CHAPTER NINE

" Are you so greedy that you' d risk our lives in this way?" demanded Inyx. " Never have I heard of such stupidity."

" Dammit," exclaimed Lan. " I' m not going to argue with you. That cask of jewels belonged to me by right, and it was stolen. I' m going to get it back."

" It strikes me, friend Lan Martak, that this sudden desire for wealth instead of life did not take possession of your brain until it was placed there by her." Krek bounced up and down on springy legs and balefully looked at Velika. The blond temptress said nothing, but the way she clutched even harder at Lan' s upper arm supplied all the impetus for his reply.

" We search out the jewels. If you and Inyx wish to try and win through to the Road opened by Waldron, do it!"

" You know we can' t do such a thing, you fool. You saw the guards around that chamber," said Inyx angrily. " This entire place is a maze of twisting corridors. If we don' t all work together to escape this accursed castle, we shall all die within its walls. Treasure hunting will buy us unmarked graves. Is that what you want?"

" We can get the gems back and escape," Lan doggedly told her. " I haven' t come this far to turn back. Look at it my way. You' ve already been liberated from Waldron' s clutches. That' s fine for you, but I want all that' s due me. Waldron' s men stole the jewels, and I demand the right to fight and regain them."

" Isn' t killing Kyn- alLyk- Surepta enough?" the spider asked. " Your mind is fogged by her presence. She bewitches you in some fashion a poor weakling spider such as myself cannot discern. Oh, how I wish I were back in the blessed Egrii Mountains, swinging idly on my noble web, feeling the wind sensuously singing through the fur on my legs. And Klawn, lovely Klawn!"

" May your ' lovely Klawn' burn, damn you," snarled Lan. " And I' m sick of you moaning all the time. Velika hasn' t ensorcelled me. I come from a world where magic is commonplace and can defend myself against all but the most arcane."

Inyx snorted. " There' s none quite so blind as a lovesick jackass. And I wonder about that. She holds a strange power over you that seems more than simple idiotic infatuation. But," she said, holding up her hands in acquiescence, " we cannot escape if we are divided. I shall help you in this idiocy, though it means our death. I will go out fighting, not snivelling." She cast a venomous glare in Velika' s direction.

" I, too, shall add whatever pitiful efforts I can to the quest," said Krek, slumped to the floor in a giant, furry mass. " How I can aid you against that abominable firemonger, I am at a loss to say, but the attempt is the important thing. But a Webmaster deserves a better fate than being roasted."

" I agree," Inyx said, sullen and withdrawn.

" Then if you both agree, let' s be off. Which way did you say the vaults were, Velika?"

" Might have known she' d seek out the riches first," muttered Inyx. Lan ignored her. He thought she was only jealous of Velika' s glossy hair and womanly figure.

" This way, my lord."

" My lord," echoed Inyx sarcastically, then fell silent. She hefted a dagger taken from the dead general' s belt, then tested Surepta' s blade with a few quick lunges. Lan had to admit secretly that she looked as competent a swordsman as he' d ever seen. The test would come later, though, when she faced trained soldiers. Anyone can appear expert waving a blade around in thin air.

" Lead on, Velika, and we' ll follow." Lan cast a silencing glance at his two companions to stifle any retort. For his own, he couldn' t have been happier following Velika. The blond woman' s every move showed liquid grace, almost snakelike in its bonelessness, and the tatters of her gown revealed intriguing patches of gloriously bare skin. Lan began idly daydreaming, and only Inyx' s strong hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his reverie.

" Guards. Ahead. Use Velika to decoy them or we' ll never get past."

" Go ahead, Velika. Don' t be afraid. We' ll protect you. Just distract them long enough for us to attack."

The frightened look on her face called for action on Lan' s part. He placed his forefinger under her chin and raised her lips to his own in a soft kiss.

" There, a token of my esteem for your bravery." Her smile was reward enough for any man.

" The female makes an adequate decoy," observed Krek. " I do not understand it, but you humans have such a complex set of behavioral traits. Could you explain this to me, friend Inyx?"

" I won' t lower myself. Besides, I' m not sure I understand, either. Ah, now. Now!"

With a surge of speed, Inyx burst onto the guards, with quick flashes of her sword to the left, right, then a long lunge directly ahead. Three guardsmen died before the first hit the ground. Lan followed suit, slaying two more. The five cooling bodies presented mute evidence of their teamwork.

" Well done, Velika," said Inyx. " We at last find your usefulness lies in deception."

A cold laugh echoed down the length of the corridor.

" It seems you are the deceived one, lady of the sword. Take them alive or take them dead, it matters little to our liege."

Krek backed up and sank to his knees, sobbing loudly.

" Trapped like an insect in my own web. A common bug and no more. Oh, have my brains turned to mush? Why should I be forced to show my stupidity to the world?"

The soldiers advanced in a line, more of them than Lan could count. He motioned to Inyx to cover his left flank and called to Krek, " Guard the back way. It might be our only way out."

Velika gasped when Krek mournfully said, " Trapped, I said, friend Lan Martak, and trapped I meant. A phalanx of brutes approaches from behind. I am powerless to hold back so many well- armed humans."

" Do not surrender to these scum- eaters," cried Inyx. " Sell your life for a hundred of theirs. Krek, do it! You are powerful! We need your strength, not your weakness."

" Oh, very well, but it is simply useless. No power on this world can turn the tide of such malevolence."

" I agree with the spider," said Velika hurriedly. " Please, Lan darling, surrender and throw ourselves on their mercy. They won' t slay us if we surrender." Tears rolled down the woman' s cheeks like waves against an ocean strand. Lan' s fingers dampened with the tears. His entire body stiffened as if monumental conflict took place within.

" They' d cut their own grandmothers' throats if it amused them. Are you so eager to be raped by an entire army, girl? I for one will fight. Are you with us, Krek?"

" I suppose it is my woeful lot, Inyx. Yes, I will fight at your back for as long as strength flows through my now- rubbery limbs."

" Lan?"

His mind raced. Kyn- alLyk- Surepta. Waldron. Zarella' s death. The grey- clad soldiers on the bog world. But then there was Velika. She wished him to surrender. His hand burned as if he' d thrust it into a fire. Lan fought off the waves of emotion wracking him and making him giddy, confusing his senses. There could be only one path to follow. His decision was made.

" We fight," Lan said, his voice choked. The conflict within died down and his resolve firmed. He did the proper thing. " I' m not going to allow Velika to fall into their hands again. Fight, Krek, fight as you did on the bog world."

Lan lunged en quarte and skewered the soldier in front of him. He pulled back, his blade dripping gore, and the body fell heavily, forming the foundation of a barricade in the hallway. Inyx added another before the wave of soldiers broke on them full force. Lan' s mind went blank. All he knew was lunge, parry, riposte. He accumulated minor cuts and one of a dangerous potential on his leg. But the snicksnick of his blade against those of the grey- clad soldiers demanded his full attention. Like Inyx, he' d go down fighting.