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Shaithis’s voice sank deeper yet ’I recognize no "fellow" Lords, Arlek Only ene obstructions in their way: I do that already I alill’
Then you would perhaps do it ently,’ Arlek pressed And he repeated: ’We are a small tribe, Lord Shaithis I make no request in respect of Travellers of any other ilk’
Zek tried to snatch the radio frorabbed her arms, held her still ’Black-hearted, treacherous - !’ She was lost for words
’Very well,’ said Shaithis ’Now tell ive the two to me?’
’I shall bind them securely,’ Arlek answered, ’and leave them here in this place We are some little way beyond the keep in the pass’ ’Their weapons will be left close to hand?’ ’Yes,’ Arlek squared back his shoulders, flared his nostrils Even in his treachery, his dark eyes were bright
It was all going according to plan The Wamphyri were a curse; but with the curse lifted, even partly liftedit would not be long before Lardis Lidesci would be usurped ’Then do it now, Arlek of the Travellers Bind theone! Shaithis conies! Let me not find you there upon my arrival The pass is in any case mine after dark’
They lay there alone, in darkness, with only the sound of their own breathing To the south Arlek and his band one with them As the sounds of their hurried departure echoed back, Jazz said: ’I still think that beast of yours didn’t ’
’Be quiet,’ she said And that was all She lay very still Jazz turned his head, stared north up the pass Only the cold glea, as yet
’Why be quiet?’ he finally whispered
’I was trying to get through to Wolf,’ she answered ’He would have attacked them at any time - and been killed for it I held hiood friend and companion to me, and it wasn’t the time Now is the time!’
’For what?’
’You’ve seen his teeth - they’re sharp as chisels! I’ve called to him If he heard me, and if he’s not too involved with the other wolves, he’ll return We’re bound with leather, but given a little time’
Jazz rolled over to face her ’Well, at least we should have plenty of that I saw the Wamphyri castles on the stacks They were th of the pass, too’
She shook her head ’Jazz, even now it’s alue lolling Behind hiolden haze
Too late?’ Jazz repeated her ’You mean because the sun’s down?’
That wasn’t ’ she answered ’And anyway, it isn’t down A mile south of here, the pass rises briefly to a shallow crest, then dips sharply and turns a little toward the east From there it’s a steep, steady slope down to Sunside The sun’s just over our horizon, that’s all On Sunside there are still ht left But Shaithis will be here very soon’
’He has transport?’ Jazz was puzzled, half-flippant
’Yes, he has,’ Zek answered ’Jazz, I can’t turn face-down There’s a large rock sticking in e it, then I’ll tell Wolf to chew on your bindings’
’You’re crediting old Lupus here with a deal of intelligence,’ Jazz was sceptical
’A mind-picture is worth a thousand words,’ she said
’Oh!’ Jazz said He struggled to turn face-down, but -
’Before you do,’ she said, breathlessly, ’will you kiss me?’ She wormed herself fractionally closer
’What?’ he stopped struggling
’Only if you want to, of course,’ she said ’But you et another chance’
He craned forward, kissed her as best he could Out of air, finally they broke apart ’Are you reading hts?’ he said
’No’
’Good! But now I knohat you taste like, the sooner Wolf gets to work on these bindings the better’ He rolled over onto his face Trussed like a chicken, his legs were bent at the knees, feet upperain, to his feet Wolf at once began tugging at Jazz’s leather bindings ’No, dammit!’ Jazz spat out dirt ’Don’t pull, chew!’ And in a little while Wolf was doing just that
Jazz could see his packs, gun, Zek’s too, lying only paces away The weapons had a metallic sheen in the dark ’I notice Arlek took my compo,’ he said
’Compo?’
The hard-tack The food’
She was silent
’Iexcept my hatchet’
Quietly she said: ’But he knew Shaithis would have no use for the food’
Jazz tried to turn his face her way ’Oh? But he eats, doesn’t - ’ And he paused He could see her eyes, unblinking in the dark shadow of her face The Lord Shaithis of the Warunted ’Of course He’s a vaht?’
’Jazz,’ she said, ’hope springs eternal, but -of how it could be I mean, if we’re taken’
’I thinks, flitted close by, caain Then another, and more, until the air seemed full of the, but Zek said: ’Bats - but just bats Ordinary bats Not Was for that The big ones Des parted behind Jazz’s back, and very quickly another Jazz flexed his wrists and felt a little give in his bindings Wolf carried on chewing ’You were going to tell me about Shaithis’s transport,’ Jazz reminded Zek
’No,’ she said, ’I wasn’t’ Her tone of voice told him not to ask anyparted and his straining wrists flew apart, he straightened his aching legs, rolled over onto his back and looked up His eyes were drawn to an oh walls of the pass, a black blot - several of thean to descend
’What the hell - ?’ Jazz whispered
They’re here!’ Zek breathed ’Quickly, Jazz! Oh, be quick!’
Wolf loped anxiously to and fro, whining, while Jazz got his cra his feet At last they were free He turned to Zek, rolled her unceremoniously face-down across his knees, went frantically to work on her knots As each one cahts a little north of their position
The descending blots were falling like flat stones dropped in still water, sliding fro like autu Three of thee, diaed into heads and tails They side-slipped this way and that, settling silently doard the bed of the pass
Zek’s hands were almost free; Jazz left theht to pick her up, throw her over his shoulder and run But he faced the truth: his legs were still badly cramped and the darkness was now almost complete He’d only be able to stu up a pitifully inadequate rear guard
Three dull thu things had settled to earth Jazz’s fingers were fully alive now, deft where they hastened to free Zek’s feet She was panting, plainly terrified ’It’s OK,’ he kept whispering ’Just one o’ Down the pass, maybe a hundred ainst a horizon of stars, with spatulate heads swaying at the ends of long necks The last knot ca a little, so Wolf’s tail went down between his legs He gave a whining, coughing little bark and began to back off toward the south
Jazz’s ar her He said: ’Move your ar’ She didn’t answer but stared with saucer eyes beyond hi creatures He sensedfroh all her body An entirely involuntary thing, al off water Except Jazz suspected that this was so which wouldn’t shake off And he turned to follow her gaze
Three figures stood not ten paces away!
They were in silhouette, but that hardly detracted from their awesoible waves, a force warning of their near-invulnerability They had all the advantages: they could see in the dark, were strong beyond the wildest dreams of most Earthly muscle-men, and they were armed And not only with physical weapons, but also with the powers of the Wamphyri Jazz didn’t yet know about the latter, but Zek did
’Try to avoid looking at their eyes,’ she hissed her warning
The three were, or had beenainst a backdrop of stars and black, nodding sky-beasts, Jazz could see what sort ofpicture of ain an inferno of heat and flame, screamed his fury and his defiance even now: ’Wamphyri!’
The one in the middle would be Shaithis; Jazz reckoned there’d be close to eighty inches of hi almost a full head taller than the tho flanked hi onto his shoulders The proportions of his head rong; as he looked with quick, curious glances from side to side and showed his face in profile, Jazz saw the length of his skull and jaws, his convoluted snout, the alert mobility of his conch-like ears It was a composite face: human-bat-wolf
The two beside hiht,as liquid They wore topknots with tails dangling, and on their right hands those were silhouettes Jazz would knohere The weapon-gloves of the Wamphyri! But so sure of the at Jazz and Zek with their red eyes almost as if they considered the antics of insects
’Not bound!’ Shaithis said in that un voice of his ’So either Arlek is a fool or you are extres, and so I would say that you are clever Your ic, now!’
Jazz and Zek backed off a stuinallywith them Shaithis’s lieutenants moved in the manner of men, with paces swift and sure; but their th of his oill His eyes were huge, criht of their own It was hard to avoid looking into those eyes, Jazz thought They ates of hell -but tell a ate the candle’s flame
Zek’s elbow struck him sharply in the ribs ’Don’t look at their eyes!’ she said again ’Run, Jazz, if you can I’m all cramped, I’ll only slow you down’
Wolf cae - and probably his terror, too - as he loped from the shadows under the eastern cliff He leaped at Shaithis’s lieutenant on that flank; the man turned casually toward hiht strike aside a s Wolf backed off, whined, and the auntlet ’Come on then, little wolf,’ he taunted the anirey head!’ ’Get back, Wolf!’ Zek cried
’Stand stillr Shaithis co at Jazz and Zek ’I will not chase what is mine Come to heel now or be punished Punished severely!’
Jazz’s heel kicked metal Blued steel His SMG! His packs were there, too
He fell to one knee, grabbed up the gun The three who opposed him saw the weapon in his hand and ca with their red eyes ’What?’ Shaithis’s voice was dangerously low ’Do you threaten your roped blindly in a pack, then another He found what he was looking for, slapped ho forward ’I said - ’ Threaten you?’ Jazz cocked his gun ’Daht flank had come swiftly forward in a crouch His sandalled foot caround Jazz deliberately threw himself flat, tried to kick theJazz’s kicks and still pinning his arht Jazz’s face in a massive left hand, effortlessly bent his head back and showed hiauntlet He unclenched his fist and hooks, knives, gleaht Then thequestioningly at Jazz’s hand on the pistol-grip of the SMG The gun’s er
He opened his hand and let go of the weapon, and the round by his crushed face Jazz could do nothing; he felt that if Shaithis’s lieutenant wanted to, he could just tear the flesh right off his skull like peeling an orange
Zek sprang at the man on Shaithis’s left, Gustan, where he now stepped forward ’Bullies!’ she cried, beating at him with her fists ’Bastards! Varinned at her, ran his free left hand over her body, pinching here and there ’You should let runted ’Knock so of obedience!’
Shaithis turned on him at once ’She’ll be in thrall to ue, Gustan! There’s room in the pens for another war-beast, if that’s your fancy?’
Gustan shrank back ’I meant only - ’
’Be quiet!’ Shaithis cut him short He came forward, sniffed at Zek and nodded his head ’Yes, there’s ic in this one But remember - she escaped froazed at Jazz ’As for you - ’ Again he thrust his convoluted snout forward, seemed to use it like some monstrous bloodhound And his eyes narrowed to scarlet slits
’He’s a greatin Gustan’s arlanced at her ’And what, pray, is his talent? For I sense nothing of asped from a crushed, O-shaped mouth
Shaithis smiled a terrible smile ’Good, for I have certainly read yours’ And he nodded to the man who held Jazz aloft
’Wait!’ Zek cried ’It’s true, I tell you! You’ll lose a powerful ally if you kill him’
’An ally?’ Shaithis seemed amused ’A servant, perhaps’ He stroked his chin ’But very well, let us test this talent Put hi tip-toes
Shaithis studied hiht of a suitable test ’Now tell me,’ he finally said, ’what you read in my future, hell-lander?’
Jazz kneas finished, but there was still Zek to consider ’I’ll tell you this much,’ he answered ’Harm this woman in any way - one hair of her head - and you’ll burn in hell The sun shall surely rise on you, Shaithis of the Wa but wishful thinking!’ Shaithis snapped ’Do you think to lay a curse on me? What, I am not to harm a hair of her head? This head, do you rasped Zek’s blonde hair, bunched it in a knot, tightened his grip until she cried out
And the sun at once rose in the pass through therays!
Before the man who held Jazz screalishht: ’Now that’s what I call ic!’