David Gemmell - The Legend of the Deathwalker

'Yes,' answered Sieben.

'I should have gone with them.'

'Why don't you come in with me? Then you'll see them for yourself."

The man shook his head. 'I will wait outside.'

Sieben left him and returned to the Shrine. The glow around Druss seemed just as strong, though Talisman's zhi was weaker now. Sieben settled himself down against the wall. It was so like Druss to volunteer a trip to Hell. What is it about you, my friend, he thought? Why do you revel in such unnecessary risks? Is it that you think you are immortal? Or do you believe the Source has blessed you above other men? Sieben smiled. Maybe he has, he thought. Maybe there is something indestructible in your soul. Talisman's body spasmed, bright green flaring within his zhi . Druss too shuddered, his fists clenching.

'They are in a battle,' whispered Nosta Khan, moving to his knees with hands outstretched. Talisman's zhi flickered and faded, the glow dying away. Nosta Khan shouted three words, the sound harsh and discordant. Talisman's back arched, and he groaned. His eyes opened wide, and a strangled cry came from his lips. His arm swept out, as if still holding a sword.

'Be calm!' cried Nosta Khan. 'You are safe.' Talisman rolled to his knees, his face drenched in sweat. He was breathing heavily.

'Send. . send me back,' he said.

'No. Your zhi is too weak. You will die.'

'Send me back, damn you!' Talisman tried to rise, but slumped to his face in the dust.

Sieben ran to him, helping him to sit up. 'Your shaman is right, Talisman. You were dying. What happened there?'

'Beasts, the like of which I have never seen! Huge. Scaled. Eyes of fire. We saw nothing for the first days of travel. Then we were attacked by wolves. Great creatures, almost the size of ponies. We killed four. The rest fled. I thought they were bad enough. But, by the Gods of Stone and Water, they were puppies compared with what followed.' He shivered suddenly. 'How many days have I been gone?'

'Less than two hours,' Sieben told him.

'That is not possible.'

'Time has no meaning in the Void,' said Nosta Khan. 'How far did you get?'

'We made it to the Gates of Giragast. There was a man there. Oshikai knew him — a small shaman, with a twin-forked beard.' Talisman turned to Sieben. 'He said to thank you for the gift. He will remember it.'

'Shaoshad the Cursed,' hissed Nosta Khan.

'Cursed he may be, but we would never have mastered the demons at the Gates without him. Druss and Oshikai are. . colossal. Never have I seen such power, such controlled rage. When the scaled beasts came I thought we were finished. Oshikai attacked them, with Druss beside him. I was already wounded and scarce able to move.' His hand moved to his side, seeking a wound. He smiled. 'I feel so weak.'

'You need to rest," said Nosta Khan. 'Your zhi is diminished. I will cast healing spells over you as you sleep.'

'They cannot succeed. More demons everywhere.'

'How were they when you left?' asked Sieben.

'Druss has a wound in his thigh and his left shoulder. Oshikai is bleeding from chest and hip. I last saw them enter a black tunnel. The little man, Shaoshad, was leading them. He was holding a stick, which burst into flame like a torch. I tried to follow them. . but then I was here. I should never have agreed to Shul-sen's request. I have killed Druss, and destroyed the soul of Oshikai.'

'Druss is still strong,' said Sieben, pointing to the glowing aura around the axeman. 'I've known him a long time, and I'd wager on him returning. Trust me,'

Talisman shivered again. Nosta Khan covered his shoulders with a blanket. 'Rest now, Talisman,' he told the younger man. 'Let sleep wash away the weakness within.'

'I must wait,' he said, his voice slurred with weariness.

'Whatever you wish, my Lord,' whispered Nosta Khan. As Talisman lay down, Nosta Khan began to chant in a low voice. Talisman's eyes closed. For long minutes the chant continued, then at last the shaman lapsed into silence. 'He will sleep for many hours,' said the old man. 'Aya! But my heart is filled with pride for him. He is a warrior among warriors. Aye, and a man of honour!'

Sieben glanced at Druss's body. The glow was fading. 'You had better fetch him back,' he said.

'Not yet. All is well.'

Druss eased his huge frame against the black rock-face, then slumped to his knees. His strength was all but gone, and blood the colour of milk was flowing from numerous wounds in his upper body. Oshikai laid his golden axe on a rock and sat down. He too was sorely wounded. The tiny shaman, Shaoshad, moved to Druss, laying his skinny hand on a deep cut on Druss's shoulder. The wound closed instantly.

'Almost there,' said the little man. 'One more bridge to cross.'

'I don't believe I could move another step,' said Druss. Shaoshad touched all his wounds and one by one the milky ichor ceased to flow.

'One more bridge, Drenai,' repeated Shaoshad, moving to Oshikai and treating his wounds also.

'Did Talisman die?' Oshikai asked the shaman, his voice weak.

'I do not know. But he is here no longer. Either way he cannot help us. Can you go on?'

'I will find Shul-sen,' said Oshikai stubbornly. 'Nothing shall stop me.'

Druss gazed around the awesome black cavern. Towering stalagmites rose towards the high, domed ceiling, met there by colossal stalactites — like two rows of fangs in a vast maw. One of the surviving bat creatures was still in view, crouching high on a ledge above them. Druss stared up into its baleful red eyes. The bodies of its comrades lay scattered on the cavern floor, their grey wings outstretched and broken. The survivor made no move to attack. The journey here had been long and terrifying, across a landscape unlike any to be found in the world of flesh. Druss had walked the Void once before, to bring Rowena back from the dead. But then he had walked the Road of Souls, a veritable garden of delights when compared with this journey. The land obeyed no laws of nature that Druss understood. It shifted and changed endlessly under a slate-grey sky; cliffs suddenly rearing from a desolate plain, showering boulders the size of houses down from the sky. Chasms would appear, as if an invisible plough was tearing at the dead soil. Black and twisted trees would sprout into forests, their branches reaching out to claw like talons at the flesh of the travellers. Some time ago — it could have been days or hours — they had descended into a gorge, the floor of which was festooned with what appeared to be discarded helms of rusted iron. Lightning lit the sky endlessly, casting hideous shadows around them. Talisman was in the lead when the helms began to shake. The earth parted, and long-buried warriors erupted from the black earth. The skin of their faces had rotted away, and maggots clung to the flesh beneath. Soundlessly they advanced. Talisman had beheaded the first, but taken a deep wound from a second. Druss and Oshikai charged, their axes slicing into corrupt flesh.

The battle was long, 'and hard. Shaoshad blasted globes of explosive fire into the awful ranks, and the air stank with the smoke of burning flesh. At the last Druss and Oshikai stood back to back gazing round at the mound of corpses. Of Talisman there was no sign.

On the far side of the gorge they had entered a tunnel, which led into the heart of the highest mountain Druss had ever seen. In a cavern at its centre they had fought off a frenzied attack from the demonic bats. 'Tell me,' said Druss to Shaoshad, 'that there are no more guardians. That would please me greatly.'

'Plenty more, axeman. But you know what they say,' he added with a mischievous grin, 'nothing worth while ever comes easy, yes?'

'What can we expect?' asked Oshikai.

'The Great Bear guards the bridge. After that I know not. But there is one who will remain. That is Chakata. He it was who murdered Shul-sen in a manner most foul. He is here. . in one form or another.'