Approaching footsteps echoed through the caves.Not the slap of the sandals worn by my honor guard, but the stomp of hobnailed boots.Above that, Ul-Rott’s annoyed tones carried across loud and clear.“If this turns out to be another false alarm, I’ll have you all castrated!”
“Shutter the lantern,” I whispered, and Kof hurried to comply.
“Shaman!”the chieftain called out.“What’s all this I hear about…?”His voice trailed off as I stepped out of the true crypt.Ul-Rott stood in the newly exposed amber room, mouth agape.A huge sword protruded from the floor and Gorgul’s corpse was sprawled at his feet, but he took no notice, looking from one wall to the other as glowing figures danced across the surface.The overhead light was fading now, and the sparkling letters were dim and erratic.But even faded, they painted a dramatic scene.
Ul-Rott planted his hands on his hips and said, “What is this curse’d place?”
“It’s the tomb of the shamans, great Spinecrusher.”I would have added a respectful thump, but the red ochre handprint on my chest burned like a brand.
Ul-Rott grunted, then narrowed his eyes.“If that’s so, then why did we park Taruut’s body somewhere else?”
I knew chieftains.I knew how they thought, but most importantly, I knew how they felt: always bristling for a challenge.Appeasing the ego of a chieftain was a balancing act.And if I answered wrong, Ul-Rott would not be impressed by our find, but rather take offense at the lie we’d told to get here.
It was a lose-lose proposition.Either he’d think me an idiot for not finding the original tomb sooner, or deem me untrustworthy for creating a fake.But I had to give himsomeexplanation.I hesitated…then saw him surreptitiously blow into his fist.
“It was foretold,” I said simply.
Ul-Rott narrowed his eyes.He glanced down at Gorgul’s corpse.“And this one?”
“Driven mad by the death of his leader.As you saw when he struck the grub from your hand.”
Ul-Rott squinted at the golden letters flowing across the walls.I’d read prophecy in those words of light, but now I saw nothing but sparkles.What did Ul-Rott see there—a pronouncement that would lead Archie to his death?I was glad for the copper smell of blood in the air.Its tang would cover up my sour nerves.But the longer Ul-Rott paused, the more likely it was he’d see through my confident act and we’d all be lost….
Until finally he flexed his fingers as if he wished to blow into them again and shuddered.“Foretold?Hmph.As you say, Droko.Do you need me to speak more words, or can you handle the final interment yourself?”
He’d used my name.I was stunned.I gathered my wits and said, “I have everything under control.”
The chieftain’s gaze returned to what remained of Gorgul.“And what of this one?Will you send him to the pyre or leave him for the wolves?Your man, your choice.”
“Actually….”the notion took hold before I had time to think it through, but I let the momentum carry me.“He was Taruut’s man.And his madness was a testament to how bonded they were.He will rest in the tomb with his shaman, and make up for his insults by serving Taruut in the afterlife.”
“If you put stock in that sort of thing,” Ul-Rott muttered, then considered the body.“Taken down by a mere goblin, the men tell me.Better to weed him out now before he fails you in battle.”
I looked up sharply.“Battle?”
“Of course.What good is a shaman built like an iron forge if I can’t parade him around in front of my enemies?You can carry that blade over there.No one else is willing to touch the thing, but it would be a shame for such a stout weapon to go to waste.You’ll need to learn to ride a horse, though.”He adjusted his breeches and added, “I hope your choad is up to it.”
“And what of my slave?”My thoughts were of Crespash, of course, who’d been hauled off by the honor guard after saving my life.
But Ul-Rott had a different slave in mind.“What you do with the human is your concern.Considering the big show the two of you put on here, spending your seed on him obviously hasn’t done your sorcery any harm.”
Once Ul-Rott was gone, I ordered my men to bundle Gorgul into the vault, then fetch Taruut’s body.I couldn’t say for sure which guards had been poisoned by Gorgul’s words and which had always been loyal to me.But giving the lieutenant the dignity of burial with his master was bound to win back a few hearts.
Plus, now that my guardsmen had seen me spew some “prophecy,” they wouldn’t dare stand against me.
Kof was the only one who’d willingly come within arm’s length—and that was something of a relief.Until he surprised me by saying, “It shouldn’t be Gorgul in that crypt.”
“Hold your tongue,” I snapped.
But I’d told the captain to be blunt with me, and he was determined to speak his mind.“Gorgul may have served as Taruut’s guard, but he never truly belonged to the shaman.”
“Kof….”If I had to make an example of him, I would.Anything it took to protect Archie.
“You saw the writing on the wall,” Kof said.“You read it to me yourself.A faithful companion.Does that sound like Gorgul to you?”
“Regardless of what we thought of Gorgul, he served Taruut much longer than Archie.”
Kof’s scarred brow furrowed.“The slave?I would never suggest the human deserved the honor.”
