Part 10 (1/2)

Wikkell and Deek paused to dine upon several carefully selected fungi and to rest from their labors at the scull oar While neither creature was bothered by toadstools that would fatally fell a man, each had his own preference as to flavor, and so each searched for the particular variety of cave-growing fungus that suited hi their favorites in short order

”I would say we made excellent time thus far today,” Wikkell said around a mouthful of putrid yellow mushroom

Deek, now firmly upon solid rock, scraped his reply ”I-indeed A p-p-pleasant ay to t-t-travel”

Wikkell nodded ”Aye And I was thinking that the plants ht find useful Clothing, perhaps; or they ht even be persuaded to ht had c-crossed m-my m-mind” Since it was not necessary for Deek to utilize his mouth for speech, he continued to eat all the while he said this

”Of course ould eventually run out of bats and Whites to trade, but I for one cannot say I would be greatly aggrieved if that should come to pass”

”N-n-nor ould I”

Wikkell sed a mouthful of hisvery fine indeed” He started to take yet another bite of the”The wizard would never allow it,” he said, his voice sad

Deek paused in his own ht N-n-neither ould the itch”

Wikkell's appetite was gone of a moment He tossed the mushroom aside and brushed the crumbs of it from his lips ”I do not recall it personally, of course, but I am told that the caves were aof the wizard and the witch”

”S-s-so I t-too h-have h-h-heard A p-p-pity”

Wikkell stood and rubbed his hands together to war to be done for it, is there? To raise a hand against Katamay Rey would result in instant liquidity and putrification” ”C-c-chuntha p-prefers the l-l-liave out with their versions of a shudder

”Best we depart, Deek old slug The sooner we get this business behind us, the better”

”A-a-aye, O-one-Eye O-one m-m-must d-deal ith r-r-reality”

”Unfortunately Come I shall assist you into our boat”

”Y-y-you are t-too k-k-kind”

After Deek was aboard, Wikkell shoved the lightweight craft into the water and hopped inside As soon as the oar cleared the shore, he began bending it back and forth in the powerful scull he had gotten better at as they had traveled Perhaps there was some way he and Deek could both come out of this adventure with their skins whole There were, after all, at least three humans, and from the debacle he had witnessed in the bat cave, likely a fewabout Were Wikkell to return with several of them for Rey's pleasure, as to know if Deek also captured a few for the witch?

According to the oral history of the caves, there had been a time hundreds of seasons past when the cyclopes and the wor in har no one

The plants had feasted upon the ether better proposition than it was under the rule of either witch or wizard Wikkell could see how it h sort,moron of a White, and certainly much, much nicer than the hu At the very least, Deek considered the cyclopes thinking beings, even if ene hi the great ith a rock after all Wikkell would think about it and gently broach the subject when it ht be appropriate

All of which was moot, of course, did they not catch the hu of the unpleasant alternative to losing their prey

Offhand, the Harskeel could not recall ever having traveled or even having heard of anyone who had traveled in such a ridiculous manner It and its men sat perched upon the da hauled rapidly along an underground ay by no less than forty blood-drinking bats Would that he could see such an asseht to behold fro in competition with both a powerful wizard and an equally powerful witch for the bounty they all sought The Harskeel had a healthy respect for arnered the hard way, and its only hope was to obtain the prize first and be gone before a bigger dog arrived to take it The bats, expansive with blood-bloated bellies, had told hients, the cyclopes and the giant worrew trickier by the moment

Still, the Harskeel considered, it was itself not without resources Aside fro ht well to protect their hides-the Harskeel also had a few sic, either, but with the eleht tiht here or a thick fog there could alter the course of a battle There were five barrels of blood left in the spell he had promised the bats Said creatures would scarcely appreciate wasting such a delectable treat by having it pour down upon an eneermane to its own plans One did what one had to do to win, and demons devour the losers

Theup a fine spray, such was the thing's bat-augle wored Could they but stay ahead of the witch and the wizard, the game was still within the Harskeel's reach At this speed, it did not see how it could lose

Once again Rey's teo forth seeking sport, but he had co either his prey or his cyclops Perhaps Wikkell was dead after all, and if so, just as well, for failure was so Rey could not abide There were a hundred other cyclopes who could replace Wikkell, though the fool had once shown proht By the process of eli He must have obtained a boat of some kind No matter He would not escape that easily

Rey called for his chest of spells The cyclops bearer shambled forth and deposited the case upon the rock The beast clunked the load down somewhat heavily

”Careful, fool! Should you break the wrong item, this entire cave could disappear into limbo!”

A lie, of course, but Rey enjoyed the instant look of fear that appeared on the face of the cyclops

Rey dug around in the case until he foundThe Book of Structural TheurgyHe caused a sht thuh the pages

Tees Ah, there it was Now if his memory served, there should be a spell here

Set's Scales! Where was it? He knew he had used the spell before; it was like a bridge at the shore that appeared in the direction one traveled and disappeared behind It had to be here some where wait, it came to him, he should look under ”Dock”

Yes There it was

Rey y, and waited expectantly A heartbeat later the dock blinked into existence, as solid as could be

The wizard smiled at the sudden drone of the Cyclopes That is correct, et it

Magic concluded, Rey returned to his sedan and waved one indolent hand toward the dock ”Forward,”

he said

His carriers obeyed Before they reached the end of thethe dock that much farther into the water As the party neared the end of that section, yet another appeared, while behind them, the dock next to the shore winked out as if it had never been The wizard could have caused it to reh Conservation ofone's self The pace was stately rather than rapid, but Rey did not worry over this He knew that the Sunless Sea ended so that traveled that way upon the waters would return in this direction

It was only a matter of time

Chuntha's travels led her to a different fjord of the Sunless Sea than that of her rival's This had been her intent, and she planned to reht until they caht She could not see the wizard ahead, but her scout had returned with news of his position, and he was right where she wanted him With surprise on her side, she would take care of him once and for all

The iate the ay, but a clever witch was never stymied by such trifles