The Legend of the Deathwalker

Chapter Ten

Sieben stood and gazed around at the old storehouse. Niobe and other Nadir women had cleaned it of dust, dirt and ancient cobwebs, and five lanterns had been set in brackets on the walls. Only one was lit now and he used its flickering light to study the layout of this new hospital. Two barrels full of water had been set at the northern end of the large, square room, placed close to the two long tables the Nadir had carried in earlier. Sieben examined the tools set there — an old pair of pliers, three sharp knives, several curved needles of horn and one long straight needle of iron. He found that his hands were trembling. Niobe moved silently alongside him. 'Is this all you need, po-et?' she asked, laying a small box filled with thread upon the table.

'Blankets,' he said. 'We'll need blankets. And food bowls.'

'Why for food bowls?' she asked. 'If a wounded man has strength to eat, he has strength to fight.'

'A wounded man loses blood, and therefore strength. Food and water will help rebuild him.'

'Why do you tremble?'

'I have assisted surgeons three times in my life. Once I even stitched a wound in a man's shoulder. But my knowledge of anatomy. . the human body. . is severely limited. I do not, for example, know what to do with a deep belly wound.'

'Nothing,' she said, simply. 'A deep belly wound is death.'

'How comforting! I could do with honey. That is good for wounds, especially when mixed with wine; it prevents infection.'

'No bees, po-et. No bees — no honey. But we have some dried lorassium leaves. Good for pain, and for dreams. And some hakka roots to ward off the blue-skin demons.'

'Blue-skin demons? What are they?'

'Truly you know little of wounds. They are the invisible devils who creep in through the open flesh and turn it blue, so it stinks and men die.'

'Gangrene. I see. And what does one do with these hakka roots?'

'We make poultice and lay it over the wound. It smells very bad. The demons avoid it.'

'And what cures do you have, my lady, for trembling hands?' he asked her.

She laughed and slid her hand over his belly and down. 'I have big cure,' she said. Curling her left arm around his neck, she drew down his head and kissed him. He felt the warmth and sweetness of her tongue upon his. Arousal swept through him.

She pulled away. 'Now look at your hands,' she said. They were no longer trembling. 'Big cure, yes?'

'I can offer no argument there,' he said. 'Where can we go?'

'Nowhere. I have much to do. Shi-sai will be in labour soon, and I have promised to help when the waters break. But if you have trembling hands in the night, you may come to me by the north wall.'

Kissing him once more, she spun away from his embrace and walked from the room. Sieben took a last look at the hospital, then blew out the lantern and made his way to the compound. Some work was still being done in the moonlight, repairing the ramparts beside the crack in the west-facing wall. Elsewhere Nadir warriors were sitting around camp-fires. Druss was talking to Talisman and Bartsai on the ramparts above the gates.

Sieben thought of joining them, but realized he did not want to listen to more talk of battles and death. His mind flickered to Niobe. She was unlike any woman he had ever known. When first he had seen her he had thought her to be mildly attractive — certainly no more than that. Up close, her laughing eyes had made him re-appraise her. Even so she would pale against the beauties who had shared his bed. Yet each time he made love to her it seemed her beauty grew. It was uncanny. All his previous lovers were drab by comparison. As he was thinking, two Nadir warriors approached him. One of them spoke to him in Nadir.

'Sorry, lads,' he said, with a nervous smile. 'I don't understand the language.' The taller of the two, a ferocious-looking man with narrow, malevolent eyes, pointed to his companion and said, 'This one have big pain.'

'Big pain,' echoed Sieben.

'You doctor. Fix it.' Sieben glanced down at the second warrior. The man's face was grey, his eyes sunken and his jaws clenched. 'We go in,' muttered the first man, leading his friend into the new hospital. With a sinking heart Sieben followed them and, re-lighting the lantern, he led them to the table. The small warrior tried to tug off his faded crimson shirt, but groaned as he did so. The taller man dragged the garment clear, and in the flickering light Sieben saw a growth on the man's spine the size of a small apple. The area all around it was red, swollen and angry. 'You cut,' said the taller man.

Sieben indicated that the warrior should lie down on the table; then he reached out and, with great care, touched the swelling. The man stiffened, but made no sound. The lump was rock-hard. 'Fetch the lantern,' Sieben ordered the taller man. The warrior did so, and Sieben peered more closely at the growth. Then taking the sharpest of the knives, he drew in a deep breath. He had no idea what the growth was — it looked like a giant boil, but for all he knew it might be a cancer. What was certain was that he had no choice of action, burdened as he was by the expectations of both men. Touching the point of the knife to the lump, he pressed down hard. Thick yellow pus exploded from the cut, and the skin peeled away as if from a section of rotten fruit. The warrior cried out, the sound strangled and inhuman. Laying aside the knife, Sieben gripped the lump and squeezed it. More pus — this time mixed with blood — oozed from the cut, covering his fingers. The wounded man sighed and relaxed on the table. Sieben moved to a water barrel and filled a wooden bowl, cleaning his hands and wrists. Then he returned to the warrior. Fresh blood was oozing from the three-inch cut and flowing down to the wood of the table. With a wet cloth Sieben cleaned the wound, then ordered the man to sit up while he applied a wedge of cloth to it, strapping it in place with a bandage around the man's waist. The patient spoke in Nadir to his companion; then without another word both men walked from the building.

Sieben sat down. 'Not at all, it was my pleasure,' he said, not loud enough to be heard by the departing warriors.

Once more extinguishing the lantern, he left the building by a side door and found himself standing close to the main entrance to the Shrine. With Niobe otherwise occupied, and with nothing else to do, Sieben pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Something about the place had been nagging at him from the subconscious, but he could not bring it to the surface. His eyes were drawn to the blackened iron plate on the stone coffin. The symbols upon it were Chiatze, part alphabet, part hieroglyph, and Talisman had told him what they said:

Oshikai Demon-bane — Lord of War

Kneeling before it, Sieben scanned the symbols. They were deeply engraved into the iron, and they told him nothing. Irritated that he could not solve the problem, he left the Shrine and climbed to the ramparts of the north wall, where he sat on the parapet in the moonlight gazing out over the distant mountains. His thoughts turned once more to Niobe and her beauty, and he listened a while in vain for the birth sounds of the newborn. Be patient, he told himself. Fishing the lon-tsia from his pocket, he looked at the profile of the woman embossed there. She too was beautiful. Turning the coin over, he looked down at the image of Oshikai. 'You're causing a lot of trouble for someone who's been dead for ten centuries,' he said.

Then it hit him. .

Rising, he climbed down the steps and returned to the Shrine, squatting down before the iron plate. Checking Oshikai's name against the embossing of the lon-tsia, he saw that the name on the plate boasted two extra and identical symbols. Peering more closely, he saw that the engraving of each was deeper than that of the other symbols.

'What have you found?' asked Talisman, from the doorway. The slender Nadir leader moved forward and knelt beside the poet.

'Is this the original plate?' Sieben asked. 'Was it made by Oshikai's followers?'

'I would imagine so,' said Talisman. 'Why?'

'What are these symbols?'

'The Nadir letter i.'

'But the Chiatze had no such letter,' said Sieben. 'Therefore the name-plate is either not original, or it has been altered.'

'I don't understand your point,' said Talisman.

Sieben sat back. 'I don't like mysteries,' he said. 'If this is original there would be no i's. If it is not, why is it in the Chiatze tongue? Why not fully Nadir?'

Moving forward on his knees, Sieben laid his hands on the plate, pressing a finger into each of the engraved symbols. Something gave way under his pressure, there was a dull clunk from within and the name-plate fell clear. Behind it was a shallow niche cut into the coffin, and within this lay a small pouch of hide. Talisman pushed Sieben aside and grabbed the pouch. As he pulled it open the hide split and the contents fell to the dusty floor. There were two knuckle-bones stained with black symbols, a small coil of braided hair and a piece of folded parchment. Talisman looked disappointed. 'I thought you had found the Eyes of Alchazzar,' he said.

Sieben lifted the parchment and tried to open it, but it broke into pieces under his fingers. 'What are these objects?' he asked.

'A shaman's medicine bag. The knuckle-bones are used in spells of prophecy, the hair is that of the shaman's greatest enemy. The parchment? I do not know.'

'Why would it be placed here?'

'I don't know,' snapped Talisman. Reaching down, Sieben picked up the knuckle-bones.

The world spun. He cried out, but was dragged down into the dark. .

Shocked by his sudden collapse, Talisman knelt over the still figure of the blond Drenai and placed his index finger on the pulse point of the neck. The heart was beating, but incredibly slowly. Roughly he shook Sieben's shoulders, but there was no response. Rising, he ran from the Shrine. Gorkai was sitting on the ground, sharpening his sword with a whetstone. 'Fetch Nosta Khan and the Drenai axeman,' commanded Talisman, then returned to where Sieben lay.

Druss arrived first. 'What happened?' he asked, kneeling beside his friend.

'We were talking, and he collapsed. Is he subject to fits?'

'No.' Druss swore softly. 'His heart is barely beating.' Talisman glanced at the axeman, and noted the fear on his broad, bearded face. Nosta Khan arrived, and Talisman saw his gimlet eyes fasten to the sagging name-plate on the coffin.

'The Eyes. .?' he asked.

'No,' said Talisman, and told him what they had found.

'You fool!' hissed Nosta Khan. 'I should have been summoned.'

'It was just a medicine pouch. There were no jewels,' Talisman responded, feeling his anger rise.

'It is the medicine pouch of a shaman,' snapped Nosta Khan. 'A spell has been placed upon it.'

'I touched it also, and nothing has happened to me,' argued Talisman.

The little shaman knelt beside Sieben, prying open the fingers of his right hand. The knuckle-bones lay there, but now they were white and pure — the black symbols having transferred to the skin of Sieben's palm. 'But the bag split,' said Nosta Khan, 'and it was not you who lifted the Seeing Bones.'

The axeman rose, towering over Nosta Khan. 'I do not care who is at fault,' he said, his voice dangerously even, his pale eyes glittering. 'What I want is for you to bring him back. Now!'

Sensing danger, Nosta Khan felt a moment of panic as he looked into the axeman's cold eyes. Placing his hand over his heart, he whispered two words of power. Druss stiffened and groaned. The spell was an old one, and shackled the victim in chains of fiery pain. Any attempt on Druss's part to move would bring colossal agony and a subsequent loss of consciousness. Now, thought Nosta Khan triumphantly, let this Drenai gajin feel the power of the Nadir! The shaman was about to speak when Druss gave a low, guttural growl. His eyes blazed and his hand snaked out, huge fingers grabbing Nosta Khan by the throat and lifting him into the air. The little man kicked out helplessly, as through a sea of pain Druss spoke: 'Lift the. . spell, little man. . or. . I'll snap. . your neck!' Talisman drew his knife and jumped to the shaman's defence. 'One more move and he dies,' warned the axeman. Nosta Khan gave a strangled gasp, and managed to speak three words in a tongue neither Druss nor Talisman recognized. Druss's pain vanished. Dropping the shaman, he stabbed a finger into the little man's chest. 'You ever do anything like that again, you ugly dwarf, and I'll kill you!'

Talisman could see the shock and terror on Nosta Khan's face. 'We are all friends here,' he said softly, sheathing his knife and stepping between Nosta Khan and the menacing figure of Druss. 'Let us think of what is to be done.'

Nosta Khan rubbed his bruised throat. He was astonished, and could barely gather his thoughts. The spell had worked, he knew this. It was not possible that a mortal man could overcome such agony. Aware that both men were waiting for him to speak, he forced himself to concentrate and lifted the white knuckle-bones, holding them tightly in his fist. 'His soul has been drawn out,' he said, his voice croaking. 'The medicine pouch belonged to Shaoshad the renegade. He was the shaman who stole the Eyes — may his soul be for ever accursed and burn in ten thousand fires!'

'Why would he hide it here?' asked Talisman. 'What purpose did it serve?'

'I do not know. But let us see if we can reverse his spell.' Taking Sieben's limp hand in his own, he began to chant.

Sieben fell for an eternity, spinning and turning, then awoke with a start. He was lying beside a fire, set at the centre of a circle of standing stones. An old man was sitting by the small blaze. Naked, but with a bulging bag hanging from one thin shoulder, he had two long wispy beards growing from both sides of his chin, and reaching his scrawny chest; his hair was shaved on the left side of his head, and gathered into a tight braid on his right.

'Welcome,' said the old man. Sieben sat up and was about to speak when he noticed with horror that the speaker had been mutilated. His hands had been cut off, and blood was seeping from the stumps.

'Sweet Heavens, you must be in great pain,' he said.

'Always,' agreed the man, with a smile. 'But when something never passes, remaining constant, it becomes bearable.' Shrugging his shoulder he let the bag fall, then reached into it with his mangled, bleeding arms. From the bag he produced a hand, which he held carefully between the stumps. Gripping it with his knees, he held his mutilated right arm to the severed wrist. The limb jerked, and the hand attached itself to the wrist. The fingers flexed. 'Ah, that is good,' said the man, reaching into the bag and producing a left hand which he held in place over his left wrist. This too joined, and he clapped the hands together. Then he removed his eyes and dropped them into the bag.

'Why are you doing this to yourself?' asked Sieben.

'It is a compulsion engendered by sorcery,' said the stranger amiably. 'They were not content to merely kill me. Oh, no! Now I can have my hands or my eyes, but never both at the same time. If I try- and I have — then the pain becomes unbearable. I have great admiration for the way the spell was cast. I did not think it would last this long. I managed to counter the curse upon my ears and tongue. I see you found my medicine pouch.'

The fire flickered down, but the old man gestured with his hands and the flames sprang to new life. Sieben found himself staring at the man's empty eye-sockets. 'Have you tried using just one hand and one eye?' he asked.

'Is there something about me that suggests I am an idiot? Of course I have. It works. . but the pain is too awesome to describe.'

'I have to tell you that this is the worst dream I've ever had,' said Sieben.

'No dream. You are here.' Sieben was about to question him when a low, inhuman growl came from beyond the stones. The old man's hand came up and blue forked lightning flashed from it, exploding between the stones with a loud crack. Then there was silence. 'I need my hands, you see, to survive here. But I cannot go anywhere without my eyes. It is a sweetly vile punishment. I wish I had thought of it myself.'

'What was that. . thing?' asked Sieben, craning round to peer between the stones. There was nothing to be seen. All was darkness, deep and final.

'Difficult to know. But it did not mean us any good. I am Shaoshad.'

'Sieben. Sieben the Poet.'

'A poet? It is long since I savoured the delicious sounds of exquisite wordplay. But I fear you will not be with me long, so perhaps another time. . Tell me how you found my pouch.'

'The use of the Nadir letter i,' Sieben told him.

'Yes. It was a joke, you see. I knew no Nadir would see it. Not given to jokes, the Nadir. They were searching for the Eyes of Alchazzar. Eyes and i's. Good, isn't it?'

'Most amusing,' agreed Sieben. 'I take it you are not Nadir?'

'In part. Part Chiatze, part Sechuin, part Nadir. I want you to do something for me. I cannot offer you anything, of course.'

'What do you require?'

'My medicine pouch. I want you to take the hair and bum it. The knuckle-bones must be dropped into water. The parchment is to be shredded and scattered to the air, the pouch itself buried in the earth. Can you remember that?'

'Hair burnt, knuckles drowned, paper scattered, pouch buried,' said Sieben. 'What will that do?'

'I believe the release of my elemental power will end this cursed spell and give me back my hands and my eyes. Speaking of which. .' He lifted the eyes from the bag and slid them back in their sockets. Holding his arms over the bag, he released his hands, which fell from the wrists. Immediately blood began to flow. 'You are a handsome fellow and you have an honest face. I think I can trust you.'

'You are the man who stole the Eyes of Alchazzar,' said Sieben.

'Indeed I am. A rare mistake it was. Still, the man who never made a mistake never made anything, eh?'

'Why did you do it?'

'I had a vision — false as it has so far turned out. I thought I could bring the Uniter to my people five centuries early. Arrogance was always my downfall. I thought to use the Eyes to raise Oshikai from the dead. To regenerate his body and summon his soul. Well, I did summon his soul.'

'What happened?'

'You will scarcely credit it. I still have difficulty believing it myself.'

'I think I know,' said Sieben. 'He wouldn't accept life without Shut-sen.'

'Exactly. You are a bright fellow. Can you guess what happened next?'

'You set off to find her body — that's why you were caught so close to her resting-place. What I don't understand is why you did not use the power of the jewels.'

'Ah, but I did. That is why I was caught and killed.'

'Tell me,' whispered Sieben, fascinated. .

He groaned and opened his eyes. Nosta Khan was leaning over him and Sieben swore. Druss grabbed his arm, hauling him to his feet. 'By Heavens, poet, but you gave us a scare. How are you feeling?'

'Miffed!' said Sieben. 'A moment longer and he would have told me where he hid the jewels.'

'You spoke to Shaoshad?' said Nosta Khan.

'Yes. He told me why he took them.'

'Describe him.'

'A man with a curious beard, who has detachable hands and eyes.'

'Aha!' shouted Nosta Khan happily. 'The spell holds, then. Does he suffer?'

'Yes, but he is taking it rather well. Can you send me back to him?'

'Only by cutting out your heart and casting seven spells upon it,' the shaman told him.

'I'll take that as a no,' said Sieben.

From outside came the cries of a new-born infant and Sieben smiled. 'I hope you'll all excuse me. This has been a wearying experience and I need some rest.' Stooping, he gathered the hair, knuckle-bones, pouch and shreds of parchment.

'What are you doing with those?' asked Nosta Khan.

'Souvenirs of an interesting experience,' he said. 'I shall show them to my grandchildren and brag about my visit to the Underworld.'

Zhusai was afraid, though not with a simple fear, like the thought of dying. It was worse than that, she realized. Death was but another doorway, but this was a kind of extinction. At first her dreams of Shul-sen had been merely that — curiously unpleasant visions she suffered when sleeping. But now she was hearing voices whispering in her subconscious, and her own memories were becoming vague and blurred. Not so the memories of another life — a life as consort to the renegade chieftain Oshikai Demon-bane. These were becoming sharper, more distinct. She remembered the ride through the long hills, making love in the grass in the shadow of Jiang-shin, the Mother of Mountains, wearing her dress of white silk on the day of the wedding in the White Palace of Pechuin.

'Stop it!' she cried, as the memories seemed to engulf her. 'It is not me. Not my life. I was born in.. in.. ' But the memories would not come. 'My parents died. I was raised by my grandfather. .' For a moment the name was lost to her. Then: 'Chorin-Tsu!' she shouted — triumphantly. Talisman entered the room, and she flew: to him. 'Help me!' she begged him.

'What is wrong, my love?'

'She is trying to kill me,' sobbed Zhusai. 'And I cannot fight her.'

Her almond eyes were wide open, fear radiating from them. 'Who is trying to kill you?' he asked her.

'Shul-sen. She wants my life. . my body. I can feel her within me, her memories swamping me.'

'Calm yourself,' he said soothingly, taking her to the bed and sitting her down. Moving to the window Talisman called out to Gorkai, who came running up the stairs. Talisman told him of Zhusai's fears.

'I have heard of this,' said Gorkai grimly. 'Spirit possession.'

'What can we do?' asked Talisman.

'Find out what she wants,' Gorkai advised.

'Supposing she just wants me?' asked Zhusai. 'My life?'

'Why have you not spoken to your own shaman?' asked Gorkai. 'His knowledge is greater than mine in these matters.'

'I won't have him near me,' said Zhusai, her voice breaking. 'Not ever. I don't trust him. He. . would want her to kill me. She is Shul-sen, the Mother of the Nadir people. A witch. She has power and he would seek to use it. I have nothing.'

'I have not the skill to deal with this, Talisman,' said Gorkai. 'I can cast no spells.'

Talisman took hold of Zhusai's hand. 'Then it must be Nosta Khan. Fetch him.'

'No!' shouted Zhusai, struggling to rise. Talisman held her tightly, pulling her in to his chest.

'Trust me!' he urged her. 'I would let no harm come to you. I will watch Nosta Khan carefully. If there is danger, I will kill him. Trust me!'

Her body jerked in a wild spasm, and her eyes closed momentarily. When they opened all fear was gone. 'Oh, I trust you, Talisman,' she said softly. He felt her shoulder draw back, and some sixth sense made him pull away from her — just in time to see the knife-blade. Throwing up his right arm he blocked the blow, and slammed his left fist into her jaw. Her head snapped back and she slumped to the bed. Retrieving his knife from her limp hand, he flung the weapon across the room.

Nosta Khan entered. 'What happened here?' he asked.

'She took my knife and tried to kill me. But it was not Zhusai. She is possessed.'

'Your servant told me. The spirit of Shul-sen seeks release. You should have come to me before, Talisman. How many more secrets do you keep from me?'

Without waiting for an answer he moved to the bed. 'Tie her hands behind her back,' he ordered Gorkai. The warrior glanced at Talisman, who gave a curt nod. Using a slender belt of cord Gorkai lashed her wrists together, then he and Nosta Khan lifted her, propping her back against the bed pillows. From an old pouch that hung at his belt, Nosta Khan drew a necklace of human teeth which he tied around the unconscious woman's neck. 'From this moment,' he said, 'no-one is to speak.' Placing his hand upon her head, he began to chant.

It seemed to the two watching men that the temperature in the room was dropping, and a cold wind began to blow through the window.

The chant continued, the sound rising and falling. Talisman did not know the language used — if language it was — but the effect within the room was astonishing. Ice began to form on the window frame and walls, and Gorkai was shivering uncontrollably. Nosta Khan showed no sign of discomfort. He fell silent, then drew his hand back from Zhusai's brow. 'Open your eyes,' he commanded, 'and tell me your name.'

The dark eyes slid open. 'I am. .' A smile formed. 'I am she who was blessed above all women.'

'You are the spirit of Shul-sen, wife to Oshikai Demon-bane?'

'I am she.'

'You are dead, woman. There is no place for you here.'

'I do not feel dead, shaman. I can feel my heart beating, and the rope around my wrists.'

'The form is one you have stolen. Your bones lie in a chamber of volcanic rock. Or do you not remember the night of your death?'

'Oh, I remember,' she said, her lips thinning, her eyes glittering. 'I remember Chakata and his spikes of gold. He was human then. I can still feel the pain as he slowly pushed them home, deep enough to blind but not to kill. I remember. Oh, yes, I remember it all. But now I am back. Release my hands, shaman.'

'I shall not,' said Nosta Khan. 'You are dead, Shul-sen — as your husband is dead. Your time is gone.'

She laughed then, the sound filling the room. Talisman felt the terrible cold bite into his bones. Beside him Gorkai could scarcely stand, and was now trembling and shaking. The laughter died away. 'I am a witch with great powers. Oshikai knew that and he used me well. I know from the memories of the girl that you are facing an army, shaman. I can help you. Release me!'

'How can you help?'

'Release me, and you will know.'

Talisman's hand crept to his knife scabbard, but it was empty. Reaching out, he pulled Gorkai's knife clear of its sheath. The woman turned her dark eyes on him. 'He means to kill you,' she told Nosta Khan.

'Do not speak — either of you!' warned the shaman. Turning to the woman, he began to chant. She winced, then her lips drew back in a bestial snarl. One word of power she spoke. Nosta Khan was hurled from the bed, striking the wall just below the window. He rolled to his knees, but her voice sounded once more and, flung back, his head cracked against the window-sill and he sank to the floor, unconscious.

The woman looked at Gorkai. 'Release me,' she said. On stumbling legs Gorkai tottered forward.

'Stand where you are!' ordered Talisman. Gorkai gave a cry of pain, but he forced himself to halt. Sinking to his knees, he groaned and fell face forward to the floorboards.

'So,' she said, looking at Talisman, 'you are a man of power. Your servant obeys, despite the pain he feels. Very well, you may release me.'

'Did you not love Oshikai?' he asked suddenly.

'What? You question my devotion, you ignorant peasant?'

'It was an honest question.'

'Then I shall answer it: Yes, I loved him. I loved his breath upon my skin, the sound of his laughter, the glory of his rages. Now release me!'

'He searches for you still,' Talisman told her.

'He died a thousand years ago,' she said. 'His spirit is in Paradise.'

'Not so, lady. I spoke with him, when first I came here. I summoned his spirit. The first question he asked was, "Do you bring news of Shul-sen?" I told him there were many legends, but that I did not know what had happened to you. He said: "I have searched the Vales of Spirit, the Valleys of the Damned, the Fields of Heroes, the Halls of the Mighty. I have crossed the Void for time without reckoning. I cannot find her." And as for Paradise, he said: "What Paradise could there be without Shul-sen? Death I could bear, but not this parting of souls. I will find her, though it take a dozen eternities."' She was silent for a moment, and the feral gleam faded from her eyes. 'I know you speak the truth,' she said, 'for I can read the hearts of men. But Oshikai will never find me. Chakata drew my spirit to the Dark Place, where it is guarded by demons who once were men. Chakata is there, but no human would recognize him now; he taunts me and tortures me whenever he wills. Or at least he did, before I made my escape. I cannot go to Oshikai, Talisman. If I died here I would be drawn back to the Dark Place.'

'Is that where you have sent Zhusai?' he asked her.

'It is. But what is her life compared with mine? I was a queen. I will be again.'

'Then you will leave Oshikai searching for an eternity, risking his soul in the terrors of the Void?'

'I can do nothing there!' she shouted. By the window Nosta Khan was stirring, but he remained silent. Gorkai too lay very still, scarcely breathing.

'Where is this Dark Place?' asked Talisman. 'Why can Oshikai not find it?'

'It is not a part of the Void,' she said tonelessly. 'Do you understand the nature of the Underworld? The Void is set between two levels. In the simplest terms, it sits between Paradise and Giragast, Heaven and Hell. The Void is the place in between where souls wander, in search of final rest. Chakata chose to trap me in the dark centre of Giragast, the pit at the centre of the lakes of fire. No human soul would travel there voluntarily, and Oshikai would know of no reason why I would be there. He trusted Chakata. He would never have guessed the depth of the man's lust, nor the heights of his treachery. But if he were to know, then he would die the second death, the lasting death. There is no way a single warrior — not even one as mighty as my Lord — could pass the demon-haunted passageways. Nor conquer the creature Chakata has become.'

'I will go with him,' promised Talisman.

'You? What are you? Just a child in a man's body. How old are you, child? Seventeen? Twenty?'

'I am nineteen. And I will walk with Oshikai across the Void, to the Gates of Giragast.'

'No, it is not enough. I see that you are brave, Talisman. And you are quick and intelligent. But to pass those gates takes something more. You are asking me to risk my soul in everlasting darkness and torment, and the soul of the man I love. The mystic number is Three. Do you have a warrior here who could match Oshikai? Is there one who would walk the Void with you?'

'I will,' said Gorkai, pushing himself to his feet. Her eyes fixed him, holding to Gorkai's gaze. 'Another brave one. But not skilled enough.'

Talisman strode to the window and leaned out over the sill. Below Druss, stripped of his jerkin, was washing himself at the well-side. The Nadir leader called out to him, beckoning him. Throwing his jerkin over his shoulder, Druss strolled to the building and climbed the stairs. As he entered, his pale blue eyes scanned the room. Gorkai was still upon his knees, and Nosta Khan was sitting below the window with a trickle of blood running from broken skin over his temple. He saw that Zhusai was tied, and said nothing.

'This man has walked the Void,' said Talisman, 'in search of his wife. He found her.'

'I can read his thoughts, Talisman. He has no loyalty to the Nadir. He is here seeking. .' She stared hard at Druss '. . healing stones for a dying friend. Why would he risk the terrors of the Giragast? He does not know me.'

Talisman swung to Druss. 'This is not Zhusai,' he said. 'Her body is possessed by the spirit of Shul-sen. To free her, I must send my spirit into the Void. Will you travel with me?'

'As she said, I came here to find the jewels the shaman spoke of,' said Druss, 'and he lied to me. Why should I do this?'

Talisman sighed. 'There is no reason that I can offer you, save that the woman I love is now trapped in that dark and vile place. And Oshikai, our greatest hero, has been searching for a thousand years to find the spirit of his wife. He does not know where to look. I can tell him, but Shul-sen says the journey would see his soul extinguished. Two men cannot fight the demons there.'

'And three can?' asked Druss.

'I cannot answer that,' Talisman told him. 'She will not release the spirit of Zhusai unless I can find a man to match Oshikai. You are the only one here who has built a legend. What more can I say?'

Druss eased past him and moved to the bound woman. 'How did you die?' he asked.

'Chakata put golden spikes in. .' She hesitated and her eyes flared wide. 'You! You and your friend released me. I see it now, back in the chamber. He came back and removed the spikes. He found my lon-tsia.'

Druss stood and looked Talisman in the eyes. 'If I go with you, laddie, I want your word on something.'

'Name it!'

'You will let me use the jewels to save my friend.'

'Is that not why you are here?' hedged Talisman.

'Not good enough,' said Druss, making for the door.

'Very well. You have my word. When we find the jewels, I will hand them to you and you may take them to Gulgothir.'

'No!' shouted Nosta Khan. 'What are you saying?'

Talisman held up his hand. 'But I want your pledge to return them as soon as your friend is healed.'

'It will be done,' said Druss.

'Come to me, blackbeard,' said Shul-sen, and Druss returned to the bed and sat. She looked deep into his eyes. 'Everything I am, or could ever be, is in your hands now. Are you a man I can trust?'

'I am,' he said.

'I believe you.' Turning her gaze to Talisman she spoke again. 'I shall return to the Dark Place, and free the soul of Zhusai. Do not fail me.'

Her eyes closed, then flickered. A long, broken sigh came from her throat. Talisman ran to the bedside, untying the cord that bound her wrists. Her eyes opened, and a scream formed. Talisman hugged her to him. 'It is all right, Zhusai. You are back with us!'

Nosta Khan moved to the bedside, and placed his hand upon her head. After a moment he said: 'She has returned. This is Zhusai. I shall now cast spells to prevent any re-entry. You did well, Talisman, to deceive her.'

'I did not deceive her,' replied the Nadir coldly. 'I shall fulfil my part of the bargain.'

'Pah! That is insane. An army is marching upon us and the destiny of the Nadir rests in your hands. This is no time to play the man of honour.'

Talisman walked to the far wall and picked up his dagger. Slowly he moved towards Nosta Khan. 'Who is the leader here?' he asked softly, his voice cold.

'You are, but. .'

'Yes, I am, you miserable worm. I am the leader. You are my shaman. I will tolerate no further disobedience. I do not play at honour. It is what I am. My word is iron. Now and ever more. We will go now to the Shrine. You will summon Oshikai, then do what you must to send Druss and myself into the Void. Is that clear, shaman?'

'It is clear, Talisman.'

'Not Talisman to you!' thundered the warrior. 'Now is it clear?'

'It is clear. . my Lord.'

'Why do you hold to my hand, po-et?' asked Niobe, as she and Sieben walked the ramparts of the western wall. Sieben, his passion spent during the last two hours with her, gave a weary smile.

'It is a custom among my people,' he said, lifting her fingers to his lips and kissing them. 'Lovers often walk hand-in-hand. It is, perhaps, a spiritual joining; or at least a touching that proclaims a couple are lovers. It is also considered pleasurable. Do you not like it?'

'I like feeling you inside me,' she said, withdrawing her hand and sitting back on the battlements. 'I like the taste of your tongue upon mine. I like the many delights your hands can conjure. But I like to feel free when I walk. Hand-holding is for mother and small child. I am not your child.'

Sieben chuckled, and sat back admiring the way the moonlight made her long hair shine. 'You are a delight to me,' he said. 'A breath of fresh air after a lifetime in musty rooms.'

'Your clothes are very pretty,' she noted, reaching out and stroking the blue silk of his shirt. 'The buttons contain many colours.'

'Mother-of-pearl,' he said. 'Exquisite, aren't they?' On an impulse he pulled the shirt over his head and stood bare-chested on the wall. 'Here. It is yours.'

Niobe giggled, then removed her own shirt of faded green wool. Sieben stared at her full breasts, and saw that the nipples were erect. Arousal flared afresh within him. Stepping forward he reached out to caress her. Niobe jumped back, holding the blue silk shirt to her body. 'No,' she said. 'First we talk.'

'Talk? What do you want to talk about?'

'Why no wife for you? Your friend has wife. And you are old.'

'Old? Thirty-four is not old. I am in the prime of my life.'

'You have balding patch at the crown. I have seen it.'

Sieben's hand swept up to his blond hair, pushing his fingers through to the scalp. 'Balding patch? It can't be.'

Her laughter pealed out. 'You are peacock,' she said. 'Worse than woman.'

'My grandfather had a full head of hair to his death at ninety. Baldness does not run in our family.'

Niobe slipped into the blue shirt and then moved alongside Sieben, taking his arm and pulling his hand from his hair.

'So why no wife?'

'It was a joke about the hair, yes?'

'No. Why no wife?'

'That's a difficult question.' He shrugged. 'I have known many beautiful women, but none I would wish to spend my life with. I mean, I like apples, but I wouldn't want to live on a permanent diet of them.'

'What is apples?'

'Fruit. Er. . like figs.'

'Good for bowels,' she said.

'Exactly. But let's move on from that, shall we? What I'm trying to say is that I like the company of many women. I am easily bored.'

'You are not strong man,' she said, sadness in her voice. 'You are frightened man. Many women is easy. Make children is easy. Life with them, help to raise them, that is hard. Watch babies die. . that is hard. I have had two husbands. Both die. Both good men. Strong. My third will be also strong. Many babies, so some will survive.'

Sieben gave a wry smile. 'I tend towards the belief that life holds more than making strong babies. I live for pleasure, for sudden bursts of joy. For surprises. There are enough people making babies and eking out their boring lives in the harshness of deserts, or the green splendour of mountains. The world will not miss my children.'

She considered his words thoughtfully. 'My people came over the tall mountains with Oshikai. They made babies, who grew proud and strong. They gave their blood to the land, and the land nurtured their young. For a thousand years. Now there is me. I owe it to my ancestors to bring life to the land, so that in a thousand years to come there will be those with the blood of Niobe and her ancestors. You are good lover, po-et. You bring many joy-trembles in your love-making. But joy-trembles are easy; I can do that for myself. I feel great love for you. But I will not wed frightened man. I have seen strong warrior of the Curved Horn. He has no wife. I think I will go to him.'

Sieben felt her words hit him like a blow to the belly. But he forced a smile. 'Of course, lovely one. You go and make babies.'

'You want shirt back?'

'No. It suits you. You look. . very fine.'

Without a word she left him there. Sieben shivered as a cold breeze touched his bare skin. What am I doing here, he wondered? A Nadir warrior with short hair and a pronounced widow's peak climbed to the ramparts and, ignoring Sieben, stood staring out to the west.

'A pleasant night,' remarked Sieben.

The man turned and stared at him. 'It will be a long night,' he said, his voice deep and cold.

Sieben saw a candle-flame flickering through the window of the Shrine. 'Still searching,' he said.

'Not searching,' said the man. 'My Lord, Talisman, and your friend are journeying to Giragast.'

'I fear something has been lost in the translation,' said Sieben. 'Giragast isn't a place, it is a myth.'

'It is a place,' said the man stubbornly. 'Their bodies are lying on the cold floor, their souls have gone to Giragast.'

Sieben's mouth was suddenly dry. 'Are you saying they are dead?'

'No, but they are going to the place of the dead. I do not think they will come back.'

Sieben left the man and ran to the Shrine. As the Nadir had said, Druss and Talisman were lying side by side on the dusty floor. The shaman, Nosta Khan, was sitting beside them. On top of the stone coffin was a lighted candle, marked with seven lines of black ink.

'What is happening?' he asked the shaman.

'They go with Oshikai to rescue the witch, Shul-sen,' whispered Nosta Khan.

'Into the Void?'

'Beyond the Void.' Nosta Khan glanced up at him, his eyes dark and malevolent. 'I saw you scatter the parchment to the winds. Did you also throw the knuckle-bones into the well?'

'Yes. And I burnt the hair and buried the pouch.'

'You gajin are soft and weak. Shaoshad deserved his punishment.'

'He wanted to bring Oshikai and Shul-sen back to life, to unite the Nadir,' said Sieben. 'That does not seem so terrible a crime.'

Nosta Khan shook his head. 'He wanted power, and fame. Oh, he could have raised the body, and perhaps even infused it with the soul of Oshikai. But the body would have needed the magic of jewels constantly; he would have been a slave to Shaoshad. Now, thanks to his arrogance, we have no jewels and the power of the land is lost to us. And gajin like you treat us as vermin. His lust for power sentenced us to five hundred years of servitude. He should have been left to rot for eternity.'

Sieben sat down alongside the shaman. 'Not a forgiving people, are you?'

Nosta Khan gave a rare smile. 'Our babies die in childbirth. Our men are hunted down like animals. Our villages are burnt, our people slaughtered. Why for should we forgive?'

'So what is the answer, old man? For the Nadir to mass into a huge army and hunt down the gajin like animals, burning their villages and towns, and slaughtering their women and children?'

'Yes! That is how it will begin. Until we have conquered the world, and enslaved every race.'

'Then you will be no different from the gajin you despise. Is that not so?'

'We do not seek to be different,' replied Nosta Khan. 'We seek to be triumphant.'

'A charmingly honest point of view,' "said the poet. 'Tell me, why are they travelling through the Void?'

'Honour,' said Nosta Khan admiringly. 'Talisman is a great man. Were he destined to live he would make a fine general for the Uniter.'

'He is going to die?'

'Yes,' said Nosta Khan sadly. 'I have walked the many futures but he is in none of them. Now be silent, for I have much work to do.'

From his pouch Nosta Khan removed two small, dry leaves, which he placed under his tongue. Raising his hands, bony fingers spread wide, he closed his eyes. The bodies of Druss and Talisman began to glow, radiating lights of many colours — purple around the heart, bright white pulsing from their heads, red from the lower torso, white and yellow from the legs. It was an extraordinary sight. Sieben remained silent until Nosta Khan sighed and opened his eyes.

'What did you do to them?' whispered the poet.

'Nothing,' answered Nosta Khan. 'I have merely made their life force visible. He is a powerful man, this Druss. See how the energy of his zhi dwarfs that of Talisman? And Talisman is greater than most men.' Sieben gazed at the glowing figures. It was true. The radiance around Druss extended to almost three feet, while Talisman's flickered no more than a foot from his torso.

'What is this. . zhi? asked Sieben.

Nosta Khan was silent for a moment. 'No man fully understands the mystery,' he said. 'The energy flows around the human body, bringing life and health. It flickers and changes when disease strikes. I have seen old men with the rheumatic in their arms where the zhi no longer flows. And I have seen mystic healers transfuse their own zhi into the sick, making them healthy again. It is connected in some way to the soul. After death, for example, the zhi flares to five times its size. This happens for three days. Then, in a heartbeat, it is gone.'

'But why have you chosen to make it visible?'

'Their souls have gone to a place of untold dangers, where they will be fighting demons. Each cut they take, each wound they suffer, will affect the zhi. I will watch, and when they come close to death I hope to be able to draw them back.'

'You mean you are not certain of your ability to do this?'

'In Giragast there is no certainty,' snapped Nosta Khan. 'Imagine a fight here. A soldier is wounded in the arm; he suffers, but lives. Another man is struck to the heart; he dies instantly. Such can happen in the Void. I can see the wounds they suffer there. But a death blow will extinguish the zhi in an instant.'

'But you said the zhi flares for three days after death,' Sieben pointed out.

'That is when the soul is within the body. Theirs are not.'

The two men lapsed into silence. For several minutes nothing happened, then Talisman's body jerked. The bright colours around him flickered, and a green glow showed on his right leg. 'It has begun,' said Nosta Khan.

An hour passed, the candle-flame burning down to the first of the black lines marked upon its shaft. Sieben found the tension hard to bear. Rising, he went outside to the eastern wall where he had left his saddle-bags. Pulling out a fresh shirt of white linen, embroidered with gold thread, he donned it. Talisman's servant, Gorkai, approached him. 'Do they still live?' he asked.

'Yes,' answered Sieben.

'I should have gone with them.'

'Why don't you come in with me? Then you'll see them for yourself."

The man shook his head. 'I will wait outside.'

Sieben left him and returned to the Shrine. The glow around Druss seemed just as strong, though Talisman's zhi was weaker now. Sieben settled himself down against the wall. It was so like Druss to volunteer a trip to Hell. What is it about you, my friend, he thought? Why do you revel in such unnecessary risks? Is it that you think you are immortal? Or do you believe the Source has blessed you above other men? Sieben smiled. Maybe he has, he thought. Maybe there is something indestructible in your soul. Talisman's body spasmed, bright green flaring within his zhi. Druss too shuddered, his fists clenching.

'They are in a battle,' whispered Nosta Khan, moving to his knees with hands outstretched. Talisman's zhi flickered and faded, the glow dying away. Nosta Khan shouted three words, the sound harsh and discordant. Talisman's back arched, and he groaned. His eyes opened wide, and a strangled cry came from his lips. His arm swept out, as if still holding a sword.

'Be calm!' cried Nosta Khan. 'You are safe.' Talisman rolled to his knees, his face drenched in sweat. He was breathing heavily.

'Send. . send me back,' he said.

'No. Your zhi is too weak. You will die.'

'Send me back, damn you!' Talisman tried to rise, but slumped to his face in the dust.

Sieben ran to him, helping him to sit up. 'Your shaman is right, Talisman. You were dying. What happened there?'

'Beasts, the like of which I have never seen! Huge. Scaled. Eyes of fire. We saw nothing for the first days of travel. Then we were attacked by wolves. Great creatures, almost the size of ponies. We killed four. The rest fled. I thought they were bad enough. But, by the Gods of Stone and Water, they were puppies compared with what followed.' He shivered suddenly. 'How many days have I been gone?'

'Less than two hours,' Sieben told him.

'That is not possible.'

'Time has no meaning in the Void,' said Nosta Khan. 'How far did you get?'

'We made it to the Gates of Giragast. There was a man there. Oshikai knew him — a small shaman, with a twin-forked beard.' Talisman turned to Sieben. 'He said to thank you for the gift. He will remember it.'

'Shaoshad the Cursed,' hissed Nosta Khan.

'Cursed he may be, but we would never have mastered the demons at the Gates without him. Druss and Oshikai are. . colossal. Never have I seen such power, such controlled rage. When the scaled beasts came I thought we were finished. Oshikai attacked them, with Druss beside him. I was already wounded and scarce able to move.' His hand moved to his side, seeking a wound. He smiled. 'I feel so weak.'

'You need to rest," said Nosta Khan. 'Your zhi is diminished. I will cast healing spells over you as you sleep.'

'They cannot succeed. More demons everywhere.'

'How were they when you left?' asked Sieben.

'Druss has a wound in his thigh and his left shoulder. Oshikai is bleeding from chest and hip. I last saw them enter a black tunnel. The little man, Shaoshad, was leading them. He was holding a stick, which burst into flame like a torch. I tried to follow them. . but then I was here. I should never have agreed to Shul-sen's request. I have killed Druss, and destroyed the soul of Oshikai.'

'Druss is still strong,' said Sieben, pointing to the glowing aura around the axeman. 'I've known him a long time, and I'd wager on him returning. Trust me,'

Talisman shivered again. Nosta Khan covered his shoulders with a blanket. 'Rest now, Talisman,' he told the younger man. 'Let sleep wash away the weakness within.'

'I must wait,' he said, his voice slurred with weariness.

'Whatever you wish, my Lord,' whispered Nosta Khan. As Talisman lay down, Nosta Khan began to chant in a low voice. Talisman's eyes closed. For long minutes the chant continued, then at last the shaman lapsed into silence. 'He will sleep for many hours,' said the old man. 'Aya! But my heart is filled with pride for him. He is a warrior among warriors. Aye, and a man of honour!'

Sieben glanced at Druss's body. The glow was fading. 'You had better fetch him back,' he said.

'Not yet. All is well.'

Druss eased his huge frame against the black rock-face, then slumped to his knees. His strength was all but gone, and blood the colour of milk was flowing from numerous wounds in his upper body. Oshikai laid his golden axe on a rock and sat down. He too was sorely wounded. The tiny shaman, Shaoshad, moved to Druss, laying his skinny hand on a deep cut on Druss's shoulder. The wound closed instantly.

'Almost there,' said the little man. 'One more bridge to cross.'

'I don't believe I could move another step,' said Druss. Shaoshad touched all his wounds and one by one the milky ichor ceased to flow.

'One more bridge, Drenai,' repeated Shaoshad, moving to Oshikai and treating his wounds also.

'Did Talisman die?' Oshikai asked the shaman, his voice weak.

'I do not know. But he is here no longer. Either way he cannot help us. Can you go on?'

'I will find Shul-sen,' said Oshikai stubbornly. 'Nothing shall stop me.'

Druss gazed around the awesome black cavern. Towering stalagmites rose towards the high, domed ceiling, met there by colossal stalactites — like two rows of fangs in a vast maw. One of the surviving bat creatures was still in view, crouching high on a ledge above them. Druss stared up into its baleful red eyes. The bodies of its comrades lay scattered on the cavern floor, their grey wings outstretched and broken. The survivor made no move to attack. The journey here had been long and terrifying, across a landscape unlike any to be found in the world of flesh. Druss had walked the Void once before, to bring Rowena back from the dead. But then he had walked the Road of Souls, a veritable garden of delights when compared with this journey. The land obeyed no laws of nature that Druss understood. It shifted and changed endlessly under a slate-grey sky; cliffs suddenly rearing from a desolate plain, showering boulders the size of houses down from the sky. Chasms would appear, as if an invisible plough was tearing at the dead soil. Black and twisted trees would sprout into forests, their branches reaching out to claw like talons at the flesh of the travellers. Some time ago — it could have been days or hours — they had descended into a gorge, the floor of which was festooned with what appeared to be discarded helms of rusted iron. Lightning lit the sky endlessly, casting hideous shadows around them. Talisman was in the lead when the helms began to shake. The earth parted, and long-buried warriors erupted from the black earth. The skin of their faces had rotted away, and maggots clung to the flesh beneath. Soundlessly they advanced. Talisman had beheaded the first, but taken a deep wound from a second. Druss and Oshikai charged, their axes slicing into corrupt flesh.

The battle was long, 'and hard. Shaoshad blasted globes of explosive fire into the awful ranks, and the air stank with the smoke of burning flesh. At the last Druss and Oshikai stood back to back gazing round at the mound of corpses. Of Talisman there was no sign.

On the far side of the gorge they had entered a tunnel, which led into the heart of the highest mountain Druss had ever seen. In a cavern at its centre they had fought off a frenzied attack from the demonic bats. 'Tell me,' said Druss to Shaoshad, 'that there are no more guardians. That would please me greatly.'

'Plenty more, axeman. But you know what they say,' he added with a mischievous grin, 'nothing worth while ever comes easy, yes?'

'What can we expect?' asked Oshikai.

'The Great Bear guards the bridge. After that I know not. But there is one who will remain. That is Chakata. He it was who murdered Shul-sen in a manner most foul. He is here. . in one form or another.'

'Then he is mine,' said Oshikai. 'You hear me, Druss? He is mine!'

Druss looked across at the stocky figure in his shattered golden armour. 'No argument from me, laddie.'

Oshikai chuckled and moved across to sit beside Druss. 'By the Gods of Stone and Water, Druss, you are a man I would be proud to call brother. I wish I had known you in life. We could have downed a dozen flagons of wine, and filled the night with boasting.'

'The wine sounds good,' said Druss, 'but I never was much of a boaster.'

'It is an acquired skill,' agreed Oshikai. 'I always found that a story sounds better if a multiple of ten is added to the enemy. Unless of course it was known that there were, say, only three. Then they become giants.'

'I have a friend who understands that very well,' said Druss.

'Is he a fine warrior?'

Druss looked into Oshikai's violet eyes. 'No, a poet.'

'Ah! I always took a poet with me, to record my victories. I am no mean braggart myself, but when I listened to his songs of my deeds I felt put to shame. Where I would speak of slaying giants, he would sing of subduing the gods themselves. Are you feeling rested?'

'Almost,' lied Druss. 'Tell me, little man,' he said to Shaoshad, 'what is this Great Bear you spoke of?'

'The Guardian of the Bridge of Giragast. It is said to be eight feet tall; it has two heads, one of a bear with sharp fangs, the other of a snake. The snake spits venom, which will burn through all armour. Its talons are as long as a short sword, and sharper than spite. It has two hearts, one high in the chest, the other low in the belly.'

'And how do you propose we pass this beast?'

'My magic is all but spent now, but I shall cast one more Hide-spell, to mask Oshikai. Then I shall rest here, and await your return.'

Oshikai rose and laid his hand on the little man's shoulder. 'You have served me well, Shaoshad. I am a king no longer; but if there is justice in this vile realm, you will be rewarded. I am sorry that my refusal of your offer led to your death.'

'All men die, Great King. And my own actions led to my death. I bear no ill-will towards any. But if. . when. . you reach Paradise, speak a word on my behalf to the Gatekeeper there.'

'I shall.' Taking up his golden axe, Kolmisai, the warrior turned to Druss. 'Are you ready now, my brother?'

'I was born ready,' grunted Druss, forcing himself to his feet.

'You will see the bridge about a hundred paces that way,' said Shaoshad. 'It spans the Abyss of Fire. If you fall it will be for an eternity, then the flames will devour you. The bridge is wide at the start, maybe fifty feet, but then it narrows. You must draw the bear to you on to the wide section, to allow Oshikai to slip past.'

'No,' said Oshikai, 'we will face it together.'

'Trust me, Great King, and follow my bidding. When the Bear dies Chakata will know you are coming. Then he will slay Shul-sen. It is vital that you cross the bridge to the Dark Place before that.'

'In the meantime I dance with the bear and try not to kill it?' queried Druss.

'Delay for as long as you can,' advised Shaoshad, 'and do not look into its eyes. You will see only death there.' The shaman closed his eyes and raised his hands. The air around Oshikai crackled with bright, nickering lights. The Great King's image faded, becoming translucent and then transparent. Then it was gone.

Shaoshad opened his eyes, then clapped his hands with glee. 'Arrogant I may be,' he chortled, 'but skilled am I!' His smile faded and he turned to Druss. 'When you approach the bridge Oshikai must be close behind you. Otherwise the bear will sense both spirits. Once the beast is engaged, Great King, you must slip by him and run. Make no sound. Do not call out for Shul-sen — you will sense her when she is close.'

'I understand,' came the voice of Oshikai. 'You move on, Druss, and I will follow.'

Taking up his axe, Druss led the way. His legs were heavy, his arms weary. Never in his life, not even in his years in the prison dungeon, had he felt such a sense of physical weakness. Fear rose strong within him. His foot struck a stone, and he stumbled.

The sound of wings beating came to him. Swivelling, he saw the last of the bat creatures swooping down towards him, its black wings wide, its grey-taloned hands outstretched. Snaga flashed up, smashing through the thin neck — but not before the talons had scored across his face, ripping open his cheek. The creature's body struck him, toppling him from his feet. He felt the hand of Oshikai grasp him by the wrist, hauling him upright.

'You are exhausted, my friend,' said Oshikai. 'Rest here. I will try to slip by the bear.'

'No, I will see it through,' grunted Druss. 'Do not concern yourself for me.'

He staggered on, rounding a bend in the black cavern. Ahead of them an awesome bridge arced across a chasm. Druss stepped on to it, and glanced over the edge. It seemed to him that he was staring down into infinity. It made him dizzy, and he swiftly stepped back on to the black stone. Holding Snaga in both hands, he walked on. From here he could not see the far side of the bridge. 'It must be miles across,' he whispered, a sense of despair filling him.

'One step at a time, my friend,' said Oshikai.

Druss stumbled on through a haze of bone-numbing exhaustion. A cold wind blew across the chasm, and Druss could smell acrid smoke upon it. On he struggled, forcing his body through each weary step.

After what seemed like hours they reached the midpoint of the bridge. The far side could now be seen, a towering hill of black rock set against a slate-grey sky. A figure moved upon the bridge and Druss narrowed his eyes, straining to see it. It moved slowly on its hind legs, mighty arms stretched wide. As it neared, Druss saw that Shaoshad's description was correct in every detail: two heads, one a bear, the other a serpent. What Shaoshad had not conveyed was the sense of evil that radiated from the demon. It struck Druss like the numbing claws of a winter blizzard, colossal in its power, dwarfing the strength of Man.

The bridge had narrowed here to less than ten feet wide. The creature coming slowly towards them seemed to fill the gap.

'May the Gods of Stone and Water smile upon you, Druss!' whispered Oshikai.

Druss stepped forward. The beast gave a terrible roar, thunder deep and deafening. The wall of sound struck the axeman like a blow, pushing him back.

The beast spoke: 'We are the Great Bear, devourers of souls. Your death will be agonizing, mortal!'

'In your dreams, you whoreson!' said Druss.

'Bring him back!' shouted Sieben. 'You can see he is dying!'

'In a good cause,' said Nosta Khan. Sieben looked at the little man, and saw the malevolence in his eyes.

'You treacherous cur!' he hissed, scrambling to his feet and launching himself at the man. Nosta Khan threw up his right hand and needles of fire sliced into Sieben's head. He screamed and fell back, yet even through the pain he scrabbled for the knife at his hip. Nosta Khan spoke a single word and Sieben's arm froze.

'Don't do this to him,' begged Sieben. 'He deserves better.'

'Deserve has nothing to do with it, you fool. He chose to walk in Hell; I did not force him. But he has not yet accomplished what he set out to do. If he dies, so be it. Now be silent!' Sieben tried to speak, but his tongue clove to the roof of his mouth. The pain subsided, but he was unable to move.

The beast spoke, the voice issuing from both heads: 'Come to me and know death, Druss!'

Druss hefted his axe and moved forward. With astonishing speed the Great Bear dropped to all fours and charged. Snaga flashed up, then down with sickening force, plunging between the two heads, smashing through bone and sinew. The beast's body struck the axeman hard, hurling him from his feet. Losing his grip on his axe, Druss skidded across the bridge on his back, his legs slipping over the chasm. Rolling to his belly he scrabbled at the black stone, halting his slide, then hauled himself back on to the bridge. The Great Bear had reared up now, black blood gouting from between its heads. Druss surged upright, charging the beast. A taloned arm swept down, ripping through his jerkin and scoring his flesh with the pain of fire. Reaching up, he grabbed Snaga's haft and wrenched the weapon clear. Blood spurted over his face, burning like acid. The snake mouth opened, spewing a stream of venom that covered his jerkin, bursting into flame. Ignoring the pain, Druss hammered Snaga into the snake neck, severing it. The head fell clear, bouncing on the black stone as smoke spewed from the mutilated neck. The Great Bear lashed out once more, Druss was thrown clear and he landed heavily, but rolled to his feet with axe in hand. The beast tottered forward. The venom on Druss's jerkin burnt through to the flesh beneath and, with a cry of rage and pain, he threw himself at the mortally wounded guardian. The talons swept down, but the speed of Druss's charge carried him under the blow and his shoulder hit the beast in the chest. The Great Bear staggered back, then fell from the bridge. Druss crawled to the edge, watching the body spiral down and down. Sinking to the black stone, Druss rolled to his back. Exhaustion overtook him, and he longed for the bliss of sleep. 'Do not close your eyes,' came the voice of Shaoshad. Druss blinked and saw the little man kneeling beside him. Shaoshad touched his slender hands to Druss's wounds and the pain subsided. 'Sleep here is death,' said the shaman.

Oshikai ran on, crossing the bridge at speed and reaching the other side just as the Great Bear fell into the chasm. Ahead of him the black hill beckoned. Swiftly he scaled the flanks of the hill, his thoughts reaching out to Shul-sen. At first there was nothing, but then, ahead, he saw a rectangular black stone doorway set into the hillside. And he felt the presence of Shul-sen's spirit beyond it. Oshikai pushed hard, but the door did not give. Stepping back, he struck the stone with his golden axe. Sparks flew from the stone, and a gaping crack appeared. Twice more Oshikai thundered Kolmisai against the stone. On the third stroke, the door fell into four pieces.

Beyond it was a dark tunnel. As Oshikai stepped forward, a black lion with eyes of bright fire came hurtling out of the darkness. Kolmisai leapt to meet it, the axe-blade ripping into the creature's chest, and with a terrible cry it fell to Oshikai's left. The King swung and slashed the axe through its thick neck, beheading it. Lifting the head by the mane, Oshikai strode forward. The eyes of bright fire were fading now, but still they cast a dim light on the walls of the tunnel.

Oshikai moved on. A whisper of movement came from his left. Spinning towards the sound, the King threw the demon-head. Huge, serpentine jaws snapped down upon it, the bones of the skull splitting, brains oozing out through the rows of crocodile teeth in the long snout. The lizard beast opened its jaws and shook its head, spitting out the broken skull. In that moment Oshikai leapt forward to smash Kolmisai into the thick, scaled head, the golden blade shearing through the bone. The beast slumped to the ground, gave one low groan, and died.

In darkness now, Oshikai moved forward with one hand on the wall. 'Shul-sen!' he called. 'Can you hear me?'

'I am here,' came her voice. 'Oh, my Lord, is it you?' The sound came from ahead and to the left. Oshikai crossed the tunnel floor and found a sleek doorway. Blindly he struck at it; the door splintered and gave way. All was pitch darkness as he stepped into the room beyond.

A slender hand touched his face. 'Is it truly you?' she whispered.

'Truly,' he answered, his voice thick with emotion. His left arm drew her to him, and dropping his head he held her close, his limbs shaking. 'My love, the soul of my heart,' he whispered. Their lips touched, and he felt Shul-sen's tears mingle with his own. For a moment only he forgot everything, the perils and the dangers still to come.

Then, from the tunnel, came sounds of stealthy movement. Taking her hand, Oshikai backed out through the doorway. The sounds were coming from his right. Oshikai turned left and, still holding to Shul-sen, moved on deeper into the tunnel. After a while the floor began to rise. Higher and higher they climbed. A faint light could be seen above them now, seeping through a crack in the rocks of the hillside.

Oshikai paused in his flight and waited.

A lion beast with eyes of flame padded into sight, and with a great roar it charged. Oshikai leapt to meet it, Kolmisai sweeping down and cleaving through its skull. The beast sagged to the ground.

Oshikai climbed to the crack in the rocks, and struck it with his axe. The crack opened to two feet wide, stones falling from it and showering the King. A boulder was lodged in the crack and, stretching up, he pushed at it. The boulder rolled clear. Climbing through the gap, he turned and reached down for Shul-sen. The mossy ground beneath him shivered. Oshikai was thrown to his left and almost lost hold of his axe. What he had taken to be moss below his feet quivered and lifted from the earth, and he was thrown into the air. The whole of the hillside seemed to shudder, as two immense wings unfolded. The brow of the hill rose up, becoming the head of a giant bat. Oshikai clung to the wing as the colossal creature rose into the air. Higher and higher it flew, out over the bridge and the bottomless pit. Oshikai sunk his fingers deep into the fur, and hung on. The head of the bat twisted round and its huge mouth opened. Within the darkness of its maw there shone a face that he recognized.

'How do you like my new form, Great King?' sneered Chakata. 'Is it not magnificent?'

Oshikai did not answer, but began to crawl towards the creature's neck. 'Shall I tell you how many times I have enjoyed Shul-sen? Shall I describe the pleasures I have forced her to undergo?' The King moved closer. The face of Chakata smiled. The bat banked suddenly and Oshikai began to fall — then lashed out with his axe, burying it deep into the black wing. Slowly he hauled himself closer to the neck, dragging the axe clear and hammering it again through the fur, inching his way towards his enemy.

'Don't be a fool, Oshikai!' shouted Chakata. 'If you kill me, you will fall with me. You will never see Shul-sen again!'

Slowly, inexorably the King moved on. The bat flipped over into a backward dive, then rolled and beat its wings trying to dislodge the tiny figure. But Oshikai clung on. Closer and closer he came to the head. The bat's jaws snapped at him, but he rolled wide of them. Dragging clear his axe, he dealt a mighty blow to the creature's neck. Black blood gouted from the wound. Twice more he struck. Suddenly the bat's wings folded, and the body began to plummet towards the bridge far below. Oshikai continued to hammer his blade into the half-severed neck, cleaving through bone and sinew. The head fell clear, the dead beast spiralling down towards the pit.

Determined not to die alongside such vermin, Oshikai threw himself from the corpse.

Far below the naked Shul-sen had clambered free of the tunnel, and she stood now watching the epic battle in the grey skies above. Now free of the spells Chakata had woven, she felt her power returning. Instantly she clothed herself in shirt and leggings of silver silk, and a cloud-white cloak. Pulling her cloak from her shoulders, she spoke the Five Words of the Eleventh Spell. Then she hurled the cloak high into the air. It flew on, spinning wildly, a wheel of white cloth glistening against the smoke-grey sky.

Shul-sen stood with hand outstretched, directing the cloak with all the power she could muster. The dead creature that had once been Chakata plunged down into the abyss. Oshikai continued to fall, but the cloak soared up towards him, enveloping his body. For a moment only the fall was halted, but then he plunged on with the cloak around him. Shul-sen cried out, the cloak flared open and Oshikai's rapid descent slowed. The cloak floated down to the bridge and Oshikai jumped clear. Shul-sen ran down the hillside towards him, arms outstretched. Dropping his axe he went to meet her, drawing her in to a tight embrace. For a long moment he held her thus, then drew back, and she saw tears upon his cheeks.

'I have searched for so long,' he said. 'I had begun to believe I would never find you.'

'But you did, my Lord,' she whispered, kissing his lips and the tear-stained cheeks.

For a long time they stood, holding each other close. Then he took her hand and led her to where Druss lay on the bridge. Oshikai knelt beside him. 'By all that is sacred, I never met a man like you, Druss. I pray that we meet again.'

'Not here, though, eh?' grunted Druss. 'Perhaps you could choose somewhere more. . hospitable?'

Two glowing figures appeared on the bridge, with light blazing around them. Druss squinted and shaded his eyes as the figures came closer. There was no threat from them, and Oshikai rose to meet them.

'It is time,' came a gentle voice.

'You can take us both,' said Oshikai.

'No. Only you.'

'Then I will not come.'

The first of the glowing figures swung towards the woman. 'You are not ready, Shul-sen. You carry too much that is dark within you. All that was good came from your union with this man; the only selfless acts you committed were for him. Twice now he has refused Paradise. This third refusal will be final. . we will come for him no more.'

'Give me a moment with him,' she said. 'Alone.'

The glowing figures floated away some fifty paces. Shul-sen approached Oshikai. 'I will not leave you,' he said. 'Not again.'

Reaching up, she cupped her hand around his neck, drawing his head down into a long, lingering kiss. When at last they separated she stroked his handsome face, and gave a wistful smile. 'Would you deny me Paradise, my love?' she asked him.

'What do you mean?'

'If you refuse them now, you will never see the Land of Heavenly Dreams. And if you do not, then how can I? By refusing them you sentence us to walk the Void for ever.'

Drawing her hand to his lips, he kissed her fingers tenderly. 'But I have waited so long for you. I could not bear another parting.'

'And yet you must,' she said, forcing a smile. 'We are united, Oshikai. We will be again. But when next I see you it will be under blue skies, beside whispering streams. Go now — and wait for me.'

'I love you,' he said. 'You are the stars and moon to me.'

Pulling away from him, she turned to the glowing figures. 'Take him,' she said. 'Let him know joy.' As they drew closer, she looked hard into the shining face of the first of the men. 'Tell me, can I earn a place beside him?'

'What you have done here is a step towards it, Shul-sen. You know where we are. The journey will be long, and there will be many calls upon you. Travel with Shaoshad. He too has much to learn.'

The second of the men floated alongside Druss, laying a golden hand upon his body. All wounds closed, and Druss felt new strength coursing through him.

Then, in an instant, they were gone, and Oshikai with them. As Shul-sen fell to her knees, her long, dark hair falling over her face, Shaoshad moved to her side. 'We will find him, my Lady. Together. And great will be the joy when we do.'

Shul-sen gave a deep, shuddering sigh. 'Then let us be away,' she said, rising to her feet. Druss rose also.

'I wish I could help you,' he said.

Taking his hand, she kissed it. 'I knew you were the one,' she told him. 'You are like him in so many ways. Go back now to the world you know.'

Her hand touched his head, and darkness swallowed him.