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observed with his
hidden eyes the form of a dead Blind White bobbing in the pool beneath the
opening to the sky.
    The bat who had spoken to him earlier spiraled down and landed upon the
corpse, which promptly sank. The bat squawked and lifted, to alight once again
on the edge of the pond.
    “D-d-don’t b-b-bother,” Deek said. “Th-that o-one’s b-blood
is m-m-mostly g-gone.”
    Well, something was better than nothing, the bat said. If the mighty Deek
would help fetch the tidbit in the water, why, then the bat would tell him
something interesting.
    The mighty Deek’s anger flared, and for a moment he considered dropping a
coil onto the bat and reducing it to a mashed blood spot upon the floor. The
image of the lime pit intruded, and he thought better of it. Raising his tail
and snapping it down sharply, Deek slapped the water behind the dead Blind
White. The splash hurled the body and half of the pond’s water into the air.
When the dead creature landed, the Bloodbat was on it in an instant, stabbing
the pointed tube through which it fed into the cooling corpse.
    “Y-y-you h-had s-s-something t-to t-tell m-me?” Deek scraped from
the rock as he loomed over the bat.
    The creature jerked its feeding tube from the body; blood dripped from the
angled tip. Oh, yes, it said. Those two humans Deek wanted? Well, they had
escaped from the Blind Whites and One Eye. They went that way.
    Deek could not believe his good fortune. Escaped? That meant there was still
a chance that he could capture them! Filled with sudden hope, Deek slid away at
full crawl. Mayhap he could escape the lime pit after all!
     
    In his chamber, Katamay Rey waited for word of the man’s capture. He had
thought to have Wikkell dispatch the man immediately, but on rethinking it,
decided that perhaps it would be wiser to question the captive. Likely as not, a single person could not cause all the grief the
wizard had foreseen in his crystal. More likely the man represented
another magician, or perhaps some army; better to keep him alive long enough to
ascertain the truth. Then he could kill him. And there were some spells that
called for human blood and body parts, of course; so he would not be wasted.
The wizard smiled at his cleverness. Soon this little incident would be
finished and he could get back to the business of grinding That Bitch into
well-deserved oblivion.
     
    Chuntha touched the dreaming jewel, a fire-filled ruby, to various parts of
her body, groaning with the pleasure it gave. The gem did not tell her when
Deek would return with the captives, but it did say that there would be more
than one involved in this matter. Chuntha beheld blurry images of another;
perhaps two or three more. That boded ill. One was bad enough. She must take
care to be certain that the wizard did not come by this knowledge.
    She smiled into the putrid phosphor enveloping her. The one central to this
business was a man of great physical power, the jewel told her. Young and
strong and vibrant, alive with raw male energy, he would be a welcome treat
after the recent months of drought. To lie with one such as the jewel bespoke
would add greatly to her power. The Sensha would wrap them in its embrace, and
the man’s being would flow into hers, physically and spiritually. It promised
to be the most exciting encounter in quite some time. Chuntha could hardly
wait!
     
    Meanwhile, along corridors lined with rocky teeth above and below, Conan and
Elashi sprinted, trying to lose their pursuers. As they ran, they descended
deeper into the earth; around them, the air grew colder.
    High above, night draped its ebon cloak over the land, but it mattered not the least in the fungus-lined depths of the
cave that seemed to have no end.
    ----

Five
    The morning sun cast its light over the mountain trail, the beams bright but
offering little heat in the clear wintry air. The Harskeel watched from
horseback as one of its men leaned over the hole in the ground. Two other men
held the