Strange, livid beasts prowled that plain; peculiar cries like the voices of lost souls; queer disturbances that we felt rather than heard or saw.
It was like that for another two weeks until the looming crags of Argzoon became visible through the dim, misty light of the Wastes of Doom.
The Mountains of Argzoon were tall and jagged, black and forbidding.
"Seeing their environment," I said to Darnad, "I can understand why the Argzoon are what they are, for such landscapes are not conducive to instilling a sense of sweetness and light into one."
"I agree," he replied. Then a little later: "We should reach the Gates of Gor Delpus before nightfall."
"What are they?"
"The entrance to the Caves of Darkness. They are, I've been told, never guarded, for few have ever dared venture into the Argzoon's own underground land-they let our normal fear of dark, enclosed spaces do their work for them."
"Are the Caves very dangerous?"
"I do not know," he said. "No one has ever returned to tell…"
By nightfall we made out the Gates by means of Deimos's very dim moonlight. They were mainly natural cave-mouths widened and made taller by crude workmanship. They were dark and gloomy and I could understand what Darnad had told me.
Only my mission-to rescue the woman I loved but would never be able to make mine-would induce me to enter.
We left our faithful dahara outside to fend for himself until we returned-if ever we should.
And then we entered the Caves of Darkness.
Chapter Eleven
QUEEN OF THE ARGZOON
THEY were cold, those caves. A chill pervaded them greater than anything we had experienced on the Wastes of Doom.
Down and down we went, along a smooth, broad, winding track that had torches lighting it at wide intervals. We caught glimpses of vast grottos and caverns, as it were within the great caverns; of stalactites and stalagmites; of jumbled, black rock and rivulets of ice-cold water; of a bitter-smelling slime that clung to the rocks; of small, pallid animals that scuttled away at our approach.
And deeper down the sides of the path had been decorated with trophies of war-here a skeleton of an Argzoon in full armor, with sword, shield, spear and axe, grinning down at us from its great height; there several human skulls piled into a rough pyramid. Dark trophies, brought alive sometimes by the flickering torchlight, but fitting decoration for this strange place.
Then at length we felt the path turn sharply to the left. Following it round, we suddenly came upon a monstrous cave, its walls so far away they were invisible. We stood above it, looking down.
The path led to it, we could see, twisting down for perhaps two miles. Huge fires flared at intervals on the floor of the cave and there were complete villages dotted across it. Fairly close to our side of the cave there was a stone city-a city that seemed piled on blocks of stone heaped almost haphazardly one upon the other. A heavy city, a cold, strong, bleak city. A city to suit the Argzoon.
Moving about in the city and the surrounding villages, we saw Argzoon men, women and children going about their business. There were also pens of dahara and some sort of small creature that seemed to be a domestic version of the heela.
"How can we get in there?" I whispered to Darnad. "They will realize who we are immediately!"
Just then I heard a noise behind us and pulled him into the shadows of the rock.
A few moments later a group of some thirty Argzoon warriors stumbled past. They looked as if they had been through an ordeal. Many bore untreated wounds, others had had their armor almost completely cut to shreds, and all were weary.
I realized that these were probably survivors of the 'mopping up' operation instituted from Varnal the day we had left.
That was another reason why we should not expose ourselves! The Argzoon would enjoy taking vengeance on members of the race that had defeated them.
But these warriors were too tired even to notice us. They just staggered on down the twisting path towards the cavern world, where the great bonfires crackled and attempted to heat and light the place with little success.
We could not wait for nightfall here, for it was perpetual night! How could we reach the city and discover where Shizala was imprisoned?
There was nothing for it but to begin creeping down the path, keeping to the shadows as best we could, hoping that the Argzoon would be too busy with their own affairs, treating their wounded, assessing their strength and so on, to notice us.
Not once did either of us think of returning to find help. It seemed too late for that. We must rescue Shizala ourselves.
But then it occurred to me!
Who else knew where Shizala was held? Who else had all the information concerning the Argzoon that we had?
The answer was plain-none.
When we had gone a little distance I turned to Darnad and said bluntly:
"You must go back."
"Go back? Are you mad?"
"No-I'm perfectly sane for once. Don't you realize that if we are both killed in this attempt, then there can be no further attempts to save Shizalafor what we know will die with us!"
"I had not thought of that," he mused. "But why should I go back? You go. I will try to…"
"No. You know the geography of Vashu better than I. I might easily get lost. Now you have led me to the Mountains of Argzoon you must return to the nearest friendly settlement, send messengers to tell where I am, where Shizala is-get the news out as fast as you can. Then a big force of warriors can come here while the Argzoon are still depleted and recovering and wipe out the threat of the Blue Giants once and for all!"
"But it will take me weeks to get back to civilization of any sort. If you get into trouble here you will be dead long before I can bring help."
"If personal safety were our first consideration,"
I reminded him, "neither of us would be here now.
You must see the logic of what I say. Go!"
He thought deeply for a moment, then clapped me on the shoulder, turned and began to make his way rapidly back in the direction we had come.
Once made up, Darnad's mind made him act swiftly.
Now I crept on, feeling somehow even smaller and weaker in the face of monstrous nature now that Darnad had gone.
Somehow I managed to get to the base of the path without being seen.
Somehow I managed to dash from cliff-wall to the shadow of the city and hug myself close to the rough-hewn stone.
And then, all of a sudden, it became darker!
I could not at first understand the cause of my good luck. Then I saw that they were damping down the big fires!
Why?
Then I realized what must be happening. Fuel itself must be scarce so, for a period corresponding to night-time on the surface, the fires were damped while the Argzoon slept. In the almost pitch-black darkness I decided that this was my chance to explore the city and try to find out where Shizala was imprisoned.
Perhaps, if luck continued to stay on my side, I would even have a chance to rescue her, and together we could leave the gloomy cavern-world of the Argzoon and ride back to Varnal.
I hardly dared consider this as I began slowly to climb the rough sides of the city wall.
It was a stiff climb, but not too difficult. Both my hands and my feet had been hardened over the long weeks of our quest and so I found I could grip the rock like a Gibraltar monkey.
The darkness brought its own dangers, of course, and I was forced to climb largely by touch, but soon I was on top of the wall.
Crouching, sword in hand just in case I should be surprised, I sidled along the wall, peering down into the city, trying to make out the likeliest place where Shizala might be held.