The gnomes in Yerrary existed in conditions totally alien to Inyx and Ducasien.
" We could block off this passage," Ducasien said. " That leaves only those four ways in. A waist- high barricade would slow down a full- force attack."
" Better to string fang- wire and let the bastards cut themselves to ribbons if they attack."
" I didn' t see much evidence of metalworking," said Ducasien. " Fang- wire requires at least low- grade steel to do any good."
" They must have wire around. When I found the source of their drinking water, the entire chamber was filled with glass and metal vats, tubes and pipes. I don' t remember seeing wire, but Eckalt must use it somewhere."
" Eckalt?"
Inyx explained to Ducasien about the toad- being and his distillation plant. Ducasien shook his head in puzzlement.
" This is a strange world, unlike any I have seen along the Road. I think I have seen enough of it."
" You' d move on?" Inyx asked, sudden fear clutching at her throat.
" You want me to stay? For a while?"
Again Inyx averted her eyes from his. She didn' t trust herself to speak. She only nodded.
" Then I' ll stay. For a while. And to make that stay safer, we' d best get to work. Do you think the gnomes would take kindly to a few suggestions about defending their pitiful little fortress?"
" Let' s see."
Inyx went and spoke at length with Broit Heresler and several of the surviving clan leaders. In time she convinced them to erect barricades as Ducasien had suggested. While they had no fang- wire or anything similar to it, Broit did show Inyx how razor- edged digging implements could be placed in traps along the corridors. The unwary might set off these devices and end up minus a hand or head.
" Confusing," admitted Ducasien. " No wire to speak of, but they use the best of steel for cutting edges. Drawing wire wouldn' t be hard and weaving it with the barbed points would be simplicity in itself."
" I doubt that," said Inyx. " These folk have existed for centuries like this. Their culture is stable and any intrusion is looked upon as a catastrophe. That' s why this civil war is so upsetting to them. Lirory Tefize has been bitten by the worst bug of all- he seeks power."
" As I said before, I' ve had little contact with mages. It strikes me as peculiar a mage of such power would be found among them."
Inyx watched as Broit and the others bustled about dragging stones and digging pits. These were a people of physical attributes, not magical ones.
" I agree, but magic stretches between the worlds. Perhaps Lirory Tefize tasted it on some other world."
" They don' t strike me as travelers, either."
" One walks the Road for many reasons."
" There is glory," the man said.
" Adventure is more like it. Who can know of your triumphs if you only pass through on your way to another world?"
" Knowledge," said Ducasien. " It' s a portable wealth far transcending gold and jewels."
" Knowledge is two- edged and cuts the unwary. A better reason is curiosity. What lies beyond the next cenotaph? A better world? A world of jest or sorrow? One covered with oceans or deserts or mountains and paradise?"
" You' ve seen them all, haven' t you?" Ducasien asked.
They sat on a small ledge cut into the wall and leaned back, the green glowing moss soft against their tired backs.
" I' ve seen more than my share. Ever since I met Krek and Lan, the worlds have become more deadly. Claybore' s influence stretches over most of them."
" But you fight well against the sorcerer," insisted Ducasien. " You are the mightiest warrior I have ever seen. Your blade work is superb and your sense of tactic unparalleled."
" You' re just saying that," Inyx said, feeling a blush rising.
" I say it because it is the truth. You are a remarkable woman. That you are from my own world is all the more delightful."
Inyx swallowed hard when Ducasien reached out and placed his finger under her chin and turned her face to his. She felt as if her heart would burst from her chest. Hands shaking, she tried to push away. Ducasien held her firmly and moved closer. Their lips brushed in a kiss both gentle and electric. Inyx melted within and then remembered.
Lan Martak. Somewhere in the bowels of this mountain her lover battled Claybore. He might be close to death; he might desperately need her fighting prowess of which Ducasien boasted.
Inyx pulled away and stood, face flushed.
" I' d best find Krek and make certain he is all right. The spider tends to mope." She didn' t wait for the man' s reply. She almost ran away. But she couldn' t flee her innermost emotions.
CHAPTER EIGHT
" Are you so taken by your new appendages that you let him remain alive?" Lirory Tefize looked back over his shoulder in the direction of the chamber he and Claybore left. " This Lan Martak withstood our combined assaults, but I felt his power seeping away. Another attack and he will perish. I know it."
" Do not be so certain. Martak draws on more than his own power. I felt that. No, Lirory, we must be more subtle." Claybore swung about on his mechanical hips and waved his arms joyously. " They are wondrous," he said. " After so many years I cannot describe the way I feel regaining my arms."
Tefize watched as the fleshless skull turned full attention to the air in front of them. Claybore' s hands gestured and the air itself began to boil and churn. The dual death beams leaping from his sunken eye sockets joined the turbulence. Even as inured as Lirory Tefize was to displays of magic, he cringed away from the beast Claybore conjured.
Simply looking at it turned the gnome inside out. His stomach churned unpleasantly and thoughts both dark and vile rose within him. If a mere glance produced such an unsettling effect, what could the creature do if released?
Tefize tried not to think of that.
" Is she not a beauty?" Claybore cackled. Hands moving with dextrous skill, the sorcerer molded the very air. The ruby beams mingled intimately and gave substance to the creation until it stood on stubby legs tipped with vicious- looking talons.
" What is it?"
" There is no name for this fine little pet. It exists and yet it does not. Parts of it live on other worlds along the Road, while the majority of it rests here. The conjuration is one of the most difficult I know. It must be supported on all those worlds to be effective in this one."
Tefize glanced back at the chamber where Lan Martak stood. The gnome hated leaving unfinished business like this. Even worse, the human would soon enough regain his considerable power and seek them out in the maze of tunnels worming through the mountain. Tefize did not relish the idea of sleeping with guard spells fully in place to warn him of an enemy' s approach.
" Send your beast against Martak," he suggested to Claybore. " Let us see how deadly this ghostly creature can be."
" Nonsense," said Claybore. " Martak is of no current concern to us. Let him wander about trying to do his odd jobs. We can finish him off when the time is ripe."
" You gloat. That is senseless." The gnome tried to control his rising anger. " Do not think to play with him. I felt his power. He held both of us at bay- both of us. If I had not risked showing him the Pillar of Night, my excavators would never have retrieved your arms in time."
" Yes, showing Martak the Pillar did gain us time. I rather liked the idea, too. Let him see his destiny. Let him see the weapon of his destruction!"
" You peer into the future?" asked Tefize. His skeptical tones caused Claybore to whirl about. Mechanical legs grated and gears snapped, but the organic upper portion of his body moved with sinuous grace. The only unnerving part was the fleshless skull still perched atop the torso. While Claybore had never mentioned it, Lirory had discovered that Martak and the others were responsible for the destruction of Claybore' s face and other skin.