Wrath of the White Tigress (36 page)

"You would set me free only to have Jaska track me down. You would enjoy the irony."

"Yes, I would very much enjoy that."

"You will never bind him again. He would die first."

"We may not give him that choice," Mardha said.
 

Salahn stepped up to Zyrella and patted her on the cheek. "So tell me, what do you think of the inner sanctum? I have adapted it well to suit my needs, have I not?"

"I have never been here before, as you well know, and your sorceries make little sense to me."

"The basic concepts are simple actually, but the execution and preparation are not. Each of the pentagrams will bind one of the dimensions of the Shadowland to me. Past and future will be the hardest. I have only energized one thus far, but more will come. The master pentagram will be formed by a set of qavra on my person. That's one of the reasons I look forward to Jaska's return. His stone is of the finest quality."

"Do what you will. It won't matter once Jaska gets here."

Salahn scowled and turned to Adynarh, giving him instructions on how to prepare for Jaska's arrival. Then he went about securing his ongoing rituals, only doing what he must and preserving the rest to be taken up again once the problem with Jaska was solved.
 

As she watched Salahn work, Zyrella stared at the tattoo of the White Tigress on his back and chest. Thinking of how much she wished she could free the goddess from that filthy prison brought a terrible realization to her. She should have thought of it much sooner. What would happen when Jaska struck Salahn with the swords of white-steel? The Tigress would be just as vulnerable to them as Salahn since she was bound to him. To destroy Salahn, Jaska would also have to destroy the White Tigress. It was her power that made him immortal.

Zyrella must do something to free her before that happened. This left her again pondering the qavra placed within her womb. She hadn't yet figured out a use for it. Nalsyrra had seemed to think a solution would become obvious, but Zyrella could think of nothing that would truly affect her enemy, especially with a qavra so slight.

~~~

Outside the walls of Kabulsek lay a shantytown populated by beggars, thieves, tanners, and other outcasts. Wearing rotting burnooses over their armor and uniforms and with a scrying cloak laced over them, Jaska and his companions moved through the dilapidated buildings, tents, lean-tos, and shacks that made up the shantytown. It was early in the evening. The cramped, meandering streets were dark and empty. Those people who were out thought them nothing more than another gang of toughs.
 

Their destination lay in the center: an enormous, centuries-old cemetery reputed to be haunted. That didn't keep cutthroats from operating on the outskirts. The inner cemetery was another matter altogether. No one went there but the most desperate of men. Minor Zhura-djinn lurked there, bound in ancient times so that they couldn't leave the burial grounds. Tiny shadow demons might scare common folk, but Jaska was unconcerned, especially now. The demons quickly withdrew from Jaska, the disguised Kyshaiar, and the white-steel swords, getting as far away into the shadows as they could.
 

Jaska led the way to a squat mausoleum engraved with runes faded by time. He clapped his hands and chanted. A sulfurous glow flickered along the crease of the mausoleum door. Jaska stepped forward, took the door by an iron ring, and tugged it open. Hyrkas passed him a lunar stone brought from Vaalshimar. Jaska activated it, bent down, and marched into the tomb.
 

Except for cobwebs and dust, the room had only a sarcophagus. Again, Jaska clapped his hands and chanted, using a different phrase this time. He pushed on the sarcophagus lid, which swung out on hinges and revealed a ladder going down into a tunnel. "Move quickly. The lid closes on its own."

The tunnel below ran under the city walls to a park near the palymfar compound. The exit lay within the crumbling ruins of an ancient palace built by a paranoid Hmyr who had felt the need for an escape route.
 

They spent the night within the tunnel, getting perhaps eight hours of fitful rest before eating and moving on. They had decided to attack at noon, figuring Salahn would be weakest during the day, even if by only a small amount. Their mirror party of thirteen was slowly circling to the south, toward the sewer entrances, the next best route. Given the mirror party's speed, Salahn shouldn't expect an attack from them until tomorrow night at the earliest.
 

To his companions, Jaska had given qavra from the bag of stones Zyrella had seized and transferred to him, but they needed years more training and experience to use them. The only thing they could use them for now was resisting compulsions. It might not be enough against Salahn, but it was better than nothing. It would certainly help against Mardha. Unfortunately, Jaska didn't have enough qavra for the Yritti warriors. Each carried with him a protective talisman made by Goat Shaman, and those would have to be enough.

The exit from the tunnel into the ruins worked like the sarcophagus lid and led into a dusty, debris-filled cellar choked with garbage and rats. They had only to emerge into the city and sprint a hundred yards away from the palymfar compound and into the streets. From there, it would be another block before they reached the Grand Temple.
 

Jaska peered out and saw no one in the park. This didn't surprise him. It was too hot in the middle of the day for anyone to be wandering outside without a purpose. City guards would be few, as would palymfar watches and patrols. Jaska stealthed through the ruins, sticking to the shadows. He examined the palymfar compound carefully. There was a watch in the high tower and guards at the base. He wasn't worried about the latter, but the two men on high would certainly spot them moving out of the park. He slipped back and told the others.
 

Kyshaiar stretched his wings. "I will draw their attention."

"But you don't look natural," Jaska said. "They will sound an alarm as soon as they see you."

In response, the silver falcon shifted to the appearance of a mundane, brown falcon with black-tipped wings.

"Let's do it then."

With Kyshaiar swooping by the palymfar on watch and screeching as loudly as he could, Jaska and his twelve companions sprinted from the ruins into the street and hid themselves among the buildings. Now they were a wandering gang of toughs again. A few people passed them on the street but gave them wide berths and frightened looks.
 

Without incident, they came around to the backside of the Grand Temple. Kyshaiar scouted a half-dozen palymfar at the back entrance. Again, he flew in to distract, while Jaska and the others sprinted around the corner.
 

As he ran, Jaska tried to deactivate their qavra. The spell didn't work. Salahn had prepared for that. With arrows the twins downed two of the palymfar by the time Jaska reached the rest. He tore through two of them before his companions got there. Such was Jaska's rage that there was little any average palymfar could do to slow him.

Benefitting from surprise and Jaska's skill, they finished off the guards with only a single small wound to one of the Yritti warriors. Then Jaska led the way into the temple, cutting down several more who got in his way. By the time they met a half-dozen unprepared guards outside the inner sanctum, the alarm sounded--a peeling bell and shouts in the street and throughout the temple.

~~~

When Zyrella heard the cry of alarm, she knew Jaska had arrived. Salahn stopped mid-ritual and cursed. His eyes blazed with anger as he had to dispel weeks of grueling work that was only hours away from being finished. What made him angrier was that Jaska had somehow deceived him and arrived sooner than he had expected.

While Adynarh prepared the defenses of the inner sanctum and stationed two palymfar beside Zyrella, Salahn opened a portal to the Shadowland and called forth three winged demons of the type he had used before. It was the best he could do at the moment.

Mardha began to chant a spell. Her eyes glittered with anticipation, which only made Zyrella hate her more.

Zyrella racked her brain, trying to think of a way to help. Against Salahn in the Shadowland, she had managed to drain the power of the White Tigress from him. She could never manage that here. Besides, he would be prepared for her. But what about using her valrycca trait? Was there a way to activate it without having sex or some other intimate contact? If so, she could use it to form a link with Salahn.
 

Maybe she could use it to drain a portion of the Tigress from him. She had a qavra, however small. If she could improvise a spell and work it correctly on the first try, she might be able to trigger her valrycca power through touch alone. Through the link she could try to drain a portion of the Tigress from Salahn. And if she captured even a portion of the Tigress, she might could preserve the goddess against Salahn's destruction.

But unless she could find a way to stop it, the valrycca power would pass some of her power back to him. She couldn't think of a way to make the connection only work one way and drain the combined energies of both Salahn and the White Tigress into her. However, even just a small amount could make a significant difference.

Unfortunately, she only knew one technique that would cause enough drain that she could siphon energy away from Salahn faster than she could return any to him. If she used it, her timing and her casting would have to be perfect. Once cast, there was no going back from that spell.

~~~

Hyrkas and Lharro shouldered through the door to the rear entrance of the inner sanctum. Each stepped to the side, raising a shield in defense. From the doorway behind them sprang Jaska, followed by Ohzikar.

The first palymfar to lunge forward died instantly as Jaska's white-steel sword split his skull. The blood-soaked steel was paper-white, impossibly sharp, and actually cut into the currents of magic coursing through the room. Ohzikar bore that sword's twin and his shield. Bakulus and Caracyn followed with their composite bows drawn, immediately firing at the palymfar. Last came seven desert tribesmen armed with spears.
 

Chaolis wasn't with them, and Zyrella knew that meant at least one less Arhrhakim who would return to Vaalshimar. She feared the others would perish soon.

A silver falcon swooped over them. Zyrella felt a pulse of pure energy emanating from it. An Avida-djinn? If so, it was a potent ally, and rare since most Avida-djinn disdained the unclean presence of humanity.

With two swift maneuvers, Jaska killed one palymfar and wounded another whom Lharro dispatched with his spear. Nine remained, not counting Adynarh and the two standing beside Zyrella. While their companions engaged the palymfar, Jaska and Ohzikar rushed toward Salahn.

The first of the winged Zhura-djinn dove through the portal near the ceiling and fell upon them. Close behind followed the other two demons. The silver falcon struck one in the side and knocked it against the far wall, despite the demon's far greater size. There followed a battle of buffeting wings, ripping talons, and piercing cries.

Jaska ducked under the first plunging demon, barely avoiding its razor-sharp talons. As it went past him and rose from its dive, he leapt onto it. Straddling the demon's scaled back while it cawed and thrashed, Jaska took his white-steel saber in both hands and plunged it deep into the demon. Within another heartbeat, Jaska fell through a cloud of black smoke. He struck the ground shoulder-first and rolled to his feet.

Despite her own amazement, Zyrella glanced over to see Salahn's reaction. The Grandmaster didn't show fear, but concern worried at his features, removing the confident air they'd held only moments before. He paced sideways, circling away from Jaska and toward Zyrella, intoning a spell under his breath and flexing his muscles.

With his shield, Ohzikar deflected the claws of the other demon and swiped at it with the white-steel saber he carried. The demon pulled back, but Ohzikar caught it on the wing, which was severed and turned to smoke. With the beast on the ground, he advanced. After three slashes, the demon was there no longer. Kyshaiar still engaged the third, keeping it out of the fight.

Jaska rushed toward Zyrella as Mardha's spell completed. Her voice rang out across the room, its power to compel multiplied by the time she'd taken in unleashing it and the preparations she had made for it during the previous weeks. "Halt!"

The Yritti warriors were instantly paralyzed and subsequently cut down by the palymfar they had engaged in battle. Lharro and Hyrkas backed toward the door, working together to shield one another but unable to attack and push forward any longer. Bakulus and Caracyn each fell to his knees and clutched his head. They were spared from death only the two Arhrhakim who stood in front of them.
 

Ohzikar stumbled, and Adynarh rushed him. Weakened and slowed, Ohzikar was hard-pressed to defend himself. Adynarh's sword point stabbed through Ohzikar's chainmail and slid into his ribcage. Ohzikar grunted and fell. Zyrella cried out as Adynarh pulled back for another attack.