Cenotaph Road

" I sense meaning to your use of the word ' power' that escapes me. But I shall be frank with you. A mage named Medolinev or Shastry, or possibly even L' ao Shu or Claybore, is responsible. He who constructed it is loath to give voice to his proper name for fear I would gain power over him." Waldron laughed harshly, changed elbows on the wooden box resting on the balcony railing, and added, " As if that matters to him now. But he refused to share this fine gift with my people, so:" A careless gesture of Waldron' s hand across his throat indicated what had happened to the niggardly magician. " You continue to amaze me, though, in that you sensed my inability to construct such a device. How did you know? A guess?"

" Hardly. I' ve been around magic- users all my life and, while I' m unable to cast more than elementary spells, I can feel power around me. You are lacking."

" Lacking in that form of power, perhaps, but not in others. I tire of this conversation, so allow me to congratulate you on pleasing me for so many hours during your journey through the maze. People walking between worlds as you did seldom survive, although the actual distance you traversed is less than ten yards."

" We' ll continue to survive, eater of small children!" raged Inyx, her hand pulling at her dagger.

" Alas, I ca

" The Road!" cried Inyx.

" Yes, if my weak legs will carry me forward," agreed Krek.

" Come, Velika, let' s go through the gateway while it' s open," said Lan, pulling at the woman' s hand. But she refused to move. Yanking harder as Inyx and Krek advanced on the Kinetic Sphere and the curtain of radiant energy now surrounding it, Lan found himself off balance and stumbling. He slipped and bowled over Krek. The giant spider' s wildly thrashing limbs sent Inyx tumbling. Velika stood over the pile of bodies and shook her head.

" Better a dungeon than being lost in that welter of crazy, dangerous worlds!" she cried out, tears flowing copiously down her cheeks. Lan started to go to her, but some i

Inyx surged to her feet, but the globe had lost its lustre and the energy curtain had closed. No more coalescing colors in the ball; it remained inert, dead, shut to them. And the ring of crossbowmen assured her that fighting now was tantamount to suicide. Turning on Lan, she screamed, " That bitch has signed our death warrants! I consign you both to the Lower Places for this!"

Lan Martak had no answer, for he felt much the same about Velika' s reluctance to walk the Road. It had just cost them all their freedom- and their lives.

" Hmmm, such a motley group you are," said Waldron, looking down at the four in chains. As Krek rattled his bindings ominously, several of the guards insinuated themselves between the giant spider and their liege lord. Waldron shifted the wooden box he carried so that it safely rested under his arm, then made a vague gesture in the air with his free hand as he said, " It' s all right, men. My armorer assures me even this ponderous creature will be unable to break through the special steel chains on all of his legs."

" Begging your gracious pardon, Saviour, but the armorer also assured us that the other spider could not escape the chamber in which he placed it. It took less than an hour for the beast to break entirely free and escape."

Waldron' s face tightened.

" Why wasn' t I informed of that immediately? Damn that man! You, Commander Ells, remove the armorer and find a suitable replacement. And report back to me afterward."

The indicated soldier, dressed in the grey of Waldron' s army, bowed to his liege and backed out, bobbing his head in agreement. The other stirred nervously, glanced at Krek, and obviously doubted the strength of the chains on all eight furry legs.

The soldier jumped when Krek clacked his mandibles together and said, " Lovely Klawn has escaped! How wonderous!"

Waldron straightened his courtly robes and held out his gloved hand. A caw and a flutter of wings, then a large raven perched impudently on his wrist. He stroked the greasy feathers and talked quietly to the large bird.

" You wouldn' t allow such a tasty, oversized morsel to do me harm, would you?" The answering caw sounded more like laughter from a demented fiend than the normal screech of a bird.

" My human guards are fallible, but my winged ones aren' t. They protect me with their very lives- and have done so. But this audience draws overlong. I see that it isn' t possible to imprison the likes of you," he said, peering at Krek past the black bird flapping for balance on his wrist, " so that eliminates several possibilities."

" You said you' d let us walk the Road you opened in the chamber. It was a mistake that we didn' t. Allow us another chance," said Lan, fearing all was lost. The answer sealed their fate.

" No." Harsh, flat, final. " The decision has been made. A moment' s leniency weakened me. For a time I thought your bravery should be rewarded. Or perhaps that I could use you. Since you killed KynalLyk- Surepta, I require a native of your world to act as liaison in my continued dealings there."

" Betray my world to you?" raged Lan.

" Yes, that' s the reaction I predicted. Hence, death for all four of you." Waldron moved the raven to a padded shoulder perch and shifted the wood box again.

" Lord, no!" pleaded Velika, throwing herself at the man' s feet. She reached out and touched the soles of his boots imploringly. " Anything but that, master. Anything!"

" Anything?" he echoed, then laughed. " You offer yourself in exchange for these others?" Waldron waved aside Lan' s protest before it even came to his lips.

" No, master, I offer myself wholeheartedly and ask for nothing in return." Tears ran in ever- increasing rivers down her cheeks. Waldron brushed one away, then stiffened slightly, his face turning into a mask with unreadable emotions. He shook slightly as he again touched the tear- stained cheek, then straightened.

" Direct, to the heart of the matter, yes," he mused, rubbing his chin with one hand while bouncing the flapping raven with the other. " Very well, blond seductress. I am sure that Kyn- alLyk- Surepta enjoyed many pleasures with you before he died."

" And I can show you ever so many more, master, if you' ll allow it." Velika' s eyes shone with fear as she mouthed the words. Lan wanted to silence her, prevent her from degrading herself further, but the guards and the chains effectively stopped him.

" Chamberlain," Waldron called out. " A point of protocol. Since Diamerra died of the cold last winter, I have been without wife. Should I happen to take this woman, who is not of our world, must it be as legal wife?"

An old man dressed in flowing grey robes shuffled up and turned tired eyes to Waldron.

" Saviour, this need not be so. This world and two others under your aegis allow concubines."

" Concubines," said Waldron, rolling the word over his tongue as if it were new to him. " Yes, that might be the answer to this vexing dilemma. On this world I will take a concubine." To Velika, he asked, more gently, " What is your name, flaxen- haired one?"

" Velika L' spurota, master."

" The proper form of address is ' Saviour,' " said the dour chamberlain. " He has delivered all our people from great sadness and, for this service to our bleak world, will live forever on our hearth and in our heart." It sounded like a litany the man had learned and was now tired of repeating.

" Saviour! Yes, you are my saviour!" babbled Velika. " Anything you desire of me will be yours."

" I am pleased," said Waldron dryly, " especially since I can take it whether you desire it or not. Never mind that. The other three. Take them to the north tower and execute them at first light. That much I will grant since I have no quarrel with any of them."