Carnak bent down and took one of the swords from the fallen guard. Another man also took a sword and two others helped themselves to a mace and an axe respectively.
"We must go to the Weapon Chambers of Argzoon," Movat Jard said. "Once there, we can equip ourselves properly."
"Where lie these dungeons?" I asked.
"Why, under the Black City. There are several entrances."
"And where lie the Weapon Chambers?"
"In the castle-Horguhl's castle. If we are quick we can get there before they return to the city.
They must be in some confusion."
"Movat Jard, why do you help us against your own folk?" Carnak asked. He seemed just a little suspicious, for he had already experienced one clever Argzoon trap.
"I have learned much from a little that Michael Kane here said, and what he did, once, for me. I have learned that ideas can sometimes rise above blood loyalties. And besides, it is Horguhl whom I fight, not the Argzoon. If we beat her, then I shall have to decide again what my attitude is-but not until she no longer rules the Argzoon!"
Carnak seemed convinced by this. We rushed up the slopes leading away from the dungeons and had soon reached an iron gate kept by a single watchman. When he saw us and noted, perhaps, the desperate looks in our eyes, he did not draw his weapons but flung out his hands before him.
"Take my keys-do not take my Me."
"A fair bargain," I said, accepting his keys and unlocking the iron gate. "We will also borrow your weapons." Two more men were armed with a sword and an axe-making eight in all. We bound the Blue Giant and passed on into the streets.
Beyond the walls of the Black City we heard the confused babble of voices, but the Argzoon had not yet reached the gates. We headed towards the nearby castle, pouring through the streets towards the Weapon Chambers, with Movat Jard, Carnak and myself in the lead.
We swarmed into the castle, cutting down the few guards who attempted to stop us.
Just as we were breaking into the Weapon Chambers, the first of the Argzoon returned and shouted the alarm.
We burst into the Weapon Chambers, less well laid-out but not unlike the Weapon Room of Varnal in appearance, though the weapons were, of course, more barbaric.
While the joyful prisoners went to arm themselves with the best weapons of the Argzoon-not to mention the heaps of captured weapons they found lying therein-we eight, who were already armed, met the initial wave of Argzoon warriors.
We must have made a strange sight, the three of us who led-a blue man of the Argzoon nearly ten feet in height; a wild-eyed, naked man covered in hair; and a tanned swordsman who was not even of that planet. But one thing we all had in commonwe could use swords.
We stood shoulder to shoulder, fending off our attackers while our comrades armed themselves. It seemed that I faced a veritable wall of swords raining down upon me from the Blue Giants.
Somehow we held them off-and succeeded in depleting our enemies.
Then, from behind us, came a great roar!
The prisoners were all armed and ready to fight.
The slaves had become warriors again-warriors with a lust for vengeance for the years of servitude and fear, revenge for the treacherous ambush which had wiped out a great percentage of the flower of southern manhood.
We pressed forward now, driving the Argzoon before us!
Along the corridors of the castle we fought. In halls and rooms we fought. In Horguhl's deserted throne room we fought, and in her private rooms, too. At one stage I took the opportunity to tear down the N'aal tapestry hanging there.
Out into the streets until the whole of the Black City seethed with fighting men.
Our numbers were few. Our men had all but forgotten their old training. But our hearts were full of exultant battle-lust, for at long last we were able to strike back at our old enemies.
By the time all our force was in the streets, the Argzoon had cut down more than a third of our men-but we had taken more of them!
And the longer we fought, the more of their old skills the ex-slaves remembered. The fighting in the city became more sporadic as the Argzoon attempted to re-form.
We used the pause to check our own strength and discuss strategy. We held a large area around the castle, but the Argzoon still held most of the city.
Somewhere were Horguhl and Shizala. I prayed that Horguhl would not order Shizala slain in the pique of defeat; that the Queen still had confidence in her warriors' ability to win.
The Argzoon attacked first, but we were ready for them, with warriors deployed in every street.
For a time neither side gained any advantage.
We held our position and the Argzoon held theirs.
"It is deadlock," said Movat Jard as he, Carnak and I conferred.
"How can we break it?" I asked.
"We must get a fairly large party of warriors into position behind them," Carnak said. "Then we can attack them from two sides and drive a wedge through their ranks."
"A good plan," I agreed. "But how can we move that party of warriors? We cannot fly."
"True," Movat Jard said, "but we can go under them. Remember the slave-pens? Remember that I said there were several entrances and exits?"
"Yes," I replied. "Could we go through one of these and emerge behind the enemy?"
"Unless they are ready for that trick," he said,
"we could. But if they have blocked the entrances, we stand to lose more-since we will have a force of good warriors stranded down there unable to help defend the area we have gained. Is it worth the risk?"
"Yes," I said. "For if we do not gain an advantage soon our men will tire. They are already weak from the sojourn. We cannot afford to waste any more time."
"Who will lead them?" Carnak stepped forward, evidently thinking of himself.
"I will," I said. "You are both needed here to rally the defenders."
They understood the necessity of this.
Within a shati, I was leading a force of some thirty warriors towards the slave-pen entrance Movat Jard had indicated.
Down the winding ramps we went at a loping run.
And we ran straight into a detachment of Argzoon coming the other way!
Almost before we knew it we were wasting time and men in a battle for the underground passage.
The Argzoon seemed to be fighting with little will, and I had killed two myself and disarmed several more before the rest lay down their arms, holding out their hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Why do you give up so easily?" I asked one of them.
He answered in the coarse, guttural accent of his people.
"We are tired of fighting battles for Horguhl," he said. "And she does not lead us even-she disappeared after you killed the N'aal Beast. We only followed her because we thought Raharumara dwelt in the N'aal Beast and she was stronger than Raharumara. But now we know that Raharumara does not dwell in the N'aal Beast, else you could not have killed it. We do not wish to lose our lives for her schemes any longer-too many of our brothers have died over the years to satisfy her ambitions. Now it has all come to this-a few warriors fighting in the streets of the Black City, defending themselves against slaves! We wish a truce!"
"How many others feel as you do?" I asked.
"I do not know," he admitted. "We have not talked-too much has happened too swiftly."
"You know the fair-haired girl Horguhl brought here and who was at the ceremony of the N'aal Beast earlier?" I questioned him.
"I saw her, yes."
"Do you know where she is?"
"I think she is in the Tower of Vulse."
"Where is that?"
"Near the main gate-it is the tallest tower in the city."
We took their arms from them and continued on through the slave-pens emerging at last in a part of the city almost immediately behind the rear lines of the battling Argzoon.