Against the Giants (17 page)

“They’re searching the room,” Vlandar hissed. “Nemis, quick!
Use your beneath notice spell.”

Lhors heard the mage whisper a brief incantation. With all of
the noise they were making, surely they hadn’t heard Vlandar. Please, Lhors
prayed, please don’t let them have heard him! Everyone in the party was tired.
Even fresh, there was no way they could defeat so many giants. Trapped in the
pantry as they were, they would have the advantage of surprise for only an
instant before the slaughter would begin.

Three of the giants ambled off as their chief shook the door
latch. “Locked. Guard killers not be this way. You and you, go into slave pens
and look for outsiders hiding! You and you, go search sword rooms! Rest come
with me!”

The giants stormed out. Soon, the sound of their footsteps
faded.

“It worked,” Vlandar sighed. “They overlooked the pantry.
Praise all the gods at once.”

“What next?” Malowan asked. “I can’t tolerate this stench
much longer.”

“The large room is empty,” Nemis offered.

“Move out, then,” Vlandar said. “Rowan, you lead. Nemis stay
close to her. Into the hall and start for the entry. Most of that party went the
other way, so we should be safe for the moment. The door through the barracks is
barred against us. It’s the main way or none.”

They made it safely past the doors, but partway into the
south passage, Rowan backed against the wall, dragging Nemis over with her.

“Guards coming!” Rowan hissed.

Vlandar pulled Lhors close. He touched Malowan’s arm then and
drew a hand across his throat.

The paladin nodded and tightened his grip on his sword.

The party made it back into the hall before the guards could
see them. Everyone fanned out around the door, which the paladin shut, leaving
just enough of a crack to see through.

The hallway was broad enough for the two giants to come on
side by side—barely. One of them was grumbling under his breath, and Lhors
caught the word “orders” but nothing else. The two stopped where they were,
effectively blocking the passage.

“Blast Ukruz and his orders!” the first giant snarled loudly.

The other mumbled something in response. He sounded more
bored than upset.

“You saw ’em out there, Jinag! Old Furks and his brutes and
stupid little Hookin. Ask me, Hookin was drunk and said the wrong words to
Furks. Furks hated ’im anyway.”

“Furks hated everyone but his wolves,” Jinag said. “Ukruz’ll
skin us or feed us them nasty norkers if we don’t get back to—” He turned to
look down the passage. “What’s that?”

The other giant peered into the gloom of the passage behind
them. Rowan eased down onto one knee and drew her bowstring back, but before she
could fire, the two went back the way they’d come and disappeared down the
hallway to the right.

“They won’t stay there long,” Nemis said. “I made a voice
spell down there, but it’s only good for a few words.”

“We don’t dare alert the guards searching for us,” Malowan
said, “and there are norkers in the entry.”

“Not anymore, there aren’t,” Rowan hissed. “Look!”

Lhors couldn’t make out much in the gloom, but he could
clearly make out the sound of scuffling feet and the occasional clink of armor.

Vlandar gripped Lhors’ shoulder and pushed him toward the
pantry. “Back, everyone! Back into the pantry! Quickly! We’ll let them pass and
try for the entry again.”

“
If
they pass,” Maera muttered, but she was on her
way, stopping just short of the kitchen to be certain it was empty before easing
out of sight.

Lhors followed, but as he reached the kitchen he glanced over
his shoulder, caught his boot on a raised stone and nearly went headlong.
Malowan hauled him up, but Agya glared at him.

“Pick up y’r feet, y’ oaf,” she hissed.

The youth bit back a retort and followed her into the next
room, his thoughts furious. Agya was still mumbling to herself until both
Malowan and Maera gestured sharply for her to be still. The little thief glared
at Lhors, as if the reprimand was his fault. He glared back defiantly. He
thought, my father would never have put me on a quest with such an arrogant,
full of herself, spoiled rotten, lousy little flat-chested wretch of a thief!

It wasn’t necessarily all true, but the outburst—even in his
own head—made him feel a little better.

Malowan had the pantry door open as everyone filed in, pulled
it shut behind them, then laid his hands against the easternmost wall. After
several long, unnerving moments, he nodded. “They’ve passed,” he murmured
softly, “small, foul creatures and at least two giants or ogre guards. They went
through a door, I think. My sense of them diminished all at once, and I am
certain I just heard a door shut.”

“What about th’ others?” Khlened asked softly.

Nemis touched a finger to the barbarian’s lips. “They’re
near. Shhh.”

Silence. Lhors could hear nothing but the beating of his own
heart.

“Do you sense something?” Vlandar asked the mage quietly.

Nemis replied, “I cannot be certain it was the same two
guards we just saw, but someone came from down south and went toward the feast
hall.”

“Well then,” Vlandar said, “the feast hall seems to be
becoming too popular for our purpose. We’ll head down the hall and into the
armory. They’ve searched that, and it’s open at both ends, if I read the map
right.”

“Let’s be at it then,” Malowan said as he pulled the door
toward him. He stepped out first, sword at the ready, but the room was deathly
quiet.

“Fast and quiet, lad,” Vlandar said as Lhors edged through
the opening. “We’ll get out safe.”

The youth merely nodded. He wasn’t certain he could trust his
voice, and he really disliked that musty little chamber with the steps leading
down into utter darkness.

The kitchen was deserted except for the bodies. Lhors
wondered why no one had removed them, then realized they hadn’t been dead that
long—and the only ones who knew about the bodies were the guards who were busy
searching for the killers. He swallowed.

It was quiet across the way as well. The doors into the feast
hall were closed. Vlandar nodded then drew Lhors into the hall. They stayed hard
against the right-hand wall as the others came out, and Vlandar began to edge
south away from the light.

Lhors fought a sudden urge to run. Vlandar would keep him
safe, he reminded himself,
if Vlandar wasn’t killed.
Most of the
creatures in this place were at least half again the warrior’s height, and the
smaller ones—those norkers—must make up for lack of size in fierceness.

Nemis edged past them. “No one down there,” he whispered.

Vlandar nodded.

Suddenly Rowan, who brought up the rear, hissed a warning.
The latch on the feast hall door moved, and the door slammed open. Two obviously
drunken giants staggered into the corridor and fetched up hard against the
opposite wall. One swung a massive fist at the other. The blow connected, but
only slightly. The second giant fell back a pace and grabbed for his blade. The
first drew himself up straight with a sottish arrogance and slapped the second
open-handed, sending him reeling to the floor. The brute shook his head to clear
it and fought his way onto hands and knees. Halfway up, he flailed for balance,
sat hard, and his massive, red-rimmed eyes glared straight at Lhors.

Lhors froze.

The giant froze for an instant as comprehension slowly dawned
in his eyes, then he bellowed a warning in Giantish. His companion turned,
drawing a long-bladed dagger from his belt. The other staggered to his feet and
reeled back across the hall as he fumbled for his weapon. He hauled a club from
his belt, but the heavy weapon cost him his balance and he fell again. The
dagger-wielding brute snarled at him, then squared his shoulders and lurched at
Lhors, blade raised to skewer him.

Vlandar grabbed Lhors and pulled him back against the wall.
“Take them down! Quick!”

The mage was already working. He fell back next to Vlandar
and said, “Quiet—it’s my last, though!”

Rowan fired an arrow at the dagger-wielder, but it skipped off his scalp,
leaving only a slight gash. She swore and tried again. The second went into his
shoulder, but not deeply enough. The brute snarled a curse, then yanked it loose
and threw it aside. Blood ran down his face, but he ignored it.

Maera and Malowan dealt with the other brute, who managed a
drunken swing at the paladin. His own momentum threw him off-balance, and Maera
drove her spear into his ear. He yanked his head around, bellowing in pain, and
the ranger was thrown hard against the wall. Malowan came up behind him and
thrust his sword into the brutes eye, killing him instantly.

Khlened and Vlandar were trying to finish off the other
giant. Vlandar got behind him finally and slashed at the exposed backs of the
monster’s knees. The giant fell, screaming.

Lhors yelped as both doors to the feast hall were thrust
open. Two of the young giants and a very aged one stood there—none armed or
armored, though they looked deadly enough to him. They could break me in half,
he thought.

“Back, Lhors!” Vlandar yelled. “Ready your spears! Khlened,
finish him! Rest of you, behind me and down the hall, now!”

But Rowan ignored him and ran to help her dazed sister to her
feet. Khlened fell back, his sword ripped out of his hands, as the giant rolled
away with the barbarians blade still planted firmly in his leg.

“Damn all!” the barbarian snarled. He scooped up the club and
swung it two-handed, bringing it down on the drunks head. The giant collapsed.

“Leave the blade!” Vlandar ordered. “We’ve company, you
fool!”

Khlened spun around just as the old male drew back, urgently
tugging at the giant-youths.

“They’re afraid!” the barbarian laughed harshly.

But as he made another grab for his sword, someone beyond the
feast hall roared out an order. Four heavily armed giants came charging across
the chamber, clubs out. The floor shook with their advance. Lhors could hear
another voice—female and very angry, shouting in Giantish at someone inside the
chamber.

“Hells!” Nemis said flatly. “That’s Nosnra himself I put to
sleep, and she’s waking him!”

“Back!” Vlandar ordered. “The south passage is narrow enough
they’ll have to come at us one at a time. Move!”

Vlandar, Malowan and Khlened covered their backs as the
company sprinted for the passageway. Maera turned just before leaving the room
and launched a spear. It sailed into the foremost giant, impaling him just below
the sternum. Roaring in pain and fury, the giant fell.

The paladin shook his head as he entered the hallway with his
sword raised. “Too many, Vlandar,” he said.

Rowan edged past him to draw her bow. One of her arrows
buried itself to the fletchings in a giant’s throat, and he fell, bleeding
heavily. The younger giants looked down at him, at each other, then turned and
ran.

“Nemis,” Vlandar ordered, “do what you can! We can’t fight
them all!”

“Kenesthris!”
the mage shouted and waved his hands in a
complex gesture. As he spoke, one of the doors swung around on its own and
slammed shut. “I can’t control both, and even that may not hold long!”

Before any of the guards could attack, someone inside the
chamber shouted an order and shoved his way into the hall. He was enormous,
taller than his guards by a head, and hugely fat. His eyes were bleary, but if
he was drunk he didn’t move like it. The brute ducked back into the chamber and
shouted another order. One of the club-wielders came out, followed by two more.
The fourth was apparently beating on the other door to get it open.

Rowan shot several arrows in quick order. One of the giants fell, a shaft
through his mouth and another in his eye. Another two sidestepped him and came
on, clubs upraised.

Nemis sent a crackling fireball at them. The lead giant could
not evade in time and took it head-on. He began screaming and beating his
clothes as the deadly flames engulfed him. His own comrades cut him down,
probably not so much out of mercy as to get him out of the way. The other giants
hesitated at such resistance and backed into the feast hall, brushing sparks
from their clothing.

“Back!” Vlandar shouted and pointed his blade toward the
kitchen.

Nemis turned and ran, stopping just inside to ready another
spell. Agya and Lhors went next, followed by Rowan, who was still supporting
Maera. The warriors came next, and Vlandar grabbed Nemis’ arm as the mage began
another spell.

“Save it!” he ordered. “There’s no time.”

“They’ll know which way we went!” Khlened shouted. He swore
as a flaming arrow zipped past him. The arrow quivered in the door frame as the
giant moved out of sight, but Lhors could hear him in there, shouting orders.
The female was screaming something, but he could make no sense of it.