" I agree," Inyx said, sullen and withdrawn.
" Then if you both agree, let' s be off. Which way did you say the vaults were, Velika?"
" Might have known she' d seek out the riches first," muttered Inyx. Lan ignored her. He thought she was only jealous of Velika' s glossy hair and womanly figure.
" This way, my lord."
" My lord," echoed Inyx sarcastically, then fell silent. She hefted a dagger taken from the dead general' s belt, then tested Surepta' s blade with a few quick lunges. Lan had to admit secretly that she looked as competent a swordsman as he' d ever seen. The test would come later, though, when she faced trained soldiers. Anyone can appear expert waving a blade around in thin air.
" Lead on, Velika, and we' ll follow." Lan cast a silencing glance at his two companions to stifle any retort. For his own, he couldn' t have been happier following Velika. The blond woman' s every move showed liquid grace, almost snakelike in its bonelessness, and the tatters of her gown revealed intriguing patches of gloriously bare skin. Lan began idly daydreaming, and only Inyx' s strong hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his reverie.
" Guards. Ahead. Use Velika to decoy them or we' ll never get past."
" Go ahead, Velika. Don' t be afraid. We' ll protect you. Just distract them long enough for us to attack."
The frightened look on her face called for action on Lan' s part. He placed his forefinger under her chin and raised her lips to his own in a soft kiss.
" There, a token of my esteem for your bravery." Her smile was reward enough for any man.
" The female makes an adequate decoy," observed Krek. " I do not understand it, but you humans have such a complex set of behavioral traits. Could you explain this to me, friend Inyx?"
" I won' t lower myself. Besides, I' m not sure I understand, either. Ah, now. Now!"
With a surge of speed, Inyx burst onto the guards, with quick flashes of her sword to the left, right, then a long lunge directly ahead. Three guardsmen died before the first hit the ground. Lan followed suit, slaying two more. The five cooling bodies presented mute evidence of their teamwork.
" Well done, Velika," said Inyx. " We at last find your usefulness lies in deception."
A cold laugh echoed down the length of the corridor.
" It seems you are the deceived one, lady of the sword. Take them alive or take them dead, it matters little to our liege."
Krek backed up and sank to his knees, sobbing loudly.
" Trapped like an insect in my own web. A common bug and no more. Oh, have my brains turned to mush? Why should I be forced to show my stupidity to the world?"
The soldiers advanced in a line, more of them than Lan could count. He motioned to Inyx to cover his left flank and called to Krek, " Guard the back way. It might be our only way out."
Velika gasped when Krek mournfully said, " Trapped, I said, friend Lan Martak, and trapped I meant. A phalanx of brutes approaches from behind. I am powerless to hold back so many well- armed humans."
" Do not surrender to these scum- eaters," cried Inyx. " Sell your life for a hundred of theirs. Krek, do it! You are powerful! We need your strength, not your weakness."
" Oh, very well, but it is simply useless. No power on this world can turn the tide of such malevolence."
" I agree with the spider," said Velika hurriedly. " Please, Lan darling, surrender and throw ourselves on their mercy. They won' t slay us if we surrender." Tears rolled down the woman' s cheeks like waves against an ocean strand. Lan' s fingers dampened with the tears. His entire body stiffened as if monumental conflict took place within.
" They' d cut their own grandmothers' throats if it amused them. Are you so eager to be raped by an entire army, girl? I for one will fight. Are you with us, Krek?"
" I suppose it is my woeful lot, Inyx. Yes, I will fight at your back for as long as strength flows through my now- rubbery limbs."
" Lan?"
His mind raced. Kyn- alLyk- Surepta. Waldron. Zarella' s death. The grey- clad soldiers on the bog world. But then there was Velika. She wished him to surrender. His hand burned as if he' d thrust it into a fire. Lan fought off the waves of emotion wracking him and making him giddy, confusing his senses. There could be only one path to follow. His decision was made.
" We fight," Lan said, his voice choked. The conflict within died down and his resolve firmed. He did the proper thing. " I' m not going to allow Velika to fall into their hands again. Fight, Krek, fight as you did on the bog world."
Lan lunged en quarte and skewered the soldier in front of him. He pulled back, his blade dripping gore, and the body fell heavily, forming the foundation of a barricade in the hallway. Inyx added another before the wave of soldiers broke on them full force. Lan' s mind went blank. All he knew was lunge, parry, riposte. He accumulated minor cuts and one of a dangerous potential on his leg. But the snicksnick of his blade against those of the grey- clad soldiers demanded his full attention. Like Inyx, he' d go down fighting.
After all, his own greed had caused them to fall into this trap. His own greed- spurred on by Velika.
Velika!
Lan cast a swift glance over his shoulder and saw her cowering against the wall, crying openly. As he turned his attentions back to the fight, he witnessed Inyx in action and thought his eyes deceived him. She weaved a curtain of steely death in front of them, every third cut drawing blood, or so it seemed. The death count for her more than doubled Lan' s. He fought harder to match her; she shouldn' t have to bear the brunt of fighting because of him.
Behind her, Lan heard the clacking of Krek' s awesome mandibles. Once, a shower of blood rained down on him, forcing him to disengage and take a second to wipe sticky gore from his eyes. Krek had overenthusiastically severed a soldier' s head from his torso.
Lan Martak knew that no three had ever fought more valiantly against the soldiers, but with that same certainty came the ugly knowledge that they were tiring rapidly. Soon, the grey tide would wash over their dead bodies and leave Velika to their crude amusements. This gave added strength to Lan' s arm, more cunning to his blade, faster movements to his feet. But still the soldiers fought on, one immediately taking the place of a fallen comrade.
Krek screeched, " She comes! How did she find me? Oh, woebegotten spider, your end is near!"
" What' re you talking about, Krek?" gasped Lan, parrying a strong thrust barely in time to keep his arm and wrist connected. " Who' s coming?"
" Klawn has discovered where I am, and she comes to devour me! Why should she desire to consume a wasted spider such as myself? I am lost, lost, I say!"
The roar of the guards echoed throughout the castle. As an earthquake sunders the ground, so did Klawn split the ranks of the grey- clad soldiers in her headlong rush to finalize her nuptial arrangements with Krek. The huge female spider leaped along the ranks of the struggling, now- frightened soldiers, using her mandibles more as a slashing knife than as snipping scissors. A full two dozen fell before her savage, mindless attack.
Lan panted and yelled, " Stop the big spider before it' s too late!"
Whether it was the air of command in his voice, the confusion, or the red blood altering the remnants of the soldier' s uniform to give him the desired rank, he didn' t know, but the soldiers closed on Klawn, blades singing their death songs to little avail. The spider proved too powerful for even their combined might.
" Here, Lan, Krek, here' s our escape," cried Inyx, shouldering open a heavy door a short distance down the hallway. " Though we don' t find treasure, at least we keep our lives."