Paul Kidd - White Plume Mountain

Fine.

“Well, at least you got a bath.”

Escalla looked down, discovered she was naked, and retrieved her clothes from a silent Polk. She picked up her new magic wand, read the runes along its side, and looked up in hostility as the paladin came near.

Sir Olthwaite cleared his throat. “Do you know how to workthe wand?”

Escalla turned away, holding her new treasure against her chest. The wand was covered with ice runes. “I might.”

A thunderous boom echoed from the boiling lake beyond as the last of the air-filled chamber collapsed under the water. “What the hell wereyou doing while Jus was fighting the crab?”

“I fought the crab!” The armored man drew himself proudlyerect. “I have already told you, the wights have diminished my fighting powers!”

“Really?”

The paladin gave a distasteful sniff.

“I hardly think this is the place for a mere faerie tocomment upon the fighting prowess of a knight of the realm.”

For once, Escalla did not deign to answer. Instead, she looked down the barrel of her wand, patted it twice, and then cradled it in her arms. Backing away in midair, she swirled over toward the gear left lying in the water on the floor.

“Well, here’s Wave. That’s two magic weapons down and one togo.” Escalla kicked at the trident with her booted foot. “Polk, you carry it.Use rags to protect your hands.” The girl lifted her chin. “Touching thesethings can cause you power burns, you know.”

Sir Olthwaite looked from the trident to the girl in puzzlement.

“Why did you take the trident? You could have had the gems!”

“Jus wants the trident.”

“But you didn’t get any treasure! You’re still poor!”

The faerie shrugged and smiled wickedly. “That too shallpass.” The girl rested a hand upon the Justicar’s shoulders. “Hey J-man, you allright?”

“I’m fine.” The man rose slowly, testing his legs for burns.Battered and wet with the hell hound pelt upon his head, he looked like a wolverine that had been brushed the wrong way. “Let’s go.”

They moved down the corridor, heading for the kelpie pool. Hanging back to walk at the Justicar’s side, Sir Olthwaite tapped thoughtfullyat his own chin.

“So you have the city’s two weapons? Will you be leavingnow?”

Jus kept his head down, thinking as he walked.

“No.”

“No?”

“Blackrazor.” The Justicar settled his grip upon his blacksword. “We’ll fetch it.”

Escalla looked back at her friend and gave an enigmatic smile. Sir Olthwaite drew in a proud breath and nodded.

“Yes. Why settle for two weapons? We shall overawe the baronby retrieving all three.”

“I’m not working for the baron.” The Justicar breathed easieras the healing potion finished its work. “I like to make sure nothing ends up inthe wrong hands.”

“Wrong hands?”

“Ones I have judged and found wanting-”

The paladin heard the words, frowned, and looked at the ranger.

“I regret that I have already used up my own healing giftupon my slain companions.” The man tugged at his chin. “You still seem injured.What is this spell you are reserving? Surely it cannot be more important than your health?”

“A silence spell.” The Justicar pushed his way into thekelpie’s room and watched the two weed-women dive away in fright. “And it is more important than my health.”

“Hey, Enid.”

“Oh, hello!” Enid the Sphinx sat primly upright in her placeat the dungeons main junction. “Still at it?”

“Still going.” Escalla gave a sigh. “Anyway, Enid, SirOlthwaite. Sir Olthwaite, Enid.”

Enid obviously remembered the paladin. She grumpily flexed her claws and said, “We’ve met. He guessed my riddle.”

“Ah, he’s a student of the classics. It happens-no pointgrumbling. We move on, we learn.” Escalla put a comradely arm about Enid’sshoulders then tapped Polk upon the skull. “Polk, oil flask! I’m going to go getmore slime!”

The Justicar raised one thoughtful eyebrow.

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s great stuff!” The faerie whizzed down the easterncorridor. “Back in a flash. Meanwhile, did anyone bring lunch?”

Lunch! Cinders wagged his damp tail. Burnt bones andcoal!

“And I even brought you naphtha for afterward.” Jus removedthe hell hound skin and affectionately began to tidy its fur. “Here we go. Eathearty.”

Escalla returned to find her compatriots wrestling with strips of hardened jerky. Enid delicately nibbled on a piece of bread, showering crumbs across the watery floor. The faerie descended and gave a full slime-jug to Polk, who unhappily stored the thing away. Snatching Polk’s lunch while theman’s back was turned, Escalla settled upon Enid’s furry back.

“Lunch looks… challenging.”

Jus gnawed his jerky and shrugged. Sir Olthwaite distastefully put his food away. Having grown used to the ranger’s camp cooking,Escalla happily stuffed her face and enjoyed her meal, though it didn’t lastlong.

Sitting in the midst of a shower of crumbs, she announced, “So, we ready to go?”

“Yup.” Jus passed the faerie his canteen. “Let’s move.”

The group waded off down the western tunnel. Behind them, Enid waved a cheerful paw.

“Have a nice time!”

“You too!” Escalla flew backward to wave goodbye. “We’ll playriddles tonight, but no eating people anymore, all right?”

“I’m relatively over that little phase now!” Enid gave afinal wave. “See you!”

The western tunnel’s trap provided a few minute’s pause.Walking ahead of the Justicar, Sir Olthwaite halted and flexed his fingers in frustrated indecision. After a moment, he pointed to the water-covered ground ahead.

“The floor drops away here. It is only a ten-foot of gap, butthat’s quite enough to drown in.”

The Justicar lifted his magic light and squinted at the water. Escalla popped into visibility and tried to see whether anything lurked down below.

“How did you cross last time?” she asked.

“We swam. I removed my armor and drew it across the hole witha rope.”

It seemed a simple enough plan. Jus took one pace backward, sheathed his sword, and said, “Good. You go first.”

With a sharp glance of distaste at the ranger, Sir Olthwaite unbuckled his pauldrons and let his arm pieces slide off. Chunk by chunk he divested himself of his armor, letting the metal plates collect at his feet. Dressed in a soiled blue undersuit, the man bundled up his equipment and wrapped it with a few turns of his thin rope. He tied off the scorched rope end and without a backward glance, slipped into the water and began to swim across the gap.

Jus watched carefully then jerked his chin at the water trap.

“Polk, you’re next.”

Polk swallowed, eyeing the oily, filthy pool.

“Now, son, this seems a grand place to hide a monster! Youhave to realize that evil lurks-it lurks -meanin’ it likes to hide.”

Jus kept careful eyes and ears on the passageway.

“We already dangled some bait. Nothing’s there.” The Justicarhelped Polk from his backpack. “Can you swim?”

“Well, son, now that’s another point of contention in yerplan.”

Jus leaned the trident against one wall. He helpfully stuffed Polk’s chronicles inside one of his waterproof scroll tubes and handed the manone end of his own rope.

“You don’t swim?”

“Nope, not a stroke. That’s what I’m saying!”

“Time to learn.”

Jus threw the other end of the rope to a dripping, fuming Sir Olthwaite and unceremoniously pushed Polk into the pool. The teamster squawked and thrashed like a drowning rat until the paladin hauled the rope and landed him on the far side of the pit.