no part of Conan's sword, and they hastily released their charge.
"Into the water!" Conan yelled.
Tull and Elashi obeyed, the latter despite her inability to swim.
Despite the noise and surprise, they stood little chance of escaping since the wizard was beginning to recover his wits, and there was, after all, no place for the three to go. Conan surfaced, towing Elashi with his sword held over her chest, and paddled furiously for the nearest shore. He expected a bolt of magical energy to sear him into ash at any moment, but he kept moving.
Chuntha saw her chance. Something had dropped from above, coming down almost on top of the Wizard, and while he and his troops milled about in confusion, the gorgeous man and the other two managed to free themselves and leap into the water. Good! She could give Rey something else to keep his attention while the three attained the shore; she could then collect th
em later.
The witch increased the speed of her worm raft and churned toward the magical dock just ahead. She removed from her bags a cork-and-wax-stop-pered ceramic jar containing a fog spell. She smiled as she saw the wizard catch sight of her.
"It's the witch! I knew this was her doing!"
The wizard raised his hands to cast a spell, but Chuntha beat him to it. She jerked the stopper from the jar and the fog boiled out explosively. She quickly recorked the jar, but in an instant the area around both worm raft and dock was enshrouded in thick, wet grayness, effectively rendering both wizard and witch invisible to each other.
"Set curse you, bitch!"
"And you, you bastard!"
A magical lightning flashed as Rey tried to wipe away the fog, but Chuntha countered with another blast of fog from the jar. Between those actions and the forces needed to maintain the dock and her boat, the available magic in the immediate area dropped rapidly. Nobody was going to be doing any heavy spellwork for a while, not here.
Time to depart, Chuntha, she told herself. Go and find that big, fine-looking man…
Scurrying along the shore of the waterway, the Harskeel saw the fog in the distance. Now what? it wondered. Where was that cursed bat when it needed him? It quickened its pace.
Conan swam to a shallow ledge upon which he could stand, Elashi in tow. He set the woman upon her feet. Tull arrived a moment later. "What happened?" he asked.
"I know not," Conan replied, "nor do I care. Let us find a path away from here."
"Aye," Elashi said.
From the fog-shrouded water just behind them came a voice: "A good idea from a man who probably has less brain than a turnip."
Conan spun about, his sword pointing into the fog. That voice… he knew it from somewhere…
Elashi recognized it first. "Lalo!"
Indeed. As he watched, Conan saw the cursed man they had met at the inn only a few days past emerge from the fog and wade toward them. Had it only been a few days? It seemed half a lifetime.
"What are you doing here?" Elashi asked.
The Conan Compendium Page 81