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As they talked I wondered just how much they did know from hearsay of that very devil in the scarlet
breechclout, that Dray Prescot who was the Emperor of Vallia and deadly foe to the Empire of Hamal,
and also the same Dray Prescot who had good friends in Hamal and despaired of a country unjustly
governed.
I saw Nodgen and Hunch talking to Quienyin. The two ex-slaves were clad sumptuously and garnished
with a Kregan arsenal of weapons. Nodgen held a broad-bladed spear. They went off together, the three
of them with Quienyin in the lead, searching among the tumbled magics.
Prince Nedfar called his son over to join the discussion with the chiefs and principals. The princess
returned dressed in new clothes, tight black trousers and blue shirt as before.
Lobur looked at Thefi and then at me.
I said,  I have urgent business... I drifted away.
The situation appeared that we might stay in this wondrous chamber  the Chamber of the Flame, it
might have been called  for as long as we wished. When we made our move to break free would be
the time when the horrors would pounce.
Yet the object of challenging the dangers of the Moder was to escape with the treasures one desired.
Escape was the problem.
Ariane, radiant in a pure-white gown, her hair impeccable, her face rosy-red and glowing, had joined the
conference.
 Well,Notor Jak  This was Quienyin, smiling, ironic, striding up to me with Nodgen and Hunch
looking sheepish.  They want you to join them. I have persuaded them that you are not a monster or a
djinni or any form of ghoul. He snuffled.  It was a hard task.
 He s a right old devil, said Hunch.
I said,  Strom Phrutius may be dead, Hunch, you hulu  but his chief cook, Fat Ringo, has survived to
bring his gross bulk into this place.
 I know. I have kept clear of him.
 Stick by me when we quit this place. We ll win free, have no fear.
Easy words, those  but how were they to be accomplished?
Quienyin and I walked across and joined the enlarged group around Prince Nedfar.
 You are welcome, Notor Jak. I am glad I did not cut you down when we entered through that
Havil-forsaken hole.
I said,  Had you not hurried you would have had a puzzle to solve and the Jaws of Death to dare.
 I have been told. Now we need all our wits to riddle the way out of here.
Ariane had regained much of her composure.  The way lies down beside the Shaft of Flame.
 There is a wall of insubstantial iron, lady 
 There are nine gates!
 To which we do not have the keys.
Tyr Ungovich s shoulders moved, as though he shrugged in resignation, or laughed quietly to himself.
The red and green checkered hood did not move as Ungovich spoke in a voice like a rusty hinge:
 Without the sorcerous power of San Yagno the party would never have reached here. You are
fortunate, Notor Jak, that your party is still alive without the aid of so mighty a thaumaturge.
Carefully, I said,  We survived.
 Let me set one of my fellows to climb the wall! burst out Kov Loriman.
 By all means, said Tyr Ungovich.
We remembered what had chanced the last time he had said that. Loriman hunched himself up, his face
bloating with anger.
 Well, Tyr Ungovich. What do you suggest?
 Do we have all the parts of the key?
They were produced as though they were precious relics, and Nedfar laid them out on a table which his
son quickly turned up the right way. There were eight curiously-shaped pieces of bronze. We all stared at
them solemnly.
Well, and by Zair! Weren t they the most precious objects in all this Moder?
And, without the ninth part, they were valueless.
Chapter Nineteen
Of a Gate  and Honor
Much of the rampaging about and the ecstatic sorting through treasures to uncover the finest abated. The
explosive release of tensions neared its own exhaustion. Men still capered about, fantastically arrayed in
cloth of gold and festooned with gems, they still played stupid silly magical tricks one against another,
with spurts of blue fire and whiffs of occult stinks, causing Yagno to twitch. But gradually they quieted
and looked toward the group where the decisions of their fates rested.
The hood of ruby and emerald checks drew forward, shadowing all within, as I spoke to Ungovich.
 You sold Kov Loriman the Hunter magics to ward off the magics here. And the others bought trinkets
of some power. As the Hunting Kov started forward, clearly about to blaspheme by Sasco over the
uselessness of the tiklo, I went on in a louder voice,  Perhaps in view of your knowledge of conditions
here, you have knowledge of what it is we need to open these gates.
 It is in my heart to have been with you and witnessed what went on when you were separated from us.
Did any of your party find a key?
 What we have is there on the table. Tyfar pointed.
Kov Loriman subsided, caught up in the importance we all sensed in the words of that rusty-hinge voice,
consigning the matter of his tiklo to a Herrelldrin Hell.
 Nothing else? Tyr Ungovich sounded as though he was becoming annoyed. His rusty voice grated
unpleasantly.
These men had talked over and over before I had joined the group, and had settled nothing. We were
going to be trapped here if one of us did not come up with the right answer.
 We found a golden key, said Ungovich.  But an oaf lost it for us.
Prince Nedfar drew in his breath. He spoke and all the quiet dignity of the man showed splendidly in that
place.  Amak Rubbra, who was a just and honorable man, lost his life with that golden key.
 An oaf, I said, the rusty voice said spitefully.  And an oaf I mean.
 Without a key  San Yagno started to amplify.
 Here, snarled Kov Loriman. He hauled out the box of a size to take a portion of cham and, opening it,
proffered the contents.  A silver key we found. Is this what you want?
 Ah! grated Ungovich.
 We all craned to look.
Ungovich reached for the silver key. It was left to Yagno to say, startled,  Tyr! Careful! It may be 
 Quite.
 A silver key for a silver gate, notors? said Tyfar.
We all moved across to stand before the silver gate in the insubstantial iron wall. The shaft of pure white
light lifted blindingly over our heads. Shadows fled away in long fingers of darkness. A smell of ancient
decay hung in the air here.
 I do not think the key will harm me, said Ungovich. He lifted it out. Nothing happened. We all
watched him as, carefully, he inserted the key in the keyhole and turned, pressing sideways as he did so.
The silver gate moved inward a hand s-breadth. He paused. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]