10
Lhors woke some time later, too warm and disoriented from adeep but inadequate sleep. After his share of the watch, he sought his corner again. It was utterly quiet all around them, leaving him to wonder if there was anyone alive on this level except his party. Don’t think that or you won’tsleep, he ordered himself. Oddly, no one seemed to be trying to dig down through the rubble of the broken stairway.
Lhors soon fell into a doze, vaguely aware of the others and the hard stone beneath his hip. He woke some time later to find Nemis prowling the little chamber, now and again mumbling under his breath or leaning against the wall and listening intently. He held open the large book that Lhors already knew was the mage’s tome of spells. Memorizing spells, Lhors realized. Vlandarhad said both mage and paladin needed to learn anew each spell they might want to use each time. Malowan sat nearby, helping Vlandar out of his armor.
“I do apologize if this hurts,” the paladin said as thewarrior hissed in pain, “but the healing touch works faster if I can lay myhands on the wound itself.”
The warrior grunted. “Just not so quickly, Mal! A man of myyears gets mightily stiff after sleeping on hard stone. Ah, better.” He metLhors’ eyes and smiled.
“I didn’t know you were hurt up there, sir,” the youth said,and his heart sank.
Malowan glanced at him. “It’s not so bad, a bit worse than ascratch. Most paladins can heal scratches, and I can heal far worse.”
Vlandar winced as he raised his arm to look down at his ribs. The skin was very pale except for a massive bruise running from armpit to his hip. “This’ll teach me to be faster on my feet,” he said, forcing a painedsmile. “No blood running down my side. Must not hurt me, as my old father usedto say.”
Lhors managed a smile in reply, but he didn’t feel muchbetter. Vlandar is a good man, a friend, a little like Father. Suddenly, Lhors couldn’t bear to think that Vlandar might die here. He looked up to see thewarrior’s steady gaze on him. The man often seemed to sense what the villageyouth was thinking.
“Fortunately, I’m fast enough on my feet and reasonablyskilled with my blades.”
“And smart enough to back off when the opposition isunbeatable,” Malowan added. He laid his hands lightly on the warrior’s side.Vlandar set his jaw, but a moment later, the warrior smiled and flexed his shoulder.
Lhors stared in amazement. Where there had been an ugly blue-black bruise, there was now no sign of injury except for a very old scar, much like one of his father’s.
“And smart enough to bring a paladin with me in case I do gethurt,” Vlandar added and drew his thick blue jerkin down over his head.
“Khlened,” Malowan said as he rose, “I swear you were cut upthere.”
“Nothing so bad,” the barbarian grumbled.
Lhors could see a little dried blood on the man’s hand. Hewas stripping off the few bits of wicker armor he wore on his forearms and tossing them aside. “All the coin I paid that yellow-eyed southerner for thisfancy stuff, man’d think it’d take a blow or two.”
“Your southerner probably never planned on fighting giants,”Malowan said. He got up and resettled next to the barbarian. “I am surprised itworked as well as it did. Here, sit still a moment. Let me.”
Eyes apprehensive, Khlened edged away as the paladin held out his hands.
“You needn’t strip off your shirt for me, man. Or for Rowanand Maera.”
To Lhors’ surprise, the northerner blushed a furious red.
“Just tell me where you’re hurt and I can manage.”
“Two places,” Khlened mumbled, eyes fixed on his hands. Hiscolor was still high. “One on th’ left shoulder under all that broken wicker.It’s more a bruise than a cut, I think, but it stings bad. I think a small bonein my right forearm is broke. Something grinds in there when I move it.”
“Don’t move it then,” the paladin replied, exasperated, “andhold still!”
He laid hands on the barbarian’s shoulder, and the manflinched away from him with a hiss of pain.
“Don’t dig into m’ flesh like that, then,” Khlened snarled,but he set his jaw and closed his eyes.
Malowan ran two fingers lightly over the soft leather under-armor.
“Bruise and possibly a cut, is it?” he inquiredsarcastically.
“No bruise?” Khlened gritted between his teeth.
Malowan snorted. “Oh, no. Try one the size of my palm and acut as long as my fingers! You’re lucky to be alive, friend. Another knuckle’sworth down and you’d have bled to death in moments.” Light suddenly puddledaround the paladin’s fingertips. “Lucky for you, I’ve the strength for this now.Another time I might be out cold with my own injuries.”
Khlened caught his breath, then let it out in a relieved sigh. Malowan now cupped his hands around the forearm, not quite touching it. “Before you ask, the bone is broken but not all the way through. You punchedsomeone up there with your fist or that sword, didn’t you?”
“P’raps. I don’t remember.” Khlened flexed his fingerscautiously as the paladin sat back.
“Easiest way for a fighter to break a bone like this is toslam his arm or leg too hard into something even harder. Next time you might have to heal on your own!”
“As I have from childhood, paladin,” the barbarian replied.“And men from my country don’t pull back from battle for fear o’ bruisin’themselves.” He glanced at Nemis, who was again prowling the room. “We’ve beenhere too long. Th’ giants could be sneaking-”
Malowan shook his head. “I would know if they were so close.Nemis, reassure our northern friend. No one nearby?”
“No one,” the mage said readily. He closed the book on hishand, marking his spot. “This seems to be a hundred paces or so from any life atall, unless you count a stray rat or a few spiders. There are large and unpleasant creatures some distance away to the west, and some sort of beasts eastward. The latter are moving about, but the others seem to be caged and in a fury because of it. I can tell there are giants and others above us on the main floor. The stairs came down so well that they are having difficulty getting the first stones moved. Among the giants, there is uncertainty and a little fear as well.”
“Fear?” Lhors asked in surprise.
“Fear,” Nemis agreed. “Look at us. Smaller than they, fewerthan they, and yet we have challenged them in their very halls.” His sardonicsmile faded. “And we have killed some of them and some of their servants.”
“’Tis fine,” Khlened grumbled, “but what next? I still seeno way from this place. Do we simply sit here until they come to take us?”
“No,” Vlandar said. He was lacing his mail shirt close to hisbody. “There are two ways out of this chamber, besides the one Nemis destroyed.Agya and Nemis found them while the rest of us were resting. But you are right We dare not stay here much longer. We have much to accomplish yet.”
“I agree,” the barbarian said. He scowled at the ruinedwicker. “All the fighting we’ve done so far and for what? One skinny purse. Mostof the coin we’ve found so far-and it wasn’t much-went to those hulking giantlasses.”
Vlandar sighed. “If we win through with the information theking seeks, he’ll see us rewarded handsomely. Particularly if we spend so muchtime doing his work that we’ve spared none seeking out treasure.”
The barbarian snorted in obvious disbelief.
“I agree,” Vlandar continued. “He might not take yourword for such a thing, but I have served him and his father before him. He knows I would not lie-not over a trifling matter like coin.”
This silenced Khlened.
Vlandar looked around the room and got to his feet. “Allright, people. You know I wanted to get in, get that map and any other useful information, then quietly leave. Well, at least we have the map. Mal, have you and Nemis examined it?”
The paladin shook his head. “I wanted you awake so we couldgo over it together. I would also like to compare it with the scroll-”