Part 27 (1/2)
”Yes, squire?” interrupted the Prince
”ForgiveWe need a plan”
Arutha indulged hihs ”From you: a plan? Squire, that's rare”
”Well, I've seen that thing up close, Highness, and it's got the power to rip a le yank We need a priest to banish it to its own realician to destroy it”
”We have neither,” said Arutha ”And from what I reher poe face, it can be killed If it doesn't care for sunlight or cold steel, we have the means”
The Prince turned to William ”Lieutenant, you and the captain ride back to the other entrance Take a squad of archers with you Drive that thing to this door before the sun sets”
Treggar and Willia on to Arutha's stirrup for support ”What if it doesn't want to be driven, Highness?” asked Jao in after it,” said the Prince He then looked down at James and said, ”And 'we' doesn't include you, squire You've looked better” He motioned to one of his aides and said, ”Take the squire somewhere and see he eats and drinks water I don't think you'll have a struggle getting him to rest”
James allowed the soldier to lead hi hard rations and drinking tepid water from a skin barely cooled by evaporation He knew this e train was ood fare as anythe Prince, had eaten in days
Jaht to stay awake between bites He only half-re him a fresh tunic and trousers He knew his boots were down there in the room behind the armory, where he had been stripped for sacrifice, and vowed that when this was over he was going to get theht
Williaar mustered their men and the captain said, ”Lieutenant”
”Sir?”
”I' doith the first six eant and next six, and you lead the last six a bit after that The archers will stay here”
”Yes, sir”
Treggar said, ”The first squad will ht to the east I want the second squad to move to the south It's a fairly obvious route that will eventually turn east” To Williah one, Will Move to the north and head to the armory”
”Sir,” said Williaht and send for the other two squads Defend yourselves if you anized I want to try to use the archers to drive the thing toward the Prince's men”
Ropes were tied to the base of the two heavy ready racks and were lowered so that two men at a time could descend or cliar led the first squad down into the darkness
Williaar and his six men vanished, then the second squad under the coeant, then he led in his own six Twenty-one soldiers, thought Williah Never ahe had ever heard about deivings, he motioned for the last co to let one of the soldiers go first He justified the order by clai he had been this way before, then realized that he needn't justify anything to these ive the order
They were sloorking their way through a series of roo abattoir Blood splattered the walls and recognizable body parts were strewn around with chaotic abandon
The one fact William noted was that all the heads had been split or bitten open, and the brains eaten Willialanced at the faces of his o pale He sed hard to keep fro and felt less self-conscious
A noise in the distance alerted William to the demon's position He motioned for the others to hile he quietly went ahead to reconnoiter Hehis way down a hall Before hilanced through the door in front of hi every few feet to observe the expanded angle of view As he neared the door, he had a terrible feeling the de in one of the two corners beside the door,that Williaet a view of the creature
Right or left side? he asked hi, the noise coainst the right wall,low The creature's legs ca on the floor, legs extended, as if waiting
Waiting for what? Williaistered: it aiting for the sun to go down Willia for the archers, or glancing around the corner to get a better look at the thing He judged the risk worth the reward
He ht catch the de away from the door, several wounds visible upon its body
He pulled back Slowly, every step a painful exercise in self-control, he moved away from the room When he was near the point where his own er to his lips, then motioned for the men to move back
William had the men fall back to the last intersection they had passed When he was certain they were far enough back to not be heard, he whispered, The demon's in that rooood as they got The thing's bleeding a fair bit”
”Good,” whispered one of the men
Williagar and the others”
The soldier ran off
To another man, William said, ”Go fetch the archers, on the double”
The man hurried off
William turned to the others and said, ”Be ready, but no man is to speak or make a move until they hear an order from me”
The men nodded and waited, silently
SIXTEEN - Discovery