Allan Cole - The Gods Awaken

Slowly, they formed around her. Then they advanced, Charize at their head.

Palimak backed up, feeling like a fool as he waved his puny sword before him.

"It's been nice knowing you, Little Master," Gundara squeaked.

"Oh, shut up!" Gundaree snapped. "We're going to be eaten too, you stupid thing!"

For a change Gundara did not reply. For some reason the lack of argument between the twins frightened Palimak more than any other experience in his young life.

Then his heels bumped against the bottom of the stairs leading up to Asper's coffin. Charize's jaws widened into a terrible grin. Her sisters tittered in ghastly amusement.

"And now, little one," Charize said. "And now…"

Queen Charize leaned forward, one great claw stretching out to slice Palimak's life away.

He cut at her with his sword, but she only laughed and slapped it aside.

At that moment an enormous drumboom resounded from behind Charize and her army. They jolted about to see what this new threat might be. The boom was immediately followed by the trumpeting cry of what Palimak swore was a horse.

Then there was the thunder of hooves and a shouted war cry.

Palimak gaped as some invisible force burst through the line of monsters, hurling them aside.

There was a skitter of horse's hooves, another war cry, and then two more creatures fell to the ground, gutted and fountaining blood.

Then Palimak thought he heard someone shout, "Palimak! To the tomb, Palimak!"

It was Safar's voice.

His father's voice.

Without hesitation Palimak whirled and rushed up the short flight of stairs to the coffin. He was too numb to be surprised when he saw that the huge lid had been thrown open.

The mummified corpse of an enormous demon stared blankly out at him. He had time enough to see that it was dressed in black wizard's robes decorated with bejeweled symbols. Then he heard Charize hiss orders and he came about to do battle.

The beast that was Queen Charize roared at her sisters to close in on the invisible force. At the same time she struck out blindly with her scepter. A blast of blue light shot out, but she must have missed because the magical light hammered at nothingness.

Although for just a moment Palimak thought he could make out the shadowy figure of an armored warrior astride a great stallion.

Then the vision was gone and everything became a strange, violent shadow-play as Charize and her sisters battled the invisible force.

He saw a line of beasts form before Charize, saw that line bend as the force cut through them. Then the way was open and Charize clubbed at the air with her scepter.

Palimak heard a heavy thump and a groan as her scepter struck something.

There was a long pause, as if the attacker were struggling to recover, then the moment broke and Charize roared defiance, charging forward.

He heard a meaty thunk, saw Charize stop in mid-charge. And suddenly a red line jagged across her throat.

Charize toppled over, huge head falling to one side-bony skull held only by a thread of gristle-and she crashed to the floor.

There was a shocked silence as Charize's sisters stared down at their queen's lifeless body. Then that silence grew longer and more thoughtful as both Palimak and the creatures realized that the horseman and his steed were no longer present in the chamber.

First there was a shuffle-many claws and talons clicking against the stone.

Then a single whisper: "Who will be queen?"

That whisper became a chorus, "Queen? Queen? Queen?"

And the first voice began to chant:

"We are the sisters of Asper,

Sweet Lady, Lady, Lady…

The others took up the chant, turning on Palimak as they did so.

" … We guard his tomb, we guard his tomb,

Holy One … "

And Palimak had the soul-shivering realization that the battle for royal succession would be fought over his body.

Thwack! as Biner once again assaulted the wall. His club blow did so much damage that Leiria had to shield her face against the shattered rock that exploded outward. Even so, a sharp piece of stone cut her hand and the blood started to flow.

Leiria ignored the wound. What's a little blood, even if it's your own? She studied the results of Biner's work. Strong as he was, mighty though his blows might be, he'd only managed to hammer out a shallow depression into the wall. At this rate, hours would pass before they broke through-assuming Biner didn't wear himself out first.

There was one dubious victory his efforts had won-the depression made a kind of funnel that magnified the sound on the other side. They could hear plainly the clash of battle raging in the chamber beyond.

"Dammit, Biner!" Leiria growled. "This isn't working."

Biner didn't waste his energy on a reply. Instead, he drew back the club once again-planting his feet far apart and bunching his big shoulders in readiness for the blow.

"Here, let me help you," came a woman's voice.

Startled, Leiria turned to see Jooli standing there. Flanking her were the Kyranian soldiers who were gawking at King Rhodesa€™ daughter. Apparently they'd been so surprised to see her, that they had let her walk right through their ranks.

Biner-stopped in mid swing-glared at her. "What're you doing here?" he demanded.

Jooli gave a throaty laugh. "Not making a fool out of myself, that's for certain," she said.

Leiria was angry. "I don't know how in the hells you escaped your guard," she said, "but I don't have time for you. Get your royal behind out of here before I thin-slice it for rations!"

"I'm a witch," Jooli said, answering Leiria's unasked question. "Right now the guards on your airship think I'm tucked away nice and cozy in that tiny closet of a cabin you gave me."

Biner was furious. "I don't care if you are the witch of all witches!" he roared. "Remove yourself from my sight, woman!"

Jooli chortled. "You have more muscles in your head," she mocked, "than you'll ever get in your body."

She took a step forward. Leiria started to block her, but there was something about Jooli that gave her pause. Leiria quite liked Biner. But sometimes he did tend to let his brawn get in the way of cool thought process.

Just as he sometimes used his big voice-even more startling because it came from the body of a dwarf-to hammer down people it wasn't always wise for him to overpower.

Jooli plucked the club from Biner's fingers as if it were a feather. He was too surprised to react. Then she made a gesture at the wall with her free hand. And she chanted:

"You are stone!

You were sand.

You are strong!

You were weak.

Strong to weak.

Weak to sand.

Sand to dust!"

On the last line she leaned forward and gently tapped the stone wall with the club.

With barely a sound the entire thing collapsed, making a two-foot-high pile of dust on the floor.

Leiria didn't waste any thought on Jooli's amazing feat of magic, much less her motives for being here.

The only thing she cared about was that the wall that had been barring her way was gone. And now she was staring into a deep, black emptiness.

Although sight was absent, hearing was plain. There was a whispering of many voices. Harsh voices.

Alien voices. Growing louder and louder, until the words rang clear:

"We are the sisters of Asper,

Sweet Lady, Lady, Lady … "

Then she heard Palimak shout: "Get back!"

Leiria hurled her torch deep into the dark cavern. There was a flare as sparks scattered in every direction.

She caught a glimpse of nightmare creatures-enormous things, with long fangs and vampire wings-then the torch guttered down.