by Paul Kidd
“Are they useful?”
“More or less. I’m gonna copy some of them into my spellbook,so I need to make ink. Can you let me know next time we find a trickle of water or something?”
Jus nodded his chin forward at the underdark. “How aboutthat one?”
The passageway had grown more dank, and clean moisture had cleared away much of the phosphorescent moss. Before the party ran a vast, dark rushing river that filled the caverns with a glorious surge of sound.
At the far side of the river, perhaps a hundred feet away, the passageway continued on toward the drow city-and according to the locatorneedle, toward Escalla’s slowglass bauble.
The river flowed powerfully, icy cold and pitch black. It blocked all possible progress. Escalla simply hovered and stared. Polk blinked, and Private Henry edged fearfully closer to the water until physically yanked back from the edge by Jus’ powerful hand.
Escalla blew out an annoyed breath and planted her fists upon her little hips.
“Well poo!” The girl shook her head. “You know, I have gotto find a way to make you people fly.”
There was no bridge, and the powerful current meant that there was no way to simply swim across. Escalla unshipped her wand, checked the charge and made a dissatisfied little noise.
“No way I can make an ice bridge all the way across. I’veonly got two more shots with this thing if I’m lucky. Remind me to recharge itwhen we get home.” She whirred upward, deliberately keeping well above thewater. “I’ll go over the other side and just take a look. Maybe there’s a reallybig drawbridge or something.”
The faerie disappeared in the dark. Anxious about letting the girl go alone, Jus kept a grip on the hilt of his sword and paced the banks. In the river, a fin briefly broke the surface-a fin from a fish that must have beenat least thirty feet long.
After a while, drifting faintly above the roar of the water, Escalla’s distant voice came from the dark. “Hey, guys! There’s some kinda giantfish man over here!”
Jus surged forward to the edge of the riverbank in alarm. “Ishe attacking you?”
“No!”
“What’s he doing?”
“Knitting lace. He’s pretty good!” Escalla’s voice couldbarely be heard over the rush of water “All right, he’s seen me. He looks likehe wants me to talk to him!”
Pacing, the Justicar bellowed hard to make himself heard. “Don’t get too close!”
“Jus, he’s a fish. I don’t really think I want to swapaddresses or anything.”
While they waited, Polk finished gnawing on a spider leg and Cinders sucked loudly on a piece of old coal.
Finally Escalla called over to them from the other bank, “He’s saying something! I can’t figure it out.”
“What?” Jus pushed Cinders’ back from his helm, trying tohear the girl properly. “Don’t you have a spell for translating languages?”
“Well duh! Be handy if I’d bothered to memorize it!”
“Why didn’t you memorize it?”
“Well, excuse me!” True to form, Escalla lost hertemper. “Since everything we’ve met so far has tried to eat us or enslave us, Ikinda thought spells for blowing things up might be a bit more useful!” After amoment, the girl called back again. “All right, he’s offering to ferry you guysover if you pay him.”
Jus gave a puzzled frown. “How do you know that?”
“Because he’s standing in a big boat and shaking a money boxat me!” The faerie’s temper was never good when she was being harassed. “Justget some money out and get to the damned shore!”
Polk looked at Jus, who looked at Henry. Cinders looked happy, and the sword lacked the ability to show much of an expression at all. With a mutual shrug, the party walked down the harsh gravel beach and waited by the shore.
A shape swiftly materialized out of the gloom. A large, flat barge drifted across the current. Standing at the rear and plying a single oar loomed a titanic, vicious looking creature that set the whole party on guard.
Fully eight feet tall, the creature was a monstrous humanoid fish. A huge jaw crammed with fangs gleamed sickly yellow in the light. The creature stared at its passengers out of eyes the size of dinner plates. The scaled horror was powerful enough to shove its boat across the river without the slightest show of strain.
The boat grounded against the gravel with a crash. Hovering well out of reach of the fish man, Escalla gave her friends a gleeful wave.
“Guys, this is Thoopshib the ferryman!” The faerie gave anamazingly false smile. “Thoopshib, these are the guys. Guys, keep smiling andjust start putting money in the box until he looks happy.” The faerie wavered.“Well, happier, at least.”
A money box was presented. Digging into the loot gathered from the lich, Polk produced a handful of money. The fish man walked awkwardly over to the shore, its whole massive frame alive with an impression of carnivorous strength. A clawed hand held out a money box, and Polk fussily counted platinum coins into the box one by one until the monster seemed satisfied.
The sum offered was probably sufficient to buy a boat of their own. Thankfully, no one saw fit to mention the fact. Jus stepped onto the barge-watched closely by the creature, who recognized a being at least as deadlyas itself-then helped Polk and Henry climb aboard.
Cinders sniffed the reek of fish and seemed gloriously happy.Kuo-toa fish! The dog’s manic grin gleamed as little flames wisped fromhis nose. Big stink! Very tasty! Fish scream when burn!
There had been very little arson in Cinders’ life of late.He wagged his tail in anticipation. Fish live in school. One fish, two fish, red fish, burn fish! Burn-burn-burn-burn-burn!
“Let’s not burn any boats while we’re still on them.” Juskept his voice low, his face calm and his hand near his sword. “Just get readyto blast it if it tries to rock the boat.”
With Escalla flying cover overhead, the ferryman would hardly dare. Henry shot a glance at the faerie, then looked back at the savage ferryman and tried not to stare.
“What is it?” the boy asked.
“Cinders says it’s a kuo-toa,” Jus replied.
“A kuo-toa?” The boy swallowed. “How does he know?”
“Cinders is a hell hound. He’s been around.”
Private Henry shot a nervous glance toward the grinning Cinders. “I thought hell hounds were evil?”
“He’s not evil. He just needed a good home.” Jus gave one ofCinders’ forelegs a pat. “But he’s right. Fish fear creatures that use flame.”
The barge surged forward through the water, heading toward the far bank.
Private Henry looked about nervously and cleared his throat. “Sir?”
“Yes.”
“What’s a kuo-toa?”
The Justicar carefully avoided looking at the ferryman, while keeping the creature very clearly in the corner of his eye. “That is.They’re often assassins-very, very dangerous.”
From above the boat, Escalla gave a snort. “Assassins, huh?Masters of poison? Like cone shells?”
Jus looked up at Escalla with a shared smile. “Exactly.”
The barge grounded at the far bank, and the passengers hastily removed themselves onto the shore. Escalla thoughtfully watched the kuo-toa and raised her hand to give it a friendly wave. The creature actually seemed to like her. It spoke-its voice huge and guttural-and nodded its head ather in apparent approval.
Jus was kneeling in the river gravel, looking at a broad swathe of footprints trailing up from the ferry and into the tunnel mouth. Escalla, Polk, and Henry immediately came over to watch the ranger at his work.
“Tracks?”
“Human-two hundred or more, probably chained at the ankles.See the short steps?” Jus touched the gravel and watched it slide. “This is onlyabout three hours old.”
Trying to emulate the Justicar, Henry inspected a footprint of his own-this time the mark of a slim drow boot. “Is it the hostages from SourPatch?”
“Has to be.” Moving two hundred captives
along the maintunnels had left constant spoor. “No troglodytes with them anymore. They’rebeing driven by drow.”
Escalla knelt beside Jus and pulled out the locator needle, which still pointed resolutely to the northwest. The girl shrugged then put the magic trinket away.
“Well, I gather there’s more like Mister Thoopshib here justa ways along the tunnel.” The girl returned another wave from the ferryman. “Youknow, he seems pretty happy for a carnivorous assassin.”
“He likes you.”
“Yeah. How about that?” Escalla frowned. “Matter of fact, Ithink he thinks he knows me.”
The party turned and regarded the kuo-toa, who stood staring at them with his unwinking fish eyes.
The light dawned somewhere deep inside Polk’s skull.
“You mean he’s seen another faerie? He’s met the murderer ashe passed this way?”
“Got it, Polk!” Escalla tapped her chin in thought. “Heobviously thinks we’re one and the same.”
“Guess you all look the same to him, huh?”
“No accounting for eyesight.” Escalla brushed back hershimmering blonde hair. “This is getting interesting. Come on. Let’s see if I’vegot any other friends just down the lane.”
The long passageway continued, now chilled by the breeze thatflowed from the icy river. Other paths joined the main tunnel, and the air took on a distinctly fishy smell. Only Cinders seemed pleased. The rest of the party wrinkled their noses and tried not to gag as the reek thickened until it almost brought tears to the eyes.
Flying cautiously beside Jus, Escalla’s tall ears pricked upat the same moment that Cinders gave a warning growl. Far down the passageway, lurching shapes began to appear. Escalla turned invisible as the remainder of the party faded into hiding against the tunnel walls. Looking over her companions, the faerie moved carefully down the tunnel to investigate the oncoming shadows.
A dozen fish men walked along the passageway in a weird hopping gait. They were led by a vast, powerful kuo-toa, its skin a ghastly white, and its hide covered in thousands of knotted scars. The creatures’ hugeeyes flickered to stare at the invisible faerie, and the fish creatures instantly readied their harpoons.
With her cover somehow blown, Escalla dropped her invisibility. Hiding behind a stalactite, she poked her head out and examined the kuo-toa, then cautiously waved her hand.
“Um, hello.”
She had a fireball spell ready to make instant fish fry, but much to her surprise, the kuo-toa leader gave a croak of something almost like relief. The creature lowered its weapon-almost certainly defusing a spell of itsown-and lifted a hand toward Escalla in a grave gesture. The beast held out itshand with its middle fingers separated into a v-shape.
Always affable when allowed, Escalla copied the gesture with her own small fingers and repeated, “Hello.”
Eight feet tall, fanged and clawed, an eater of human flesh and a drinker of blood, the kuo-toa leader bobbed its head in deference. The girl tried to make a placatory gesture, and the other fish men sank down in ritual obeisance.
From the corridor behind Escalla, Jus’ voice called outcalmly and quietly, “Are you all right?”
“Yeah. It’s more kuo-toa.” Escalla kept her face affable,motioning to the fish creatures in what she hoped was a friendly way. “There’sabout a dozen of them, and they’re getting along with me just dandy. Everyonecome out and be perfectly calm.”
The kuo-toa leader gurgled something to its followers, and the fish men resumed their ungainly march down the passageway. On seeing Escalla’s companions, the creatures saluted casually with the middle fingers oftheir hands spread wide, a salute both uncomfortable and strangely silly. Jus gravely returned the gesture. Polk and Henry did the same, and the creatures continued on their way toward the river and the ferryman.
Jerking with ill temper, the sword Benelux gave a cold growl. Kuo-toa. Assassins! Murderers! We should find their nest and eliminate them all!
“We have a prior task.” Jus settled the sword through hisbelt. “Racial genocide is not my mission.”
Do you call yourself a warrior for law?
“No. I’m only interested in Justice.” The Justicar tookEscalla onto his shoulder as he spoke. “These fish men have done nothing worthyof my attention.”
From Jus’ shoulder, Escalla stretched and yawned.
“Hey, Spiky! Ease up!” Escalla peered down at the sword.“You’ll get wrinkles. You have to expand your emotional horizons. Make a promiseto tell yourself a few jokes in between kills. It worked for me!”
Benelux merely seethed.
Jus tugged at Escalla’s foot, quietening her down as thetunnel opened out into a titanic, echoing cave. An open space more than a hundred yards wide yawned in the gloom. A weird blue light swam like reflections in an ancient sea, and an alien world took hold upon the underdark.
A sinister, stepped pyramid arose at the center of the cavern. The mound served to raise a horrible idol high above the cavern floor-ablood spattered thing shaped like a naked woman with the head and pincers of a lobster. The claws were opened in the same gaping salute used by the kuo-toa in the halls. A still-bleeding human heart was wedged into one of the claws, and an ocean of blood seemed to have poured down the pyramid. Guarding the approaches to the idol were kuo-toa priests and warriors, creatures who even now tore the eyes and organs out of human victims who had slid lifeless down the blood-soaked stairs.
Escalla stared, quite ashen, and felt her skin turn strangely numb. “Now they may have just crossed the line.”
Private Henry crept forward, staring at the shrine-thecorpses and the fish men feeding wetly on their prey. The boy’s hands grippedmore tightly at his crossbow.
“Human sacrifice…?”
“Human sacrifice.” Jus seemed to swell, his huge, bristlingframe turning carnivorous and savage. To the Justicar, no crime was worse than preying on the weak. The kuo-toa suddenly seemed in need of Judgment.
Escalla saw Jus’ stance and felt a cold chill of panic asshe expected him to begin slaughtering the kuo-toa. There were a dozen in sight, but countless carved doorways opened onto temples, barracks rooms, and even palaces.
“Jus! Deep breath! Don’t go all apocalyptic on me!” Thefaerie whacked Jus across the helmet. “I need to clear my name here! This is aprime place for evidence collection!”
“I know.”
“Kill fish later. Help disturbingly attractive yet strangelyinnocent faerie now.” Hastily ushering the group into cover behind an outcrop offungi, Escalla gathered Henry by her side. “Henry, Spiky, brief recap. Yourstruly here has been wrongfully framed and accused of a crime. We’re here toprevent a miscarriage of justice and protect one of the world’s most pricelessbeings from harm-namely me!”
Do tell. Benelux seemed to glow with pure sarcasm. Whowould ever have placed you as a criminal?
“Hey! This is serious!” Escalla whacked at the swords sheath.“A faerie cavalier has been offed, and whoever did it is a faerie who likesusing the underdark as a private holiday home. Whoever murdered Cavalier Tarquil used a marine cone shell. If these fish men down here are an assassin cult, this is probably the place the cone shell came from.”
Brilliant. The magic sword gave a sniff. With wisdomlike that, you should bottle it.
“I’m warning you!” The faerie faced the sword, her antennaestiff and her little fists balled. “I can still find a rust monster! So justshut up and keep your eyes open for evidence. We’re looking for clues-anythingto show that someone’s been getting his murder equipment from the kuo-toa!”
Hmph! The sword gave a droll little sneer. Such as asigned receipt in triplicate? “One cone shell, please return by Godsday.”
“Sounds ideal.” Escalla gave a snort, then hitched up thebelt of her little black dress. “Jus, if you had a lending library for coneshells, where would it be?”
“Somewhere near where assassins are trained.” The Justicarloomed in the tunnel like a feral nightmare. “Look for a marine wat
er pool. Allthe other water here is fresh.”
“Hoopy.” The faerie briskly clapped her hands and rose upinto the air. “Well, let’s just go into the shrine and act like we’re here asguests. No one has seemed interested in stopping us so far.”
Private Henry gave a nervous blink. “The fish seem to likeyou.”
“Just as long as that doesn’t involve feeding on myintestines, I’m happy.” Escalla led the way into the terrifying cavern. “Followme, people, and try to look like we see human sacrifices twice a day. Jus, no sword stuff until we get some evidence in my hot little hands.”
From a side passage, more kuo-toa appeared. The creatures approached the guards at the pyramid’s base, exchanged the strange salute,tossed money into a giant clam shell, then removed little tokens that were hung about their necks with string. One of the visitors moved to a second shell and seemed to pay far more money. The guards hooted in approval and hung the donor with a somewhat flashier token-a bright red crab claw. The visitors immediatelyproceeded to climb the pyramid to pay homage to the idol.
The guards looked over at Escalla, Jus, Polk, and Henry, fixing them with their huge, emotionless eyes. The fish men made no immediate move to sound an alarm. Girding her narrow waist and hoisting her rather understated bosom, Escalla steeled herself for the ordeal to come.
“Here goes.”
She flew over to the kuo-toa, opening her hand in the local salute. The kuo-toa responded, and one guard addressed her in a language made mostly up out of jaw clicks and gashing teeth. Escalla kept her smile and gave an easy wave of her hand.
“Sure!”
The kuo-toa spoke again, and Escalla fluttered over to the big clamshell basins.
“I totally agree! But it might rain on Moonday. Best cover uponce that bad weather sets in!” The girl waved a rather nervous, reluctant Polkforward. The teamster was looking up at a seven-foot tall kuo-toa that was eating wet chunks of a human liver. “Polk! Get your shanks over here and get thepurse open!”
“Portable hole.”
“Whatever! Just get us some cash!”
Escalla peered into the more expensive of the two offering basins, then stuck her head into the portable hole after Polk had partly unfolded it. She flew inside, entirely disappearing from the outside world as she entered a weird little space about ten feet square. Sure enough, rolling about in one corner of the hole there were a few small gems and baubles. Escalla grabbed a few of the less impressive items and popped back out into the light. She dropped a pair of little pearls into the basin, trying to indicate that she was paying for her entire group. The kuo-toa gave the same savage hoots of approval, then proceeded to hang stinking crab claws about the necks of everyone present. Escalla took one sniff of the partly mummified claw and a pained expression crept onto her face.