Gunggari said, “All of us could use the rest, Marrec.”
Elowen thought that several hours’ rest sounded heavenly. Since they’d descended into the dark, they had faced a series of terrible threats. Though they’d all survived so far, their luck was bound to fail if they didn’t steal a few moments of recuperation from the never-ending rush of time.
“Then let’s rest,” agreed Marrec, not without some relief in his voice.
They were undisturbed for the length of their rest, measuring at least six hours. Elowen, not requiring sleep, stood watch. When all had regained some measure of their full strength, Marrec addressed the demon.
“Victoricus. Lead us to our friend Ash, also called the Child of Light, and who is also an aspect of Lurue.”
With nary a titter, the ice demon swiveled and skated away across the vault field. Ash’s would-be rescuers followed.
Marrec followed the smoothly moving demon most closely. At first, he walked alone, as they backtracked through the Sighing Vault, and tunnels somewhat familiar. After they turned into a passage completely unfamiliar, Marrec asked Victoricus to slow down. Despite his words to Ususi, he of course couldn’t trust the demon, or the demon’s real master, the Queen Abiding.
On the other hand, Ususi hadn’t held the token of control. She hadn’t felt the power that had briefly coursed through his hands when he’d made his initial demand to the Queen Abiding. Marrec wasn’t unfamiliar with items of potency. In the token’s destruction, he’d felt a call go out, and in responding to that call, the queen had accepted a binding. She would be good to the letter of her word. She had no choice, Marrec felt certain. Pretty much certain.
He could explain his feelings about the token of control to the wizard, or at least, he could try, but Ususi was certain of her own learning, her own experience. After all, wasn’t that experience valid? He’d rather not try to explain to the wizard why he was right, only to have Victoricus lead them directly into a vat of acid or some other unpleasantness. Marrec hated eating his own words, especially if fighting off a demonic double-cross at the same time.
Victoricus led them past several chambers, all open to the hallway. A faded chanting spilled from these openings. Marrec couldn’t understand the words. He didn’t try. By the timbre of the sound, it was obvious the voices were not made by any creature with which he was familiar.
It wasn’t too far after the chanting that the ice demon stiffened, looked around, and pointed into a small alcove. The illumination burning on Justlance’s tip revealed a narrow flight of stairs, fleeing upwards.
Victoricus whispered, “This way.”
Gunggari walked to the alcove, bent to one knee, and examined the floor, the edges of the alcove, and the first few steps beyond. He grunted, nodding, and said, “Someone has recently ascended. More than one person.”
Marrec smiled. “Good. I can’t wait to see the expression on Fallon’s face when we finally catch him.”
Gunggari added, “Actually, more than two have gone up these stairsat least three. One set of prints must be Ash’s, they’re so small. The others are adults.”
“How many?” queried Marrec, worried.
“It’s hard to say. Could be as many as four more people, though some of the prints fade in and out. It is strange.”
“Let’s hurry, then,” Marrec decided.
They filed into the alcove; it was too narrow to go except one at a time, then on up the stairs, moving with alacrity. Victoricus, not so proficient on the stairs, fell behind.
5›he caught them just as they left the grasp of Under-Tharos. Some stars were visible through the overhanging branches of the Rawlinswood, but their light was not sufficient to illuminate Damanda and her cohorts as they fell upon Fallon and the child.
The elf hunter struggled in Bonehammer’s grip, before subsiding when Damanda caught his eye. “Easy, Fallon. You’re among friends, now.” She couldn’t help but smile when she spoke. Friendship was something Damanda knew of only as an intellectual concept.
Slender Absalme caught the child by the hair and made to lift her free of the earth. The girl called Ash reached up and touched Absalme’s wrist. A burst of sun-bight light exploded from where finger touched arm.
Damanda screamed, throwing a hand over her face. The light burned her, drove like hammered nails into her eyes, but an instant later, the terrible radiance winked out.
When she could see again, blinking away the great purple blotch, she saw that both Bonehammer and Lex lay moaning and steaming, just as her own exposed flesh still smoked.
There was no sign at all of Absalme.
It was clearer to Damanda, then, why the girl was also called the Child of Light. Damn the Rotting Man for failing to mention that particular detail. She snarled to her two remaining lieutenants “Get up, you sluggards.”
Luckily, Ash didn’t press her advantage. She had merely reacted to a touch she didn’t like and now stood quietly.
Meanwhile, Fallon also still stood, blinking, though of course his flesh hadn’t reacted quite so explosively to the light thrown off by the child. Damanda sighed. Fallon would retain his use, after all, she realized. She glided up to the elf, her eyes and skin already healing over.
“What were you trying to accomplish, ascending to the surface, elf?”
Fallon took a breath, then said, “I thought I could get to the center of Dun Tharos quicker, here on the surface, where my wood lore would be useful.”
Damanda shook her head and said, “You were instructed by the Talontyr to lure your pursuers through the dangers of Under-Tharos.”
“I was also entrusted to bring the Child of Light to him at the center. If I had fallen prey to some wandering demon below, I couldn’t very well do that, could I?”
Damanda’s eyes narrowed. Fallon was too impertinent for an underling. Time to end his independence here and now. She caught his eye, trying to snare him with her will. She was shocked when something, some obstruction in the elfs mind, prevented her. Some influence of the Child of Light, she knew instinctively.
She settled for cuffing the elf. Such was her strength that Fallon cried out, nearly felled.
Damanda lied, saying, “Listen, Fallon. You’re alive right now because you’ve proved yourself to our cause. Don’t jeopardize your position with foolish impudence.”
Rubbing his jaw, Fallon nodded, though Damanda thought she could detect a hint of defiance in the set of the elfs shoulders. She promised herself Fallon’s blood, once he had served his last purpose.
Damanda continued, “We’ve got to get moving, before dawn slips over the horizon. Fallon, continue to shepherd the girl, so that she accompanies us without qualm. She seems to have taken a liking to you.”
The elf hunter took one of Ash’s almost limp hands and did not trigger a burst of destroying light. That settled it; she’d have to let Fallon live until they got Ash into the presence of the Rotting Man.
“We’ll continue on the surface for a bit, since we’re here; it will be quicker. We’ll go to ground in a little place I know ahead, before the sun rises.”
Fallon glanced from her, to Bonehammer, to Lex, and finally to where Absalme had been destroyed by direct contact with Ash’s light. Damanda didn’t doubt the elf had recognized their nature. Good. In her long experience, such recognition inspired fear and obedience.
CHAPTER 26
Fallon followed behind the slender woman with purple hair that Damanda had called Lex, pulling Ash gently with one hand. Damanda broke the trail ahead of Lex, using techniques that the elf hunter recognized in his own woodcraft. The hulking Bonehammer walked behind, ensuring that Fallon didn’t try to run off into the woods, though he hoped that he had convinced the vampires that his loyalties lay with them.