chopping at the massive coils. But the sharp, thin blade just skidded off the hide as sparks flew in all directions. And no wonder: at close range the monster's armor appeared to be made of smooth, polished onyx. Her sword couldn't scratch it, and she could find no ridges or furrows from which to strike off flakes. For all the good that she did, she might as well have used a steak knife. The uselessness of her attacks bred frustration, which fermented into rage as she struck at the beast harder and harder.
Her anger focused her vision into a tunnel, and she lost track of everything around her. She didn't even realize the tail swiped towards her until it struck her and threw her several feet down the path. Stunned, she sat up, her head ringing, as she tried to clear her senses.
"Look out!"
Snapping her head up, she saw Apep coming straight at her, its mouth gaped wide to swallow her whole.
"Waah!" She scrambled backwards to get away from it. She collided with a stalagmite and froze; then she saw Ubasti sail over the top of its head, her legs bent and her arms flung wide. As she descended, she extended and spread her legs. She landed on its head, straddling its neck, and brought both swords down on its skull with a sharp clap. Apep screamed, reared up, and threw back its head. It threw Ubasti off, but before she could maneuver, she slammed against one of the travertine pillars. Her swords flew from her hands and she dropped to the floor, landing on her face. Apep spun around and hurled itself at the avatar. Ubasti looked up and managed to leap to her feet. She had no time to run, however, and instead caught its head in her hands, one above the mouth under the nose, the other on the point of its lower jaw. The force of the thrust pushed her back against the base of the pillar, but she stopped its strike cold.
Eile couldn't understand how she could hold it off. She obviously used all her strength: the muscles in her arms, shoulders, and legs knotted and bulged, her face distorted into a rictus of pain, and her body strained under the effort, as the demon screamed its frustration and wrath. But Eile realized that she couldn't let go; she might not be able to jump away in time. Then she watched in alarm as Apep threw a couple of coils around Ubasti and the column, trapping her.
She leapt to her feet and charged the demon.
Ubasti saw her coming. "No! It is useless. I am finished. Go save your friends! I will hold it here. Hurry!"
She slowed, hesitant. She felt torn between her desire to rescue Sunny and her obligation to help Ubasti.
As if she understood that, Ubasti said, "You cannot help me. Do not let me die in vain. Save your friends; save Sunny! Do it for me!"
She started to back away. Ubasti was right, she couldn't do anything, and if she stayed, they would all die. If she got away, at least Sunny and Medb and the others had a chance to live.
"GO!"
That decided the issue. She lifted her sword in front of her face as a salute, then turned and ran for the stairs. She reached them in no time, and flew up the steps to the top. She stopped at the opening to the tunnel. She could hear chanting above Apep's shrieks. The sacrifice ceremony had begun; there was no more time left.
She took a step forward, then another. Then she stopped dead. She turned and looked back into the cavern. Ubasti still held Apep at bay.
But for how long?
"Ahh, dammit, I can't leave her like this. She risked her life to help me, to help Sunny; I can't just abandon her. But what can I do?"
As she stared at the two stalemated combatants, she saw Apep flex its neck in a pumping motion as it continually pushed its head towards Ubasti. That's when she noticed that the armored bands separated, exposing bare flesh.
"That's it!" If she could get her sword between those bands, she could severe its spine, or cut through the carotid artery.
But how to reach it?
She noticed that her position on the ledge put her above the demon. Part of it ran around to her right, and it dead-ended only several yards from her target. It would be a long jump, but if she could get a fast enough running start, she just might be able to make it. In any event, it was her only option, and if she missed, she had the consolation of knowing that her death would be quick.
"Sunny, I'm sorry," she whispered, as she crouched and tense. She took several deep breaths to oxygenate her blood, then bolted along the ledge. She pushed herself harder and harder, trying to go faster with each yard. She thought of Sunny, and somehow found extra strength to pump her legs with more vigor. She reached the end of the ledge sooner than she expected, and flung herself off with a tremendous heave.
"Aaaaauuuuhhh!" She spread her arms wide as she pressed her legs together in imitation of a swan dive. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. She floated out over the cavern floor as the gap between her and Apep closed at a gradual pace. She saw Ubasti look up at her with an astonished expression.
As she began to descend, she realized she wouldn't make it. She had hoped to land on Apep's neck, which would put her in a perfect position to stab at its spine. Instead, her only hope was to slice through the side of the neck on her way past. She brought her arms together and gripped the sword in both hands as she held it above her head. As she fell, she tilted her body down head-first, the point of the sword poised to stab between the armored bands.
Time resumed its normal speed as she careened towards Apep. At the last second, it flexed its neck and shifted closer to her. The point of her sword skittered along a band, and slipped between two of them. The force of her momentum drove her sword deep into the demon's flesh where it lodged. Her body continued to hurtle past its neck, but she held onto the hilt, and the stuck weapon halted her motion with a jerk so hard that it almost tore her arms from her shoulders. At the same time, she pulled the sword down like a lever, cutting through a quarter of the circumference of the monster's neck. Blood fountained in a high arc above and away from her, and Apep threw back its head as it screamed loud enough to shake the cavern.
Apep twisted and convulsed its body in throes of agony while she tried to hang on, but it threw her loose with a massive snap of its head. She closed her eyes tight as she spun through the air, waiting to crash, but after several moments she realized she no longer moved. She gingerly opened one lid and saw she was bathed in orange light. She looked down and saw Ubasti, clear of the coils, standing in the path, staring at her as twin beams flowed from her eyes. She lowered her head, and Eile felt herself being placed gently on the ground. The glow died away, and she looked at Apep. The giant snake weaved and bobbed like a drunkard, as the blood shot out in spurts. Finally, it dropped its head into the back of the cavern and crashed to the floor. Stalactites broke loose and dropped on top of it as stalagmites toppled over to bury it.
Ubasti held out her hands, and her swords flew to them; she slipped them back into the scabbards behind her.
As Ubasti turned to look at her, Eile at first thought she appeared angry, but she said, "Thank you for my life. I am most grateful, and I owe you a debt."
"Well, I'm glad you're okay, but I've lost my sword."
"I am afraid your sword cannot be recovered, but as partial payment of my debt, please accept this in its place." Ubasti raised her hands, palms up, as if she carried something, and as Eile watched, a sword appeared in a cloud of sparks. Ubasti presented it to her, and she took it. It looked like her old sword, but she noticed a line of tiny tracks snaking along the length of the blade. They looked like little cat paw prints.
"Come," Ubasti said, "we have no time left." And together they ran up to the mouth of the tunnel.
Thankfully, it was short, but as they neared the end, she thought at first it was a dead end, because it terminated in a solid wall. Then she saw an opening in the middle of its width. It looked barely large enough for her to squeeze through, but when she did she found herself behind a statue standing on a high dais. She crouched down behind one leg and peered between them both.
The statue overlooked another cavern with a dome-shaped roof. However, it had had its stalactites and stalagmites removed, the floor had been leveled,
and the walls and ceiling smoothed over. The walls were covered with brightly painted bas-reliefs, and the chamber had been well-lit with numerous ornate lanterns. Just below sat an altar carved out of native rock, and Medb lay on top of it, spread-eagled. She was naked, her arms and legs stretched, her wrists and ankles secured to metal rings. She marveled that the massive woman hadn't freed herself; she should have been strong enough to break the restraints. Then she realized that that her limbs were stretched too tight; she couldn't get any leverage.
On the opposite side of the altar, facing the statue, stood what she took to be the high priest. He held his arms above his head as he chanted with his eyes closed. He gripped a knife with a gleaming, gold-colored blade in his left hand. Behind him stood an array of half a dozen lesser priests, singing in harmony; they had their heads bowed. A dozen acolytes, male and female, lined the walls. Each held something--a banner or an incense burner or some other religious object--but four held cages that contained the two cats, the Zoog, and the bird, and two held Sunny by her arms. She had been stripped of her adventuring outfit and dressed in a shift of translucent white silk. A dozen guards stood at attention around the chamber: four by the altar, four by the entrance, and two pairs against the opposite walls in the middle.