“Brothers and sisters, the time approaches for the arrival of God’s Instrument,” the man who had spoken before said, causing the people around him to raise their heads. “Ever is sin punished, even sinning thoughts, and we stand humble as we are judged and accept that judgment for the good of our souls. Let us retire from this area, and leave our newest brother to the purification he would otherwise never find.”
A murmur of pleased agreement accompanied the withdrawal of the people toward the left side of the cavern, their movement covering the sound of Wind Whisper’s very low growl. Lisah had also seen that Bryahn was coming around, his head moving from side to side as his arms strained against the leather which bound him. Strangely enough his weapons had been left him, but tied hand and foot he had little chance of reaching them.
“You may now release your mate while this cat stands guard between you and those two-legs, sister,” Wind Whisper bespoke Lisah, the prairiecat’s tail moving in short, jerky arcs. “The scents in this place are exceedingly strange, and I feel it would be best if we were gone as quickly as possible.”
Lisah wondered how the cat was able to scent anything beyond the stench of unwashed bodies, molder-ing food, and general refuse in that cavern, but rather than waste time asking she moved forward toward Bryahn while still remaining as much as possible in shadow. She hadn’t thought freeing him would be that easy, not simply a matter of reaching him and cutting him loose, and the girl was just the least bit disappointed. Cutting down well-armed guards who stood over him would have been much more satisfying, but apparently one could not have everything in life.
Wind Whisper moved off to the left as Lisah neared Bryahn, the man now lying still and staring straight at the girl. Lisah had sent him a terse command to save his strength and wait until she reached him with the dagger now in her fist, and although he’d been startled and confused he hadn’t tried arguing. The people in the cavern still had no idea they were there, which meant there was no need to hurry. Better to have Bryahn cut free before they knew what was happening, Lisah thought, and apparently Wind Whisper agreed. The prairiecat was also hugging the shadows, her urge to spill blood held rigidly in check. Lisah slid out of the shadows in a crouch, no more than three steps from Bryahn, no more than moments from freeing him, and then—
And then a growling roar sounded from the right, pulling Lisah’s head around to the dark tunnel Bryahn had been put down near. From out of the darkness lumbered a—thing, somewhat like a bear but appearing like no bear the girl had ever seen. Standing larger and broader than the biggest man ever born, the thing had a scraggly brown coat of patchy fur, long, sharp red claws on both hind and front paws, a mouth full of red, jagged teeth—and no eyes. Smooth patches with slight depressions showed where eyes should have been, but even so the thing turned unerringly toward the man and the girl.
“Lisah, hurry!” Bryahn hissed, struggling where he lay against the leather which held him. “Cut me loose and then get back!”
“In the name of glorious God, I command you to leave that man where he is, girl!” an authoritative voice came from the other side of the cavern, the voice of the man who had spoken to the rest of the people. “To release him would be to rob him of his only chance at purification, a sacrilege in the eyes of man and God alike!”
Lisah glanced up to see that all of the people in the cavern now knew she was there, but that made very little difference. It wasn’t Wind Whisper’s sudden presence before them that kept them at a distance, it had to be the appearance of the thing that was now moving toward Bryahn and herself. After Bryahn’s order she was tempted to leave him where he was and engage the beast herself, but she wasn’t so foolish as to fail to realize what would happen to him if she fell. Wind Whisper backed from the crowd and came to stand growling beside her two-legs brother and sister even as Lisah reached Bryahn and cut him free, and then all three of them were able to stand and face the oncoming thing, drawn swords in the hands of two.
“Blood . . . flesh . . . hungry,” Lisah heard suddenly, and a glance showed her Bryahn was just as startled as she. The thoughts had come from the beast they faced, the mindspeak sending more blurred than easily made out, but there was no doubt it came from the thing before them.
“We are not proper prey for you, brother,” Bryahn bespoke the beast, sending warmth as well as words, slowly and with strength. “We are armed and will defend ourselves, but we have no wish to harm you. Return to wherever you came from, and none of us need be harmed.”
“Will . . . feed . . . now,” came the answer, heavy with annoyance, a sense of absolute rejection aimed toward the offer of warmth and friendship. “Two-legs . . . too frightened . . . not to . . . give ...”
With a great roar the beast lurched forward then in attack, its heavy paw swiping hard at Bryahn and Lisah. The two jumped back and apart, swords coming up before them, and Wind Whisper darted in under the swipe to slash and retreat. The beast howled as its blood was freed by the prairiecat to run down its leg, but it made no attempt to withdraw. Instead it attacked again, and in seconds a full battle raged in the cavern. Bryahn fought to the left, Lisah to the right, and Wind Whisper circled to come in from behind. Lisah’s sword bit deep and then Bryahn’s after hers, both trying to find a clear path through swinging claws and slashing fangs to a vital spot that would end the melee. Wind Whisper bit and clawed, trying to draw the attack in her direction, but the eyeless beast merely howled in pain from the wounds she gave, preferring to keep its attention with the two who dared to challenge it.
Lisah, hacking away at the thing without accomplishing any more than Bryahn or Wind Whisper, wiped the sweat from her brow with a forearm and wondered how long the fight would continue. It hadn’t been going on all that long, but the beast’s thoughts had led her to believe it was old. If that was so it should already be tiring, but the way it fought showed nothing of the sort. It was intent on destroying all three of them, an outraged determination seeping from its mind telling her that, which meant the battle could continue until one or more of them was badly hurt. The girl had no real fear for herself, but Bryahn was, after all, her husband, and even though he felt nothing of true love for her it was obviously her duty to keep him from harm. An idea had come to her, a somewhat dangerous idea, but to wait any longer before trying it could be more dangerous still. If it worked the fight would be over, and duty and honor would both be satisfied.
Bryahn’s attention was so completely on the beast he fought that he failed to see Lisah back away a step or two, and also missed the way she dropped her point. Mindspeak would not allow her to lie, so her sword really had to be down before she began her projection.
“Here I am,” she sent, keeping the thoughts clear and direct. “As I no longer wish to defend myself, you may try to take me. My weapon is down and can offer you no further harm.”
The beast heard and immediately turned toward her with savage satisfaction, clearly believing it had won what it wanted. It raised a paw to send claws hooking fast and hard into her face and neck, but although shocked and surprised, Bryahn and Wind Whisper moved almost as one to take advantage of the opening they had been given. The prairiecat leaped to sink fangs into the side of the neck of the beast just as Bryahn buried his sword in its lower back, and with a scream of outraged denial the beast spasmed under the dual attack. Wind Whisper was batted clear to skid along the cave floor before rolling back to her feet, but her jaws held a wide chunk of the throat her teeth had fastened on, and the beast was stumbling about with great gouts of blood gushing from it. An instant later it was crashing to the floor, nothing of mindthought left to it, and the three combatants were able to draw the deep breaths of the end of battle.