" Begging your gracious pardon, Saviour, but the armorer also assured us that the other spider could not escape the chamber in which he placed it. It took less than an hour for the beast to break entirely free and escape."
Waldron' s face tightened.
" Why wasn' t I informed of that immediately? Damn that man! You, Commander Ells, remove the armorer and find a suitable replacement. And report back to me afterward."
The indicated soldier, dressed in the grey of Waldron' s army, bowed to his liege and backed out, bobbing his head in agreement. The other stirred nervously, glanced at Krek, and obviously doubted the strength of the chains on all eight furry legs.
The soldier jumped when Krek clacked his mandibles together and said, " Lovely Klawn has escaped! How wonderous!"
Waldron straightened his courtly robes and held out his gloved hand. A caw and a flutter of wings, then a large raven perched impudently on his wrist. He stroked the greasy feathers and talked quietly to the large bird.
" You wouldn' t allow such a tasty, oversized morsel to do me harm, would you?" The answering caw sounded more like laughter from a demented fiend than the normal screech of a bird.
" My human guards are fallible, but my winged ones aren' t. They protect me with their very lives- and have done so. But this audience draws overlong. I see that it isn' t possible to imprison the likes of you," he said, peering at Krek past the black bird flapping for balance on his wrist, " so that eliminates several possibilities."
" You said you' d let us walk the Road you opened in the chamber. It was a mistake that we didn' t. Allow us another chance," said Lan, fearing all was lost. The answer sealed their fate.
" No." Harsh, flat, final. " The decision has been made. A moment' s leniency weakened me. For a time I thought your bravery should be rewarded. Or perhaps that I could use you. Since you killed KynalLyk- Surepta, I require a native of your world to act as liaison in my continued dealings there."
" Betray my world to you?" raged Lan.
" Yes, that' s the reaction I predicted. Hence, death for all four of you." Waldron moved the raven to a padded shoulder perch and shifted the wood box again.
" Lord, no!" pleaded Velika, throwing herself at the man' s feet. She reached out and touched the soles of his boots imploringly. " Anything but that, master. Anything!"
" Anything?" he echoed, then laughed. " You offer yourself in exchange for these others?" Waldron waved aside Lan' s protest before it even came to his lips.
" No, master, I offer myself wholeheartedly and ask for nothing in return." Tears ran in ever- increasing rivers down her cheeks. Waldron brushed one away, then stiffened slightly, his face turning into a mask with unreadable emotions. He shook slightly as he again touched the tear- stained cheek, then straightened.
" Direct, to the heart of the matter, yes," he mused, rubbing his chin with one hand while bouncing the flapping raven with the other. " Very well, blond seductress. I am sure that Kyn- alLyk- Surepta enjoyed many pleasures with you before he died."
" And I can show you ever so many more, master, if you' ll allow it." Velika' s eyes shone with fear as she mouthed the words. Lan wanted to silence her, prevent her from degrading herself further, but the guards and the chains effectively stopped him.
" Chamberlain," Waldron called out. " A point of protocol. Since Diamerra died of the cold last winter, I have been without wife. Should I happen to take this woman, who is not of our world, must it be as legal wife?"
An old man dressed in flowing grey robes shuffled up and turned tired eyes to Waldron.
" Saviour, this need not be so. This world and two others under your aegis allow concubines."
" Concubines," said Waldron, rolling the word over his tongue as if it were new to him. " Yes, that might be the answer to this vexing dilemma. On this world I will take a concubine." To Velika, he asked, more gently, " What is your name, flaxen- haired one?"
" Velika L' spurota, master."
" The proper form of address is ' Saviour,' " said the dour chamberlain. " He has delivered all our people from great sadness and, for this service to our bleak world, will live forever on our hearth and in our heart." It sounded like a litany the man had learned and was now tired of repeating.
" Saviour! Yes, you are my saviour!" babbled Velika. " Anything you desire of me will be yours."
" I am pleased," said Waldron dryly, " especially since I can take it whether you desire it or not. Never mind that. The other three. Take them to the north tower and execute them at first light. That much I will grant since I have no quarrel with any of them."
" No quarrel and you would still murder us?" bellowed Lan. " What manner of beast are you?"
" Silence, fool," hissed the chamberlain. " He could have you executed now while it is still dark and allow the demons to devour your souls. The Saviour does you great favor by allowing the sunlight to drive off the demons before removing your spiteful heads."
The last thing Lan Martak heard as they dragged him from the audience chamber was Velika' s soft purring, " Anything at all for my wondrous saviour!"
He wondered what evil magic Waldron had used on the woman he loved to turn her so much against her will.
" You deceive yourself if you really think that, Lan," declared Inyx, trying to keep her voice gentle, and failing. The harshness crept in and made her words sting more than she intended.
" You' re wrong, I tell you, wrong! Velika did it to save us. There' s no other reason she' d go to Waldron' s bed so swiftly. She is plotting our escape even now. How could she do it if she were thrown in here with us?"
" She might be a simple whore," observed Krek.
The spider bobbed out of the way as Lan took a vicious swing at him. " Are you upset over this possibility, friend Lan Martak? I merely stated what seems a fact. You humans have the oddest sensibilities to offend. The very concept of whoredom amuses me, and I have oft thought on it during the long nights I spent alone along the Road. While I personally cannot conceive of Klawn being a whore, it would please me to find one like her who could give me the same amount of sheer bliss and then not demand to devour me afterward. Yes, that would be quite nice."
Lan rattled his chains savagely as he paced the confines of the narrow tower cell. The three slits in the stone walls looked out over the castle, but, under the cloak of darkness, there was little of interest to see. Lan still pressed his face close and peered down in the vain hope of seeing Velika sneaking across the courtyard, keys to their chains dangling from her slender fingers.
" She will come. She has to. I know she will," Lan repeated to himself.
" While he' s mooning over a traitorous bitch, let' s figure out our own escape, Krek," said Inyx, seating herself next to one of the spider' s furred legs. She rested against the post- thick leg and rubbed her back until her muscle strain eased. " These offensive chains are the key to our escape, as I see it. We can do nothing as long as we wear the shackles of a tyrant."
" Oh?" Krek said mildly. " Is that all we have to do to escape this drafty, damp place?"
" Well, not all, but: aieee!" Inyx looked stupidly at her severed chains. Krek' s mandibles had made one swift snap and left only shining metal where one link had been. She lifted the bracelet on her left wrist so that Krek could snap the metal without injuring her. In a double flash of chitinous material, her wrists were free. She sprang to her feet and whooped loudly.
" Friend Krek, you are a marvel!" she crowed. " That is the slickest cut of hardened steel I have ever witnessed. You should rent yourself as a blacksmith' s assistant. For a modicum of work, you could earn a young fortune!"
Lan turned dull eyes to them and said, " He could' ve done that a long time ago. He' s versatile," then went back to his lonely vigil at the window.