Paul Kidd - Descent into the Depths of the Earth

“Jus, what do cone shells look like?”

“They’re sea shells, and they’re conical.”

“That’s great, Jus.” Unamused, Escalla put her fistson her hips as she hovered, glaring back at her friend. “Can you tell when ashell is venomous, or can’t you?”

“Just hold it to your ear.” The Justicar walked forward,apparently ignoring the guards. “If you hear the ocean, it’s harmless. If itkills you, it was a cone shell.”

“Funny.”

Funny! Cinders’ grin twinkled like jagged mountainpeaks.

The pool held quite a few interesting life forms-tiny blueringed octopi and sea snails with conical shells. Giving the pool a cautious glance, the Justicar kept carefully clear.

“Don’t fall in.”

“Well dub!” The faerie made a droll little face. “Anyother good advice?”

“Yes. Go talk to the chamberlain.”

Stealing silently in from a side entrance way, a hunched, thin kuo-toa came onto the dais. The creature’s eyes swiveled independently,taking in Polk and Henry, Escalla and the Justicar. The black presence of Cinders and the faerie’s golden hair seemed to impress the creature, and it madea simple little spell pass with its hand.

The creature spoke, its cruel fangs clacking. A disembodied voice, eerily suave, feminine, and calm, drifted out from somewhere in midair. “Greetings, air child. We had not looked for your return so soon.”

Biting her lip, Escalla decided that the creature was talking to her. “Well, I just can’t keep away! You know how I love this temple.”

The fish creature bobbed, its savage voice gargling. It made motions with its hands, and the female voice echoed from above. “Your gift ofsacrifices has gained you great credit with us. May we assist you?”

Escalla took on a sly look, hid it with a false blonde innocence, and clasped her hands together. “Well yes. Just a little thing fornow.” Escalla blinked brightly. “Do you remember me borrowing a deadly coneshell from you a while ago?”

“Yes.” The fish creature bobbed. “In return, you paidus with the hearts of many upworld slaves.”

“Oh, how very… outgoing of me.” Escalla looked a littlesick. “Anyway, silly me-must have slipped my mind-but can I just trouble you fora receipt?” The girl gave a polite little clasp of her hands. “It’s for myrecords, you know?”

Not quite comprehending, the kuo-toa simply stared. Escalla signaled Polk for a piece of parchment and a pen, then flew over to present them to the fish creature. “It’s an upworld thing! Sorry. Don’t mean to be a bother.”

“It is necessary?”

“I’m a faerie. Would I lie to you?” Escalla put the pen intothe creature’s clawed hands. “So if you could just write out my name and theexchange deal… you know, ‘We, the temple of the sea goddess, acknowledgethat we gave a venomous cone shell to so-and-so for the purposes of an assassination…’ That kind of thing.”

“So-and-so?”

“You know… my name.” A true mistress of fast talk, Escallawas beside the kuo-toa, helping it write out the receipt. “Just scribble it inthere. My full name. Nice and legal.”

The kuo-toa scribbled its foul script, then paused. “Please write in your name.”

“No, you do it. Just put it in here.”

“I do not recall your alien name. Phase refresh my memory.”

Frustrated, Escalla tried fishing for ideas. “Well, it’s justI forget what name I left with you guys. I have so many! Let’s see what jogsyour memory.” Escalla tried her mother’s name. “Let’s try Ifurela, LadyNightshade. No? How about Tielle?” The girl watched carefully, but the kuo-toanever twitched. “Lord Faen? Lord Ushan?”

With a sinking feeling, Jus made ready to strike with his sword. Above him, Cinders was stoking his flames. Escalla waved her hands, making less and less as she went on.

“Otiluke? Tensor? Bigby?” The girl threw up her hands. “Comeon. Gimme something to work with here!”

The kuo-toa turned and began to write. Relieved, Escalla fell back toward her friends and whispered avidly in their ears, “He’s doing it! Imean, she’s doing it! We’re getting a receipt!” The girl gave a hugegesture of relief. “So that’s it! We get the receipt, and we run for home. Nodrow city!”

With his eyes nervously fixed on the kuo-toa, Henry cleared his throat. “What about the captives from Sour Patch?”

“Yeah, too bad about that reward.” Escalla shot a guiltyglance at Jus and Henry. “Ah, I mean too bad about all those poor souls, butthey’re in the clutches of the drow, man. Nothing we can do about it. Can’t behelped!”

“We’re going after them.” The Justicar stood with his feetplanted and his eyes seeing every tiny little movement in the room. “We need toknow why your murderer is taking human slaves.” The big man’s voice echoed likethe slamming of a tomb. “They have a date with Justice.”

Escalla seethed, going into a grumbling sulk. “I just knew he was going to say that!”

Benelux gave a self-righteous glow. I knew it also. He is made of purer stuff than you.

Further retort was halted as the kuo-toa held up the finished receipt and stared at it with its eerie eyes. The creature came toward Escalla, who rubbed her hands in anticipation.

“Here we go!” Posing, Escalla elegantly reached out for theslip of parchment. “And now, for your listening pleasure, ladies and gentlemen,the murderer is…!”

A huge bubbling roar came from the far side of the room. Escalla whipped about to see a mammoth kuo-toa dressed in golden chains. Standing in a secret door that opened beside the throne, the monster’s voicethundered and was echoed calmly by the disembodied voice above.

“This is not the faerie that we have trained! This one ismale. It has no mammary glands!” The kuo-toa scribe whirled, staring atEscalla, the receipt crushed hard in its hand. Outraged, Escalla lost her temper.

“What do you mean no mammary glands! Hey! You fish reject,what the hell do you think these are?”

“You are a different faerie.” The newcomer angrily waved aclaw. “Why are you here?”

Stumped for ideas, Escalla turned to face her friends. “Gotme there. Guys, anyone got anything more to say?”

Wag-wag-wagging his tail, Cinders grinned in glee. Yes.

“What?”

BURN!

His first blast smashed three kuo-toa off their feet. The creatures screamed as the noxious oil on their scales caught fire. Gleefully thundering a vast column of flame into the kuo-toa, Cinders made a noise of insane enthusiasm, sweeping fire all across the enemy.

“At least he has no problem with commitment!” Escalla blasteda fireball into a knot of onrushing guards. “That’s great, pooch! That was realsubtle!”

Burn! Burn fish! Burn palace! Burn idol! Burn cave! Cinders fur stood on end, flame streaming from happy teeth. Burn!

The scribe screamed and launched himself into the air, clawed hands reaching to rip Escalla from the sky. The girl’s eyes bulged as she wassnatched and squeezed like a grape. An instant later, the scribe’s hands weresevered by Jus’ sword. Croaking, Escalla thudded to the ground, her ribs almostcrushed and the dead hands still pinning her tight.

Above her, Private Henry screamed a panicked war cry and parried a harpoon that would have pinned Escalla to the floor. Angrily fighting free, Escalla struggled out of the dead grasp and spat her hair out of her mouth. Something blurred past her, a spear smashed sparks from a pillar beside Henry, and Escalla fired another fireball in reply.