Castle Perilous (25 page)

Snowy was a little disoriented. “Hi, Gene,” he said. “Hey, I really did it!”

Corabella screamed. On Gene's side of the portal the walls turned milky and began to waver.

“Snowy, quick!” Gene reached across and tugged at a handful of Snowclaw's fur. Snowy got the idea and leaped across the boundary.

Darkness.

“Snowy?”

“Yeah, I'm here. Where are we?”

“The portal shut, and this room's a dead end. Jesus, that was another close one.”

“You're probably going to ask me where the hell I came from.”

“Well, now that you mention it,” Gene said.

“I was in that cage right up until a few seconds ago, and now I'm here. Just before that happened, I could see you. I wanted to help you, and suddenly I was here, helping you.”

“Congratulations! You got your magic power. Teleportation!”

“No kidding? Hey, that makes me a real magician, don't it?”

“It sure does, big fella. Now, if we can get out of this hole.”

As if on cue, an oblong of light materialized to the left — an opening, leading into familiar castle architecture.

“Here we go,” Snowclaw said. “By the way, what was that scene all about? Looked like fun.”

“Seventeenth century Italy, maybe, but nobody's ever said anything about time travel, so it must've been some goofy variant. I don't know. We gotta find Linda.”

“I think I can do just that,” Snowclaw said.

 

 

 

Donjon, Then Chapel

 

Jacoby stopped to examine a few of the curious torture devices that filled the room. He had known immediately what they were, though he was not certain how most of them worked or what torments they were designed to inflict. Some of them looked positively diabolical in intent. Looking them over, he felt a curious ambivalence — an amalgam of dismay and approval. These were but tools in the ungloved fist of power. There was no mercy in this room, only the certainty of punishment for trespasses against the ruling order. There was no compromise, and no escape.

He strode through a block of cells. The straw in them looked fresh, and he wondered when the facility had last housed prisoners. Everything looked perfectly functional, ready for use. But that was no different from the usual state of things here; he had never seen anything in the entire castle that looked worn-out or dilapidated, even though the place was reputed to be thousands of years old.

He left the donjon and searched for stairs. He had had his fill of the cellar. Besides, he needed food. He regretted losing Linda. No one had seen the cook for the last few days, but the Guests' dining room had been laid out with enough nonperishable items to last for weeks. If he could get up there —

The floor began to shake, and the stone walls shimmered. Jacoby dived to the floor, buried his head in his arms and rode out the disturbance.

When he thought it safe, he climbed to his feet and looked about. The tremors seemed a little less intense in this area of the castle, thank heaven for that. He was in a large high-ceiling chamber. It was dark, and he had to squint to pick out some detail in the far wall. He saw what looked like enormous cast-iron doors, similar to those on great cathedrals. He walked toward them.

Suddenly, a thin bright vertical line of light appeared between the doors and began to widen. Slowly, ponderously, the enormous entrance swung open, revealing an interior flashing with yellow-orange light.

“COME FORWARD!”

Jacoby's heart froze. It was the loudest, most terrifying voice he had ever heard. Stiffly, he turned and started running, but there was nothing but darkness back where he'd come from. He stopped and slowly turned to face the hellish light.

“WE BID YOU ENTER. OBEY NOW, OR INCUR OUR UNSPEAKABLE WRATH.”

Jacoby tottered forward. The color drained from his face, and beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead like condensation on a pitcher of ice water.

He passed through the huge iron doors into a vast cathedral. Looking toward its farthest end, he beheld what had summoned him. He sank to his knees and averted his eyes.

“WE ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR OBEISANCE. ARISE, SERVANT, AND BE INFORMED OF A BUSINESS OF GREAT MOMENT.”

Jacoby got up on shaky legs. He could not bring himself to look directly at the beatific visage behind the plumes of smoke and the tongues of fire.

“KNOW THAT SOON, VERY SOON, THIS HOUSE SHALL FALL. IT WILL VANISH, AND WITH IT ALL WHO DWELL WITHIN. TELL US NOW WHY THIS FATE SHOULD NOT BEFALL SUCH A ONE AS YOU.”

Jacoby nearly swallowed his tongue before he could get out, “Oh, Great One . . . if there were any way that I might be spared — ”

“THERE IS. YOU WILL BE CHARGED WITH A TASK. UPON ITS COMPLETION YOUR WORTHINESS WILL BE JUDGED ACCORDINGLY.”

Jacoby's eyes were desperate. “Anything, Great One! Anything!”

“YOUR WILLINGNESS PLEASES US. DO YOU STILL BEAR THE FRAGMENT OF THE BRAIN OF RAMTHONODOX?”

Jacoby fumbled in his suit, finally bringing forth the crystal. “Here it is, Great One — I did not steal it! I swear. In fact, I took it from the thief himself! He — ”

“THE MATTER IS OF NO GREAT IMPORT. WE ARE WILLING TO FORGIVE PAST TRANSGRESSIONS IN LIGHT OF SERVICES PERFORMED ON OUR BEHALF. ATTEND US. YOU WILL PROCEED AT ONCE TO THE NETHERMOST REGIONS OF THE CASTLE. YOUR FOOTSTEPS WILL BE GUIDED ALONG THE PROPER PATH. YOU WILL BE CONDUCTED AWAY FROM THIS HOUSE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. THERE YOU WILL AWAIT OUR PLEASURE. YOU MUST HENCEFORTH GUARD THE FRAGMENT WITH YOUR LIFE, OR YOUR DOOM IS SEALED. SPEAK NOW, AND TELL US YEA OR NAY.”

“Yea!” Jacoby squeaked. “Oh, yes! I shall be infused with holy purpose! Nothing shall divert me, O Great One! Even if — ”

“ENOUGH. BEHOLD.”

The glossy floor quaked, heaved, then shattered, a huge crack appearing and widening rapidly. Smoke and occasional bursts of flame issued from the jagged chasm that soon gaped wide.

Jacoby fell on his buttocks. “Good Lord!” And then, muttering bitterly, “This is absurd!”

“ARISE,” the voice commanded. “COME FORWARD.”

He got up and moved reluctantly to the edge of the pit. A rough stone stairway descended into it.

“YOUR JOURNEY MAY BEGIN. THE WAY WILL BE MADE CLEAR, AND YOU WILL BE UNDER OUR PROTECTION AT EVERY STEP. DISCHARGE THIS OBLIGATION, AND YOU WILL FIGURE HIGH IN THE NEW ORDER.”

“New order?” Jacoby said.

“THIS HOUSE SHALL BE BUILT AGAIN, AND ONE WHO IS OUR SERVANT SHALL BE ITS MASTER. PERFORM THIS TASK WHICH WE HAVE GIVEN YOU, AND BE CHIEF AMONG OUR SERVANTS.”

“I shall perform it,” Jacoby said firmly.

“GOOD. THEN GO.”

“But who — ”

“WE HAVE COMMANDED YOU . . . GO!”

“Yes, Holy One!”

Stumbling, slipping and muttering all the way, Jacoby disappeared into the earth.

When he was gone, the voice laughed.

 

 

 

Lower Levels

 

Linda hugged the floor until the tremors passed, then got up and started walking again. An enormous blue flying insect buzzed by. She ducked, and the thing went sailing over her head — then transformed itself into an umber bird and continued down the tunnel. Crawling things skittered across the floor. To her own surprise, Linda had ceased jumping at their every appearance. She hated bugs, but she was rapidly getting used to far worse.

There seemed no end to this maze, and she was near despair.

No, she told herself. You're not giving up. You'll find Gene and we'll get out of this place. Believe it.

She believed it. For the first time in her life she actually believed she could do something, that she could be a cause and not just an effect.

A section of the right wall slid back, revealing the end of a large pipe. Her reflexes well-sharpened by now, Linda was quick to step back. As she did, there came the sound not unlike a commode flushing. Water spurted from the pipe, and then a man came sliding out and tumbled to the floor.

Linda held her nose.

Osmirik groaned and massaged the base of his spine.

“Mother Goddess!”

“Are you hurt?” Linda asked him.

He was startled at first, but when he saw Linda, he broke into a smile. “Greetings,” he said. “Be you human, or only a fair approximation?”

“All too human, I'm afraid,” Linda said. “Can I help you?”

“I am undamaged . . . methinks.” Osmirik struggled to his feet, wincing.

“Oh! Are you sure you're all right?”

“You are too kind, fair lady. No, I am sound enough.”

“However did you get yourself into the plumbing?”

“It is a convoluted tale. I fell in, then was plucked out, but I had to throw myself back in, so to speak, in order to get out again.”

Linda nodded, shrugging, “Makes sense.”

“Very little, I'm afraid. I'm at my wit's end. I seek a certain person who may be about this part of the castle.”

“Oh. Let me ask you a personal question. Are you out to help this person?”

Osmirik gave her an odd look. “In truth, no. Why do you ask?”

“This is just a wild guess, but is this person a tall, skinny redhead with well-developed magical powers and about half-a-dozen soldiers for bodyguards?”

Osmirik was taken aback. “You have seen her?”

“Oh, we've met.”

Osmirik grasped Linda's arm. “Where?” Linda flinched away, and he let go. “Forgive me. I am not wont to manhandle a lady. I am sore distressed. I must find this woman. She is a danger to us all.”

“You're telling me. She nearly killed me and my friends.”

“That is danger enough, but she threatens the existence of many more. Where did you see her?”

“That's the problem. We escaped from the room where the Brain is, and then we — ”

“The Brain? Of Ramthonodox?”

“Yes.” Linda explained.

After listening, Osmirik nodded. “So the Stone and the Brain are together, the one holding the other in suspension, the other feeding its power into the containing spell.”

“Huh? Well, they're related, if that's what you mean. Just what is Super-Bitch up to?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“The woman. Your friend.”

“She is hardly my friend. She is my liege lady and mistress.”

“Mistress? Oh, you mean you're her servant.”

“That is so. You were saying that you escaped from the room wherein the Brain resides.”

“Yeah, but now we're lost again.”

“ ‘We'?”

“Well, yeah, my friends, but as you can see, we got separated.”

“Hey, Linda!” came Snowclaw's voice.

Linda whirled, searching. “Snowy! Where are you?”

“Hold on!”

A moment later Snowclaw materialized in the corridor. He flashed a toothy grin. “Hey, how about that? Neat trick, huh?”

“Fabulous! You got your talent!”

“Ain't it something? By the way, I found Gene.”

Linda jumped up and hugged him. “You wonderful guy! Where is he?”

“Well, it's kind of hard to explain, but I just left him to get to you. I can jump right back, but I don't exactly know where he is in relation to here — if you know what I mean.” He put Linda down and sniffed, looking around. “Hey, who did doo-doo all over the floor?”

“Never mind. Let's find Gene.”

“That's gonna take some doing.”

“You say you don't know where he is, but you can get there by doing your disappearing act?”

“Yeah.”

“Why don't you jump back to Gene and tell him to start yelling. We'll do it too.”

“Right.” Snowy poked a milky claw at Osmirik. “Who's this dude?”

“This is — I'm sorry, I didn't get your name.”

“Osmirik, scribe to the House of Gan.”

“He's on our side, Snowy. Nice to meet you, Os . . .”

“Osmirik.”

“Sorry. I'm Linda Barclay, and this is Snowclaw. Very pleased to meet you, Osmirik.”

“The honor is mine, Mistress Linda Barclay, and . . . Snowclaw.” Osmirik bowed deeply.

“Okay,” Snowclaw said. “I'll jump back.” He closed his eyes briefly, turned his body slightly to the right, took two steps and vanished.

“Wow,” Linda said admiringly. “Neat.”

“I believe I can find your friend,” Osmirik said.

“You can?”

“We all have our talents, do we not? I seem to have been endowed with certain olfactory gifts ordinarily reserved for dumb beasts.”

“Olfactory? You mean you can smell Gene from here?”

“No, but the creature who just left us has a most unusual odor. He is in that direction.” Osmirik pointed to his right.

“Speaking of unusual odors . . .”

After Osmirik had bathed in the travertine tub Linda had thoughtfully conjured, he rubbed himself down, put on the clean tunic and tights she had also conjured, then stepped out from the partition.

“I hope I do not catch my death of ague. I was taught that it is not advisable to immerse one's body.”

“It's not only advisable, it's desirable. And fun.”

“Especially with another person,” Gene said.

Linda spun around. Gene had his arms wrapped around Snowclaw. “Hey, it worked, Snowy.”

“Whattaya know,” Snowclaw said. “I don't know how, though.”

“Apparently you have a teleportation field around you,” Gene said. “On second thought, why wouldn't a chunk of the floor go with you too?” He shook his head. “No, it's magic. You just have the ability to teleport things, including your own body.” He looked toward Osmirik. “Hi, there.”

Osmirik bowed.

 

 

 

Deepest Levels

 

The caverns were deep and dark. Jacoby was fearful, but he trusted the voice. No harm would befall him as long as he persevered in his sacred mission. He passed through chamber after chamber, a strange radiance lighting his way, moving with him. As far as he could tell, the light had no source. It simply illuminated the area about him within a ten-foot radius. The caves themselves were visible by virtue of an innate luminescence in the rock.