Pilgrim by Sara Douglas

And now it lay before them.

As the Demons rode to within a half-league of the Maze Gate they began to change. All

resemblance of human bodies vanished, and they took on shifting, lumpish forms that one

moment resembled eels, the next grossly deformed frogs or dogs. Appendages wove forth from

all aspects and every shifting plane of their bodies, some tentacle-like with pop-eyes at their

extremities, others like grasping many-fingered hands. They barked and howled and slurped,

slipping in and out of one grotesque transformation after the other.

WolfStar retched, but StarLaughter whooped and screamed with joy.

Such power! Such revenge!

And soon her son would come into what was rightly his!

Above wheeled a cloud of Hawkchilds, screeching with the Demons. They swept over

Spiredore and saw—

The StarSon! The StarSon atop the white, white tower!

What does he do? Sheol asked of them.

Nothing. He stands, his hands on the parapet, and waits.

Fool! He but waits for his death!

And all the time the Dark Tower wept and wailed and sobbed: Come! Come! Come!

The Demons swept under the Maze Gate and it did not hinder them.

They swept through the Maze, and neither did its conundrums impede them. Indeed, their

way was as an avenue, wide and smooth and kind, leading them directly to the Dark Tower.

Behind them swept the vast army of slavish animals and lost souls, finally free to join their

master.

The Maze filled with the demonically insane, a great sweeping tide of fury and darkness.

The Demons paid the horde no attention. They were almost out of control. They gibbered

and slobbered, scratching deep gouges of joy into their mounts‘ necks, and still the black beasts

ran, ran straight for the Dark Tower.

The door to the mausoleum swung open, and Demons and mounts and their companions

together swept in.

On his tower, Caelum sighed and stepped into the stairwell. ―Take me to the Maze Gate,‖

he requested.

The Demons sat their mounts still and silent.

They stared at the tomb with the black armour spread out atop it.

The Demons had once again regained their humanoid forms. Tears trickled down their

faces.

It was very hard to believe that, after all they‘d been through, the time and the trouble and

the trials, they were finally here.

Silently, reverently, they climbed down from their mounts.

StarLaughter also slid down, and strode over to WolfStar. ―Watch,‖ she murmured as she

cut his bonds and pulled him down from his beast into a heap on the black marble floor. ―Watch

as your son gains his heritage!‖

The Demons helped the Niah-woman and the Qeteb-man to dismount. The Niah-woman

they took over to the side, out of the way, and indicated that StarLaughter stand with her.

StarLaughter obeyed, dragging WolfStar over at her heels, and smiled cruelly at her

husband. ―See,‖ she said, ―what will become of our son.‖

The Demons grouped reverently about the Qeteb-man and guided him towards the tomb.

Once there they patted and fondled him, and then each Demon picked up a piece of the armour

and, mumbling strange words in an even stranger tone, laid it against Qeteb‘s flesh and tied it to

his body.

It fit perfectly—but not because the armour fit Qeteb. Instead, as successive plates were

fitted against his body, the Midday Demon‘s flesh swelled to horrible proportions to fill every

space inside the armour.

The air grew heavy, and WolfStar could not stop a dreadful sense of oppression sweep

over him.

StarLaughter, intent on watching her son, let the chain tethered to WolfStar‘s collar drift

unheeded to the floor.

Slowly, very, very slowly, WolfStar backed away, his fingers fumbling at the loathed

collar until it fell to the floor.

He backed into the shadows of the pillars, and wondered: Should I escape? Or attempt

some rescue of Niah?

Completely unaware of WolfStar‘s slow drift away, one of the Demons fitted another

piece of armour to Qeteb‘s body, and again flesh swelled to meet metal for a perfect fit.

Now there was only the visor to go.

Sheol lifted it from the tomb, aided by Mot, and raised it over Qeteb‘s head.

WolfStar stared from the shadows. Qeteb‘s face was transforming into something hideous

as the Demons slowly lowered the visor.

Gods! WolfStar could not bear to look any further, and pushed his face against the cold

floor.

Silence, and then a faint clunk as the visor was secured into the neck and shoulder fittings

of the armour.

Everything left above in the land of Tencendor paused, and then turned in the direction of

the Maze.

The forests fell silent, the waves ceased to batter the rocky shoreline of the Icebear coast,

the animals crowding the Maze outside the Dark Tower fell to their bellies, the Hawkchilds

settled on the top of the Maze‘s walls and folded their wings.

Seated atop his white stallion, the StarSon lifted his eyes and wept.

Underneath the stallion‘s hooves, the great bridge of Sigholt groaned and fell silent.

A great roar pounded forth from the heart of the Maze.

I am reborn!

Qeteb raised his black-metalled fists and thrust them above his head.

I am reborn!

WolfStar dug his fingers into his ears and screwed his eyes tight shut, praying for death!

―I am reborn,‖ Qeteb whispered in a voice hoarse with disuse, and his visored head

slowly turned about the circle of the mausoleum.

It stilled each time as Qeteb locked eyes with each of his companion Demons.

―Where is Rox?‖ he whispered harshly.

―Great Father,‖ Sheol said, her eyes downcast lest Qeteb think her presumptuous, ―the

Enemy laid a trap, and he was destroyed.‖

Qeteb growled. The noise was so low it could not be heard, but its vibrations rippled out

across the floor. Qeteb‘s hands lowered to his sides, and they slowly clenched.

―Then I shall destroy!‖ he cried, and he flung out his arms and splayed open his hands,

bending back so far the face of his visor looked directly into the dome of the mausoleum.

Hate rippled forth over the land of Tencendor.

Caelum, standing outside the Maze Gate, felt it coming, and huddled behind the

protective wall of the archway so it fled by without touching him.

The forests felt it coming, and screamed—and the next instant their leaves exploded from

them in a great, rising cloud of pain.

Star Finger felt it coming and shuddered, and the next instant it exploded as well and

crumbled into the glacier surrounding its eastern and northern walls.

Urbeth and her daughters felt it coming, and buried their noses deep into the snow and it

did not touch them.

DragonStar felt it coming, and he gripped the mane of his stallion. ―Steady,‖ he said, and,

protected by the bridge, the hate rushed over without harming them.

―Who?‖ Qeteb demanded, pointing at the two female figures to one side.

WolfStar crouched as close to the floor as he could. Niah was lost now, lost, all his

dreams and plans were dust, and the only thought that crowded WolfStar‘s head was escape.

Escape, and somehow regroup. And Caelum. Somehow…somehow…

As Qeteb walked towards Niah and StarLaughter, WolfStar slithered carefully ever

further into the shadows.

Qeteb stopped before the two females. His visored face turned slowly towards

StarLaughter. ―Who?‖ the Midday Demon demanded.

―I am your mother!‖ StarLaughter said, her voice proud. ―I have loved you and protected

you and nourished you and—‖

―Who?‖ Qeteb said yet again, and raised one mailed fist.

―I am your mother,‖ StarLaughter repeated, ―and you are—‖

―I have no mother!‖ Qeteb screamed abruptly. ―I am whole within myself!‖

StarLaughter went rigid with shock—and with pure terror. She cast her eyes frantically

about, seeking escape, but Qeteb had already forgotten her.

―Who?‖ he said, indicating Niah.

―Your wife,‖ Sheol said.

Now secreted in darkness a dozen columns away, WolfStar lowered his head and wept

silent tears.

―Wife?‖ Qeteb said, and stroked Niah‘s cheek with surprisingly gentle fingers.

Niah showed no response.

―Wife,‖ Qeteb said yet again. He paused. ―A wife.‖ A rasp of laughter came from behind

the visor. ―A wife who neither talks nor thinks?‖

He turned back to the other Demons. ―She will do well!‖

The Demons, particularly Sheol, visibly relaxed.

For her part, StarLaughter had regained a little of her equilibrium. He will accept a wife

but not a mother? she thought. What kind of son is that?

Qeteb, thinking to explore this wife further, turned back towards Niah when he spotted

WolfStar amid the shadows and stopped. ―Who—‖ he began, but a voice drifted in the doorway,

interrupting him.

―I am Caelum StarSon,‖ it said, ―and I dare you to butcher me, Qeteb!‖

―He thinks to destroy us!‖ Sheol said, moving to stand by Qeteb‘s dull metalled shoulder.

―In the past few weeks his power has grown to be…irritating. It would be best, perhaps, to

remove him now.‖

―No-one can best me!‖ Qeteb roared, WolfStar completely forgotten. ―He is no threat!‖