Reflexively Ariakas backed up a few steps, looking toward the creature with his sword-but, as if they understood his intentions, the simian warrior bearing the hook charged him from the left. Ariakas ducked under a vicious cut, or at least, he thought he did. At the last second, however, the apelike warrior reversed the direction of his blow, and the curved metal head jerked around the human's arm. The Shilo-Thahn pulled, and Ariakas lurched off his feet.
Tucking his head, the man somersaulted between the two attackers, determined to attack the one who had felled him-but with a flash of insight he changed his mind, springing headlong at the warrior holding the great, two-handed sword.
Obviously the fellow had never wielded such a blade before. He swung it broadly, and Ariakas feinted, waiting for the slashing blade to swing past his face. The heavy weight pulled the Shilo-Thahn around in an off-balance follow-through, and the human lowered his head, slamming his skull into the warrior's furry gut.
The creature went down with a great exhalation of breath, and the human's heart leapt at the sound of his blade clanging loosely to the floor. He broke from his gasping opponent and snatched up the sword as the sec shy;ond warrior reached toward him with that gleaming hook.
But now Ariakas was armed. The red blade whipped upward, then flicked to the side, parrying the shado-warrior's attack with a ringing clang. Next Ariakas thrust, driving the blade through the creature's chest. The apelike body proved surprisingly frail, a leather bag filled with sticks and straw, and the human's single stab was immediately fatal. In the follow-through motion he swung back and killed the warrior on the floor.
Whirling about, Ariakas saw that, with the skillful use of his long hook, Vallenswade had driven Lyrelee into a corner. Of the guards, two writhed on the floor, legs bro shy;ken by Lyrelee's kicks; three more were still.
Ariakas sprinted down the long room. Vallenswade heard him coming and turned from Lyrelee, ducking away from her leaping kick as if he had eyes in the rear of his skull. The hook came up, but once again the crim shy;son blade smashed the weapon aside. Vallenswade barely parried an otherwise fatal thrust, but when he lashed out with the hook again, Ariakas bashed it so hard that the weapon fell from the simian hands. Unarmed, he stood before the human with his hands at his sides. Then, with rigid dignity, he bowed.
"You have reversed our positions," Vallenswade said calmly. "I offer my congratulations."
"The amazing thing is, I think you mean it!" Ariakas mused, shaking his head.
Lyrelee, in the meantime, jerked Tale Splintersteel to his feet. The Zhakar's robes were a mess, covered with mud, dust, and crusted blood, but he stood steadily, blinking impassively behind his black-cloaked mask.
"I want you to lead us out of here," Ariakas declared, raising the blade slightly to emphasize his determination. With a shrug, Vallenswade refused. "It would be far better if you did not escape," he said.
"I hate to disagree with you, friend-but I think it would be far, far better if I did escape," Ariakas retorted with amusement. Then he grew serious. "Lead us out of here, or I'll be forced to kill you."
Vallenswade blinked, as if considering the bleak prospect, but he did not reply-nor did he move.
"Do you understand?" demanded Ariakas, suddenly conscious of precious time slipping away. How long before more shadowpeople-a dozen, a score, even more — arrived to help?
"I understand. My refusal means my death," replied Vallenswade simply. "I had hoped to live somewhat longer than this," he admitted.
Ariakas glared at him. "Show us the way out of here, and you'll be spared!"
"I thought I made it clear that you should not escape-
It would be bad."
For a moment Ariakas quivered at the edge of murder, raising the blade toward Vallenswade's unprotected neck. Finally he spun away in disgust. His eyes fell on the two wounded shadowpeople, both of whom still groaned and quivered on the floor. Turning back, he fixed his captive with a deadly stare.
"Show us the way out of here-or I'll kill them!" he threatened, gesturing to the wounded pair.
Vallenswade flinched, lowering his brows in an un shy;happy frown. "Why?" he demanded. "Why must you kill three of us? Their deaths gain you nothing."
"I don't want their deaths!" fumed the warrior. "I want to get out of here!"
"Then kill us and go," retorted Vallenswade. He looked away, as if bored with the conversation.
The murderous force built within Ariakas, but sud shy;denly it dissipated, and he was left with a feeling of emptiness and despair. He and Lyrelee would have to make their way through this maze on their own, and whether or not Vallenswade was alive or dead behind them didn't seem to make much difference.
He cast his eyes over the wounded shadowarriors, noting that one bore the tight bundle of a net on his back. That would do just as well.
"Tie them up," he told Lyrelee. "All three of them. And hurry-it's time we're out of here."
"Which way?" asked Ariakas when they reached the first intersection. The chamber where they had found Tale Splintersteel-and left a securely trussed Vallens shy;wade and his two companions-lay some distance behind them along the winding tunnel.
"Here," Lyrelee indicated unhesitatingly.
Prodding the muttering Zhakar dwarf ahead of him, Ariakas turned into the passage. His gem light illumi shy;nated the path before them, and the priestess walked slightly behind in order to gain the benefit of the illumi shy;nation-and to remain concealed from any watchers in the shadows.
They followed the new corridor for some time, and then the priestess indicated another branch that they should take. For some time they made their way through the maze, and the young woman's memory produced a firm recommendation at every fork.
Finally, however, they came into a large chamber that neither of them recognized. No less than six different tunnels led, in various directions, through the subter shy;ranean darkness.
"Now where do we go?" Ariakas asked, but Lyrelee could only shake her head.
"I don't know," she admitted. "I know we didn't come this way before."
Abruptly Ariakas stiffened. His senses tingled. The five-pointed star, holy symbol of Takhisis, winked at him from its pendant at Lyrelee's neck. He reached out and snatched it, ignoring her shout of surprise.
"Look!" he said, holding the star flat in his hand. Extending his arm, he displayed the holy symbol. The centermost tine of the star, the point that lined up with the passage across the chamber, glowed slightly. Ariakas looked at Lyrelee, his eyes narrowed shrewdly, and she nodded.
"I see it, too," the priestess whispered. "What? See what?" demanded Tale Splintersteel. "Shut up," Ariakas barked, roughly pushing the Zhakar forward.
They proceeded farther, coming to several more branches. Each time Lyrelee and Ariakas both observed that one point of the star glowed until they had made their decision. Thus guided, they moved very quickly through the maze of the catacombs. With each cross shy;roads the star seemed to grow a little bit brighter.
Around them the air grew moist, and then the corridor they followed opened into a large cavern. The illumina shy;tion from the gem light was swallowed by darkness above and to the sides-even below. A narrow, flat ramp extended like a bridge from the entrance, but to either side of the ramp yawned nothing but an apparently infi shy;nite blackness.
Vertigo rose to rebel in Ariakas's stomach, but he roughly forced aside the hesitation and, prodding Tale Splintersteel before him, boldly stepped onto the bridge. The priestess followed, and they moved cautiously out shy;ward.