Foster, Dean - Spellsinger 04 - The Moment Of The Magician

straightened up. At first the big chamber seemed as

dark as the tunnel, but as his eyes adjusted he found

he was just able to make out dim outlines in the

darkness.

The source of illumination was weak with distance:

a tiny circle of light far above them.

"A well o' some kind," Quorly suggested, "inside

the bloomin' Quorumate. That sound familiar to any

o' you blokes?"

The Quorum members put their heads together

and considered. None of them had taken much of

an interest in the architecture of the rambling collec-

tion of structures they ruled from. Only Opiode had

any ideas.

"In less civilized times condemned criminals were

Alan Dean Foster

268

rumored to have been thrown into such pits. It may

be that this is such a place, long abandoned and only

recently rediscovered."

"Damn!" Mudge shouted abruptly.

"What is it, what's wrong?" Jon-Tom asked him-

"Tripped over somethin', mate." He fumbled a bit

in the darkness, lifted something for all of them to

feel. jon-Tom identified it immediately. It was a

primate skull.

Opiode took it from Mudge and they could see his

hands moving over the bone. "Cracked when the

owner was thrown from above," he announced. Eyes

immediately went to that distant circle of light.

It was quiet for a moment. Then Sasswise said,

"Come on then, you lazy lot. Let's see *ow big this 'ole

is. Maybe there's another way in."

Everyone fanned out and began feeling along the

wall. Climbing was out of the question, even for the

agile otters. The damp stones arched to form a

dome overhead. Only Opiode might have been able

to manage it, in his younger days. Now he did not

have the strength to cling to such a slick overhang.

"Got an idea," said Mudge. "Let's make a pyramid."

The otters discussed the proposal briefly, then

settled themselves in the center of the chamber and

proceeded to put. on an astonishing display of

acrobatics- They managed to stack themselves four

high, but Splitch was still yards shy of the point

where the vertical shaft of the well broadened out to

form the curved ceiling.

The pyramid was collapsed and the otters brushed

themselves off. "Wouldn't 'ave mattered if I could've

reached the bottom," Spiitch told them- "The shaft's

as slick as a snowslide, and there ain't a 'and'old in

sight. She's too wide to bridge." She eyed Jon-Tom

thoughtfully. "You're long enough to do it, Jonny-

Tom, but we've no way to get you up there."

THE MOMENT OF THE MAOICIAM

269

"We had best find some way out," said Opiode.

This skul! is fresh." Everyone shuffled about uneasily.

"Doesn't mean a lot," said Domurmur. "One of

Markus's latest victims, no doubt."

"No doubt," agreed Opiode readily. "The question

is, if the victinvis a recent one, who or what has so

efficiently removed the flesh from the bone?" Faint

light glinted off his bulging eyes as he searched the

darkness.

"If I only had my duar," Jon-Tom was muttering.

"I might be able to sing up a ladder or rope or

something. If only we—"

'. He was interrupted by noise from above. Voices,

and the blare of ceremonial trumpets.

"Everyone, get back from the opening and keep

quiet!'* Opiode ordered them. They spread out quickly.

Sounds of a scuffle overhead, another blare of

trumpets, and then a horrible high-pitched scream

- that increased rapidly in volume. It stopped abruptly

t when something struck the stone floor with a wet,

sickening thud. The object bounced once and then

lay still.

The sounds from above went away. Jon-Tom leaned

cautiously into the light and saw nothing. Slowly, the

refugees gathered around the thing that had been

'thrown down the well.

It was a small macaque, no more than four feet

tall. A torn white lace ruffle ringed the neck above a

green-and-blue jersey which was tucked into dark

green shorts of bright snakeskin- Gold embroidery

decorated the sleeves, and a belt of thin gold links

circled the narrow waist-

The neck was twisted at an unnatural angle. One

arm lay bent straight up behind the spine. Open eyes

stared toward the well.

"Died instantly," commented .Opiode softly. "Neck

broke when he hit. Poor fellow."

270 Aim Dean foster

Cascuyom pushed his way to the fore. "1 know

him. That is the honorable Jestutia."

"Yes, I know him also." Selryndi bent over the

body. '"One of our most respected citizens." He^ glanced

up toward the top of the shaft. "Markus must be

feeling very confident, to begin murdering such promi-

nent individuals."

"Quiet, be quiet!" That was Mudge, snapping at

them from somewhere far off to the left.

"Listen, otter, one of our colleagues and friends

has just been foully slain, and I see no reason to—"

"Shut up, nut-eater, or I'll stuff that tail of yours

down your throat," His voice dropped an octave.

"There's somethin' else in 'ere with us."

A chill raced down jon-Tom's back. Something

had removed the meat from that first skull. "Mudge,

we checked out..."

"There's another tunnel over 'ere, mates. A big

one. And there's somethin' in it, and I think *tis

startin' to move."

"You are trying to frighten us," Selryndi said

nervously.

"Oh, why sure, now, that's it, guv'nor," said Mudge

sarcastically. "I've got nothin' better to do than make

up scary stories, right?" He rejoined them and put a

hand on the squirrel's back. " 'Ow about you go and

'ave a looksee over there, guv, and prove me out 10

be the liar you say I am." Selryndi's feet dug into the

floor.

"Listen, all of you," Memaw urged them- Mudge

and Selryndi quit squabbling as something scraped

against distant stones. This was followed by a heavy

wheeze. Wind from another tunnel, Jon-Tbm thought-

Or something waking up.

Unconsciously, everyone retreated toward the drain-

age tunnel. "What do the old legends say about

this?" Jon-Tom asked the wizard.

THB MOMENT OF THE MAG/CMN 271

"Nothing," came Opiode's whispered reply. "There

is not supposed to be anything down here. This is

the place of the dead."

Chunk! Gravel shifted underfoot, followed by a vast

exhaling and an odor like burning charcoal. Quoriy

clung to Miidge's arm.

"Tis comin' this way!"

"Stay still, don't let it know we're afraid," Mudge

told her, trying to edge behind Memaw and Sasswise.

Optode raised a hand and muttered something

under his breath, but it had no effect on whatever

shared the chamber with them. It was moving nearer.

"It is no use- I am still constrained from working

magic by the spell Markus laid upon me. 1 cannot

break free."

"Get ready to run for the tunnel," Memaw told

them. It lay close at hand, but it would take time for

all of them to crowd inside the narrow opening, and

a sudden rush ran the risk of stirring to action

whatever was coming toward them.

There was a brief explosion of flame in the darkness,

accompanied by a thick acrid smell. Then a low

growl, rich and throaty.

"Try singin' somethin*, matel" Mudge urged Jon-

Tom.

"But 1 haven't got the duar."

"Try anyway, mate. Try somethin'l"

"Sasswise," said Memaw, "you, Flutz, and I will try

to divert its attention while the others file into the

tunnel. The rest of you prepare yourselves." The

otters scrambled to salvage old bones, rocks, any-