The Kingless Land - Ed Greenwood [142]
He shrank back, howling in pain-and the bleeding thing rose and roared out her pain and rage in a snarl of her own-as she went for his throat.
Frantically Silvertree fended her off, rolling away on the bed, but her claws cut away one of his nipples and a long strip of flesh with it-and by then, with shrieks of fury, all of the baron's lovechamber girls were charging across the room at him with long, rending talons raised.
The baron cursed them and ordered them back as he fell out of bed in his haste to back away, regained his feet barely in time to win free of clawing and clinging talons, and backed away across the room, kicking and punching viciously to keep them at a distance.
Terror made him smash his bedchamber pretties with all his strength, and more than one fell senseless, but bubbling rage was banishing wide-eyed fear in the faces of the rest. Their claws tore and slashed at their master, slitting skin to ribbons and slicing away his very fingers as he fought.
In the end Faerod Silvertree could think only of fleeing. He staggered and kicked and tore his way across the room, his feet leaving a bloody trail as cruel claws tore away flesh and hair and even genitals. Gasping and shuddering, the baron fell through the curtains, rolled out onto the balcony beyond the women sobbing, groaning, and clawing beneath him, and fetched up hard against its parapet, fighting desperately.
A shrewd slash laid open his side, robbing one arm of all strength and twisting him around-and with a long, wailing scream of bewildered pain and despair, Baron Faerod Silvertree plunged down, down into the cold and waiting waters below.
The River Coiling received him with a splash-and reaching talons found him no more.
As Ingryl Ambelter's harsh laughter arose in front of a spinning sphere, sobbing women sank down on their knees in horror in the blood-smeared bedchamber, trailing gory talons as long as short swords and weeping at what they'd become.
***
A stone wall slid open with a deep rumbling in the darkness, and a man in trail leathers stepped out of the hidden passage and walked quietly across a many-pillared hall in the Silent House, toward a distant glimmer of light. He descended a short flight of steps, ducked through a low archway-and then stiffened as something slapped him across the face. Something fanged and hissing.
The man struck it away from his brow and half turned to pull the Stone of War from its sling in the breast of his leathers-whereupon he stiffened again, looked down in disbelief at the point of the spear protruding from his belly, and slowly sank to his knees.
He clawed out the Stone as he fell on his face, but it was hooked away from him by the bloody spear, even before hissing rose loudly on all sides… and a score of serpents glided in to feed.
The Priest of the Serpent reached down and took the Stone of War into his hand. Power! Ah, yes, fairly throbbing under his hand. Ready…
Looking down at the corpse, half hidden under wriggling, striking snakes, he smiled and observed, "It seems Koglaur can fall, after all." Then he turned his back and walked away, heading for the waiting glimmer of light.
When he came out into that candlelit room, he held up the Stone of War in triumph, and there was a roar of approval from the shadows. Cowled figures pressed forward around him, straining to touch the Stone. He laughed and strode to the dark star of tiles that marked the center of the chamber, raising a hand for silence.
And they gave it to him. "Faithful of the Ssserpent," he cried into it, his voice louder and more excited than they'd ever heard it before, "I need your service now!"
Their roar of reply rang off the ceiling, and he smiled and held up his hand again. When they were silent, he held the Stone aloft in his other hand, and caused it to glow with white fire.
"Great is this Worldstone, and its power now serves us," he intoned, "but the Stone of Life is in the hands of another. We must have it. We shall have it! We can have it, if you but aid me now!"
The roar was of assent this time,