Against the Giants

16

The sky was a pale gray, proof the sun had risen, but therewas no hint of where it might be under the thick mass. The wind had lessened but still gusted strongly. To Lhors it seemed even colder outside. Khlened, who had taken last watch, told them it wasn’t much past daybreak. “An hour when thechiefs will be sleeping, if they’re like frost giants I’ve battled.”

“Good,” Vlandar replied. “But the guards may not be asleep.”

Vlandar and Nemis spent a few more moments with the map of the Rift while the others finished getting ready, then the warrior put Bleryn ahead of him and the mage, Lhors just behind, with Khlened to bring up the rear.

Agya was just behind Lhors and quietly grumbling as she toiled on. The youth heard Malowan, who was on the girl’s heels. The man’s voicesounded soothing, though Lhors couldn’t make out the words. Agya sighed as ifshe was annoyed but soon fell silent. Lhors glanced at Mal. Unlike his ward, the paladin seemed unaware of the cold, though he did wear thick mitts.

Nemis walked easily up ahead. Despite the deep snow and slick spots, he held an oiled rag that he had dipped in some silvery powder-to testfor invisible enemy, he’d told Vlandar. Lhors looked to both sides. With allthis wind and snow, any enemy might be invisible! he thought. Wonder if that herb Malowan gave him to add to the rag really can find evil. But anything here would probably be evil.

A steep-sided ravine cut across their path. They followed the side of this for a little ways, and then Nemis pointed out something below to Vlandar. The warrior nodded in response, and the mage turned to grip the side and scrabble for footing. He dropped down gradually and finally vanished below. Vlandar followed. When it was his turn, Lhors realized there was a trail down there, and a few rough steps were cut into the side-or maybe the wind had carvedthem, since they didn’t seem large enough for giants’ feet. The trail was clearof snow, but it looked icy. Nemis and Vlandar waited a few paces on for the others to catch up.

“The entrance to the Rift is just down there, according toour map,” Vlandar said quietly. “Remember that there are wolves and yeti about,and there may be giants along this path. But there is no other way in that Nemis and I could find.”

“We should be aware of them before we see them, Nemis and I,”Malowan agreed. He glanced at his ward “Agya?”

The girl scowled. “Nose still works good, but th’ wind ain’t’elping.”

“It gets steeper from here,” Nemis said. “Watch where youstep. It is slick and steep. One wrong step and you won’t get a second.” He sethis feet carefully and walked sideways, Lhors noticed, like his father’d taughthim. Lhors turned sideways and followed.

The ice was chipped into rough steps, but for legs much longer than their own. The surface of the ice had been cross-hatched and in places covered in ash, so footing was reasonable. The wind was an unpleasant constant at their backs, but it kept the ice clear at least.

Vlandar drew them off to one side when they reached the bottom where the path forked. Lhors stared aghast at the steep drop-off just beyond. They might have been alone in the entire world. The silence was absolute, except for the high-pitched wail of the wind high above and the stealthy hiss of it down here.

“That deep defile,” Vlandar said, “is the Rift itself, notour path. The main entry is ahead. If our map is correct, there are two levels to this hold, but unlike the Steading, the upper is for storage and guards and the like, while the chief lives below. His kitchens are there, and the best guest quarters.”

“Just beyond the entry,” Nemis said and pointed down theleft-hand path, “there are marks on the map to indicate guards, but the markswere not made by the originator of the map. I believe Nosnra noted the places he would be challenged when he was forced to come here.”

Lhors shook his head. None of it made sense to him. “If thatchain could bring him anywhere, then why not set him down in the throne room or the council room? I mean-” He fumbled for words. “He could fall out here, breakhis neck, or be caught by something like his own cave bear.”

Vlandar smiled grimly. “But if the chief here meant to shamehim? To walk even from the entry just below there would remind him each time that he is a servant here. Think. The great chief of the Steading must walk the entire way to the throne room and answer each guards challenge. It may not be so, but it seems likely to me. We will be able to test my theory, if the guards match the marks on this map. Let us go.”

Vlandar and Nemis led the way down the left path and into a high-vaulted ice tunnel.

It was still dreadfully cold, but the wind lessened even more. Enough greenish light came through the thick ice that they could make out the path heading south on the east side of a steep dropoff. Perhaps twenty paces ahead, a tunnel branched right.

Nemis and Vlandar slowed at branch passages heading north and south, and the warrior signed a halt. “Dead end ahead,” he said. “Guard quarterssouth, no door. North, a guarded passage, and the way to the living quarters is beyond them.”

Bleryn drew his axe and went over to join Khlened. Vlandar put Nemis at the rear to keep an eye and a sense on the guard chamber to the south. He then brought Agya and the paladin to the fore, gestured for Lhors to join him, and signed for silence. Agya licked her lips and glanced at Malowan, who nodded and smiled as if to say, “You can do it.” The girl cast her eyes upbut moved out, swiftly and silently working her way up the crooked passage, pausing now and again to listen intently. At the innermost point of a right-hand bend, she stopped cold, gestured urgently for silence, and held a hand to her ear.

Listen, she must mean, Lhors thought. He could hear giants, their harsh laughter echoing up ahead. The chamber must open out. He found himself wishing he understood maps better and promised himself he’d seek outVlandar or Nemis for a good look at the map the next time they stopped for a rest. If I survive the next few minutes, a corner of his mind added. He made Gran’s sign for averting disaster and ill thoughts, then pulled a boarspear from his sheath.

At the point where they could almost see into the chamber, Agya stopped, pressed back against the wall, and tested the air once again. Malowan came up behind her, hands moving in a reveal spell. He held up three fingers. Vlandar nodded, then beckoned for Bleryn and Khlened to join him in the lead. Lhors glanced back. Nemis was back against the frozen wall watching their back trail.

Lhors could see little ahead. Still, the youth was aware of a large space just ahead. The ceiling arched into a vault, and from where he stood he couldn’t make out east or west walls.

Vlandar gestured urgently and faded back against the right-hand wall. Dwarf, barbarian, and paladin joined him, and for one brief moment Lhors could make out what was in there.

The space ahead was an ice cave, longer than it was tall. The floor littered with cast off bits of old clothing and broken weaponry. The only properly clear path through it was a rut as wide as the youths arms could stretch. It eventually bent right out of his line of sight.

Greenish light made the three fur-clad giants look unwell, but they stood out clearly against the surrounded ice. Only one was armed at the moment, and even he wasn’t paying much heed to the passage. He leaned against amassive pike, egging on his companions who were wrestling. The din was awful.

Vlandar gestured with his drawn sword and ran forward, Khlened and Bleryn on his heels. The fellow with the pike came slowly around as he sensed movement or heard their feet pounding the filthy ice floor. He stared blankly then bellowed a warning-likely to the wrestlers, though Lhors thought hemight be trying to alert the guards back in the barracks to the south. Not a good time to think about that.

Nemis passed Lhors, his lips and hands already working his wall of silence spell. Lhors hoped he wasn’t too late. Khlened had freed hismorning star and threw himself away from his companions so he could swing the massive weapon. He hurled it with a pained grunt, then chuckled grimly as it wrapped around the pike-holder’s throat, trapping the weapon against the brute’sear. The giant fell, and the blade sliced into his unhelmed scalp. He came unsteadily to his feet, blood soaking into his fur cloak, as he fought to unwrap the chain. But his hands were trapped, and the spiked ball had caught on his armor. Injured, bleeding, and disoriented, he fell again and this time stayed down, thrashing feebly.

Khlened hefted a large rock from a pile nearby-the giantsmust use them as weapons, Lhors realized. The barbarian held the stone high above giant’s head. He was grinning madly as he let go. The brute grunted andlay still, breathing heavily.

It had all happened so quickly that the two wrestlers had time to do no more than separate and sit up, dumbfounded. They stared blankly. One ran for his pike, but Vlandar and Bleryn were there first. The dwarf staggered under the weight of the massive pikestaff as he swung it away from the wall. He managed to brace the pole against the floor just in time, letting the giant’s weight do the rest. The monster stared in shock at the length of shaftsticking from his belly. He fell to his knees, gasping in pain and fumbling for the broad knife in his belt. Bleryn was behind him by then, bringing his sword down two-handed across the unmailed neck. His first stroke bounced off thick skin or bone, but the second reached its mark. The giant toppled slowly onto his side and lay still.

The third yelled a clear warning down the passage, trying to be heard by the other guards down that passage, Lhors was sure of it. The brute began edging away from them along the wall, easing toward the east.

“Stop him!” Vlandar shouted. “He’s after reinforcements!”

But Nemis was already halfway across the room, pelting the creature one-handed with small objects. In his right hand, he was waving a feather.

“Man’s gone mad!” Khlened said, aghast, and hurled himself atthe giant. To his astonishment, the massive brute turned and eyed him glassily, then snickered. The laughter welled, tears rolled down the giant’s cheeks, andhe clutched his sides. As Khlened stared blankly, the giant gasped for air, still laughing hysterically, then sagged into the wall and slid down it.

Lhors gaped at the giggling, fur-clad mass of giant, then eyed Nemis sidelong.

The mage grinned at him. “One of my favorite spells. He’lllaugh until he passes out from lack of wind. By the time he recovers, we shall be long gone.”

“But he’ll raise the alarm,” Lhors said.

Nemis shook his head and held up a pinch of powder. “Withthis under his nose he won’t recall a thing that’s happened this entire day.”The mage had to raise his voice to be heard over the crazed laughter.

The giant tangled in the morning star was beginning to show signs of consciousness. Bleryn came up behind him and drove his sword deep into the creature’s throat, then backed away as blood arced across the chamber andran down the far wall. The dwarf turned away, teeth set in a mirthless grin. “Soshould all’ve ’em die,” he snarled.

“Not all,” Malowan said evenly.

The dwarf glared at him. Khlened tugged at Bleryn’s sleeveand led him aside, talking rapidly in a low voice. Probably explaining about paladins-at least this particular paladin, Lhors thought. The dwarf lookedskeptical but finally shrugged.

The insane giggling had been fading and suddenly ceased. The giant lay limp against the wall, eyes closed and mouth open. Nemis mumbled to himself a moment, then nodded in satisfaction and smeared the powder under the creature’s nostrils. He was vigorously scrubbing his finger down his cloak as hestepped back.

“Let us go,” Vlandar said. He led the way into a passage inthe east wall that immediately bent south. A short distance on, Malowan, Gerikh, and Agya edged around him. Nemis again brought up the rear.

Like the previous passages and chamber, the ice let in a greenish light so that they could see a goodly distance both ways. The floor was solid ice, but so tracked with hair from hides, mud, dirt and bits of crushed stone that it might as well have been stone. They stopped halfway down to rest, then went on around the bend, heading toward the Rift ledge once again.

They emerged from the tunnel to a bone-chilling wind. At Vlandar’s gesture, Agya and Malowan crept close to the edge while the rest ofthe company waited in the shelter of the tunnel. Florimund, who leaned heavily on Maera, whispered something against her ear. She nodded and led him over to where he could sit with his back against the wall. Malowan and Agya returned swiftly, and the paladin signed something to Vlandar that Lhors couldn’t follow.The warrior brought them back up the passage and took out the map from the Steadings trove. He set Nemis to keep watch while Malowan did the same to the rear.

“Our way is out there,” he told them quietly. “Left though.See here”-he pointed at an area on the map-“where another tunnel heads east thenbends south from a three-way join? The center tunnel opens into a cavern where there are hiding places with guards behind them. We shall see.”

Florimund whispered something to Maera. The ranger, who’dsettled herself and Florimund several paces back, murmured something to her sister, who cast up her eyes but came over to speak to Vlandar.

“Warrior,” she said softly. “Florimund remembers this place.He thinks. He recalls cold and three tunnels branching. He says his guards went by the lowest one. He remembers little from there except for a vast chamber and a throne. He says his guards were afraid of the middle way.”

“Afraid?” Vlandar asked. “Why?”

She shrugged, but Maera came over then, her lips set. “Hedoes not speak Giantish, Vlandar. Oh, certain words as any prisoner might learn. But like most of our kind, he is sensitive to atmosphere, even if not as sensitive as a true elf. He sensed the fear in his guards’ speech the same as Iwould.”

Rowan grimaced. She looked apologetic. Likely because Maera is always angry, Lhors thought. It seemed a foolish point for anger. Vlandar was right to wonder what the ex-prisoner knew and how, since he seems to remember so little otherwise. Maera was already deep in some discussion with Florimund, their heads close together.

“We will not take the south passage,” Vlandar said quicklyand very quietly, as if he did not want the rangers or Florimund to overhear him. “There is a mark on the map-Nosnra’s, if Nemis is right-and it cuts acrossthe south passage. Nemis or Mal can check for us, but by this map, Nosnra saw the left passage as a dead end but the other as deadly. This leaves the middle passage or the Rift itself.”

“Was up t’ me,” Agya broke in firmly, “th’ Rift is dead last.Somethin’ down there smells worse’n anything I ever found in city, even in th’Sink. I’d wager somethin’ nasty down there kills things but eats only bits andleaves th’ rest to stink.”

“I agree,” Malowan said. He’d come back to join them. Hecupped a small charm in his hands, and his eyes were still fixed on their backtrail. “Pure evil dwells in those depths, but the descent would kill usbefore we encountered it. The walls are steep and iced, and the wind is dire. There is nothing close behind or aware of us back there. We had better go.”

Vlandar nodded and put Lhors next to him as they set out again. Nemis lead the way, and Malowan brought up the rear.

They paused briefly at the three-way branch when Agya gestured urgently. The little thief clutched Malowan’s free hand as she slidinto the left-hand passage, her nose twitching. Her hands moved in sign, too rapid for Lhors to follow, and the two retreated quickly.

“Ogres,” Malowan whispered, “and no moving air. It’s a deadend.”

Florimund seemed to be arguing with Maera and Rowan and gesturing feebly toward the southwest branch. Lhors thought Maera looked angry with her sister, but the two rangers came quietly, holding up their fellow as Vlandar started down the center passage. He slowed as the passage narrowed, tested the air himself, listened intently, then sent Nemis and Malowan both ahead, keeping everyone else back.

“Giants, or somethin like,” Agya whispered. She was right atLhors’ elbow and cross because Malowan hadn’t taken her with him. “No wolves,though-I don’t think.”

Khlened and Bleryn argued briefly with Vlandar. Of course they’d want to bellow and charge in, letting surprise give them an advantage.Vlandar simply shook his head and shifted the grip on his sword as he settled against the wall to wait.

Malowan was back almost at once. He held up eight fingers, then the sign for “giants.” Nemis returned some moments later and beckonedeveryone close.

“I used my beneath notice spell and got into the chamberitself. There’s a giant at the entrance to a fairly large cave, here”-he drew aknife and scratched lines in the ice wall. “They cannot all be seen from theentry, and they can watch each other. They’re an elite bunch, not like the lastones. One hidden south of the entry and four back behind a ledge that divides the cavern.” The mage waited until everyone had a chance to look at his sketchedmap, then used a spell to melt a little of the ice, erasing it. “There’s onethat’s different, though. The rest were all business, but he was laughing,gossiping, or just nattering from the sound of it.”

Seven elite guards and one elder. It didn’t sound to Lhors asthough it made better odds for them. Vlandar seemed to think the same way. His face was very grim. “Weapons?” he asked.

“Pikes and spears, plus some boulders to throw. There’s toomany for a straight-on attack, and the ones behind that ledge are ready to ambush anyone who attacks the others. We need a plan before we go in.”

Vlandar squatted on his heels and brought out the map. Nemis indicated where the ledge was and where he’d seen or sensed guards. “Eight ofthem, ten of us, but we aren’t all fighters.”

“And they’re at least twice our size and in familiarterritory,” Malowan added.

“Two of us have magic,” Khlened put in, “plus a thief, andth’ rangers and Lhors with spears and bow.”

Lhors was surprised. The berserker might actually be learning that not every battle had to be a melee. Dead berserkers cannot spend treasure, the youth thought.

Vlandar nodded. “Good thinking. The way the chamber is, itwon’t be easy getting Lhors and the rangers in good position. Still…” He wasquiet for another long moment, then sat back on his heels and began to talk quickly and quietly, outlining his plan.

Only Florimund objected. “This is not the way,” he whisperedfretfully. “I have been here, and the chamber beyond this one-” He shudderedthen broke into tears.

Nemis hastily spoke one of his silence spells, and Khlened turned away, embarrassed. Maera glared at the Fist’s back, then gathered thehalf-elf close, speaking quietly against his ear. Rowan watched them both, her face expressionless. Finally, she came over to squat next to Vlandar and Nemis, her eyes moving from one face to the other.

“How certain are you of the way, mage?” she asked softly.Nemis stiffened, but Rowan laid a hand on his forearm and shook her head. “No, Imean no insult. I must know if you are truly sure of our way.”

The mage nodded, but his eyes were still angry. “You werethere when we found the map. Do you think I am a spy?”

Rowan shook her head firmly.

“I am not,” he said, and Lhors thought he looked much lessangry. “Perhaps you will trust no oath of mine. Believe this, if you can. I amfond of my life such as it is, but I will never again serve the dark elves, even if it costs me my life.”

Rowan gazed into his eyes for a long moment, then nodded. “Ibelieve you.” She sent her eyes back toward her sister, who was trying to getFlorimund to his feet. The male clung to her weakly. “This is not easy for me,”she said reluctantly. “Maera does not trust non-elves very much, as you mustknow by now. I am not so certain as she that he is cousin, and I am less…”She gazed blankly at the wall, then met the paladins sympathetic eyes. “I do nottrust him, but she does. I pray you keep an eye to Florimund, sir.”

Malowan gripped her fingers. “I will. Indeed, I have since hemakes me… uneasy, let us say.”

Rowan inclined her head and got to her feet. She went over to help her sister with Florimund, and Maera managed a faint smile at whatever Rowan said. Florimund seemed to get hold of himself, enough that Rowan left the injured half-elf in her sister’s care so she could crouch herself at Lhors’side.

“Caution, my young friend,” she murmured. “You and I willhave a hard role to play here. Mind you don’t let me down!”

“I-” He gaped at her. “But Rowan, I would…” He leanedback, the corners of his mouth twitching. “It’s another of your jokes, isn’t it?So I don’t get too scared to help?”

“You’ll do fine,” she assured him. “I’d do the same for Maeraor Malowan-or even Vlandar. Relaxed and ready, that’s what’s best for you.”

Vlandar gestured ready, and Nemis eased around him. Agya caught at his sleeve. “No wolves?” she whispered.

He smiled faintly and shook his head.

Malowan pressed past her, a gesture reminding her to stick close to Maera. Bleryn and Khlened followed paladin and mage, all hugging the south wall.

Lhors swallowed hard as he got his first look at the entry guard: a brute of a giant with some sort of patch-possibly a captain’srank-roughly slapped onto his fur jacket. The fellow had a good view of thecorridor all the way up to the narrows, but at the moment he’d turned away andwas shouting something at another somewhere deep in the chamber. By the sound of the other voice, it must be a giant with too little sleep, too much ale, too many years, or altogether too few brains. Possibly all of them at once. The captain swore an oath that set the corridor ringing and turned back to his post.

Too late. Khlened and Bleryn were already in place, and while the dwarf brought his axe down across the brute’s calf, Khlened launched theblood-darkened morning star at the monster’s neck. It sank into the mail coifaround the fellow’s neck, tangling in it. The giant swore savagely as he fell,dropping his pike so that he could use both hands to free the weapon. Khlened caught up the pike, staggered back under its weight, and then ran forward to plunge the sharp end deep into the captain’s throat. Blood arced across thechamber, and in two heartbeats the giant was quite dead.

Vlandar shoved past the barbarian as two other giants came running up. One was a graybeard who came from Nemis’ marked post in the southend of the cavern. He settled into place, blocking an ill-lit greenish passage, The other stood with his back to the shining black rock ledge, brandishing a manic grin and two long swords.

“Ynk-knecht-Ogre-Gutter,” Khlened said. He’d stopped coldat sight of the giant and his weapons. Lhors shuddered, but the barbarian was smiling happily, his eyes dreamy. “Look at ’em,” he sighed. “Kord ’imself wouldrisk all for a blade like that!”

“The god Kord is mad,” Bleryn said flatly. “Do I have towatch yer back so’s ya can steal that monster’s blades? If so-well, I’m notthat wild to die, Fist!”

Khlened shook himself. “’Course not!” But before anyone elsecould say a word, he’d howled out a challenge and launched himself across thechamber.

“Deliver me from berserkers!” Vlandar swore, and Lhors wasready to agree with him, but to his surprise, Khlened stopped short of the giant, waited for him to raise both his swords, then shifted grip from hilt to point, and threw his sword. At that distance, he couldn’t miss. The blade burieditself in the giant’s throat, and the Yrik-knecht hit the floor with a clang.The giant landed on them half a breath later.

Khlened swore in obvious frustration, but before he could seize either sword, a bulky giant with a massive stone in each hand came from an alcove in the west wall and headed straight for him. Rowan shot arrow after arrow at him, but they bounced off his armor or stuck in the fur he wore. Lhors and Maera’s spears fared no better.

Nemis pressed her aside to launch a barrage of fireballs from his fingers. The giant was unaware of him until his fur jacket and hair caught fire. He dropped the stones and ran, arms flapping wildly as he tried to put himself out. Another giant came from behind the wall to help him. Both went down together, the burned one clutching his companion as both of them shrieked in agony. Agya clutched her hands over her ears and retreated behind Malowan, eyes tightly closed.

Nemis shifted his angle, hurling more fireballs as another giant came around the north side of the ledge, but the giant brought up a broad-bladed axe and parried them. Finally, one hit the floor by his feet. Nemis grinned hugely.

“Khlened, stay back!” the mage roared as the barbarianstarted toward the axe-wielder. “Floor’s slick where that fireball hit!”

The barbarian raised his just-retrieved morning star in salute and braced his feet wide so he could swing the weapon as the giant glared at him and raised the axe. As the fur-clad brute tried to close the distance between them, his feet went from under him and his chin cracked on the icy floor. Vlandar ran up and plunged his sword through the dazed brute’s eye.

He swore. The blade wouldn’t come back out. “Someone guard myback while I free this!” he shouted, but Lhors and Rowan were at already insidethe chamber.

The ranger turned with a cry of warning and began firing a deadly stream of arrows toward the south end of the ledge. Lhors turned to see two giants charging from around the stone barrier.

“Beware, Khlened! Two are behind you!” Vlandar bellowed.

“See ’em!” the Fist shouted back. He threw himself across thegiant he’d killed and dropped the morning star to tug furiously at the hilt ofone of the swords, only letting it go at the last moment to catch up the ball and chain. He swung it furiously and let it fly. The giant ducked, then went to pick it up.

“Ah, frozen hells!” With a massive effort, Khlened draggedone of the enormous swords free, wrapped both hands around the hilt, and began to swing it. The second giant, who’d just come around the ledge, retreatedpromptly, but the first had just retrieved the morning star and was in the process of turning back to kill his enemy with his enemy’s own weapon.

Khlened roared out a challenge in his own language and let the sword’s weight carry him around. He dug in his heels at the last moment andlet the blade do the rest. It sliced through thick fur and whatever hardened leather the giant wore beneath. Blood sprayed everywhere. The barbarian was momentarily blinded, but even as Malowan leaped forward to protect him, the giant went down.

Khlened tottered back, bringing the weapon up again with an effort that corded the tendons in his throat. As he turned, Nemis had just finished off the last of them with some spell that left the monster swollen, blue-faced, and very dead.

“Do not ask,” he said crisply.

“Wouldn’t of” the Fist replied flatly and knelt to wipe hisnew sword on the giant’s fur before going back to retrieve his own sword.

Nemis went to help Khlened retrieve his blade. The Fist finally dragged it free and wiped it on his dead enemy’s trousers.

“We go quickly,” Vlandar said as he gathered his companyclose.

Nemis spoke. “Our way leads to the lower level through thatpassage there.” He pointed to the south where Lhors could just make out a dimlylit opening. “The master’s throne will be there-and his personal chambers. Thereis no indication of a stronghold on the map for this level, but I think it unlikely anything like the chain that brought us here from the Steading is up here. It will be where the master can lay his hands on it.”

“Why’d we want t’go someplace else, eh?” Agya wanted to know.

The mage shrugged. “Because I know the drow. The dark elvescontrol the Steading giants. You and Malowan found the letter of orders from drow to Nosnra. Because the drow are cautious and devious, they would never hide in a place once removed from the hill giants. Likely their safety is another spell or charm away from this place. Their mistress may well be beyond that.” Heshrugged again and managed a faint smile for the girl. “I know them. Drowdislike such cold as this even more than you or I do.”

“Sensible of ’em,” the little thief allowed.

“Fought ’em once, that’s enough,” Khlened agreed. He lookedcheerful though, as he shoved the blood-blackened morning star into his belt and mounted the scabbard for the two-handed sword on his back. Lhors tried not to stare. The effort of drawing it corded the barbarian’s muscles, and the bladeand hilt together were nearly as tall as Khlened himself.

Bleryn snorted. “You’ll break your arms, swinging thatthing.”

Khlened laughed. “Yer just jealous that you didn’t think ofit first.”

“Th’ thing’s overlong for me,” the dwarf said with somedignity. “Jealous of a blade,” he muttered under his breath as they started outonce more.

Agya and Malowan led the way through the cavern and out into a passage that turned south for a short distance, then went sharply west. A ways on, a branch went south and steeply down.

Agya sniffed cautiously but shrugged. Nothing near, Lhors hoped it meant.

Malowan murmured a spell-another reveal one, perhaps. Hepointed west and shook his head almost at once, indicated the south way and nodded firmly. Vlandar stepped aside to let Nemis ease partway down the south passage. Whatever spell he used caused a very tiny puff of smoke. The mage looked at Vlandar and gestured, Giants. Others.

“Beings-many of them-well down the west tunnel,” Malowanmuttered, “but none close by. The passage stays level for a long ways and goesaround the Rift. That”-he nodded toward the south passage-“is our way.”

“Mmm,” Vlandar murmured agreement. “Remember,” he added toall of them, “we get in and get what we need. We do nothing else here, unless Isay!”

Lhors saw Khlened and Bleryn exchange exasperated looks, but neither said anything. Gerikh merely nodded and clutched his spear. Nemis was already partway down the south passage.

“We keep quiet,” Vlandar cautioned. “Mal or Nemis will go infront, and the other at the rear to keep us as undetected as possible. My nose,”he added with a scowl, “is frozen and so are my ears. I want out of here beforethe rest of me turns to ice.”