He knew he was still in Hadin, but it was a different Hadin. The armies and the ships didn"t exist here.
Just these dancing people and the volcano that looked as if it were about to blow.
The Lady Lottyr whispered to him, Wait here!
And so he waited, leaning on his sword and watching the people dance. Feeling strong and confident in King Rhodes" body. Powerfully cloaked in the magic radiating from his belly, where his enemies danced a quite different dance than the one that seemed to please the island people.
Kalasariz also didn"t need to ask the G.o.ddess who they were waiting for.
He knew d.a.m.ned well it was Safar Timura and Iraj Protarus. The spymaster laughed aloud at the prospect.
When Jooli came up the hill, trotting beside Coralean"s horse, she was only mildly surprised when her father"s soldiers stepped out of the way, bowing to her respectfully.
These men knew her--she"d once been their queen. And if her father finally admitted defeat she"d be their queen once again.
Then she smelled the stink of magic and quickened her pace, moving ahead of Coralean toward a knot of officers gathered around what she knew to be her grandmother"s litter.
They were pale and trembling when they saw Jooli, but not out of fear of her. The men parted as she strode forward, Leiria close behind--sword drawn to protect her friend"s back.
When Jooli saw what had happened she froze in her tracks. Both her father and her grandmother were dead. Clayre was sprawled in her litter, while Rhodes was slumped on the ground.One of the officers said, voice trembling, "It wasn"t us, Majesty! They did not die at our hands!"
Jooli said nothing, but only shook her head. She knew quite well no mortal had slain this pair.
And then, while she was struggling for an answer, the corpses started to fade and to shimmer with a strange light.
"Get back!" she shouted to the men.
They didn"t need her warning and were already scrambling away.
Then the light grew brighter and the corpses became fainter still.
There was a double crack as magical forces split the air--and the bodies were gone!
Jooli turned to Leiria. "It was the G.o.ddess Lottyr who did this," she said, almost in a whisper.
She was keeping a heavy check on her emotions. It was no time to test her feelings about her father and grandmother.
And she added, "But they aren"t really dead. Well, not as you and I know death."
"Where are they, then?" Leiria asked.
The ground rumbled beneath them and several soldiers shouted. "The volcano! The volcano!"
Jooli slowly turned, then pointed at the cone-shaped mountain. Thick smoke was boiling forth and lava was flowing down its sides.
"There," she said.
Leiria was bewildered. But then she became even more confused when Coralean called to them in his big voice.
"Eeda wants to speak to you!"
They went to her where she was nestled in her husband"s brawny arms, the infant whimpering at her breast.
"Safar has need of us," Eeda said, voice weak but urgent.
"What should we do?" Leiria asked, fear clutching her heart.
Eeda gestured at the volcano. "The airship," she said. "We must get in the airship. It"s the only way to save him."
Immediately, Leiria sent a signal for Biner to descend. Meanwhile, Jooli told her father"s men to flee as best they could.
"Get back in your ships," she said, "and sail like the h.e.l.ls for Syrapis. I"ll meet you there, by and by, and we"ll put the kingdom into order."
The men didn"t need to be told twice. They ran, shedding armor and weapons and never looking back when another blast shook the volcano.
Leiria gave the Kyranians similar orders. She was only going to keep Renor, Sinch and Sergeant Hamyrwith her. The rest were told to get back to the ships and tell the pirate captains to stand far off from the island.
"And if we don"t make it," she added, "return to Syrapis and tell our friends what happened here."
Then the airship was down and the others were boarding it.
Leiria ran to join them, praying that this time she wouldn"t be too late.
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE.
INTO THE h.e.l.lS.
They plunged through hot darkness, the sound of what seemed like heavy whips whirring and cracking on every side. Far ahead of them they could hear the muted boom of big metal drums and the distant wail of hundreds of tortured voices.
Red tongues of flame flicked out at them and Khysmet swerved in mid-flight, dodging most of the hot spears. The big stallion shrilled in fury as one blast hit him, then steadied his course and flew onward at an even greater rate of speed.
Palimak felt a searing pain across his thigh but took heart from Khysmet"s example and ignored it, concentrating solely on the transport spell he"d created with his father and Eeda.
They were plummeting deeper and deeper into the bowels of an immense sorcerous machine with nothing except the transport spell to guide them.
Enormous unseen gears groaned somewhere in the darkness. They were driven by what Palimak imagined to be huge clattering chains that powered the h.e.l.lish machine in its mysterious, yet clearly evil purpose.
Gundara and Gundaree chattered fearfully in his ear, crying, "Look out, Little Master! Beware! Beware!"
in a never-ending chorus of warnings.
He couldn"t see any of the dangers that were stalking him--he could only sense fierce presences looming up with gnashing teeth and rattling claws and the stink of old carnivores.
Khysmet never stopped, only swerving from side to side like a swift-moving eagle, somehow always avoiding the danger.
All of Palimak"s instincts shrieked for him to draw his sword and defend himself. But there was nothing to see except for an occasional cloud of hot sparks drifting up to meet them.
A verse from Asper came to him--leaping crazily into his mind and crowding out the fearful sensations.
Palimak chanted it, adding the old demon"s powers to the transport spell: "Into the h.e.l.ls my soul did fly; Not knowing if we"d live or die.
But then it returned with this reply: No truth in Heaven, only lies, lies, lies!"
Palimak felt his strength return, his fears vanish. And the cold demon side of him opened like a yawning gate.He felt his claws arc from their sheaths and he felt powerful and ready for any monster that dared approach.
And just then--looking over the shoulder of the creature who wore his father"s body--he saw a large red ball of light appear. It was as if they were nearing the end of an incredibly long tunnel.
He"d seen a bright light when the tunnel had first opened, but then it had been swallowed by darkness.
Palimak looked closer, gripping Safar"s tunic tighter with his claws. Features began to appear on the ball of light. Familiar features.
It was the Demon Moon!
Iraj gloried in Khysmet"s fierce ride through the jaws of the h.e.l.ls. Blood on fire, body burning with the joy of impending combat, he felt like he could take on the G.o.ds themselves.
And when the monsters came scrambling through the darkness, with only the beat of their leather wings and gnashing teeth to give them away, he laughed aloud at Khysmet"s swift change in course, foiling their charge.
The awful sounds of the great machine and the distant wails of agony only made his bloodl.u.s.t burn hotter.
He didn"t know what awaited them at the end of this magical ride through the spirit world, but he also didn"t care.
His enemy was there, that was enough.
What enemy?
Did it matter?
Never!
Only show me your face, he thought. And you"ll curse the day you chose Iraj Protarus for your foe!
Then, far below, he saw the Demon Moon. Khysmet was flying straight toward it.
Is this where my enemy waits? he wondered. Then he thought perhaps it was the moon itself that opposed him.
He laughed, thinking, What a marvelous boast for a man to make: I was the one who slew the Demon Moon!
Buffeted by the storm of Iraj"s emotions, Safar kept a tight rein on his own. He didn"t care a d.a.m.n for the dangers lurking in the darkness, nor did he allow himself to marvel at Khysmet"s skillful flight.
His whole being was focused on the transport spell. He hoped Palimak was doing the same.
Several times he sensed his son"s attention falter and the spell weakening under his grasp.
Safar wished mightily that he could speak to Palimak. He had a good idea what his son was going through. To know that his father"s body had been invaded by another, much hated presence. Feeling somehow betrayed, but without reason or evidence to support that feeling. Putting his faith and trust intoa stranger"s hands--hands that had previously done their best to kill him.
Once Safar almost asked Iraj to let him voice words of comfort to Palimak. Then he realized that this would only make things worse.
For how would Palimak truly know it was his father speaking and not Iraj Protarus?
Then the young man suddenly seemed to become stronger than before. Safar caught a whiff of demonic magic and knew that Palimak had transformed himself--giving free rein to his demon side.
And Safar wondered, At what cost, my son? At what cost?
Then Iraj said to him, Get ready to fight, brother! We"re at the final gate!
And Safar saw the b.l.o.o.d.y face of the Demon Moon rear up, with its death-mask grin.
Khysmet trumpeted a challenge and Iraj reached for his sword.
Safar said, Wait, brother! It"s not yet time for steel!
And at that moment the moon"s face burst into a violent sheet of flame. The hot blast smashed Khysmet back and they spun over and over, the stallion fighting desperately to right himself. Iraj and Palimak clawing for purchase.
Finally, Khysmet kicked himself aright.
"Go!" Iraj shouted, digging in his heels. "Go!"
And the stallion swooped toward the hot flames.
Safar hissed, The trumpet! We need the trumpet!
Iraj immediately plucked the sh.e.l.l horn from his tunic, lifted it to his lips--and blew!
Safar put all his magical energies into Iraj"s breath. And the sound was like a thousand war trumpets shouting in unison.
A pale light bloomed, swelling larger and larger. And then the beauteous Spirit Rider burst out of the light on her glorious black mare.
Princess Alsahna turned in the saddle, waving her sword. "This way, Safar!" she cried.
And she and the mare charged straight into the flames.
Khysmet bellowed l.u.s.tily at the sight of the mare and charged after her.
Then they were surrounded by a sea of fire. Great boiling waves of flame bursting in from all sides.
Bone-scorching spears of fire cracking out of those waves.