Excerpts, Serials, and Out-of-Print

After a brief discussion, in which Crème related the cat queen's proposal and the compensation she offered, Medb questioned him extensively to make sure she had all the details she needed before she accepted the mission. She then made arrangements to meet him at Ulthar's northern gate the next morning. The rest of the day she spent preparing for the journey, followed by a wash and massage at Yamamoto's bathhouse, a feast at Gündersen's tavern, and a night in the arms of several of Lady Titania's bondmen.

Medb and her companions, along with Crème, set out from Ulthar at dawn and journeyed to the port of Hlanith on the mouth of the Oukranos River. There on the city's oaken docks they sought passage across the Cerenarian Sea, and found a ship that was returning to Inganok on the evening tide to trade its cargo of wine casks, copper and tin ingots, and raw blue glass nodules for blocks of quarried and dressed onyx. Medb was prepared to pay well for their passage, but the sailors joyfully welcomed her for the sake of Crème and refused all payment. No cat would knowingly sail on any ship headed for Inganok, so their craft was often plagued with rodents. Crème had been ordered by the Council of Elders to accompany Medb, so he had no choice, but he gladly hunted the mice and rats that had crept aboard in port. Medb, Teehar, and Conaed meanwhile entertained the crew with songs and stories during the day, while she entertained them in their hammocks at night. In this manner the voyage passed so quickly and enjoyably that the crew was sorry to see them disembark when they arrived at their destination, under the perpetually twilit skies of the north.

At the captain's suggestion, the party took a room at an inn frequented by foreign sailors. Medb's plan was to watch and listen for a time before acting, in the hope of learning the whereabouts of the statue. So, as on the boat, she entertained the inn's patrons with songs during the day and those willing to share their beds with her at night. The first evening she had been surprised when, at the sound of a bell pealing high over the city, the people at the inn, residents and foreign sailors alike, stopped whatever they were doing, knelt, and bowed towards the center of the town. Medb stopped singing for a moment and heard faintly the sound of chanting accompanied by musical instruments from far off. Yet when she tried to continue, she was silenced by the others present, and only after the bell went quiet and the chanting had faded away was she allowed to resume. This behavior annoyed her at first, especially since the bell tolled frequently and at all hours of the day and night, but after a short while she grew used to it, and she even emulated the people so as not to incur their enmity.

Medb sent Teehar to scout the city during the day, since she preferred to remain at the inn to talk with the other guests, and it wasn't long before he became a familiar sight flitting among the balconies and garden plots. Conaed stayed with Medb, helping her to catalog and analyze the rumors and gossip they overheard, as they tried to sift out nuggets of information. She had wanted Crème to scout the city at night, but he was visibly afraid and refused to leave her side. This puzzled her, for the city seemed safe enough, and its people seemed to generally like cats. In fact, the innkeeper and his family were so overjoyed to have a cat in their establishment they gave Medb a substantial discount on her rent. Yet, no matter how patient and solicitous the people tried to be, Crème refused to have anything to do with them. So one evening, Medb asked him about this while they relaxed in the privacy of their room.

"Truthfully, Madam, I do not know, but it is a fear from of old, taught to all kittens while they suckle their mothers' milk."

"Runt," she addressed the Zoog, "what do you know of it?"

Conaed closed his peat-brown eyes and concentrated for some moments; when he opened them again, he looked not at his companions, but seemed to peer as if at something far away. "Nigh onto a thousand years ago," he began in a sing-song voice, "cats traveled freely to Inganok; indeed, Her Most Serene Feline Majesty and the Council of Elders came twice a year to worship at the Temple of the Elder Ones. Then one day the High Priest performed a forbidden ceremony. He opened a gate unto the very depths of space, releasing beings from the outer spheres into the Lands of the Dreams of Men. The Queen of Cats and Her Council, with the aid of a human sorceress, drove back the beings and closed the gate, but many cats were killed in the struggle, and afterward the city was tainted. The Queen cursed the city then, in the name of Bast, and forbade any cat to go there again, and so it has been down to this day."

Conaed fell silent, then blinked and shook himself. Crème stared at the Zoog, his dust-blue eyes wide with astonished wonder, but said nothing. Medb also made no comment, but afterward she let the cat have his way.

Her break came after two weeks, the afternoon that a half-dozen Men of Leng entered the inn. Despite the close proximity of Inganok to the Plateau of Leng, its inhabitants rarely came to the city, and those few who did, coming overland with their trains of yaks to trade their unusual silk and blood-red rubies for onyx, preferred the inns and taverns in the northern part of the city that were frequented by the quarrymen. That day, however, one of their black galleys had arrived in port, and the captain and his mates came to Medb's inn. When they arrived, she had been singing for a group of sailors from Ogrothan, and the Leng-men listened as they drank a beverage from a bottle they brought with them. When she finished, they called her over to their table, jingling a full purse the size of an apple to catch her attention. Medb had not interacted with Leng-men before, but she had seen them going about their business in Dylath-Leen, and she had heard the stories concerning them and their habits. Accordingly, she suspected that what they really wanted was entertainment of a different sort. Still, she joined them, leaving Crème in Conaed's care.

As soon as she sat down, they wasted no time in propositioning her, offering her a chest of rubies if she would come back to their ship and service the entire crew. Their manner was convincing, yet from the evil glint in their eyes and their toothy, wide-mouthed grins, it was obvious to Medb what they were doing. She pretended to agree, and they offered her some of their beverage. Medb suspected it was either drugged or so heady with alcohol that it would make anyone intoxicated very quickly, but because of her magically enhanced vitality, she had no worries on either score. She accepted their bottle, which she saw was carved from a single ruby, and found the liquid both foul smelling and tasting, but she managed to swallow a few mouthfuls. Sure enough, she could feel the liquor's effects creep over her body almost immediately, and she pretended to become inebriated. When she appeared to be helpless, the Leng-men picked her up by her limbs and carried her out of the inn, as the family and other patrons watched helplessly.

They did not, however, take her to their boat as she expected. Instead, they headed into the city towards the warehouses. Entering one tiny dismal shack, they unceremoniously threw her facedown onto the bare, filth-covered floor, then gathered together off to one side to discuss her fate. Feigning a drunken stupor, Medb lay still, listening to their conversation. Though they spoke in their own vile, guttural tongue, Medb magically understood every word they said. Apparently they had been hired to kidnap a massive woman traveling with a cat, a bird, and a Zoog, and to dispose of her in whatever manner they saw fit. They were now discussing just what to do with her. Some of the ideas they entertained sounded intriguing, but when it became obvious that they would reveal no further information she needed, she decided it was time to ask more direct questions.

She stood up slowly, keeping her eyes on them at all times. For their part, they were so engrossed in their heated debate that they didn't notice her at first, but that was to be expected, as she was clouding their minds to her presence. One fatal error on their part was failing to disarm her, and she seized the opportunity presented by their distraction to draw her foot-long dirk from her belt. Even then, it wasn't until she walked up and tapped one of the Leng-men on his shoulder that they finally took notice of her.

Though surprised, they were still overly confident, and they drew their own wicked, heavy-bladed knives as they grinned in anticipation. As they moved to surround her, Medb took a moment to undo her belt and toss it aside. She then pulled on the lacings that held her gown closed at the shoulders, letting it slip off her body and collapse at her feet. She was now nude except for the shoes on her feet, a necklace of heavy, twisted gold around her neck, and a white metal headband on her brow. If anything, the Leng-men grinned all the wider and gave each other lewd glances, but her own derisive smile indicated that she was completely unconcerned.

The resulting fight was as quick and one-sided as the Leng-men expected it to be, but not in their favor. They were strong, and their knives were deadly weapons, but their technique was clumsy, and they had no concept of cooperative tactics, except to rush her all at once. Medb, on the other hand, had experience fighting with more than one opponent simultaneously. Her only weakness was that she wasn't trying to kill them: her blows with blade, pommel, or fist were meant to stun and incapacitate, which, considering their compact and oddly shaped bodies, was more easily imagined than accomplished. As a result, she suffered a number of wounds herself, some fairly deep, and the tide did not completely turn until Crème and Conaed joined the fray. Medb had already subdued three, but the remaining three were proving more difficult. She was thus as surprised as they were when a squalling tomcat leapt onto the back of one of her attackers and sank his teeth and front claws into his neck as he began ripping with his back claws. At the same instant, a cloud of glowing green darts unleashed by Conaed struck the back of another. Both fell to the ground, howling in pain. Grinning viciously, Medb turned on the last, the captain, and, after a quick exchange of blows, she worked in close and slammed the pommel of her dirk into his temple. She did the same to the last two still conscious.

As Runt and Crème watched, Medb stripped the unconscious Leng-men of their clothes and possessions, and dumped the five mates into the street. The captain she tied up with his own clothing, then waited for him to awaken. She was somewhat appalled by their satyrish bodies and their unkempt, greasy fur, alive with lice, but she managed to choke down her revulsion and finish her work.

When he finally did awaken, he found Medb standing over him, still naked, with her dirk in one hand and his knife in the other.

"You have information I want," she told him solemnly; "you will tell me what I want to know, have no illusions about that. So I give you a choice: you may freely answer my questions, in which case I will release you and you may return to your ship unharmed; or you may refuse, in which case —" and she rubbed the flats of the blades together for emphasis.

The captain simply grinned his contempt as he spat at her. The saliva landed between her ample breasts. She casually looked down at herself, but when she looked back up again she gave him a ferocious grin. "I hoped that would be your answer," she said evilly, then knelt down beside him. She worked on him for the next hour; he was tough and strong-willed, but Medb was not inexperienced at the art of persuasion, and eventually he told her all he knew, which unfortunately was not much. Afterwards, she cut off his manhood, then collected her dress and her friends and left.

She did not bother to dress before returning to the inn, so the sight of her walking through the streets naked, spattered with blood and grime, elicited many frightened stares. Back at the inn, the family was surprised and more than a little apprehensive to see her. At her request, they poured a bath for her in her room and brought her food and drink, and sent a messenger to the black galley with news of where the crew could find their captain; they also took her dress to be cleaned.

As she washed herself and tended to her wounds, she talked with her companions. According to the captain of the black galley, the statue of Bast had been stolen by a priest of the ancient cult of Ubasti, for the purpose of reviving the faith in the Lands of Dream. "Tell me of this cult," she asked.

"Nephren-Ka, called the Black Pharaoh," explained Crème, "first introduced the worship of Nyarlathotep and other dark gods to ancient Egypt. He also corrupted the established cults, including that of Bast. When his reign was brought down by the Pharaoh Sneferu, the cult was destroyed by the loyal priests who managed to survive the Black Pharaoh's pogroms, but some worshipers survived, and it continued underground. Later, Queen Nitocris revived the cult along with those of the other dark gods, and later still it flourished again under the reign of the Pharaoh Akenaten, but mostly it survives now in secret."

"According to the lore of the Elder Beings, Lady," Conaed added, "Nyarlat was the brother of Azathoth, produced by the union of the Aion Sophia and the Servitor Apep. In his bid to rule the Cosmos, Nyarlat attempted to seduce and thereby control the Servitors. One among them, however, recognized the danger and warned the Aions; that one was Bast."

"I am familiar with the story," Medb replied easily. "Nyarlat swore revenge against her, one expression of which was his attempt to corrupt her cult in the Domhan na Dúiseachta. Now it appears he will try the same feat here in the Tíortha na Brionglóide. We must find out where the cult is hiding; any suggestions?"

"Of what use would a statue dedicated to Bast be to this cult?" Teehar inquired.

"The statue is a conduit to the goddess," Crème explained. "If the cult can reconsecrate it to Nyarlathotep, he can communicate through it, in the guise of his avatar Ubasti."

"They will need a sacred place to perform such a ritual," Conaed evaluated, "particularly one that is dedicated to gods of both light and dark."

"Mistress!" Teehar piped, "there is such a place. On a hill in the center of the city is a tower taller than any other building, with a pointed belfry on top of a flattened dome. It is the temple of the Elder Beings of which Runt spoke, when he told us of the cursing of the city."

Medb stood immediately and without a word, stepping out of her bath without bothering to dry off, nor did she dress. She just put on her belt and attached to it a narrow-bladed sword a full cloth-yard long, then draped her cloak over her shoulders. She took up an oval wooden shield reinforced with a metal rim and spokes, and a large central metal knob, which also carried four short throwing spears in a special frame behind the grip, and slipped it onto her left arm. She next picked up Conaed and placed him on her left shoulder as Teehar flew onto her right. Finally, she gripped two eight-foot fighting spears in her right hand and strode from the room, with Crème leading the way.

Her manner and appearance were so resolute as she walked the streets to the temple that word went ahead of her, and the city dwellers began to congregate just to see what she would do. The only opposition she faced was when a band of a dozen Men of Leng, well-armed, blocked her path at one point and demanded that she turn away. Without breaking stride, she leveled the pair of spears at them and shouted, "Faitíos!" Instantly the Leng-men threw down their weapons, turned, and fled, howling in abject terror.

In the center of the city was a very large, circular, colonnaded plaza; in its center stood the sixteen-angled tower that was the temple. It was surrounded by a high wall with seven gates that stood ever open. Beyond the gates lay a lush and beautiful garden, through which wound paths leading to the seven doors of the tower. Medb had learned that only the city's veiled king was permitted to enter, and sure enough the door she approached was flanked by a pair of guards. At first she expected to have to fight her way in, but as soon as they saw Crème they became very excited, and welcomed him enthusiastically. When Medb asked them why, they impassionedly explained that the high priest had said that cats would come again soon to Inganok, and that the first one who appeared in the garden was to be allowed free access to the temple, along with anyone who accompanied it. They knew not how the priest had predicted this, but when Medb asked to see him, they happily took her and Crème inside and escorted them to an antechamber. It was empty, but moments later a tall and straight old man with a nearly bald head and a full, trimmed beard entered by an opposite door. Like all his people, he had the same long-faced features, with a high forehead, thin nose, pointed chin, long-lobed ears, and long narrow eyes. There was, however, one important difference: though he smiled to try to look merry, his countenance had an ingrained sorrowful appearance, as if he was weighed down by secrets he dared tell to no one else.

He introduced himself as Ohbaeda, and greeted his visitors, especially the cat, with feeling, if gravely. He proclaimed its arrival to be a momentous omen of good fortune, and he seemed wholly unconcerned that it was accompanied by such an unusual and well armed bodyguard. He called for food and drink, and, as they waited, Medb asked him about what the guards had told her. The story came out in fits and starts, interspersed as it was with exclamations of adulation, but the gist of it seemed to be that a short time ago a priest of Bast had come to Inganok bearing a black statue of a cat, and promising that he would bring cats back by establishing a new center of worship. His name was Luveh-Keraphf, and he had said that a cat would come soon, and, when it did, it was to be delivered to him in the Holy of Holies immediately upon its arrival. Once Medb heard this, she insisted that she and Crème be taken there at once, and, though Ohbaeda demurred at first, he relented quickly enough.

He led them from the room to the center of the temple, where a cyclopean spiral staircase rose up a central shaft to the very pinnacle of the tower. Yet he led them not up, but down into the bowels of the temple. They descended for many minutes; even Medb lost track of the time. Yet eventually they emerged into a domed chamber whose floor, wall, and ceiling were covered with onyx slabs. It was ellipsoid in shape, with the staircase forming one focus; at the other stood a single huge block of onyx, smoothly dressed and perfectly squared, which was covered with glyphs and symbols inlaid with gold or silver leaf. She surmised it was the altar, for upon it sat the statue of Bast. It was flanked by two wrought-iron, floor-mounted sconces that held large flaming torches, but otherwise there were no other items in the chamber.

A lone figure stood before the altar, swathed in a rich black robe that covered it completely from head to foot, with only its eyes visible. It was exceedingly tall but emaciated, almost a caricature of a man. It appeared to be alone in the chamber, but beyond the twin circles of light cast by the torches, Medb could see a dozen similar figures staying out of sight. She doubted Ohbaeda had noticed them, but she saw them plainly, if dimly. Crème spotted them as well, and warned her of their presence in the feline tongue. Teehar took off from her shoulder to keep watch from above as she, the cat, and the hierophant stepped off the stairs onto the tiled floor.

As they approached him who must have been the priest named Luveh-Keraphf, Medb could see that his eyes were cold, cruel, and hard, like dark blue globes of ice. Suspicious, she slowed her approach and concentrated, trying to penetrate any magic that surrounded him. At first, she could sense nothing, and she began to believe she had been mistaken to distrust him. After all, her own emerald green eyes had often been described as cold and hard, but she did not consider herself evil. Yet, even as she was about to relax, the appearance of the figure flickered momentarily in her vision; for an instant the robes disappeared, revealing a desiccated, wizened mummy wrapped in decaying burial linen.

Shocked, Medb abruptly halted. Now that she knew what to look for, she focused her mind's eye on the figure and saw the thin haze of piseog that enshrouded him like a fine mist. Pushing, she penetrated it, and saw clearly the true form and nature of the revenant. At almost the same instant, Crème halted as well, as his own feline senses gave him the same revelation.

"This man is not what he claims to be," she announced authoritatively.

Ohbaeda stopped and turned around to look at her, puzzled annoyance on his face. Before he could speak, however, she added, "This is no priest of Bast; he is an imposter, a worshiper of Nyarlathotep in the guise of Ubasti. He has no intention of bringing cats to Inganok, except as sacrifices to his Master. Instead, he plans to establish his cult here, in your city, thereby calling down upon it the curse of the Great Ones and the Elder Beings alike."

Though now troubled, the old priest remained unconvinced. "No, it is not possible; he has the sacred statue of Bast."

In response, Medb passed the pair of spears from her right hand to her left, then extended her right arm towards the lich with her hand raised, the fingers splayed and the palm forward, as if in salute. Instead, she slowly bent the elbow until the thumb touched her left shoulder, then swiftly swept the arm forward again and around to her right side. The sound of wind filled the chamber; Ohbaeda felt nothing, but he heard it blow past him, and he turned in time to see the robes of the figure flutter as if in a strong breeze. At the same moment, what seemed like a cloud of dust was expelled from around it, and, where once had stood a man dressed in costly garb, there was now a scarecrow clad in mildewed rags and the remains of a tattered cloak.

As Ohbaeda stared at the apparition in alarmed shock, Medb continued: "He stole the statue, to win your trust and support, but he intends to consecrate it for Ubasti. That is why he needs a cat. By sacrificing a living feline to Ubasti and pouring its blood over the statue, he can defile its sacredness to Bast even as he dedicates it to his Master. And by asking you to bring it to him, he can make you complicit in his evil design."

Now clearly outraged, the old priest advanced on the mummified figure to confront it. "Is this true?" he demanded.

Luveh-Keraphf stared back silently for some moments, then lifted a hand covered in cracked, exsiccated skin to its head. It pulled aside the cloth that covered its long, narrow face, revealing parchment skin stretched so tightly over the skull that the shape of the bones was clearly visible. The lips were pulled back into a rictus, exposing a grin of clenched, rotting teeth. Yet somehow the lich managed to speak without breaking skin or bone. "It is indeed, old fool." The voice was unusually high-pitched, with a nasal twang, but it had a hollow, dry, rasping quality that grated on Medb's nerves. "You were so anxious to bring cats to your city, you would have believed anyone, even the Crawling Chaos Himself, who told you he could do it. But I did not lie; together we will bring cats to Inganok, and we shall offer them to Ubasti, so that your city may grow powerful and become the center of an empire that will rule over the Dreams of Men forever! Now, bring me the young tom, so that I may dedicate this statue to Ubasti, and call down the blessings of the Outer Ones onto this altar."

Even as the embalmed corpse spoke, Medb reached up to her throat and undid the clasp to her cloak. Conaed clung to the garment as it fell from her shoulders, then burrowed into the fabric to hide, not from cowardice, but to conceal his magical support of his patron. Medb removed one of the throwing spears from the shield frame and held it ready. Her caution was well founded, for as the ancient mummy finished speaking, the figures in the shadows beyond the torch light began to move.

"'Ware, Madam!" Crème howled as he ran off into the darkness to attack from ambush. "Out of the way!" Medb shouted at Ohbaeda, but he growled, "You shall not commit this sacrilege in the temple of the Elder Ones!" Pulling a dagger from his girdle, he threw himself at Luveh-Keraphf, who grappled with him.

"Damnaigh!" she cursed, as she cast her spear into the advancing ranks in front of her. Taking another, she hurled it as well, followed quickly by the remaining two. Each unerringly struck its intended target in the breast, passing straight through from the force of the throw, and each mummy disintegrated in an explosion of dust and bits of dehydrated flesh and cloth. Gripping one of the fighting spears, Medb then screamed a defiant battle cry and charged the remaining wights. Two more exploded as she closed the distance towards them, victims of lavender spheres thrown by Conaed's spells. The remaining four surrounded Medb, and attempted to pull her down and tear into her, but she twisted and spun and whirled as she swung the spear like a staff, stabbing, slashing, and pummeling so quickly they could not lay hands on her. Crème launched himself at one and ripped its back to shreds, deftly leaping away as it disintegrated. Another, who tried to seize Medb from behind, was distracted long enough by Teehar flying at its face and pecking at its eyes for Medb to turn on it and strike it down. An opponent grabbed her spear and broke it, but she ran the piece of its shaft she held through its chest before switching to her last spear. The remaining creature she dispatched with just as little effort as the others. In less time than it would take to describe, all of the walking corpses were reduced to piles of dusty ashes on the onyx floor.

Hefting the spear in both hands, Medb then turned her attention back to Luveh-Keraphf in time to watch as Crème launched himself out the surrounding darkness onto the back of the revenant. At the same instant, Ohbaeda manage to plunge his dagger into the thing's throat. Yet neither seemed to harm the mummy. Instead, ignoring the cat, it gripped the hierophant's throat, lifted him off the floor, and, taking hold of him by the crotch, held him over its head before throwing him on top of the altar. He bounced from it, knocking aside the statue before he rolled off onto the floor, where he lay stricken and still. With the old man out of the way, Medb rushed up, holding the spear in an underhanded grip, and plunged it up into the lich's abdomen just under the ribcage. Luveh-Keraphf turned its head to look at her just before she pushed the spear into its heart. Instead of disintegrating, however, it swept its right arm before it, breaking the spear into three pieces. Medb danced out of reach, threw away the piece of shaft she still held, and pulled her sword from her belt as the revenant wrenched the spear-point from its body. She then rushed in, hacking and slashing, but the monster simply batted away her blows with its arms. She maneuvered to give Conaed a clear shot, but, as a cloud of emerald darts few towards it, the demon-priest raised an arm, and a blue haze appeared in the air before it, solidifying into a crystalline shield, against which the darts impacted harmlessly.

Yet the attack left it momentarily distracted, giving Medb an opportunity she did not squander. Stepping up to it, she grasped her sword in both hands, raised it above her head, and brought it down at an angle as hard as she could manage, while screaming a battle cry. Her intent was to cleave the mummy's chest with the downward stroke, but as the sword edge met the shoulder and bit, it stuck fast, as if embedded in thick clay. She tried to yank it out to strike again, but Luveh-Keraphf struck before she could and backhanded her in the face. Medb spun around, but managed to stay on her feet. As she turned, the revenant retracted its fist to strike again. She raised the shield to block it, but the blow shattered the wood and knocked her onto her back. Luckily her arm was not broken, but the wind had been knocked out of her, and she lay dazed.

Luveh-Keraphf pulled the sword loose and tossed it contemptuously away. He then stepped up to the stricken woman and reached down for her. Screeching, Teehar came winging in to protect his mistress; the lich caught him with one hand, crushed his body, then tossed him aside. Conaed fired a lavender sphere; the mummy formed another blue crystal shield, and the sphere exploded harmlessly. Crème crawled around its head to attack its face, but the revenant tore him off, ripping its flesh as it did so, then twisted the tom's body, cracking his spine, before throwing him across the room against the wall. Then it bent over, took hold of Medb's throat with one hand, and lifted her off the ground. It held her suspended for a moment, her feet dangling in mid-air, before turning towards the altar. Medb reached for her dirk and cut at its arm, but it caught the long, thick-bladed knife in its free hand and wrenched it from her grip. It then slammed her down on her back onto the altar. The force stunned her, and the demon-priest let go of her throat to grasp her long, straight, gold-hued bronze hair. Realizing suddenly what her foe intended to do, she started struggling, kicking and punching and bucking her body wildly, but Luveh-Keraphf ignored her blows and held on to her with an iron grip, waiting for her to stop. When she understood she could do nothing to get it to release her, she did stop, at which point it spoke to her.

"Before I can reconsecrate the statue," it rasped, "I must dedicate this altar to the Mighty Messenger. I had planned to sacrifice the old priest, but you will be a better choice. And I will have the bonus of your body to pleasure me. After the ceremony I shall resurrect you and claim you as my concubine, and you will serve me willingly for all eternity." It then lowered the dirk in preparation for drawing it across her throat, as she raised her arms to fend off the blade.

"Hold, monster!"

Both Luveh-Keraphf and Medb turned at the sound of the voice. The hierophant of the Elder Beings stood behind the altar. He was bent from his injuries, his face was bruised, and he grimaced in pain, blood trickling from one side of his mouth, but his eyes were still bright and alert, and his voice strong and steady. In his hands he held the statue of Bast.

"Release her, now, and leave Inganok forever, or I shall see you destroyed."

The mummified corpse laughed, a surprisingly deep, booming sound. "You fool! I am indestructible. Neither steel, nor spell, nor miracle can harm me, for my patron is the Soul of the Other Gods Himself! No outer being will oppose me, and the puny gods of earth do obeisance to me. There is no power in the cosmos that can stop me!"

Despite his obvious pain, Ohbaeda still managed a grimly wry smile. "There are other Elder Beings who can and would oppose you."

The revenant sneered. "None who are worshiped here!"

Now grinning in triumph, the priest declared, "None, except Bast Herself!" Taking a couple of steps back, he then held the statue over his head. Straightening as much as he could, he looked reverently up at it, and began to intone: "Here me, Mighty Bastet, Goddess of All Cats Great and Small, Patron of Pleasure, Enemy of Evil, Protector of Mankind. I, Ohbaeda, High Priest of the Temple of the Elder Beings, do beseech You: aid us now in our struggle against Your supreme enemy, Ubasti, and her vile servant, Luveh-Keraphf. Come to us, and drive them from our midst." He then closed his eyes and began to whisper a chant.

In the relative silence, the lich boomed out its laugh again. "She does not hear you, you fool of a dupe. Once I have dispatched this bounteous female, I shall claim you as well. You may be my hierophant; I shall permit you to lead my ceremonies in this, my first temple."

Even as he spoke, however, the air between Ohbaeda and the altar shimmered, as an image took shape and solidified. It had the form of a svelte woman, dressed in a rich Egyptian gown and wearing a queen's headdress, except that her head was that of a domestic cat with triangular ears, short black hair, and phosphorescent green eyes. In one hand she carried a sistrum, in the other a lion-headed aegis, and a small leather bag hung from one shoulder.

A richly feminine but stentorian voice thundered from the very stones themselves as Her eyes glowed. Arise, My faithful son, hale and whole; come to Me.

A spot began to glow off in the darkness against the wall. It rose and moved towards the altar, making only a brief detour to one side. Once it entered the torchlight, it became Crème, carrying a bird the size of a jay in its mouth. He laid it at the feet of the image of Bast, then looked up at Her. "Please, Divine One, help my friend."

The image looked down at the tomcat, then at the bird. Smiling, She said, Have no fear, My son, the loyalty of your friend is known to Me, and much appreciated. Her eyes flashed briefly; the bird glowed for a few seconds, then it opened its scarlet eyes, lifted its head, and looked around in confusion.

Turning Her attention to Luveh-Keraphf, Her eyes brightened for yet a third time as Her head transformed into that of a lioness. The leonine face twisted into a look of fury as the eyes blazed. Release My servant, dark priest.

"You have no power against me," it objected, but the arrogant certainty had vanished from its voice.

In response, the image roared. And, though there was no wind, the revenant released Medb and staggered back, as if hit with a great blast. Bast roared again; this time the lich was flung against the nearest portion of wall. Even as it struggled to resist, Bast roared a third time. Luveh-Keraphf screamed as his form disintegrated, but the dust did not settle to the ground. Instead it swirled about in a vast cloud, which drifted towards the ceiling. As Medb watched, the dust streamed up into the joints between the blocks and disappeared.

Ohbaeda opened his eyes and looked at the image. Bast turned around to face the hierophant, Her head reverting to that of a house cat. She smiled at him as he cradled the statue to his breast. You have done well, Ohbaeda of Inganok; you have cleansed your city of the stain of its past crime. I now bestow My Blessings upon you and your city. Her eyes glowed, and the old priest was bathed in a cloud of golden light. He sighed with pleasure, and, as it faded, he stood straight and tall again, his injuries healed and his body revitalized.

The image turned back to the altar as Medb slowly sat up. My most profound and grateful thanks, Medb hErenn. I am indebted to you. May you prosper, both here and in the Waking World, and know that wherever you may be, My children will forever honor you for your service to them in My name.

Even as the words faded, so did the image, until both disappeared entirely. Ohbaeda walked up to the altar, set the statue of Bast down reverently, then helped Medb to stand. Though unsteady at first, she quickly recovered her strength.

"I, too, thank you for your intervention," he informed her. "Without it, I might have compounded the crime of my ancestor and cursed my city forever. Know this, Mayv Hehrayn of Ulthar, you shall always be welcome in Inganok, and should you ever need my assistance, do not hesitate to call upon me."

To Crème he said, "Master of Travelers, I thank you for your bravery, and I beseech you humbly to inform Her Most Serene Feline Majesty of what transpired here today, and of the blessing that Bast has granted Inganok. Please ask her to lift her ban on our city, so that once more cats may grace our streets, our balconies, and our homes."

Solemnly, Crèmedevoyageur looked up at the hierophant and replied, "I would be honored to present your petition to the queen."

"I shall plead your case myself," Medb stated, and Teehar, who had alighted on her shoulder, piped, "And I will help her."

By this time, Conaed had ambled over to the altar, and he stood beside the young tomcat. "I, too, will aide thee, Holy One."

Tears brimming in his eyes, Ohbaeda said, "I thank you, my friends, both for myself and for my people."

Medb eyed the old priest closely. Though the healing glow of Bast had vanished, nonetheless his countenance had lost its sorrow and now seemed to shine with renewed hope and faith. She felt herself being attracted to him, and she lay a hand on the small of his back. "Tell me," she inquired suggestively, "do your vows include chastity?" Ohbaeda's only answer was an enigmatic smile as he escorted them back up the stairs.

The next day, the population of the city gathered in the courtyard of the huge onyx palace of the Veiled King. From one of his many balconies high above, in a grandiose and flowery speech that lasted for longer than an hour, he declared that forever more would Ohbaeda the Hierophant, Crèmedevoyageur, and Medb and her companions be known as the Lions of Inganok for their service to the city. The crowd cheered its approval even as Medb and Ohbaeda bowed to each other and to Crème.

Afterwards, Medb chose to stay for a few days before returning to Ulthar, and she was gratified to discover that the old priest's vows in fact did not include celibacy.