Like a striking snake Malkin’s rapier darted over Wiz’s shoulder and thrust into the attackers face. The armored figure never flinched and brought his own sword down in a vicious overhead blow aimed at Wiz’s skull.
The cut was clumsily made and poorly aimed. The sword slid along Malkin’s rapier and off past her side. Before the attacker could recover Wiz hit it square on with a lightning bolt and it burst into flames.
Even that didn’t stop it. Slowly, deliberately, it brought its sword back and above its fiery body to strike again. Then it tottered and fell backwards as fire reduced its substance to ashes.
Beyond it there were other figures in the corridor. Wiz didn’t hesitate. He sent bolt after bolt of lightning flashing down the tunnel to consume the others even as they shuffled forward.
And then it was quiet again. There was no sound but the labored breathing of the adventurers and June’s knife, striking again and again into the dismembered body of her foe. Danny went to his wife’s side and gentry pulled her off the still quivering body.
“It’s all right,” he said, “it’s dead.”
“A long time dead,” Malkin amended, studying the body. ‘This was not a living man. It’s an animated corpse.”
“Zombie?”
“Why not?” Wiz said grimly. The Enemy probably had a lot of corpses to work with here.”
“I would suggest,” Malkin said with equal grimness, “that we get out of this place as quickly as we can. We do not want to be set upon from all sides at once by things like this.”
Night had fallen over the Wizards’ Keep, though its inhabitants needed magic or a sand glass to tell them that. Outside, the unremitting gray fog beat against the castle, pushing, squeezing, trying to insinuate its tentacles into the structure.
The great hall was lit by magical glow lamps. At each of the eight cardinal points stood one of the Mighty, staff in hand. Within the inscribed circle stood two men, a woman and a dragon.
“May Fortuna aid you all,” Arianne said to Bal-Simba, Jerry and Moira as she finished giving them final instructions.
“We’ll be all right,” Jerry said. “I just hope you can do something on this end while we’re gone.”
“The other wizards say that given time they will be able to control this thing, at least here.”
Silence fell over the group. Unconsciously they turned to watch the sand trickle out of the glass.
“There is still time, My Lady,” Bal-Simba said quietly. Moira shook her head. The big wizard breathed a gusty sigh. “Well, then. I believe we are ready.”
“Merry part,” Arianne said to them.
“Merry meet again, Lady,” Bal-Simba replied.
Arianne stepped out of the circle, being careful not to scuff it. As the sand ran from the glass the wizards threw back their robes to expose their arms and raised their staffs. As the final grains fell to the bottom they began to chant.
The world wavered, dissolved and suddenly they were in a narrow alley between blind wooden walls. It took a moment for Jerry to realize the walls were really shipping containers stacked six high.
Jerry and Bal-Simba were dizzy and a little disoriented. Moira seemed to be worse affected. The dragon leaned drunkenly against the crates, making little pawing motions with his front claws.
“My Lady, are you all right?” Bal-Simba asked.
The dragon shook his head feebly, as if trying to clear it. Then he heaved himself upright. For an instant Jerry was afraid he would fall, but the dragon steadied and seemed to draw inner strength.
“How do you feel?” Jerry asked.
“Let us get on with it,” Moira said grimly.
Jerry was relieved both at the dragon’s apparent recovery and at Moira’s response. He hadn’t been absolutely sure that Moira would be able to talk to them in this world
“Where are we?” Bal-Simba asked, craning his neck to look at the three-story-stack of crates surrounding them.
“We’re in a storage area next to an exhibit hall, but I don’t recognize which one.”
He looked around trying to orient himself. It wasn’t easy. The view at ground level was completely blocked by the stacks of crates. Beyond the crates on one side was a solid brick wall, perhaps four stories high. Above that were two hotel towers perhaps twenty stories high each. Scanning the horizon over the tops of the crates he could see mountains in the distance and here and there tall buildings, obviously more hotels. The sky above was pale turquoise blue with just a few wisps of high clouds.