I decided to choose my final battle and let it walk unhindered towards the hidden place it sought, but while it was moving I began to draw in my power. It felt what I was doing and tried to stop me, but my will now was iron and pain meant nothing, for my death was upon me and I knew it. I called to me every scrap of will and training and innate power I had ever possessed, commended my soul to the Lady, and unleashed it at the thing I carried.

I heard it scream as the power of the Lady Shia struck it like a lance. I sent wave after wave of power at it, drowning it in the blessed light of the Goddess. If I had been stronger, or if I had known more of the nature of demons, perhaps I might have been able to kill it, but it had reached its destination. I was no longer needed.

I was grateful for the swiftness with which it severed the great cord in my back, for the pain was stopped like the snuffing of a candle. I felt nothing as it clawed its way out, and I kept the clear light of the Lady around me until the last second. The last sight I saw in life was the first rays of true dawn striking the great peaks round about and gleaming off the scales of the beautiful dragons, and I blessed the Lady with my final thought as I took beauty down with me into darkness and death.

I had rested some hours after I spoke with Varien, but as the first hint of false dawn lightened the sky I leapt into the updraft that had kept me from crashing into the cliff. My wing ached but it bore me yet, and the updraft carried me swiftly to a decent altitude. I had to fly a long way north to find what I sought, but I knew it at once when I found it— the river was unmistakable, the only feature so large that it could be seen from so far away. The hills were away to the west of where I flew, but not too far.

"Varien, my friend, how fare you?" I called, as dawn rose bright behind me. "/ am near, I believe. I have found the great river, and the sharp hills lie before me."

He did not answer me, so I tried bespeaking Lanen. "Lady Lanen, is Varien—?"

"I am here, Shikrar," he replied at last. His voice sounded extraordinary. "You are as welcome as a summer's day in midwinter, my friend."

"Varien, what news? What news now of the Lesser Kindred?"

"Come find us, my brother," he said. "Oh, Shikrar! It is the unknown and the Word of the Winds both together. I have no words. You must see."

He sounded weary but very happy. I glided towards the sharp peaks ahead, wondering what there was for them to show me.

Where is it? The damned thing should have come to me by now. It should have been here hours since! Dawn is here already, the best time is past, if it comes not swiftly I shall be forced to—

Ah. Good.

"Masster, all iss done. The prey awaitss you, the Swift-lines are planted in the heart of the host and both are open to you."

"You are late," I growled. "You should have been here hours ago."

"The hossst wasss ill chossen, Masster," it hissed happily, knowing I had not specified a time limit. "Healersss can work againsst uss. He wasss a sstrong Healer and killed himself before I could force him to build the altar. I wass forced to built it mysself, and that wass not in the price we agreed."

"You speak truth, little demon," I said, throwing an extra handful of lansip onto the flames. It inhaled the smoke greedily, its reward sufficient. "All now is achieved. Our pact iss concluded, all iss done, live in pain and die alone," it intoned, spitting at me as it vanished. I ignored its petty complaints.

All was prepared now for the summoning of the Nameless One, the Demonlord, for I would undertake it the instant La-nen was in my power. There was much to do, and it must be done swiftly, but all was in readiness for my return.

I took with me every set trap I had to hand. Such things were very useful—all the work had already been done, I had only to break the thin clay discs the spells were encased in to summon up the demons in question. If I encountered difficulties I had anywhere from one to a legion of the Rikti at my command, and in extremity I could call up a Raksha from the Third Hell. That should take care of most things. It would even slow the Kantri down long enough for me to appear, take the girl and get out;

The most useful set trap against the Kantri, of course, would be a Ring of Seven Circles, but there had been no time. The making of such a thing took far longer than the two days' notice I'd had from Marik. Bastard. He should have told me before.

Still, I was prepared. My robes of black and silver, woven about with spells of protection, would serve as armour—not for long, but for long enough.

I stood in my summoning chamber among lighted candles with Durstan at my side. "Be ready to silence her the instant we appear," I told him.

"I am prepared," he rumbled. "Success, Master."

"Always," I replied, and stepped into the circle that marked the outgoing Swiftline.

It took no time that could be measured. Between one breath and another I travelled to the far end and stepped out into a small wood. I looked quickly about me. I could not see Lanen, indeed I was hard-pressed to find any humans. There on the field before me were hundreds of the little dragons that commonly haunt the woods. I broke a disc and a single Rikti appeared. "Find the living humans in this crowd and come and tell me where they are," I commanded.

I had not known I would need to deal with these creatures, and I did not know what their response would be. I watched its flight from my hidden place in the wood and saw that it was pursued by several of them. Then, to my satisfaction, I heard a voice cry out, " 'Ware demon!" That voice was human enough, and I could tell where it came from, so the thing's death by the paltry flame these little creatures could command was no great loss.

There were the humans, out in the open and looking terribly confused. How delightful. Ah, and there was my prey.

I was feeling extravagant. I drew out nearly every disc save the one that summoned the Raksha and broke them. The air was suddenly black with Rikti awaiting my command. I pointed. "Leave alive that human, the tall female with the long hair. Kill the rest," I shouted, to be heard above the yells and hisses of the creatures in the field.

They massed and attacked, and I strode forth to claim my prey.

Into the midst of our celebrations the first of the demons came alone and died swiftly. If it had not been for Will's shout we might have had no notice at all. As it was, we were at least a little wary when a great cloud of them appeared and came straight for us.

My first instinct was to rise up and flame them, but when in the next instant I remembered, instead I called out in true-speech to the brother of my heart.

"Shikrar! Haste, my friend, the Rikti attack!"

His voice rose in a song of battle. "Behold, they are their own undoing and it is good. I know now where you are for I can smell the evil from here. I come, Akhor!"

In the meantime, for I knew not how far away Shikrar might be, I drew my sword as my only defence, for tooth and claw and breath of fire were denied me—but they were not denied the Lesser Kindred. I had not known for certain that they would react in the same way as the Kantri; our hatred of the Rakshasa must be deep in the bone. The Lesser Kindred rose in flame and struck with claws and teeth.

Lanen, beside me, had drawn her blade as well. Vilkas stood in the centre of his blazing corona, no whit diminished for all that he had laboured all night to aid the Lesser Kindred, but the fear on his face was plain. Aral, beside him, also had drawn her power about her, but her corona was barely visible in the early-morning light. She only just had the time to draw forth the soulgem of the Ancestor before the things attacked.