The Dragon's Doom - Ed Greenwood [94]
"Agreed," Craer said, wrinkling his nose. "How about this next one?"
"Three preserve," Blackgult said grudgingly, after a moment, "but it seems ideal." He peered around again, and nodded. "Bear in mind, though, that anyone left in the castle will come here foraging, ere long. We have to be able to wedge this door against considerable force-and it has to be able to withstand a ram, and lots of arrows."
"Well, there's only one way to find that out, as they say," Craer commented brightly. "However, there's a harder test yet."
"Hey?"
"Embra has to say aye to it. Naught else matters, hmm?"
"I'm not," the Lady Silvertree said frowningly, "quite so much of a surly dragon as you make me out to be, Craer." She looked around the old stone room, reading what was painted on some of the jars. "Olaunt. Sar-fruit. Gaddorn. Yes, this will do."
There was a general murmur of approval-that lasted for as long as it took Craer to fetch two shallow tureens down from a kitchen shelf and present them to Tshamarra and Embra with the grand words, "Ladies-your chamberpots for the night. No, no, I'll accept no payment for this thoughtful service!"
"Tash," Embra said wearily, "kick him. Somewhere where it hurts."
"More!" Craer said grandly, dropping two bulging sacks beside Blackgult and trotting back through an archway again before his fellow overdukes could say a word.
Tshamarra sighed. "Been a day or two since he last had a chance to practice looting, would you say?"
Embra chuckled. "He's not done badly. I hope we can find a wagon in the stables to carry all he's gathered."
"Lass," Blackgult said reprovingly, "wheels of cheese and kegs of wine are wise booty to anyone. Be not so hard on the lad. We may even need yon chest of coins-if we need to buy a spare castle or two, for instance."
They stepped over more sprawled and gnawed corpses, and Embra shuddered. Stornbridge Castle had become one great charnelhouse, with bodies lying everywhere, fires smoldering unchecked, furniture and belongings broken and strewn, and transformed folk prowling the rooms and passages in their bewildering newfound lives as wild beasts.
By the cries of the suffering, unmilked cows, the town and the farms around were in much the same state. Anyone who'd survived the plague-fury had fled far away or was keeping well hidden.
"Let's hope some horses have been left uneaten," Hawkril muttered, advancing into the gloom of the stables cautiously, his drawn sword ready. Bright scratches on his armor bespoke the power behind the claws of the last beast he'd battled. It had pounced on him from above-and it had been a long time since the armaragor had been taken that much by surprise.
Some stalls had been torn open, and dead and half-devoured horses lay within most of them. Grimly Hawkril stalked on, seeking danger first, and beasts they could ride second. Two monstrous things of many claws and turtlelike body shells lay twisted together in death in one end stall, their jaws still locked in each other's throats, and an evil carrion smell wafted down from the loft above, but no foe remained alive to pounce or menace-only trembling, snorting horses who were more inclined to kick than to welcome being led out of their stalls into all the slaughter.
"Seven beasts worth looking at," Hawkril growled, returning from his survey. "No wagons, Lord Delnbone."
"No wagons? Then we take every horse and saddlebag. What we don't fill, we sling over top, tied down, and take empty-we'll find uses for them, never fear."
"Aye, I'll bet," Embra murmured. " 'Tis those in our path who own any-thing attractive or valuable who'll have to fear."
"By the Three!" Blackgult agreed with a smile, in quavering mockery of a doom-saying old man.
"Help me get reins and saddles on these horses, you jesters," Tshamarra said from her perch on the rail of a stall above them, where she stood eyeing a horse almost as uncertainly as it was eyeing her. "If'tis not too much trouble for you high-and-mighty folk, that is."
"Lady Talasorn," Embra said in mock-offended tones, "everything's too