From somewhere within, Kalkos found the strength to obey. "The s-stranger… armored… blood… still on… Hawksfire!"

"Which way?"

The mariner managed to point.

The demon, for Kara knew it to be one, chittered to itself, then demanded, "Why flee? Why run?"

"He-demons on ship."

The murky creature made a sound unlike any Kara would have expected from one of his kind, a sound that she recognized instantly as a sign of consternation. "Impossible! You lie!"

The sailor did not answer. Kara felt him slipping away. His last attempt to respond to the monstrous figure had drained him of what little he had left of life.

The half-seen creature dropped Kalkos, a jolt of pain coursing through the necromancer as the body struck. She heard the demon chitter again, then spout one comprehendible word.

"Impossible!"

Kara had a lone brief glimpse of the inner side of the lifeboat and the sailor's fingers twitching-and with that, the vision faded.

Inhaling, Kara clutched herself tight, eyes still fixed on the corpse's own.

She felt the nearby presence of Captain Jeronnan. The former naval officer put comforting hands on her shoulders. "Are you all right?"

"How long?" the necromancer murmured. "How long?"

"Since you started whatever you've been doing? A minute, two maybe."

So short a time in the real world, but so long and violent in the memories of the dead. The necromancer had performed this spell before, but she had never faced a death time so horrible as what this Kalkos had suffered.

The Hawksfire sailed a day or two ahead of them, no crew left to man the ship save the captain and this sorcerer, Norrec Vizharan. The last name should have warned her: "Servant of the Vizjerei"? More like one of the untrustworthy mages themselves! He had the armor, even had the audacity to wear it! Did he not understand the danger?

Without a crew, even he would have trouble keepingthe ship on course. Kara had a chance to catch him after all, provided that neither the revenants nor the demonic forces she had witnessed in Kalkos's death time had not caught up with the murderer already.

"So," continued Jeronnan, helping her to her feet. "Did you find out anything?"

"Little more," she lied, hoping her eyes would not give her away. "About his death, nothing. However, the Hawksfire is definitely still afloat, both the captain and my quarry aboard."

"Then we should catch up to them soon enough. Two men can't do much to keep a ship like that going."

"I believe it is only two days ahead at most."

He nodded, then glanced down at the corpse. "Are you done with him now, lass?"

She forced herself not to shiver at the memories she had shared with the late Kalkos. "Yes. Give him a proper burial."

"He'll get that… and then we'll be on our way after the Hawksfire."

As he departed the cabin to summon a pair of hands, Kara Nightshadow pulled her cloak about her, her gaze still on the body, but her mind on to what she had just committed herself-herself and every man aboard the King's Shield.

"It must be done," the necromancer muttered. "He must be caught and the armor returned to hiding. No matter what the cost… and no matter how many demons."

"Xazax!"

Galeona waited, but the demon did not respond. She looked around, searching for the telltale shadow. Sometimes Xazax played games, games with dark intentions. The sorceress had no time for games, especially ones that occasionally proved fatal for others than her partner.

"Xazax!"

Still no reply. She snapped her fingers and the lamp blazed brighter-yet still the shadow of the demon did not reveal itself.

Galeona did not care for that. Xazax in the tent, she understood. Xazax elsewhere generally spelled trouble. The mantis sometimes forgot who aided him in secretly walking the mortal plane.

No matter. She had far too much to do. The darkskinned sorceress turned her fiery gaze on a massive chest positioned in one corner of the garish tent. Taken as it appeared, the chest, made of iron and good strong oak and standing on four stylized leonine paws, would have required two sturdy soldiers to drag it to her and that with much effort on their part. However, as with the demon, Galeona had no time to go searching for strong arms, especially when the enchantress knew that they were all busy packing up the rest of the camp. No, she could handle her own needs at this juncture.

"Come!"

The lower corners of the great chest shone. The metallic-paws twitched, the leonine toes spreading, stretching.

The chest began walking.

The massive box wended its way toward Galeona, looking almost like a hound summoned by its mistress. It finally paused within a few inches of the witch, awaiting her next command.

"Open!"

With a long, creaking noise, the lid swung up.

Satisfied, Galeona turned and put her hand under one of the many pieces of her hanging collection. The piece unlatched itself, dropping gently into her waiting palm. The sorceress placed it in the chest, then went on with the next.

One after another, she dropped the items inside. Anonlooker who had observed the entire time would have begun to notice that, no matter how many things Galeona put in the chest, it never seemed to completely fill. Always the witch found room for the next and the next…

But as she neared completion of her task, a slight chill went up and down her spine. Galeona turned and, after some searching, found a shadow that had not been present before.

"So! You finally come back! Where've you been?"

The demon did not answer at first, his shadow sinking deeper into the folds of the tent.

"Augustus has commanded that the entire camp be struck down. He desires we leave immediately after, whether preparations are completed in daylight or night."

Still Xazax did not answer. Galeona paused, not liking the silence. The mantis tended to babble, not hold his tongue. "What is it? What's gotten into you?"

"Where does the general seek to go?" the shadow abruptly asked.

"You have to ask? Lut Gholein, of course."

The demon seemed to consider this. "Yes, this one would go to Lut Gholein. Yes… that might be best…"

She took a step toward the shadow. "What's the matter with you? Where've you been?" When he did not answer, the witch walked up to the corner of the tent, growing more furious by the moment. "Either answer me or—"

"Away!"

The demon burst forth from the shadow, his full monstrous form looming over the human. Galeona let out a gasp and stumbled backward, at last falling over the pillows still covering much of the floor.

Death in the form of a hellish insect with burning yelloworbs and rapidly snapping mandibles hovered. Claws and sicklelike appendages came within an inch- no more-of Galeona's face and form.

"Cease your chattering and keep from this one! Lut Gholein is our agreed destination! We will talk no more until I choose!"

With that… Xazax pulled back into the dark corner, his physical form fading, his shadow growing dimmer. In but a few seconds, the only sign of his continued presence remained just the hint of a monstrous shape among the folds of fabric.

Galeona, however, did not move from where she had fallen until absolutely positive that the mantis would not leap out again. When the sorceress did finally rise, Galeona did so making certain that she rolled away from where the shadow lurked. She had come very close to death, very close to a lingering, agonizing death.

Xazax made no more sound, no more movement. Galeona could not recall when she had ever seen the horrific demon act as he had just done. Despite the pact between them, he had been more than willing to slay her if she had not obeyed instantly-something she swore not to forget. The pact should have been impossible for either to break, the only reason they could tolerate one another on such a long-term basis. If Xazax had been willing to risk the consequences of doing away with both that pact and her, then it behooved Galeona more than ever to find a way to rid herself of him… which very well meant either the general or the fool. At least with men, she always knew she had some control.