Up From Hell (6 page)

Which was nothing to what I'd had, and Alpnu too.

“—but I'd really like to head back for camp now. Not all the way, but a few miles away from here.”

“What about the bodies, Top?” said Heune.

“Galo completely burned up,” I said. I needed to close the door in the cave. “I'm going into the cave for a moment. When I come out, I want to get out of here. The foxes'll take care of Dubnoreix's people.”

And Dubnoreix,
but I didn't say that. All anybody but me and Alpnu knew was that Dubnoreix and his brother had ridden out of the camp and hadn't come back. I figured any of his housemen who hadn't lit out on their own would be glad to back the story of the lightning bolt. They might even believe it.

Matisco shrugged. “Whatever you want, Top,” he said. “This isn't a place I want to stick around neither.”

“I'll help you in the cave,” Alpnu said. She walked beside me toward the entrance.

“I'm going to lay Galo inside the door and close it,” I said quietly to her. “That'll keep the birds off, I guess. I don't want anybody to see what happened to him.”

I felt better. I'd picked up the sword when I got to my feet, and I sheathed it now with no trouble finding the scabbard.

“It's going to be different without Galo,” I said. “He never led us wrong. Well, up till now.”

“Yes,” said Alpnu as I led her into the tunnel. “He had a gift, though that's how the creature reached him to begin with. But you have me now, and I can find things also.”

I looked back. “I have you?” I said.

“Yes, as long as you want me,” Alpnu said. “I told you how hard it was to find a man.”

I could see what remained of Galo on the floor ahead: his clothing, and his skin as flat and rumpled as the clothes. I would still miss him.

But I felt an unexpected excitement about what I had gotten in exchange.

About the Author

David Drake
(born 1945) sold his first story (a fantasy) at age 20. His undergraduate majors at the University of Iowa were history (with honors) and Latin (BA, 1967). He uses his training in both subjects extensively in his fiction.David entered Duke Law School in 1967 and graduated five years later (JD, 1972). The delay was caused by his being drafted into the US Army. He served in 1970 as an enlisted interrogator with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, the Blackhorse, in Viet Nam and Cambodia. He has used his legal and particularly his military experiences extensively in his fiction also.David practiced law for eight years; drove a city bus for one year; and has been a full-time freelance writer since 1981, writing such novels as
Out of the Waters
and
Monsters of the Earth.
He reads and travels extensively. You can sign up for email updates
here
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Contents

Title Page

Copyright Notice

Begin Reading

About the Author

Copyright

Copyright © 2016 by David Drake

Art copyright © 2016 by Robert Hunt