Jeff Crook - The Rose and the Skull

The draconians nearest the door parted, making way for a figure robed in black. He strode into the room and looked up at the balcony as though awaiting an order. Ellinghad and Jessica turned to face this newcomer.

"Shaeder, I believe you have an opportunity to redeem yourself/' Alya said.

The figure walked toward the Knights.

"Get behind me," Ellinghad whispered to Jessica. "When he casts his spell, you come round and attack him before he can recover."

As the bozak mage lifted his voice in chant, Ellinghad gave the Knight's salute to an enemy, then started his war cry. Before he could do anything, however, his mouth filled with some sticky substance, which also clung to his eyes and covered his limbs. Magical webs engulfed both Knights, binding them completely.

Valian started from a sleep, with something clutching his leg like a shackle. He lay in a pile of ash, and as he kicked himself free, he realized that the "shackle" was Glabella. The gully dwarf moaned in her sleep and tightened her grip on his ankle.

"Wake up," he hissed. "Glabella, wake up!"

Her eyes flew open, and for a moment she seemed not to realize where she was. She sank her teeth into the calf of his leg. He cried out in pain. With one mighty kick, he sent her sliding through the muck.

They lay in some side hall. A door some distance down the hall stood ajar, allowing a little light to spill out. Valian rose, staggering, feeling the bump on his head for the first time. His right shoulder and side were also sore. Obviously, in his fear-crazed flight, he'd slammed into a wall and knocked himself out. As he swayed to his feet, groaning in pain, Glabella came crawling back to him.

"I sorry," she whimpered.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "How did you find me?"

"I ask other Aghar. They see where you go," she answered.

"And the others? The other Knights? What about them?" he asked.

"I no like other Knights now. I like you best. We stay here," she said as she cuddled up to his leg.

Gently, he pried her loose. "Glabella, listen to me. We have to find them. We have to find Uhoh and get out of here. What happened to them?"

"Red hair lady is slagd now," Glabella answered.

"Lady Meredith?"

Glabella nodded. "She not Knight anymore, she slagd."

"A sivak," Valian murmured in horror.

"They go with her," Glabella said. "Aghar say they caught. But not Glabella. I find pretty Knight. We live here forever." Again she wrapped her arms around his thigh.

Again, he worked himself free, managing to keep her at arm's length. "We have to find them. Do you know where they have been taken?"

"No," she said stubbornly.

At a sound from behind them, Valian spun. An armored figure stood there, peering into the darkness.

"Valian?" the figure called. "Is that you?"

Glabella hissed Valian turned, pushing the gully dwarf behind him. She clung to his legs.

"Lady Meredith," he answered smoothly.

"Thank the heavens I found you!" Meredith said. "Come on. We've found Uhoh."

"Where are the others?" Valian asked as he inched toward the Knight. Glabella's leghold threatened to trip him.

Meredith saw the gully dwarf as Valian neared the light. "Ah, I see you've found Glabella as well. Good, very good," she said.

As Valian emerged into the light, Meredith stepped back and laughed. "Shoo, you stink," she laughed, holding her nose.

He smiled weakly and shrugged. "Lead the way," he said.

Meredith nodded and turned. In a flash, Valian's arm locked around her throat and a dagger pricked her flesh between the plates of her armor.

"Valian, what are you doing?" she croaked.

"Shhh, no more tricks, sivak," he hissed into her ear.

"Sivak? Have you gone mad?" Meredith exclaimed.

"Don't play me for a fool," Valian said. "If you want, we can wait here until you are no longer able to hold this shape, then we'll see what happens."

"By that time, your friends will be dead," Zen's voice answered from Meredith lips.

"That's why you are going to lead me to them, now," Valian said. He increased the pressure, strangling the draconian. "And don't try to change shape, or I'll spill your kidneys on this floor."

"Go ahead," the sivak grunted. "You know what will happen if you kill me?"

"I know ways to kill you safely and slowly, draconian. So unless you care to experience them, you will show me the way." Valian released his hold, freeing the sivak. He drew his sword and used its point to shove Lady Meredith forward.

"Come on, Glabella," he said.

At the far end of a hall stood a magnificent throne of solid gold, more fabulous than any treasure Jessica had ever seen. On it sat a creature from the darkest nightmare imaginable. It was draconian, but only partially. Its twisted face reminded the knight of pictures glimpsed in a book long ago, of the creatures supposed to inhabit the Abyss. His visage filled her with such fear and loathing that she could barely stand to look at him. He laughed as she turned her face away.

To her surprise, a very miserable looking gully dwarf lay beside her. He seemed only half-conscious. No cords bound him and he wore only a dirty loincloth. She almost burst out in tears at the sight of him. His little body was bruised and battered, his skin burned, his hair and beard singed to ash in places. Droplets of sweat spattered his forehead, and he was tossing in some fevered dream.

"Uhoh," she moaned.

"Gulpfunger!"

Jessica turned to find Mommamose also had been brought in and set beside Sir Ellinghad. The draconians were cutting the last of the webbing from his mouth. He gagged violently, which made them laugh with delight.

Despite being bound hand and foot, Mommamose managed to lunge at one of the draconians, trying to wield a gully dwarf's favorite weapon-her teeth. The kapak leaped back to avoid those flashing yellow incisors, then brought his mailed fist crashing down on her head. She slumped to the floor.

A door slammed as Lady Alya stalked into the room. She paced before the throne of Iulus, cracking her knuckles in impatience. Finally, Iulus spoke, gesturing to a pillow on the floor beside his throne. "Lady Alya, please relax and take a seat," he said in honeyed tones.

"I can't relax," she snapped. "Hasn't it occurred to you that if they have sent Knights here, then they must know of our whereabouts!"

"If they know so much then, why bother to try to rescue a gully dwarf?" Iulus crooned. "Perhaps they do not yet know how Gunthar died. If they did, the gully dwarf would be useless to them."

"Maybe useless to you, but not to us," Jessica spat.

"See there," Alya said scornfully. "I told you so. They have come because it is the right thing to do." She moved quickly to stand before Jessica. "You know everything, don't you? You're here purely for the sake of honor, aren't you?"

"I am only following orders," Jessica answered defiantly.

With a scream of rage Alya cuffed her with an iron gauntlet. Jessica crumpled to the floor.

"Lady Alya!" Iulus said.

Ellinghad spat the last of the magical webbing from his mouth. "If I were free, I'd make you regret that," he growled.

"Is that so?" she smiled as she brought her knee smashing into his stomach. He gasped and fell to the floor.

"Lady Alya!" Iulus shouted. "Restrain yourself."

"What does it matter? They'll be dead shortly," she said sulkily as she crossed to the throne and flopped onto a pillow.

"The gully dwarves, yes, but these two are much too valuable to be killed right away," Iulus said. "They'll bring a fine ransom, even though I regret not being able to keep the female for my own purposes."

"No ransom!" Alya exclaimed. "They are to be executed at once! They are too dangerous." She climbed to her feet and addressed one of the draconian guards. "Where is General Zen? He should be back with Valian by now."