Excerpts, Serials, and Out-of-Print

Sunny and Medb could not restrain themselves and they rushed in to begin looting. That was when the floor dropped out from under them. Eile had hung back, suspicious of how easy it had been find the treasure, and she was able to jump clear at the last minute. Medb and Sunny, along with both cats and the Zoog, disappeared before any of them could react; the bird had dived down after them before the floor closed over them. But before Eile could try to discover a way to rescue them, armed guards appeared in the vault and attacked. There were too many of them to fight alone, and she fled up the nearest tunnel hoping to elude them. So far, however, there had been no side tunnels to duck down or galleries to hide in, and she was starting to tire.

Without warning, she shot out of the tunnel onto a ledge inside a cavern that overhung a yawning abyss. She skidded to a halt right at the lip, the toes of her boots overhanging the gulf as she pin-wheeled her arms to keep her balance. She managed to stumble back from the edge, but in the process she whacked her left hand on a stone obelisk. The razor-sharp glass-like rock cut through the leather glove and gashed the back of her hand. Snatching it back to her breast, she looked at it in shocked surprise. Strangely, it didn't hurt. The wound was shallow, but it was long and bled profusely, the blood trickling down her thumb to drip onto the ground at her feet.

"Dammit!" she cursed, as she pulled a handkerchief out from under her breastplate. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" she repeated as she wrapped it around her hand, some of the words being muffled when she used her teeth to help tie the knot over her palm.

By the time she was finished, she had spent her surprise and some of her anger. She became calm enough to evaluate her situation. The cavern was not very big around, maybe about twenty yards in diameter, nor was it particularly tall, possibly ten yards to the ceiling, with stalactites hanging down about half way. The roof and stalactites were covered with masses of phosphorescent organisms that provided enough light to see by. But the cavern was deep; the floor disappeared into darkness beneath her. For all she knew, it was bottomless. Across from the ledge was a basaltic column that stretch from the ceiling down into the chasm. The middle portion had been carved into the crude shape of a naked woman with the head of a cat. Eile noted with some wonderment that its eyes were closed.

The ledge itself was about five yards wide and three deep at its greatest extent. At that position, which sat directly across from the statue, two rough pillars of obsidian had been set up, framing a stage wide enough for her to lay her hands on each when her arms were outstretched. But it was also a dead-end. There was no way off that she could see, except the tunnel from which she had exited, and the pit beneath her.

The sound of the roaring guards coming up the tunnel alerted her that they had caught up with her. Turning her back on the cavern, she faced the tunnel mouth and pulled the ring on her right shoulder, dropping the double-edged short-bladed broadsword to her hip. She then unhooked it and stepped far enough from the pylons so that they would not impede her swings.

The guards poured out the tunnel, but they obviously knew where they were, because they slowed almost immediately and fanned out along the length of the ledge. They faced Eile, leering at her, licking their lips and fingering their curved-bladed weapons, as they laughed and taunted her.

"You assholes want a piece of me?!" she shouted. "Then come and get it!! Aaaaaaaaa!!!" she yelled as she charged forward.

The guards answered her challenge with howls of their own, but not of rage. Even as she started towards them, they screamed in terror, threw down their weapons, turned, and fled back up the tunnel.

Stunned, Eile came to a dead stop after only a few steps. "What the hell?!"

As their shrieks receded into the distance and the chamber grew quiet, she became aware of what sounded like heavy, labored breathing behind her. Her hairs stood up and her blood ran cold as she slowly turned to look over her shoulder. The sound seemed to come from the statue, but it looked no different. Confused, she began to turn back, when the ears twitched.

Jolted, she spun around, her heart pounding in her chest as she broke out in a cold sweat. She stared at the statue for several moments, trying to convince herself that she only imagined what she saw.

Then the eyes snapped open.

"Yaaaugh!" she screamed, trying to back away in haste. The eyes were fiery orange, with slitted opal pupils like cat's eyes.

"Holy Jesus God!!" she yelled, just moments before she tripped and fell flat on her backside.

"Not quite," a voice rumbled, "but close." Though sonorous, it nonetheless had a feminine quality to it.

"Wh–who are you?"

"In this place, I am worshiped as Ubasti, but collectively I am known as Nyarlathotep."

"I've heard of you," she said as she slowly stood up.

"From Medb hErenn, no doubt."

"You know her?"

"Who in the Dreamlands would not?"

"Well, yeah, that's probably true."

"I sense she is near."

"She accompanied us."

"You refer to your lover."

"How do you know —?!"

"Who in the Dreamlands would not?"

"Are we that famous already?"

"Hang around with Imperious Medb long enough, and it happens. Though the Kraken adventure, the Cat Rescue adventure, and the Orphans adventure alone would have guaranteed it." When Eile didn't answer, the voice added, "What, did you seriously believe that word of your exploits had never gotten around?"

"Whatever. Yeah, I meant Sunny, and Shadow-stalker."

"I sense their presence as well."

"But how did you know Sunny and I were . . . uh . . ."

"Please. A blind man could see it."

"It's that obvious?"

"You take no great pains to conceal it. But no matter. Now, to business. Name your desire."

"Wh–what? I don't understand."

"You summoned me."

"Summoned you? What are you talking about?"

"You made an offering of blood upon the altar. That is all it takes."

Eile looked at her bandaged hand; the memory of the blood dripping off onto the ground replayed in her mind.

"But it wasn't intentional."

"That doesn't matter. The shedding of human blood will bring me here, provided the one who sacrificed it is still alive. And even then, it is only her wish I will grant."

"Gaaah! This is so retarded. Altar? Sacrifice? Wish? You're not making any sense!"

"Then let me try to elaborate. Anyone who comes to this place and sheds some of her blood on the altar will summon me. The shedding of blood is the sacrifice; the altar is the mosaic set into the rock between the obelisks. She is then entitled to ask me to fulfill one wish that is within my power to grant."

"Oh. Okay, I get it now. Any wish I want, eh? So, if I brought Sunny back here and cut her heart out for getting us all in this mess, I could get another wish?"

"No. I should have explained better: it must be a self-sacrifice."

"Aw, nuts. Well, I guess I'll have to let her live, then. Besides, it's really Mayv's fault for encouraging her. Anything I want, that's what you said, right?"

"Anything within my power to grant. I am not omnipotent."

"Can you send us all back to a week ago, so I can whack Sunny over the head when she first mentions this screwball adventure?"

"No, I have no power to manipulate time."

"Uh-huh. Can you teleport Sunny and the others here?"

"No, not within the confines of my own temple."

"Why not?"

"It . . . would take too long to explain."

"Okayyy. So you probably can't send me to them. What about sending us all back to Ulthar?"

"I can do that, but you would have to all be together. With you here and them elsewhere, I would need to perform two separate teleportations, which would require a second wish."

"Well, I suppose I can afford to lose a little more blood," she said as she started to remove her bandage.

"No. One wish must be fulfilled before another can be granted."

"Alright, send them to Ulthar, then I'll —"

"And another cannot be granted unless you leave the temple complex and return tomorrow."

Eile felt her exasperation growing. "Then send them back to Ulthar anyway. I'll find my own way out."

"I would not recommend that."

"Why not?"

"Think about it. The chances of you escaping are slim; most likely, you would just be captured. Even if you did find your way out, it is six days back to Ulthar. If the others arrive without you, they would surely return to look for you. You would probably miss them in the wilderness, and then they might be captured again. By the time you discovered this and returned yourself, it would be too late to save them."

"I can arrange to meet them in Oonai."

"How would you get word to them?"

"I can ask the city guard to keep an eye out for them."

"And what if they bypass the city altogether?"

Her patience breaking, Eile put her hands on her hips. "Dammit! You're not being very helpful here."

"Perhaps you are not asking for the right wish."

"What have others asked for?"

"Some have asked for gold, some for beauty, some for magical power, some for prowess in battle —"

"Okay, I get the picture!"

"Most, however, have simply asked to be set free."

"Huh?"

"This temple serves two purposes. The first is to worship my avatar of Ubasti. The second is to trap sacrifices."

"Holy shit! The treasure!"

"Precisely. The treasure is real enough, but it is merely bait to lure foolhardy adventurers here to be captured."

"Then Sunny and Mayv —?"

"Are even now being prepped as offerings."

"What?! I've got to save them!"

"Wait!" the statue said as she turned towards the tunnel.

She paused and looked back. "What for?"

"You cannot rescue them on your own. First, you do not know where to find them. Second, even if you did, there are too many guards between here and there. You would simply be killed, or captured and sacrificed in turn."

"So what? You obviously can't help me, so what difference does it make?"

"Is that what you would ask? To help you rescue your friends?"

"What the hell do you I think I've been doing all this time?"

"Do you want me to help you rescue your friends?"

"Alright, already! Yes, I want you to help me rescue my friends. Satisfied? Cripes!"

"That's all I needed to hear."

Twin beams of black light shot out of the pupils and struck the obelisks. They glowed in the same color, and a pinwheel kaleidoscope of hues formed in the air between them. Though they appeared to be the familiar primary and secondary colors, they seemed strange to Eile, as if they were her mind's attempt to visualize alien hues using what it understood.

As the pinwheel spun faster, a central black void grew larger, until it nearly swallowed the whole effect. A figure stepped out. It had a human feminine body, with an athletic build similar to Eile's. She wore an Egyptian style dress that exposed the breasts, but the skirt was as short as a shendyt kilt. The breasts were covered by an armored bustier with individual cups, and sandals covered her feet. The hilts of twin khopesh sickle-swords stuck out from behind her shoulders. She was decorated with bejeweled gold arm bands and a pectoral, and she wore a brightly colored nemes headdress. However, her head was that of a domestic cat with fiery-orange eyes, and her skin was charcoal black.

As she stepped away from the pylons, the void collapsed and the pinwheel slowed. Then the twin black-light beams shut off, and the pinwheel stopped and faded away as the stones' glow died. She walked right up to Eile, who watched her approach with some trepidation. The cat-headed warrior was not as tall as Medb, but she still looked down at the girl.

"Ubasti?" Eile asked.

"I am she. I have been sent to help you rescue your companions, in fulfillment of your wish. However, that is not my sole task. I have been sent also to punish my priests, who have strayed from my dictates. I do not desire the sacrifice of others; instead, I prefer that my worshipers demonstrate their devotion through acts of self-sacrifice."

"You're not Nyarlathotep?"

"I am an avatar of that Being. We share the same ka, though not the other parts of our souls. I represent certain aspects of His nature, and I possess certain of His powers. Yet I am my own being, with an independent heart, mind, and will."

"Well, whatever. Come on, let's not waste anymore time."

"Wait."

"What now?!"

"Even with my help, you cannot fight your way through the guards. But there is another path. It is longer, and no less dangerous, but there will be only one obstacle to overcome, and it leads directly into the main ceremonial chamber."

"But if it's longer . . . we don't have a lot of time."

"There may be more than you realize. You and Sunny are the Twins."

"Yeah, yeah, we're suppose to have this mystical bond, making us cosmic beings. I've heard it all before."

"You may not believe it, but my priests do."

"So?"

"So they would prefer to sacrifice you two together."

"You mean —?"

"Sunny should be safe for the time being, while they seek to capture you. They will only sacrifice her if they have to kill you. As long as you remain alive, we have time to save her."

"B–but, what about the others?"

"Medb is in grave danger, as are the cats. They will be sacrificed first, and as soon as possible."

"Then let's get going! Where's this other path of yours?"

"This way." And Ubasti turned and headed for the precipice.

Stunned, Eile didn't speak for a few moments, until the avatar reached the edge and looked over. "Wh–what are you doing?!"

"There is an entrance to another tunnel below us. We can jump down from here to a ledge below."

"Whoa, wait a minute!"

Ubasti looked back at her over her shoulder. "This is the only way to help Sunny and Medb. However, if you wish to take your chances going back through the treasure chamber, it matters not to me. I am charged with saving your friends, not protecting you. You may either follow me, or go off on your own." And with that Ubasti turned back to the pit and stepped off the ledge, dropping out of sight.

Eile felt her heart leap into her throat. She waited for the sound of a body crashing against the rocks below, but heard nothing. She approached the chasm in a hesitant fashion, and gingerly looked down, but she didn't see anything either.

"Ah, dammit, this is insane!" she muttered. Louder, she called out, "Ubasti?"

"I am here," came a reply. It sounded close, yet still far enough away to be quieter than normal. "Hurry!"

"Shit!" Eile cursed. She stood right on the edge. "Shit, shit!" Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and hopped off. "Aw, shitttt!"

She felt like she would fall forever, but before she realized it she landed. Her eyes snapped open and she stared into the blackness of the yawning abyss. The ground beneath her feet crumbled as she lost her balance and started to pitch forward. At the last moment, someone grabbed her by the sword harness and yanked her backwards. Terror raced along her nerves as she flailed about trying to stabilize herself.

"Take it easy!" Ubasti cried, holding her. "I have you, you are safe."

Eile stopped struggling, and nearly collapsed from nervous exhaustion. She trembled uncontrollably, her breathing ragged, as she clung to the avatar.

"Are you all right?" Ubasti asked.

"Yeah, sure," she replied as she got a hold of herself. "I've never been more scared in all my life. I hope I never have to do anything like that again."

"Facing your own mortality is the greatest test of courage you will ever have to face. If you can survive it, nothing will hold more terror for you ever again."

"Um, yeah, swell." Just what I need, she thought, my own personal Yoda.

Nonetheless, she had recovered sufficiently to regain her presence of mind. Looking around, she realized for the first time that it was so dark she was virtually blind. The only thing that reassured her she hadn't gone blind were the fiery-orange eyes of the avatar.

"I can't see a thing!"

"That is easily rectified." Even as she said it, a torch flared to life with an audible pop. Eile saw she was standing in the mouth of a small cave. As she watched, a string of torches lit up sequentially down the long path of a tunnel that receded to a tiny point far in the distance.

"That's a neat trick!" Eile said, impressed.

"I have power over my own temple, though it is not absolute."

A sharp pain stabbed at the back of Eile's left hand, followed by a dull, throbbing ache. "Aaahh!"

"What is wrong?"

She shook her hand. "Cripes. Aw, nothing, my hand's starting to hurt, that's all."

"Let me see it."

Eile gave Ubasti a confused look, but she held her hand out.

"Take off the bandage."

"Alright," she said, annoyed. She untied the handkerchief, stripped off the glove, then held the hand back out, adding, "But I don't know what you c—"

Ubasti stared at the hand, and twin orange beams lanced out of her eyes and struck it, bathing it in an orange glow.

"Ack!" Eile tried to snatch her hand away, but the beams held it firm like a physical grasp. However, she relaxed when she realized it didn't hurt. In fact, the hand was suffused with a warm glow that drove away the ache and loosened the muscles. When the beams cut out and the glow dissipated, the skin tingled, but nothing more serious than that. She looked at the back of the hand, and the wound was gone. What's more, there was no scar; in fact, no sign there ever was a wound.

She wriggle her fingers, and was relieved to see they worked fine with no pain. Slipping on her glove, she said, "Thank you."

Ubasti nodded. "You are welcome. Now, come, we are fast running out of time." And she started down the tunnel at a brisk jog. Eile sprinted to catch up, then fell in beside her.

Despite the fast pace they set for themselves, it seemed to Eile to take forever to get anywhere. The tunnel stretched out straight ahead as far as she could see, with no turns, rises, or dips, and while she could tell they were moving by the passing torches, their unseen destination didn't seem to get any closer.

Finally she asked, "Where the hell are we?"

"We are under the treasure vault," Ubasti informed her.

Eile had not been marking time or distance as she fled the guards, but it didn't feel to her it took that long to reach the chasm. "How long have we been at this?"

"About a half hour."

"Huh. Feels longer."

"That is the nature of this route. It had been enspelled to be perceived as endless, to discourage intruders from using it. Except we are perhaps the first to do so in a thousand years."

"Swell. How much longer before we reach the obstacle you mentioned?"

"Soon. It is just beyond the vault."

"So . . . what is it?"

"I do not wish to terrify you. You shall find out soon enough."

"Oh, great. Thanks a bunch."

"You comported yourself well against the guards and when faced with the chasm, and your reputation is one of boldness and daring. However, I sense within you a fear of monsters."

"Yeah, I don't deal with monsters very well. We don't have them in the Waking World, at least, not like here."

"Then, as with the chasm, you are about to face your greatest test. If you can conquer your fear, you will triumph, and no monster will ever hold any terror for you again."

"Aw, sweet Jesus! Why did you have to tell me that?!"

"To forewarn you, so that you may be forearmed."

"Then you might as well tell me everything. What will we be facing?"

"Very well, if you insist. It is an avatar of Apep, the Eater of Souls."

"Wha—?"

"Another name for it is the Serpent From the Nile."

"Are you telling me it's a snake?"

"It is an evil demon in the form of a serpent."

"Just my luck, it'll probably be humongous," she griped.

"It is not small."

"Yippee," she replied in a sarcastic manner. She started when she heard the word echo back a half-dozen times; there had been no echo in the tunnel. With her next step, the tunnel suddenly vanished, and she found herself at the opening to an enormous cavern.

"Jesus!" she squeaked as she jumped back. Ubasti stopped just a little ahead of her. When she realized nothing else was going to happen, Eile stepped further in and gazed around.

She and Sunny had once toured the Cave of the Winds near Colorado Springs, and this looked like one of the larger galleries, except that it was at least ten times bigger. The same phosphorescent organism as in the pit cavern swarmed here as well, in such numbers that the gallery was lit as bright as an overcast day. Basically, it was simply an enlarged portion of the tunnel, having an oval cross-section wider than it was tall. Masses of stalagmites covered the floor, except where a path had been carved through them, smoothed, and leveled. Each stalagmite was paired with a corresponding stalactite attached to the ceiling, and in a number of cases they had grown until they merged, forming columns arranged in a haphazard pattern. The path wound its way to the opposite end, where it connected with a flight of stairs that led up to a ledge and an opening to another tunnel. The mouth glowed with flickering torchlight, making it an obvious and tempting destination.

But for Eile, the best part was that the demon Apep didn't seem to be present.

Ubasti was looking around, as if searching for an opponent.

"It looks like we lucked out," Eile said, in a hopeful tone. She really wanted it to be true.

"Appearances can be deceiving," Ubasti said, "but if you are right, we would be foolish not to take advantage of it. Let us go." And she started up the path at a brisk walk. Eile fell in beside her, gripping her sword in a resolute manner even as she hoped she wouldn't need it.

At first, Ubasti continued to survey the cavern, expecting trouble, but after they got a third of the way, she seemed to relax. As if that was a signal, the ground suddenly started to shake. A monstrous form rose up from the floor, throwing off stalagmites and breaking stalactites as it reared its head. Its skin glistened in banded hues of black, brown, tan, red, blue, green, and white. Its eyes blazed like twin ruby suns, and it dropped its mouth and screamed an earsplitting hiss that seemed to convey all the hate and rage of the entire world.

Even knowing what to expect, Eile was still paralyzed with terror. It did look like a snake, a cobra to be more exact, and as if to prove her right, a hood spread behind its head with the sound of rock grating on rock. However, it had none of the beauty and symmetry of a real snake, instead it seemed to embody raw cruelty and anarchy.

"Holy Jesus God!" she breathed under her breath.

"Wrong again!" Ubasti cried as she pulled the sickle-swords from off her back. She crouched, roared like a lioness, and charged. When she reached the demon, she leapt straight up, twisted her body full around, and swung her weapons. Both clashed sequentially on the monster's nose, raising clouds of sparks. It struck at her, but she somersaulted, landed on its head, and pushed off. She soared towards the nearest stalactite still intact, pirouetted, landed on her feet, then jumped clear as the snake-thing smashed into it, shattering it into a myriad fragments. She turned and raked her swords across its body, throwing out streamers of sparks, then rolled as she neared the ground. She sprang away as soon as she landed, flying straight for its head as it twisted around to confront her. It struck, but at the last minute she flipped above it, arched over its head, and slashed at the back of its neck, casting off still more sparks. She then tumbled to land on the other side of it.

Eile watched her gymnastics in stupefied awe, but it dissipated her fear. Grim determination filled her as she realized she had to help. Hefting her sword, she ran at the snake demon.

"Rrraaaawww!" she yelled, and began slashing, jabbing, and chopping at the massive coils. But the sharp, thin blade just skidded off the hide as sparks flew off in all directions. And no wonder: at close range the monster's armor appeared to be made of smooth, polished onyx. Her sword couldn't scratch it, and there were no ridges or furrows to strike off flakes. For all the good she was doing, she might as well have been using a steak knife. The uselessness of her attacks bred frustration, which fermented into rage as she struck at the beast harder and harder.

Her anger focused her vision into a tunnel, and she lost track of everything around her. She didn't even realize the tail was swiping towards her until it struck her and threw her several feet down the path. Stunned, she sat up, her head ringing, as she tried to clear her senses.

"Look out!" Ubasti warned.

Snapping her head up, Eile saw Apep coming straight at her, its mouth gaped wide to swallow her up.

"Waah!" she shouted as she scrambled backwards to get away from it. She collided with a stalagmite and froze, then she saw Ubasti sail over the top of its head, her legs bent and her arms flung wide. As she descended, she extended and spread her legs. She landed on its head, straddling its neck, and brought both swords down on its skull with a sharp clap. Apep screamed, reared up, and threw back its head. Ubasti was thrown off, and before she could maneuver, she slammed against one of the travertine pillars. Her swords flew from her hands and she dropped to the floor, landing on her face. Apep spun around and hurled itself at the avatar. Ubasti looked up and managed to leap to her feet. She had no time to run, however, and instead caught its head in her hands, one above the mouth under the nose, the other on the point of its jaw. The force of the thrust pushed her back against the base of the pillar, but she stopped its strike cold.

Eile couldn't understand how she was able to hold it off. She obviously was using all her strength: the muscles in her arms, shoulders, and legs knotted and bulged, her face was distorted into a rictus of pain, and her body strained under the effort, as the demon screamed its frustration and wrath. But Eile realized that she couldn't let go; she might not be able to jump away in time. Then she looked on in alarm as Apep threw a couple of coils around Ubasti and the column, trapping her.

Eile leapt to her feet and charged the demon. Ubasti saw her and cried out, "No! It is useless. I am finished. Go save your friends! Hurry!"

Eile slowed, hesitant. She was torn between her desire to rescue Sunny and her obligation to help Ubasti. As if she understood that, Ubasti said, "You cannot help me. Do not let me die in vain. Save your friends; save Sunny! Do it for me!"

Eile started to back away. She was right, she couldn't do anything, and if she stayed, they would all die. This way, at least, Sunny and Medb and the others had a chance to live.

"GO!" Ubasti ordered.

That decided the issue. Eile lifted her sword in front of her face as a salute, then turned and ran for the stairs. She reached them in no time, and flew up the steps to the top. She stopped at the opening to the tunnel. She could hear chanting above Apep's shrieks. The sacrifice ceremony had started; there was no more time left.

She took a step forward, then another. Then she stopped dead. She turned and looked back into the cavern. Ubasti was still holding Apep at bay. But for how long?

"Ahh, dammit, I can't leave her like this," she muttered to herself. "She risked her life to help me, to help Sunny; I can't just abandon her. But what can I do?"

As she stared at the two stalemated combatants, she saw Apep flex its neck in a pumping motion as it continually pushed its head towards Ubasti. That's when she noticed that the armored bands separated, exposing bare flesh.

"That's it!" she shouted. If she could get her sword between those bands, she could severe its spine, or cut through its carotid artery. But how to reach it?

She noticed that her position on the ledge put her above the demon. Part of it ran around to her right, and it dead-ended only several yards from her target. It would be a long jump, but if she could get a fast enough running start, she just might be able to make it. In any event, it was her only option, and if she missed, she had the consolation of knowing that her death would be quick.

"Sunny, I'm sorry," she whispered, as she crouched and tense. She took several deep breaths to oxygenate her blood, then bolted along the ledge. She pushed herself harder and harder, trying to go faster with each yard. She thought of Sunny, and somehow found extra strength to pump her legs with more vigor. She reached the end of the ledge sooner than she expected, and flung herself off with a tremendous heave.

"Aaaaauuuuhhh!" she roared from the effort. She spread her arms wide as she pressed her legs together in imitation of a swan dive. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. She floated out over the cavern floor as the gap between her and Apep closed at a gradual pace. She saw Ubasti look up at her with an astonished expression.

As she began to descend, she realized she wasn't going to make it. She had hoped to land on Apep's neck, which would put her in a perfect position to stab at its spine. Now, her only hope was to slice through the side of the neck on her way past. She brought her arms together and gripped the sword in both hands as she held it above her head. As she fell, she tilted her body down head-first, the point of the sword now poised to stab between the armored bands.

Time resumed its normal speed as Eile careened towards Apep. At the last second, it flexed its neck and shifted closer to her. The point of her sword skittered along a band, then slipped between two of them. The force of her momentum drive her sword deep into the demon's flesh where it lodged. Her body continued to hurtle past its neck, but she held onto the hilt, and the stuck weapon halted her motion with a jerk so hard that it almost tore her arms from her shoulders. At the same time, she pulled the sword down like a lever, cutting through a quarter of the circumference of the monster's neck. Blood fountained in a high arc above and away from her, and Apep threw back its head as it screamed loud enough to shake the cavern.

Apep twisted and convulsed its body in throes of agony while Eile tried to hang on, but she was thrown loose by a massive snap of its head. She closed her eyes tight as she spun through the air, waiting to crash, but after several moments she realized she wasn't moving. She gingerly opened one lid and saw she was bathed in orange light. She looked and saw Ubasti, now clear of the coils, standing in the path, staring at her as twin beams flowed from her eyes. She lowered her head, and Eile felt herself being placed gently on the ground. The glow died away, and she looked at Apep. The giant snakes was weaving and bobbing like a drunkard, as the blood now shot out in spurts. Finally, it dropped its head into the back of the cavern and crashed to the floor. Stalactites broke loose and dropped on top of it as stalagmites toppled over to bury it.

Ubasti held out her hands, and her swords flew to them; she then slipped them back into the scabbards behind her. Turning to look at her, Eile at first thought she was angry, but when she turned full around she said, "Thank you for my life. I am most grateful, and I owe you a debt."

"Well, I'm glad you're okay, but I've lost my sword."

"I am afraid your sword cannot be recovered, but as partial payment of my debt, please accept this in its place." Ubasti raised her hands, palms up, as if she were carrying something, and as Eile watched, a sword appeared in a cloud of sparks. Ubasti presented it to her, and she took it. It looked like her old sword, but then she noticed a line of tiny tracks snaking along the length of the blade. They looked like little cat paw prints.

"Come," Ubasti said, "we have no time left." And together they ran up to the mouth of the tunnel.

Thankfully, the tunnel was short, but as they neared the end, at first Eile thought it was blocked, because it terminated in a solid wall. Then she saw an opening in the middle of it width. It was barely large enough for her to squeeze through, but when she did she found herself behind a statue standing in a niche. She crouched down and peered around the legs.

The statue overlooked another cavern with a dome-shaped roof. This one, however, had had its stalactites and stalagmites removed, the floor leveled, and the walls and ceiling smoothed down.

To be continued