herself she had only imagined what she saw.
Then the eyes snapped open. They had fiery orange irises, with slitted opal pupils like cat's eyes.
"Yaaaugh! Holy Jesus God!!" She tried to back away in haste, but she tripped and fell flat on her backside.
"Not quite," a voice rumbled, "but close." Though sonorous, it nonetheless had a feminine quality to it.
"Wh--who are you?"
"In this place, I'm worshiped as Ubasti, but collectively I'm known as Nyarlathotep."
She stood up. "I've heard of you."
"From Medb hErenn, no doubt."
"You know her?"
"Who in the Dreamlands does not?"
"Well, yeah, that's probably true."
"I sense she's near."
"She accompanied us."
"You refer to your lover."
"How do you know--?!"
"Who in the Dreamlands does not?"
"Are we that famous already?"
"Hang around with Imperious Medb long enough, and it happens. Though the Kraken adventure, the Cat Rescue adventure, and the Orphans adventure alone would've guaranteed it."
When she didn't answer, the voice added, "What, did you seriously believe that word of your exploits had never gotten around?" Its tone contained a hint of derision.
"Whatever. Yeah, I meant Sunny, and Shadow-stalker."
"I sense their presence as well."
"But how did you know Sunny and I were...uh..."
"Please. A blind man could see it."
"It's that obvious?"
"You take no great pains to conceal it. But no matter. Now, to business. Name your desire."
"Wh--what? I don't understand."
"You summoned me."
"Summoned you? What are you talking about?"
"You made an offering of blood upon the altar. That's all it takes."
She looked at her bandaged hand; the memory of the blood dripping off onto the ground replayed in her mind.
"But it wasn't intentional."
"That doesn't matter. The shedding of human blood will bring me here, provided the one who sacrificed it is still alive. And even then, it's only her wish I will grant."
"Gaaah! This is so retarded. Altar? Sacrifice? Wish? You're not making any sense!"
"Then let me try to elaborate. Anyone who comes to this place and sheds some of her blood on the altar will summon me. The shedding of blood is the sacrifice; the altar is the mosaic set into the rock between the obelisks. She's then entitled to ask me to fulfill one wish that is within my power to grant."
"Oh. Okay, I get it now. Any wish I want, eh? So, if I brought Sunny back here and cut her heart out for getting us all in this mess, I could get another wish?"
"No. I should've explained better: it must be a self-sacrifice."
"Aw, nuts. Well, I guess I'll have to let her live, then. Besides, it's really Mayv's fault for encouraging her. Anything I want, that's what you said, right?"
"Anything within my power to grant. I am not omnipotent."
"Can you send us all back to the day we arrived, so I can whack Sunny over the head when she first mentions this screwball adventure?"
"No, I have no power to manipulate time."
"Uh-huh. Can you teleport Sunny and the others here?"
"No, not within the confines of my own temple."
"Why not?"
"It...would take too long to explain."
"Okayyy. So you probably can't send me to them. What about sending us all back to Ulthar?"
"I can do that, but you would have to all be together. With you here and them elsewhere, I would need to perform two separate teleportations, which would require a second wish."
"Well, I suppose I can afford to lose a little more blood." She started to remove the bandage.
"No. One wish must be fulfilled before another can be granted."
"Alright, send them to Ulthar, then I'll--"
"And another cannot be granted unless you leave the temple complex and return tomorrow."
She felt her exasperation growing. "Then send them back to Ulthar anyway. I'll find my own way out."
"I wouldn't recommend that."
"Why not?"
"Think about it. The chances of you escaping are slim; most likely, you would just be captured. Even if you did find your way out, it's four days back to Ulthar. If the others arrive without you, they would surely return to look for you. You would probably miss them in the wilderness, and then they might be captured again. By the time you discovered this and returned yourself, it would be too late to save them."
"I can arrange to meet them in Oonai."
"How would you get word to them?"
"I can ask the city guard ta keep an eye out for them."
"And what if they bypass the city altogether?"
Her patience breaking, she put her hands on her hips. "Dammit! Yer not being very helpful here."
"Perhaps you are not asking for the right wish."
"What have others asked for?"
"Some have asked for gold, some for beauty, some for magical power, some for prowess in battle--"
"Okay, I get the picture!"
"Most, however, have simply asked to be set free."
"Huh?"
"This temple serves two purposes. The first is to worship my avatar of Ubasti. The second is to trap sacrifices."
"Holy shit! The treasure!"
"Precisely. The treasure is real enough, but it's merely bait to lure foolhardy adventurers here to be captured."
"Then Sunny and Mayv--?"
"Are even now being prepped as offerings."
"What?! I've got to save them!" She turned towards the tunnel.
"Wait!"
She paused and looked back. "What for?"
"You cannot rescue them on your own. First, you do not know where to find them. Second, even if you did, there are too many guards between here and there. You would simply be killed, or captured and sacrificed in turn."
"So what? You obviously can't help me, so what difference does it make?"
"Is that what you'd ask? To help you rescue your friends?"
"What the hell do you I think I've been doing all this time?"
"Do you want me to help you rescue your friends?"
"Alright, already! Yes, I want you ta help me rescue my friends. Satisfied? Cripes!"
"That's all I needed to hear."
Twin beams of black light shot out of the pupils and struck the obelisks. They glowed in the same color, and a pinwheel kaleidoscope of hues formed in the air between them. Though they appeared to be the familiar primary and secondary colors, they seemed strange to her, as if they resulted from her mind's attempt to visualize alien hues using what it understood.
As the pinwheel spun faster, a central black void appeared and grew larger, until it nearly swallowed the whole effect. A figure stepped out. It had a human feminine body, with an athletic build similar to hers. She wore an Egyptian style dress that exposed the breasts, but with a skirt as short as a shendyt kilt. An armored bustier with individual cups covered her breasts, and sandals covered her feet. The hilts of twin khopesh sickle-swords stuck out from behind her shoulders. Bejeweled gold arm bands and a pectoral decorated her body, and she wore a brightly colored nemes headdress. However, her head looked like that of a domestic cat with fiery-orange eyes, and her skin was charcoal black.
As she stepped away from the pylons, the void collapsed and the pinwheel slowed. Then the twin black-light beams shut off, and the pinwheel stopped and faded away as the stones' glow died. She walked right up to Eile, who watched her approach with some trepidation. The cat-headed warrior did not stand as tall as Medb, but she still looked down at her.
"Ubasti?"
"I am she. I have been sent to help you rescue your companions, in fulfillment of your wish. However, that is not my sole task. I have been directed to punish my priests, who have strayed from my dictates. I do not desire the sacrifice of others; instead, I prefer that my wor
shipers demonstrate their devotion through acts of self-sacrifice."
"You're not Nyarlathotep?"
"I am an avatar of that Being. We share the same ka, though not the other parts of our souls. I represent certain aspects of His nature, and I possess certain of His powers. Yet I am my own being, with an independent heart, mind, and will."
"Well, whatever. Come on, let's not waste anymore time."
"Wait."
"What now!?"
"Even with my help, you cannot fight your way through the guards. But there is another path. It is longer, and no less dangerous, but there will be only one obstacle to overcome, and it leads directly into the main ceremonial chamber."
"But if it's longer...we don't have a lot of time."
"There may be more than you realize. You and Sunny are the Twins."
"Yeah, yeah, we're suppose ta have this mystical bond, making us cosmic beings. I've heard it all before."
"You may not believe it, but my priests do."
"So?"
"So they would prefer to sacrifice you two together."
"You mean--?"
"Sunny should be safe for the time being, while they seek to capture you. They will only sacrifice her if they have to kill you. As long as you remain alive, we have time to save her."
"B--but, what about the others?"
"Medb is in grave danger, as are the cats. They will be sacrificed first, and as soon as possible."
"Then let's get going! Where's this other path of yours?"
"This way." And Ubasti turned and headed for the precipice.
Stunned, she didn't speak for a few moments, until the avatar reached the edge and looked over. "Wh--what are you doing?!"
"There is an entrance to another tunnel below us. We can jump down from here to a ledge below."
"Whoa, wait a minute!"
Ubasti looked back at her over her shoulder. "This is the only way to help Sunny and Medb. However, if you wish to take your chances going back through the treasure chamber, it matters not to me. I am charged with saving your friends, not protecting you. You may either follow me, or go