The Lions of Inganok

as the ancient mummy finished speaking, the figures in the shadows beyond the torch light began to move.

  "'Ware, Madam!" Creme ran off into the darkness to attack from ambush.

  Ohbaeda spoke in a harsh, enrage tone. "You shall not commit this sacrilege in the temple of the Elder Ones!"

  Medb made to throw her spear, but he stepped between her and the revenant. "Out of the way!"

  But he pulled a dagger from his girdle and threw himself at Luveh-Keraphf, who grappled with him.

  "Damnaigh!" She shifted her aim and cast her spear into the advancing ranks of mummies in the shadows. Taking another, she hurled it as well, followed quickly by the remaining two. Each unerringly struck its intended target in the breast, passing straight through from the force of the throw, and each walking corpse disintegrated in an explosion of dust and bits of dehydrated flesh and cloth. Gripping one of the fighting spears, she screamed a defiant battle cry and charged the remaining wights. Two more exploded as she closed the distance towards them, victims of lavender spheres thrown by Conaed's spells. The remaining four surrounded Medb, and attempted to pull her down and tear into her, but she twisted and spun and whirled as she swung the spear like a staff, stabbing, slashing, and pummeling so quickly they could not lay hands on her. Creme launched himself at one and ripped its back to shreds, deftly leaping away as it disintegrated. Teehar distracted another, who tried to seize her from behind, by flying at its face and pecking at its eyes long enough for her to turn on it and strike it down. An opponent grabbed her spear and broke it, but she ran the piece of its shaft she held through its chest before switching to her last spear. The remaining creature she dispatched with just as little effort as the others, by lopping off its head. In less time than it would take to describe, all of the walking corpses had been reduced to piles of dusty ashes on the onyx floor.

  Hefting the spear in both hands, she turned her attention back to Luveh-Keraphf in time to watch as Creme launched himself out the surrounding darkness onto the back of the revenant. At the same instant, Ohbaeda manage to plunge his dagger into the thing's throat. Yet neither seemed to harm the mummy. Instead, ignoring the cat, it gripped the hierophant's throat, lifted him off the floor, and, taking hold of him by the crotch, held him over its head before throwing him on top of the altar. He bounced from it, knocking aside the statue before he rolled off onto the floor, where he lay stricken and still.

  With the old man out of the way, she rushed over, holding the spear in an underhanded grip, and plunged it up into the lich's abdomen just under the ribcage. Luveh-Keraphf turned its head to look at her just before she pushed the spear into its heart. Instead of disintegrating, however, it swept its right arm before it, breaking the spear into three pieces. She danced out of reach, threw away the piece of shaft she still held, and pulled her sword from her belt as the revenant wrenched the spear-point from its body. She rushed in, hacking and slashing, but the monster simply batted away her blows with its arms. She maneuvered to give Conaed a clear shot, but, as a cloud of emerald darts few towards it, the demon-priest raised an arm, and a blue haze appeared in the air before it, solidifying into a crystalline shield, against which the darts impacted harmlessly.

  Yet the attack left it momentarily distracted, giving her an opportunity she did not squander. Stepping up to it, she grasped her sword in both hands, raised it above her head, and brought it down at an angle with all her prodigious strength while screaming a battle cry. Her intent was to cleave the mummy's chest with the downward stroke, but as the sword edge met the shoulder and bit, it stuck fast, as if embedded in thick clay. She tried to yank it out to strike again, but Luveh-Keraphf struck before she could and backhanded her in the face. She spun around, but managed to stay on her feet. As she turned, the revenant retracted its fist to strike again. She raised the shield to block it, but the blow shattered the wood and knocked her onto her back. Luckily her arm did not break, but the wind had been knocked out of her, and she lay dazed.

  Luveh-Keraphf pulled the sword loose and tossed it away in a contemptuous manner. It then stepped up to the stricken woman and reached down for her. Screeching, Teehar came winging in to protect his mistress; the lich caught him with one hand, crushed his body, and tossed him aside. Conaed fired a lavender sphere; the mummy formed another blue crystal shield, and the sphere exploded harmlessly. Creme crawled around its head to attack its face, but the revenant tore him off, ripping its flesh as it did so, then twisted the tom's body, cracking his spine, before throwing him across the room against the wall. Finally it bent over, took a hold of her throat with one hand, and lifted her off the ground. It held her suspended for a moment, her feet dangling in mid-air, before turning towards the altar. She reached for her dirk and cut at its arm, but it caught the knife in its free hand and wrenched it from her grip. It then slammed her down on her back onto the altar. The force stunned her, and the demon-priest let go of her throat to grasp her hair. Realizing suddenly what her foe intended to do, she started struggling, kicking and punching and bucking her body wildly, but Luveh-Keraphf ignored her blows and held on to her with an iron grip, waiting for her to stop. When she understood she could do nothing to get it to release her, she did stop, at which point it spoke to her in a rasping voice.

  "Before I can reconsecrate the statue, I must dedicate this altar to the Mighty Messenger. I had planned to sacrifice the old priest, but you will be a better choice. And I will have the bonus of your body to pleasure me. After the ceremony I shall resurrect you and claim you as my concubine, and you will serve me willingly for all eternity." It then lowered the dirk in preparation for drawing it across her throat, as she raised her arms to fend off the blade.

  "Hold, monster!"

  Both she and Luveh-Keraphf turned at the sound of the voice. The Hierophant of the Elder Beings stood behind the altar. He was bent from his injuries, his face bruised, and he grimaced in pain, blood trickling from one side of his mouth, but his eyes were still bright and alert, and his voice strong and steady. In his hands he held the statue of Bast.

  "Release her, now, and leave Inganok forever, or I shall see you destroyed."

  The mummified corpse laughed, a surprisingly deep, booming sound. "You fool! I am indestructible. Neither steel, nor spell, nor miracle can harm me, for my patron is the Soul of the Other Gods Himself! No outer being will oppose me, and the puny gods of earth do obeisance to me. There is no power in the cosmos that can stop me!"

  Despite his obvious pain, Ohbaeda still managed a grim, wry smile. "There are other Elder Ones who can and would oppose you."

  The revenant sneered. "None who are worshiped here."

  The priest grinned in triumph. "None, save Bast Herself!"

  Taking a couple of steps back, he held the statue over his head. Straightening his body as much as he could, he reverently looked up at it and began to intone:

  "Here me, Mighty Bastet, Goddess of All Cats Great and Small, Patron of Pleasure, Enemy of Evil, Protector of Mankind. I, Ohbaeda, High Hierophant of the Temple of the Elder Ones, do beseech You: aid us now in our struggle against Your supreme enemy, Ubasti, and her vile servant, Luveh-Keraphf. Come to us, and drive them from our midst." He then closed his eyes and whispered a chant.

  In the relative silence, the lich boomed out its laugh again. "She does not hear you, you fool of a dupe. Once I have dispatched this bounteous female, I shall claim you as well. You may be my hierophant; I shall permit you to lead my ceremonies in this, my first temple."

  Even as he spoke, however, the air between Ohbaeda and the altar shimmered, as an image took shape and solidified. It had the form of a svelte woman, dressed in a rich Egyptian gown and wearing a queen's headdress, except that her head was that of a domestic cat with triangular ears, short black fur, and phosphorescent green eyes. In one hand she carried a sistrum, in the other a lion-headed aegis, and a small leather bag hung from one shoulder.

  A richly feminine but stentorian voice thundered from the very stones themselves as Her eyes glowed. Ar
ise, My faithful son, hale and whole; come to Me.

  A spot glowed off in the darkness against the wall. It rose and moved towards the altar, making only a brief detour to one side. Once it entered the torchlight, it became Creme, carrying a bird the size of a jay in its mouth. He laid it at the feet of the image of Bast, then looked up at Her. "Please, Divine One, help my friend."

  The image looked down at the tomcat, then at the bird. Smiling, She said, Have no fear, My son, the loyalty of your friend is known to Me, and much appreciated. Her eyes flashed briefly; the bird glowed for a few seconds, then it opened its scarlet eyes, lifted its head, and looked around in confusion.

  Turning Her attention to Luveh-Keraphf, Her eyes brightened for yet a third time as Her head transformed into that of a lioness. The leonine face twisted into a look of fury as the eyes blazed.

  Release My servant, dark priest.

  "You have no power against me," it said, but the arrogant certainty had vanished from its voice.

  In response, the image roared. And, though no wind appeared, the revenant released Medb and staggered back, as if hit with a great blast. Bast roared again; the lich was flung against the nearest portion of wall. Even as it struggled to