Emwaya staggered back into his arms, her hands held in front of her in a warding gesture. "Quickly," she whispered. "Have another man throw a spear."
"You!" Conan called. The iron self-command in his voice steadied the warriors.
The man addressed drew back and put all the force of his best throw behind the spear. It struck not far from the wound made by the first warrior.
A scale cracked across; this time the blood only oozed out. As Conan watched, the wound from the first spear closed. Only a smear of blood on the serpent"s neck showed that it had ever taken any hurt. Another smear was already drying on the floor, not far from the corpse of the man who had lost his foot to the serpent. That man"s bones were even now showing through his flesh, and through the green foulness that played over and around it.
Emwaya drew in a great, rasping breath. "We must keep it coming at us, and wound it each time it comes. We must keep our distance, too. It heals itself somewhat each time it is wounded, but not altogether. It will lose strength; I will see to that."
"How long will it take to die?"
The Golden Serpent hissed in challenge, pain, and defiance. The hiss again raised such echoes that Emwaya could not have made herself heard had she shouted into Conan"s ear.
As the serpent withdrew some ten paces or so, Emwaya spoke urgently. "It will die swiftly if my father comes to join his Spirit-Speaking to mine. We can take from it the power to steal life-force, which is how it heals as it does."
Conan thought uncharitable words about sorcerers. It seemed that the breed was always with you when you did not want them and somewhere else when you did.
"Ho!" he shouted, raising his sword. "We"ve need to fight this beast by retreating before it. Baggage men, take the rear rank. The best spearmen, take the foremost. Guard Emwaya at all costs, and for the love of every G.o.d, don"t close with the monster!"
Faces showed that the bravest warrior needed no urging on that last point. Conan s.n.a.t.c.hed up a spear from the baggage and joined the rear rank as Valeria ran to stand beside Emwaya.
As if they were all of a single mind, the band drew back ten paces. Encouraged, the serpent lowered its head and came on, but it did not lunge so boldly this time. A spear and a trident flew. The spear sank deep, the trident glanced off the horn on the nose. The trident-thrower would have dashed forward to retrieve his weapon but for Conan"s wordless roar that halted him in his tracks.
This was likely enough as strange a battle as Conan had ever fought. Overgrown snakes were not uncommon-too common by half if the wounds he had taken whilst battling them were any measure. But he had not before fought a serpent that had its own magic, nor fought one as leader of a band of warriors.
A good band, too, he thought as he saw one of the slingers wind up and hurl his stone. It flew true, striking one of the blazing green eyes. Conan expected the eye to shatter rather than burst, but it did neither. Instead, it merely quivered like jelly, turned misty and pale for a moment, then blazed green once more.
The creature hissed, and this time, anyone could tell that it was in pain.
Emwaya bit her lip until blood came, then screamed out a warning.
"Be ready, everyone. He"ll lunge again!"
The warning was life to at least three men. The great head crashed down where they would have been standing had they not joined the retreat. Twenty paces to the rear, the band stood again, save for two men who remained behind to thrust spears in deep. Again Conan"s roar saved one from folly as the man struck at the beast"s nose with his club. The warrior rejoined his comrades without his club or spear, but with a whole skin.
Then the band put another thirty paces between itself and the Golden Serpent, while Emwaya not only waved both arms, but chanted loud enough to drown out the sound of the creature"s hissing. The two spears remained in the wounds longer than before, and the gush of blood that pushed them out also flowed longer.
Victory could be theirs, Conan realized, for all that this was a battle that only a madman could have dreamed. Victory might be the last man of the band standing beside the dead serpent, but they would have it!
Then the hissing raised echoes again, Emwaya called a sharp warning, and the deadly dance began once more.
FIFTEEN.
The canoes were not the lightest or the swiftest among those of the Ichiribu, although their canoe-builders were honored among all the tribes around the Lake of Death for their skill. Nor were the paddlers the strongest and most skilled.
Seyganko had simply ordered the first score of paddlers into the first three canoes, and all of them had set out under Dobanpu"s guidance. Before long, Seyganko thought he might have done better to have waited, picked the best paddlers and canoes, and then made swifter progress. If they were slow in reaching their destination, Emwaya might die-Dobanpu had made that plain.
A little while later, however, Seyganko saw that the canoes were flying across the water as if the paddlers were tireless G.o.ds who never missed a stroke. He looked back to the Spirit-Speaker, sitting in the stern of their canoe, and saw a faint smile on the man"s face.
Seyganko felt shame that his mistake had been recognized, but also pride that Dobanpu considered him worthy of help in undoing it. Or was it entirely Emwaya"s safety that moved her father?
The paddles indeed flew back and forth so swiftly that as with well-thrown spears, the eye could hardly follow them. Nor did the warriors seem to sweat or grow short of breath. Seyganko remembered uneasily that such spells as doubled a man"s strength could also weaken him for some time afterward. These warriors would have to fight as well as paddle before another day"s sun had set.
Meanwhile, they were crossing the Lake of Death at a speed never before known, save to birds. At a shout from Dobanpu, Seyganko raised his paddle, and the men of his canoe ceased their efforts. The other two canoes drew up alongside and also drifted to a stop.
Then, before Seyganko could speak or even move, Dobanpu stood up in the stern of the canoe, gripped the amulet about his neck tightly, and flung himself overboard. He cut the water without a sound, not even the faint clooop of a diving fisherbird. For a moment, they saw his legs thrusting him down into the depths; then those depths swallowed him.
A clamor arose from those warriors who had breath left with which to speak.
"Why, the old fool!"
"Where is he going?"
"He"ll drown!"
"No, the lionfish will have him first!"
"He can"t swim!"
Seyganko shouted for silence. "My woman"s father can swim, that is certain.
There are no hungry fish in this part of the lake, because of the very thing he has gone to fight. As for the rest-I would not call any Spirit-Speaker a fool.
Not when I thought he might come back and remember what I said.
"And if you still think otherwise, keep your tongue between your teeth. Or have you forgotten who may be listening over there?" Seyganko pointed at the Kwanyi sh.o.r.e. Those who had not already fallen silent did so now.
The Golden Serpent had taken the lives of two more warriors before Conan"s band mastered the art of fighting it. That made ten dead or hurt past fighting, and the rest were growing uneasy. Facing a foe who could not be gravely hurt, and-it seemed-not be killed, for all that Emwaya promised otherwise, was nothing to hearten a warrior.
Yet the warriors lost none of their speed or cunning. They darted about the serpent like flies about a horse"s head, stinging with the same remorseless persistence. Some even sang war songs between lunges at the serpent, until Conan commanded them to save their breath.
This disciplined courage pleased Conan, although it did not altogether surprise him. He had known for years that the Black Kingdoms raised warriors fit to stand in battle anywhere in the world. He had not expected to find so many this far inland, but he rejoiced that he had. Perhaps there would be more than one man left standing when the Golden Serpent breathed its last.
A cry rose as Emwaya stumbled on the gla.s.sy floor. But Valeria was standing over her, sword in one hand, a borrowed spear poised to throw in the other. Five more warriors were in front of Emwaya before Conan was able to count them. The young woman herself shook her head and clenched her teeth, but her hair had saved her skull, and her hands continued their movements, fighting the Golden Serpent"s unnatural life.
She was on her feet in the next moment, and Conan saw that the serpent had not lunged for her or her defenders. Was it learning the dangers of well-wielded iron, or was its strength finally ebbing?
Conan knew the perils of believing that a foe was weak or foolish. Yet he found it hard to believe that anything short of Thunder Mountain itself could resist the battering his band had given the Golden Serpent.
Suddenly thunder crashed once more through the tunnel. Conan swore that he saw the Golden Serpent rise a handbreadth from the floor. He knew that he saw shields s.n.a.t.c.hed from warriors" arms and cracks appear in the ceiling. Then fragments of stone rattled down everywhere about them, and a dripping-wet Dobanpu stood before them-on the far side of the Golden Serpent.
The serpent might have been shaken. The warriors certainly were. Yet the beast was swift to coil and lunge at Dobanpu. The Spirit-Speaker stood to meet the a.s.sault, only fingering his amulet. Valeria and a half-score of warriors cried out in horror, and Conan himself was not silent.
The lunge fell short of Dobanpu. An arm"s length from the man, the great fanged head was dragged to a stop, as if a noose had tightened about it or the air had turned solid. Dobanpu raised a hand, and coruscating golden light arched from Emwaya to him. It sank into him and vanished, leaving no trace except for perhaps an odd glow in his eyes, and Conan could not be sure that was not a trick of the light.
Then Dobanpu turned, and with a speed startling for a man of his age, ran down a side tunnel that no one had noticed before. Again men gasped in horror, but Emwaya only frowned.
"Has your father gone mad?" Valeria snapped. Conan shook his head. If Emwaya was not afraid, Dobanpu must have some scheme in mind. To make it succeed was another matter.
"What must we do?" he asked the girl.
"He will lead the creature to a place he has sensed, I think. He used much power in coming here, so he will not be able to kill it unaided. But in that place he seeks, he will find a way of ending its life."
Conan cursed himself for expecting a straight answer from any magic-wielder.
Valeria glared at Emwaya.
"You want us to follow that thing down some burrow where it might turn and rend us? Trusting only to your father"s wizardry?"
"Yes."
"Cimmerian-"
"Call me names afterward. Meanwhile, would you wager two hairs of your head on our surviving if Dobanpu dies?"
As always, Valeria saw reason. She leaped out in front of the warriors and waved her sword. "Come on, you dogs" leavings! It"s turned its back to us, and that means it"s fleeing!"
The warriors might not have understood all of Valeria"s words. Those who understood might not have believed that she spoke the truth. All understood and believed that they should not let the Blue-Eyed Chief"s shield-woman shame them by leading the charge. War cries echoed nearly as loud as the thunderclap of Dobanpu"s appearance, and the Ichiribu warriors plunged after their foe.
Ryku gazed down into the whirlpool of light that was the Living Wind-or at least its outward form. He stood on the outermost rim of the ledge, rather than sitting in the First Speaker"s seat.
He had never felt at ease in that seat, and now it was more important than ever that he do nothing to make himself feel uneasy. It might be only a tale that the Living Wind could sense when those in its presence were afraid, or unsure of themselves, but such tales often held bits of truth. Also, Ryku did not altogether like what he saw now when he gazed down into the Living Wind. That it was unveiled by the smoke, long a tradition in the ritual, mattered little. Indeed, he had not called up the smoke, thinking it an outworn custom.
The hues of the Living Wind were still crimson and sapphire, swirling in patterns that both held and repelled the eye. But the crimson now seemed the color of old blood, while the sapphire was growing steadily paler.
Also, there was a distant sound that seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It was a sound hard to find words to describe. To Ryku, it seemed that if bees could chant war cries, the sound might be rather like what he was hearing.
Even the smell of the Cave of the Living Wind had altered. It had always been fresh and cool, in spite of being far below the slopes of Thunder Mountain, with few natural pa.s.sages for air. Now the odor of the jungle seemed to be overtaking the cave, or at least the odor of some sort of life.
Why not? Ryku told himself that the Living Wind had earned its name fairly, so why should it not take on some of the qualities of life when it began to change?
He had to use all of the disciplines he had learned so as not to be uneasy at that thought, nonetheless. Yet again, why should it be a surprise? Mighty and ancient magic was being wielded in this land, magic left untouched for centuries, and the very G.o.ds of Thunder Mountain might be waking.
Ryku now thought he had calmed himself enough to sit down in the chair of the First Speaker. Let the G.o.ds wake, he told himself. Let them wake, and they will see that I am their friend and my enemies are theirs. Then I will not even need Dobanpu, not when I have G.o.ds for friends.
Emwaya seemed to be speaking to her father without words, and her gestures guided the war band on the trail of the Golden Serpent. They might not have needed that guidance, for the creature now hissed almost continuously, and left smears of blood that grew thicker as it writhed along.
Conan held his tongue. He would not allow his own hopes to rise, let alone those of the band. False hope made warriors careless, and careless warriors died in the face of less formidable foes than the Golden Serpent.
The band certainly ran faster with Emwaya guiding them than they would have dared otherwise. Indeed, Conan did not know how far they had come, or how much longer some of the warriors could keep up the pace. Those with baggage were beginning to breathe hard, and some of those with slight wounds clearly would need rest before long.
Conan did not like to think of dividing the band, leaving the baggage and the lightly wounded behind. Once divided in these depths, could the band ever unite again? Also, the Golden Serpent might have ways of doubling back on its tracks, to fall on such easy prey.
A familiar smell began to tickle the Cimmerian"s nostrils. Not one he remembered with pleasure, on the whole, although the giant fungi had certainly saved him and Valeria on their first journey underground. But when one has fed off something for so long, the smell lingers in memory.
They were approaching another cave full of the giant fungi. Conan wondered what purpose that might serve, as the Golden Serpent was plainly a meat-eater. Emwaya was too lost in speaking with her father to answer to anything save a shout in her ear, and Conan had no wish to break her bond with Dobanpu.
The floor sloped more sharply downward now, and the patches of green blood were not only thicker, but fresher. The warriors had to slow their onrush, to avoid stepping in the still-fuming green patches of death and agony. One warrior was unlucky enough to go down nonetheless, but leaped up at once, holding a blistered hand over his head like a trophy.
"It bleeds! It bleeds, and does not stop! Come, brothers, and we shall make it bleed to death!"
Then the tunnel bent sharply, and now the blood smeared the walls as well as the floor. Conan took the lead again, with Valeria just behind him. Around this bend, the serpent might be lying in wait, even if Dobanpu was alive and well, as he seemed to be, judging by the way Emwaya looked.
Then a sudden battering-ram stroke of the serpent"s head caught an unsuspecting warrior to Conan"s left. No teeth pierced the man, but the horn caught his shoulder and hurled him against the wall. Conan heard his skull crack.
The Cimmerian leaped and thrust in the same motion. His sword slashed deep through scales into the flesh under the serpent"s throat. The scales parted, and blood spurted from a gash a sword"s length wide, deeper than any wound the beast had taken thus far.
This time, the hiss was nearly a roar, with an ugly, bubbling note. Blood sprayed Conan, Valeria, Emwaya, and several warriors. As it had not done before, it stung. Conan blinked his eyes clear, wiped off his mouth with the back of his hand, and glanced at his sword-blade. There was no harm to it as far as he could see.
Then they heard Dobanpu calling from beyond the serpent, "Have fire ready! When I lead the beast among the earth-fruits, you must cast fire upon them!"
Conan and Valeria spent no time in wondering at the sense of Dobanpu"s call. The serpent now writhed in a broader patch of tunnel, half-choked with the fungi.
Emwaya"s eyes also discouraged questions.
"Flint and steel to the fore! And a torch! Hurry!" Valeria shouted.
A man ran up from the baggage bearers. Valeria struck a spark with flint and steel into the dried, oil-soaked gra.s.s at the head of one of the torches. It blazed up, with flame that was no natural yellow or orange, but a violet hue as sickening as the serpent"s blood, as sickening as the magic the creature used for eating life-force.
Valeria held the torch at arm"s length as the serpent backed slowly deeper into the fungus. Conan stood beside her, sword and spear alike ready. He saw Dobanpu raise a hand and fling what seemed to be a gobbet of the serpent"s own blood into its face. He saw the serpent lunge forward, then halt, its head buried deep in a ma.s.s of the fungi as tall as two men.
Before Dobanpu or Emwaya could speak, Valeria flung the torch. It soared over the serpent"s back and plunged into the piled fungi.
Flames puffed up, of the same virulent purple hue as the torch-flame. Thick smoke of similar color rose above them. The Golden Serpent quivered from nose to tail, then flung its head up as if trying to pierce the ceiling to seek the open sky.
It failed. As the monster rose, Conan saw that smoke and flames were pouring from those wounds still open. Green blood turned black; then golden scales around the wounds also blackened. Smoke rose up from throat and body, and at last began pouring from the eyes.
When smoke belched from the serpent"s mouth, Conan threw an arm around Valeria"s shoulders and drew her close. He could feel her shuddering. He sheathed his sword, dropped his spear, and drew Emwaya close with his other arm. They stood that way as the flames they had kindled with the aid of Dobanpu"s magic devoured both the fungi and the Golden Serpent. The brute was tenacious of its life to the end. Not until the scales were mostly fallen from the flesh did it stop writhing. Even then Conan thought he heard a faint sc.r.a.ping in the middle of the roaring flames, as if the serpent were still twitching feebly.
That was the Golden Serpent"s last sign of life. Smoke was rising so thickly now that Conan and others were binding strips of cloth across their mouths and noses. Some wetted the strips as well. Emwaya stared into the smoke, with it plain on her face that she feared for her father.
Then the smoke eddied and disgorged the staggering figure of Dobanpu. He was coughing like a man in the grip of lung-fever, and so nearly blind that he all but spitted himself on Valeria"s sword as he rushed up. Valeria and Emwaya held the Spirit-Speaker while he coughed his lungs clear, then gave him water. When he could speak, he nodded his thanks and then gasped: "We must hasten from here! I do not know how long this fire will burn, nor how much smoke it will yield. The whole underground may become unfit for life."
"I rejoice!" Valeria cried. "We are saved from the Golden Serpent only to stifle like rabbits in a burrow!"
"Save your breath for running," Emwaya said, "and you may not find yourself short of it!" It was the first time in a long while that she had spoken with her old sharpness. Conan took that as a favorable omen; Valeria seemed to think otherwise.
She did follow Emwaya"s advice nonetheless. Like the others, she was silent as they hurried back up the tunnel, the smoke thickening behind them.