The Howling Delve (34 page)

Kali waited for his bones to shatter against the stone. His chin struck his chest, mashing his tongue between his teeth, but other than that small pain, he felt whole.

Groaning, Kali tolled to his stomach. A wave of vettigo swept ovet him as he realized he was stating into the bottomless chasm, suspended by some invisible stting. Pumping his legs, he felt the fly spell propel him upward.

Dantane, he thought, or Meisha. Could it be she survived? Trepidation warred with giddy telief that the Harper might still be alive.

Kail put his boot against the cavern wall and pushed off, hurling himself back to the battle.

When he emerged into the light, his suspicion was confirmed.

Meisha and Dantane stood on the bridge with Talal between them. Meisha saw Kail coming and motioned to the demon, which stalked cautiously down the walkway toward the group. The globe of darkness had gone, and Dantane continued to hurl spells, but the demon kept coming, measuring the wizard’s strength.

Kail flew up from beneath, his sword leading. He slashed along the demon’s flank and kept going, up out of his reach. On the bridge, the advantage was temporarily theirs. As long as they could stay put of the demon’s reach and resist his aura, they could fight. If he managed to herd them back into the tunnels, they were mice in the snake hole.

A massive, clawed paw struck out at Kail’s face. He flipped over backward and came from beneath with his blade out straight. He stabbed for the demon’s chest, but he dodged away.

Kail pulled out of the roll and floundered, losing precious time as he righted himself. His grasp of the flight spell was tenuous at best. He took a claw to his shoulder for his mistake, a wound that burned down the length of his arm.

Kail circled under the bridge and came up in a burst of speed, hoping for surprise, but the demon was gone. Weary of the wizard pricking at him, the beast chose to charge down the bridge to the spellcasters and Talal.

Dantane threw out a hand as though to ward off an attack. In response, a wall of thick stone sprouted from the bridge, growing like a blunt spike to intercept the demon’s charge. The demon slammed into the wall, shaking the entire bridge,, but the spell held firm.

“The rope!” Kali yelled up to Garavin. He grabbed the dangling end and flew over the wall. The demon continued to pound and claw against the barrier. He would wear it down quickly, Kail knew.

He floated down, putting the rope in Talal’s hands as Garavin retied it from above. Meisha flew beside him, helping the boy scramble to the relative safety of the upper bridge.

“He’s breaking through,” said Dantane. The wizard weaved on his feet, drained by the force of all the released Art.

“You have to keep him on the bridge,” said a new voice.

Kali reacted instantly. He swung his sword with all his strength.

Aazen’s blade caught it. Steel sang loudly in the cavern.

Kali cursed. Now they were pinned from both sides.

Aazen lowered his weapon, motioning the man behind him to stay back. “I’m not going to kill you at the moment, Kail,” he said.

“A pleasant fact to know,” Kali remarked, keeping his sword raised.

“At least not until the demon is dead. Get to the othet bridge,” Aazen said, addressing his man.

“No. Over there.” Kali pointed to the closest walkway below, well out of range of his friends above.

Aazen nodded, and the thief tossed a grappling hook out over the chasm. Aazen remained with Kail and Dantane.

“I will guard the wizaid,” he offered.

This elicited a sardonic laugh from Kali. “How generous of you.”

Aazen waved a hand impatiently. “We have no time to argue. Fly and work that sword while you have the opportunity.”

“He’s right,” said Dantane unexpectedly. “Go.”

Kali shook his head. “Don’t trust him.”

“I do not,” Dantane snapped. “I’m not as blind as you. But he has it aright. Go, while you can.”

Kail’s gaze remained on Aazen, silently promising what would happen if he bettayed them. He stepped off the walkway, allowing himself to float in the air. He turned, flying toward the disintegrating wall.

He landed on the top in a skid. Using the spell to aid his balance, Kail slid down the opposite side. He brought his sword down vertically just as the demon came at the wall again. This time the demon couldn’t dodge, and his blade sheared into the beast’s ribs. Kail twisted aside, expecting an immediate retali-ation, but the demon fell back, surprised, favoring his side.

Kail pressed, stabbing him in the haunch, anywhere he could reach, using his sword as leverage to propel himself back into flight.

Recovering, the demon followed and struck out, snagging Kail’s leg with a massive claw. The demon dragged him back down to the ground. Kail felt the claws penetrate his boots, burning, adding to his other wounds.

Not enough, Kali thought as he felt himself tolled onto his stomach, his atms trapped beneath his body. He would run out of fight—they all would—long before the demon was finished.

“Keeper of knowledge—sever the link.”

Garavin turned from the battle at the sound of the voice, compelled by a force impossible to resist.

The ghost of one of the long-dead Howlings stood before him, spilling silver light from the sockets of his vacant eyes. Garavin looked involuntarily at the light, and the symbol at his throat began to burn. He heard the voices of the others, screaming at Kail, screaming for Garavin to help him, but the dwarf stood frozen. Couldn’t they see him ? Even Borl wasn’t reacting. How could they not see?

“Dumathoin,” Garavin spoke, in a voice rigid with awe. He slid to his knees. “Lord Under Mountain, we cannot defeat the demon. Aid us, please.”

The god’s essence spoke through the ghost. “Secret keeper, call to him.” The avatar reached out to touch his forehead. “Show him.”

Tears spilled from Garavin’s eyes, hissing as they touched Dumathoin’s holy symbol. He felt the power grow inside him, and he knew what form it would have to take. “1 understand, Lord Under Mountain. I obey.”

Kail felt Dantane’s energy spells reverberate through the demon’s claw, knocking the beast off balance. Whether it had any effect other than to incense the creature, Kail didn’t know, but he used the distraction to crawl out from under the demon’s bloody paw and free his sword. Gripping the blade, he realized the vibration wasn’t coming from the demon.

The magic came from his sword.

No more than a tremor at first, the sensation grew, until Kail had to hold the weapon with both hands. The empty space whete the Motel emetald had been was filled with a silver light that outlined the blade. Accompanying the light, the vibrat-ing hum sounded like music. Then he heatd, within the song, Garavin’s voice.

“Banish the demon, Kail.”

The dwarf s voice pierced his temples. Kail shook his head to clear it and to deny him. “You have to get out of here, back through the portal. If we stay, he’ll slaughter us all,” he said.

“Listen to me, lad.” Garavin’s voice shook him, unrelenting. “Ye can wound the thing a thousand times, but his link to this world has to be severed. He’s holding onto it desperately. As long as he’s sure it’s safe, he can kill us all at his leisure. By Dumathoin’s will, Kali.”

“Kali!” This time it was Meisha, shouting to him from the bridge. “The eye, Kail! The empty eye!” the Harper cried.

Kali swung his sword around. It seemed to have grown heavier with the weight of Gatavin’s voice coursing through the blade. He flew into the demon’s path, angling to its left. The jarilith didn’t need eyes to find him, but the beast turned anyway, running alongside Kali, using the points of his spines as defensive weapons.

Kali pulled back, sucking in his gut. He didn’t ttust his armor to hold, and wasn’t surprised when he heard cloth and chain tip. His cloak, caught against his flank, tore into two ragged slits.

My hands are already ruined, Kali thought, so… Reaching out, Kail grabbed a handful of red and black mane

and pulled, hoping to wrench the beast’s head around.

He might as well have tried to turn a statue’s head.

The demon jumped straighr up, pulling Kail with him. His gtip shaken, Kali fell onto his back on the walkway. He managed to hold onto his sword, but the weapon still vibrated painfully in his hands. Its guard wedged against the stone bridge, allowing him to see the silver light clearly. Movement reflected within it like a mirror, showing the demon as he turned and jumped again, intending to finish his prey while he was out of the air.

Bringing his arms and legs in close to his body, Kali swung the humming blade around until the demon filled the reflective sutface, and all he could feel was heat, a great waterfall of it coming down on him. The blade’s edge crossed his center of vision then thrust back, deep into the demon’s empty socket.

His sword ripped out of his grasp, and the last thing Kail heard before the fire buried him was the demon’s roar, a scream that sounded almost human.

Varan screamed, clawing at the punctured eyeball. He tore it out of its socket and cast it aside. The Shadow Thief guarding him skittered back a step in revulsion.

Crying, the wizard flopped onto his back. His breath hissed erratically in and out of his lungs. Blood that was not his own ran from his ruined eye socket. After a moment, he raised his hands to wipe the moisture away—blood from one eye, tears from the other. He began to laugh, a relieved, hysterical sound that echoed through the caves and brought the other thieves running.

“What happened?” asked Geroll.

“Don’t know,” said the guard, taking another step back just to be safe. “He just started screaming, then pulled out his own eye. Crazy bastard looks almost happy about it.”

5 Marpenoth, the Year of Lightning Storms (1374DR)

Kali felt the weight of the demon come down and knew the battle was over. He prayed the spines would impale him and end his life quickly. If they did not—panic rose sickeningly in his throat—he would burn to death from the demon’s flesh.

A silvei light filled the cavern, blinding him, but the killing weight did not follow. Kali blinked the brightness out of his eyes and strained to see. Running feet came across the bridge toward him. Dantane’s wall had come down. The wizard and Aazen were coming to him, but neither wore looks of fear or alarm. If anything, their expressions were confused.

Kail rolled onto his side, still shocked at his ability to do so. A few feet away, his sword lay on the walkway.

The jarilith was gone. There was only a small puddle of blood left on the bridge. Either the demon had fallen from the bridge, or Kail had truly severed his link to this place.

“He’s gone,” said Dantane, echoing Kail’s thoughts. He knelt beside Kali to examine his wounds. “You need healing, or you’re going to die,” he said.

Kail laughed. Pain flared in his abdomen. “No need to spare my delicate feelings. Tell me the truth.”

“Kail! Dantane!” cried Meisha from above them. “It’s Garavin!”

Garavin—his voice had cut off sometime during the flash of silver light. Kali used Dantane’s arm to haul himself to his feet. Lightheaded from wounds and the terror gripping his heart, he flew unsteadily to the upper bridge. Dantane flew beside him.

Out of the corner of his vision, Kail saw Aazen looking past them, up to the double doors Kail and Garavin had come through. Green portal light spilled out through the doorway. Aazen motioned to his man on the opposite bridge.

Let them go, Kail thought. Dantane was right. He wasn’t in any condition to fight.

He crested the stone lip, and all thoughts of Aazen deserted him.

Garavin lay prone on the bridge. Meisha and Talal crouched beside him. The dwarf clutched his holy symbol in his hand, his eyes fixed and staring at nothing.

Kail bent, trying to pry the symbol loose, but stopped when he felt the latent heat. “What happened?” he demanded.

“It was the ghost,” said Talal. “The one from the room, where we found Braedrin’s body. Meisha’s messenger. I saw it touch him. I don’t think he’s breathin’ at all.”

“Garavin,” Kail said, taking his friend by the shoulders. There were no visible wounds on the dwarPs body. “Wake up. Wherever you are, we need you back here.” He held his maimed hands in front of the dwarPs vacant eyes. “Look at this. See what a wreck I make of myself when you’re not hete?” His voice cracked. “By the gods, you’d better not be dead.” He leaned close and spoke in the dwarPs ear. “There are too many ghosts down hete already, old friend. Please.”

Kali thought he heard a shallow push of air fill his friend’s chest. Garavin’s bloodshot eyes slid closed, then opened again, and something of a presence returned. Kali breathed a quiet prayer of thanks. “Can you heat me, old friend?” he asked.

“He’s gone,” said the dwarf, looking beyond Kail to something unseen. His voice held a sadness Kail had never heard before.

“Who’s gone?” Kali asked quietly.

“Dumathoin,” replied the dwarf. Beside him, Meisha drew a startled breath, but Garavin’s attention was on Kail. “He’s gone, and so are the Howlings. Their penance is done.”

“Is it safe to go now?”

Garavin nodded. “Best to leave it all to the dust, lad.” This time he did look at Meisha. “And take the warning to other secret keepers. This Shanatar doesn’t exist.”

The Hatper nodded, and Kali stood up. Garavin touched his hands and stomach and began a healing prayer.

“As soon as we can move, we’re getting out of here,” Kali said, feeling the pain of his wounds diminish. When Garavin would have tended other hurts, he gently pushed the dwatf away. “I’m all right, old friend. Save your strength.”

“To what fate are we escaping?” spoke up Dantane. When Kali turned, he pointed to the double doors. “Your friend is gone through the portal.”

“Could be an ambush waiting for us up top,” said Morgan. He sounded as if he did not care either way.

“Or the portal malfunctioned again, and they could be sitting anywhere in the Delve,” said Kail. He thought of Cesita, back at the estate. “We don’t have any other way out.”

While the others gathered themselves, Kali went to Morgan, . but the thief remained subdued. He would not meet Kail’s eyes.