“Not much happening,” Rap said. He pulled out the magic scrolls and skimmed through them. They were all blank. “The warlock’s disappeared completely. I’ve had nothing from him. Umpily seems to be still at large, which is incredible. Acopulo was last heard from dying of seasickness. Shandie had some problems at first, but young Ylo pulled him through.”
“Ylo’s still with him? Ain’t that a purple chicken, then?” Rap raised eyebrows. Thinal was a very shrewd judge of people. “Meaning?”
The thief grinned. “Thought he had other ideas. Every time he looked at the impress, his pants just about strangled him. Oh, well, we can’t all get what we want out of life, can we?” His eyes twinkled mischievously as he held out a hand. “Good luck, Rap.”
“Thanks, Thinal.”
Rap found himself shaking hands with Andor. The changes were always like that—instantaneous. They released each other’s grip quickly.
Andor scowled. His face might be a trifle plumper, but basically.he had not changed. He was still much too handsome, much too devious. He was freshly shaved, his dark curls neatly combed.
“Welcome to the great cause,” Rap said.
Andor snorted. He glanced down at his garments, which were obviously tight on him. “My brother’s taste in clothing has not improved, has it?”
“He has, though. He helped a lot. I was impressed.”
The dark eyes flickered contemptuously. “And you want to know if I will?”
“Please.”
Andor surveyed the empty hills.
“Think you’ll be safe here to impose a little compulsion on me if I get awkward?”
Rap shook his head. “No. There’s still no sorcery being used, not even here in Pithmot. The Covin’s being quiet, but it’s still there, and it could hear me here if I did anything very much.” He reached out with his premonition, cautiously. The great evil lay far to the northeast, now, over distant Hub, but it still dominated the ambience like a black mountain. “I don’t detect any excitement in the immediate future.”
Andor shrugged. “My primary aim has always been to keep my blood inside my skin, your Majesty. You know that. But I’ll stick around.”
His reservations showed to a sorcerer. He was no more trustworthy than his larcenous brother, and he would undoubtedly seduce any pretty girl who came within reach. Fortunately Andor’s talent rattled the ambience much less than Thinal’s did. Rap was not about to admit that to Andor, though. In fact, he ought to give him a warning lecture . . .
Tremor!
Rap jumped, and turned to stare at the north. For a moment he reached out, querying—and then hastily restrained his power before he gave himself away. At least, he hoped he had not given himself away.
Andor had noticed. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure. Felt something.”
He had felt Inos, a faint glimmer of Inos. Now it had gone. Impossible! His feeble sorcery was not nearly strong enough to scrutinize Krasnegar. It must have been imagination.
“Don’t know.” He shrugged. “Nerves, maybe. Those clouds are the Mosweeps. How do you feel about lady trolls?” Andor shuddered. ”Don’t even joke about it.”
Rap had little desire to joke. He wished he had not felt that sinister little premonition of Inos in danger. Still, she would soon be warned about Zinixo and the Covin, because Shandie must be almost at Kinvale now.
3
Goblins! There were a dozen or more of them packing into the little room—thick, short men in buckskin breeches, some in tunics, others bare-chested, with khaki skin shining greasily. They all bore swords, and some had bows and quivers on their shoulders also. Their ugly, angular eyes were bright and angry within ugly arabesques of tattoo.
Absurdly, as she struggled to her feet, Inos could think only Thank the Gods that Kade did not live to see this!
Then one of the men grabbed Kadie in a one-armed hug. He pushed his mouth on hers, bending her over backward in a forcible kiss, choking off her scream. His companions laughed, or jabbered in guttural amusement.
“Stop that!” Gath shouted. He tried to stand, and a goblin banged him with a knee, knocking him flying—more laughter. Then Inos was on her feet and the nearest goblin reached for her also, grinning white tusks through the bristly fringe on his lips. The reek of rancid bear grease made her stomach churn. She backed away, and felt a chair blocking her.
“Stop!” she yelled.
He blinked, and stopped, looking puzzled and then angry. Released, Kadie staggered away, retching. For a moment no one spoke. There was noise outside—screaming, and much coughing, and a muffled roar. Smoke billowed in through the open doorway. Someone shouted urgently in the corridor.
Somehow Inos had to get back through the portal, and take her children with her. She couldn’t speak goblin. She mustn’t let the raiders discover that secret way into Krasnegar. Where was all that smoke coming from?
A goblin lifted a table and smashed the nearest window, and that broke the spell. The leader shouted orders. Inos was seized and dragged, her shouts ignored. In a pack of stinking, halfnaked goblins she was hauled out into a smoke-filled corridor. Coughing and weeping, she tried to struggle free. A leathery palm slammed into her face, dazing her.
The outside air was cold, but enormously welcome. The pale sun of a winter afternoon was blinding, sparkling in the tears that streamed from her eyes. She was hauled along by a single stocky goblin, whose hand seemed nailed to her arm. He ignored her efforts to break free or resist, until she thumped at him. Then he slugged her across the face again. She stumbled; he held her upright without effort and kept on going. She called out, “Gath! Kadie?” and thought she heard an answer . . . She was tossed forward in one easy gesture as she might throw away an apple core. She sprawled, rolling into a group of people sitting on the ground, provoking cries and shouts of protest. Hands were helping her sit up . . .
“Mom!” That was Kadie, kneeling beside her, her face a white blur.
“I ‘m all right, dear.” Inos clutched her daughter’s hand. ”You all right?” Ignoring pain, wiping the torrents from her eyes, she looked around. She was within a group of thirty or forty people, all sitting on the flagstones of the south terrace, penned against the stone balustrade. The ground was dry, but icy cold. There was no snow anywhere. Half a dozen goblins stood guard with swords and bows. Others were still streaming from the burning mansion. She saw Gath approaching, being dragged by the scruff of the neck. She began to rise and the nearest guard came forward, swinging the flat of his sword at her head. She sat down again quickly. At best, it would have stunned her. He leered big goblin fangs and said something mocking.
Gath was tossed into the heap. His mop of golden hair disappeared, then popped up again, so he was conscious. He looked around wildly, saw Inos, and registered relief on chalk-white features.
The west wing was an inferno, flames roaring into the sky. Nearer windows were streaming black smoke, so the whole place was going up. Oh, that beautiful mansion!
What would Kade have said? And what was all that terrible screaming? There were goblins everywhere Inos looked. This was no small raiding party; there were hundreds of them in sight. Most of them were bare to the waist, oblivious of the cold. She was shivering convulsively inside her heavy Krasnegar furs, but perhaps that was mainly from shock.
The other captives were mostly women in servant dress. She recognized some of the faces vaguely, but there was no one she knew by name. If any of them recognized her, they were too terrorized to speak. From time to time others were dragged or driven from the house and added to the group huddled along the balustrade. A body draped over the rail wore a feathered arrow protruding obscenely from its back, so there was no escape that way.
Part of the roof collapsed with an ear-splitting roar. Fire leaped to the skies. Even the nearer windows were starting to explode as the flames spread. Oh, Gods! The magic portal was in there! There was no way back to Krasnegar now.
Gath came wriggling through the crowd on hands and knees. His lips were blue and quivering, but he seemed quite conscious and somehow he had hung on to one of the blankets. Inos peeled off her own fur robe and insisted he wrap himself in it. She took the blanket and bundled all three of them together snugly. She started to say “We shall have to—” and sudden enlightenment changed it to “What happens now?”
“W-we w-wait awhile,” Gath said through chattering teeth. ”There’s one you can t-t-talk to.”
“Good stuff!” Kadie whispered.
Good stuff indeed! His prescience would be a Gods-send in this mess—except that, if any of them were going to be killed or raped, then he would know ahead of time. He admitted that bad things couldn’t always be avoided. Really bad things were better left unexpected, and some goblin customs were about as bad as mortals could conceive. The shrieks of agony coming from the sunken rose garden beyond the balustrade were mingled at times with bursts of applause. Inos twisted around to try to see between the uprights, but there were too many people in the way.