The Dark Lord's Demise (26 page)

Wes sighed. "Okay, okay. I still don't trust them, but we can give
them one more chance. After all, we're not dependent on them.
We've got the Sword of Geburah, and we've got the pigeon to help

Lisa turned thoughtful. "You know, in the dungeon I told Betty
that Gaal was with its even if we couldn't see him. Now I have to ask
myself if I believe that."

"I hadn't thought of it that way before," Kurt said slowly. "You're
right. I guess he's here whether we see him or not. But we also
have to be smart about what we do and when we do it. That's why I
said I didn't feel right about this trip. And I still don't."

Wes was irked. "Don't start that again. Okay, here's what we'll
do. If we come across the soldiers, we take them back-but we
never again trust them completely."

"Well, I'm glad you've made that decision for us," Kurt grumbled.
They all fell silent as they started back along the forest path in the
direction of Nephesh.

"Spirit! I have unfortunately just witnessed one of your most dismal failures!"

Lord Lunacy's voice reverberated in the book-lined room. He
was again seated in midair at one end of the long table. The gray
mist once again quivered at the other end of the table. While the
Dark Lord looked the same, the misty spirit had assumed a somewhat more human shape. Within its opaque body a few streaks of
silver and gold glittered like threads of ghostly embroidery.

Lunacy's tone was a mix of bitter sarcasm and suppressed anger.
"Was it beyond your power to make that disgusting eagle drop that
jeweled monstrosity into Lake Bamah? Could not our accomplices
hang onto their own weapons and not hand them over to children?"

"I confess the outcome was not all we hoped, majesty. I believed
that a direct attack early on was the best approach. May I say that
both our accomplices did their tasks as planned. They drew back
and allowed the attack to proceed, and they stood ready to cut off a
retreat."

"And one gave up his weapon as easily as a toy is taken from a
baby! Never mind. I will deal with him. Now what of that miserable
creature you sent to attack? It was so incompetent; I could hardly
bear to watch."

"The ogre had won many battles in its lifetime. Lately it had
become overconfident. Your more monstrous subjects are not
known for their wisdom."

"A quality you share with them. No doubt that is why you manage them so well."

"Thank you, your majesty," the spirit replied with no hint of sarcasm. Lunacy continued: "What approach will you take next? Will
you send another goblin?"

"I think not, my lord. It might succeed if our quarry were ordinary Regenskind. However, you observed the workings not only of
the jeweled sword but of the pigeon-"

The Dark Lord's fist banged the table. While his body could go
through walls (and his legs literally projected through the floor at this moment), lie could connect powerfully with physical objects if
he chose. The spirit flinched but did not back off. Lunacy roared,
"Can you not do away with that foul bird? The thing is no more
than a handful of fluff, yet it returns to plague us at all the wrong
times."

The spirit rallied its nerve. "It is well known, your majesty, that
the bird lies beyond our powers. Our only hope is to distract our
prey from its presence or else lead them to forget-or deny-that it
exists. But there is good news, majesty! Perhaps you do not know
that the young female Betty is now firmly in our possession."

"I know everything, spirit."

The gray shape bowed in acknowledgement. Its bottom half had
broadened out to form a shape like a long, flowing skirt. The top
narrowed to make a recognizable head, which rested on something like shoulders. "She is now ours and is ever more strongly
drawn to our side. She will be most valuable to our cause. She is an
excellent prospect to carry on the story of an alliance between your
magisterial self and ... the Despised One."

Lunacy chuckled. "Excellent! We needed a new specimen, one
untaught in the history of Anthropos. But let us get back to the
other three loathsome children. What will you do next to stop
them?"

"The soldiers are still in the forest, master. They have their
orders. They are to cause the death of the three by any means they
can. Our original scheme was that they should let the ogre do the
work, but-well, you saw what took place."

"Can they not do the deed themselves?" Lunacy roared. "Are
they soldiers or are they cowards?" His voice fell to a dangerous
rumble. "The three cannot be allowed to reach the island. Too
often in the past they have wrecked my designs. Their presence on
the island will endanger my great plan. As you know, my enemy
has not dared show himself in Anthropos for some time. I shall
now force him to reveal himself in a place where I shall destroy
him forever!"

The gray being sparkled as with laces of inner jewels. "It is a
brilliant plan, master. But if I may be bold enough to say so, one
part of it escapes me. Does it not depend upon the cooperation of our enemy's followers? If I am correct, all his loyal subjects must
gather on the shores of Lake Nachash."

"Correct. There are not many of them left. They are not my concern. They are only the bait for my trap. We shall lure them to the
lake and there place them in mortal danger. The Despised One,
for some unknown reason, cares greatly for them. He will be
forced to come to their rescue. I and all my forces will be ready for
him."

"But how shall you lure them to Lake Nachash? They will never
follow you there."

A low vibration shook the room. It grew, and the tapestries on
the walls rippled. Their fearsome woven scenes of battle writhed in
living movement. Books trembled on their shelves. Paintings
knocked against walls and even the windowpanes rattled. The
vibration took on the rhythm of laughter. The Dark Lord's teeth
showed huge and yellowish as his terrible mirth made the room
quake. He cried, "They will not follow me, but they will follow this!
Miserable spirit, behold my ultimate creation!"

Over Lunacy's shoulder, a ghostly form took shape in midair. It
was a man in a long, white robe. Sandals were on his feet. His hair
and beard were white, and his skin was brown, as from sun and
open air. The figure reached out his arms in a gesture of welcome.
His face was indistinct but grew gradually more clear. The spirit
could not stand to look. It gagged, choked and fell back in terror.

Lunacy was pleased. "So it fooled you too! Good. I am rather
proud of it. Do you think it is a good likeness?"

The spirit dared to take another look at the figure in white.
"Y-yes, my lord. It is an excellent likeness. Perhaps a bit unlifelike
in its motions-"

"Perhaps. I am working on that. The face, too, is not yet perfect.
However, it shall be sufficient for my plans. The image will appear
briefly to the various followers of the Enemy throughout Anthropos. It will tell them to travel to Lake Nachash, where he will reveal
himself to them all. Its appearance will be fleeting, sometimes distant in the sky, so any flaws will go undetected. The Despised One's
foolish followers are so hungry to see him that they will believe
and obey."

"It is well done, your majesty. Now will you please make it disappear?"

"Can't bear the sight of him, can you? I agree. You notice I
placed him behind me to display him to you. Before I bid him
leave, let me tell you a few other details of my plan. The priest Hazilon has won the confidence of many of the fanatics. He will
encourage them that the appearances are genuine. He will personally lead a company of the Despised One's followers from the area
of Nephesh. Others will arrive from the other districts." The gray
spirit still squirmed in misery. Gradually the image of the man in
white faded and vanished. Lunacy's lips curled into a wicked smile.
"I enjoy your reaction, spirit. It reassures me of your loyalty."

"You should never question my loyalty, my lord," said the spirit.
Its voice had a daring edge of bitterness.

"Go and intercept the three," Lunacy instructed quietly. "This
time do not fail."

"I shall not fail, majesty. Truly your wisdom and skill amaze me.
I would not have thought you could manufacture such a convincing imitation of ... convincing imitation of'. . . Gaal!"

The Dark Lord leaped to his feet with a bellow that threatened
to crack the walls of the place. One gigantic stride took him to the
other end of the table. His arm swung out in wild fury at the mention of the accursed name he hated.

But the gray spirit was gone.

Lisa still carried Dorninicus's sword, sticky with green goblin blood.
She desperately wanted to clean it. She hated how it looked and
smelled. Anthropos swords are not made of stainless steel; they
need to be cleaned at once after battle or they rust. Lisa stopped to
scrub the sword blade with leaves and dirt and swipe it on long
weeds. "Not perfect, but that will have to cfo for now," she said.
When no one answered, she realized that Wes and Kurt had gotten
ahead of her and disappeared around a bend in the path. She
knew they wouldn't get very far ahead, but she was glad she had
the sword in case another monster appeared. She was about to
hurry on when she thought she heard a voice say something like,
"Thwz closn."

She looked toward the sound. To her delight, through the trees
it few yards off the trail, she saw Philo. He stood in a little open
patch of grass. Sunlight through the leaves made dapples on his
white coat. His panniers had slipped to one side, but otherwise he
looked fine.

"Oh, Milo!" Lisa called as she waded into the woods toward
him. "You're all right! Easy, boy. I know you're scared, but please
don't take off again. Easy now."

The horse didn't look scared at all. If anything, he looked
bored. He chewed a mouthful of grass and switched his tail. Lisa
approached him and patted his neck. "It's funny," she said as she
figured out how to readjust the straps of his packs. "I was sure you
said something to me. Must have been my imagination."

The voice came again. "Ized, thwz closn."

This time the voice distinctly came from Philo's mouth. He swallowed his grass and said, "Excuse me. I was talking with my mouth
full. It is it habit that afflicts many horses. The result of it life of
constant grazing. I said, 'l'hat was a close one.'"

"Can you talk?" Lisa asked, though the answer was obvious. In
Anthropos she was accustomed to talking animals, but she had not
thought this horse had the power of speech.

Philo snorted. "Of course I can talk. I can also whinny, nicker,
trot, canter, paw and roll. I cannot whistle like you humans, but it is
not a talent I wish to develop. It hurts my ears. A little looser with
that strap, please. Also the weight is not quite centered. A tad bit to
my right will do it." (Lisa was trying to adjust the pannier.) "Tell me,
young Lady Lisa, is the excitement over? From here it sounded as
though the . . . thing"-the horse shuddered-"had been
defeated."