25. Uninvited Guests

Antaryon sank to one knee, the metal plate of the greave over his knee letting a scrape of metal call out into the darkness about them.

"Are you all right?" Liva said quietly as she knelt beside him.

"I'm fine" he replied, but the pain in his voice spoke as loudly as the soft tang of blood on the air.

"Let's have the lamp." Liva ordered softly yet insistently, dutifully obeyed by the young man.

"You should have said something before." Liva chided him as she inspected his left arm carefully, pulling free the bits of cloth Antaryon had stuffed between the broken chain and into the rips in his gambeson. "Anne, this will take a bit." she said softly, gently reminding Angelica that she needed to be on guard for real this time, rewarded with a nod of acknowledgement.

Angelica looked about at the ground they were in; they had left the mixture of natural caverns and rough hewn tunnels behind, now on smooth flagstones with beautifully dressed walls leading up in smooth arches to a vaulted ceiling. The passage they had entered was dead straight, vanishing far beyond their vision in either direction, and other than the archway they had come in by seemed to have no doors or turns. Its age was beyond her ability to even guess, not even the light grey dust on the floors giving any particular help. Attack would come from ahead, or behind. And their sound would carry ... she stood perfectly still, listening.

Liva helped Antaryon pull off his chain, the latter biting back his pain as she pulled it over his bad arm. Next she pulled his off his gambeson, peeling it back slowly and carefully over his arm. Angelica could not resist a glance, but that was all she needed. The black and glistening mess below Antaryon's elbow needed a healer, no question, and if it was not properly cared for he would take fever and die for certain.

"Really?" Liva said quietly "you were just going to carry on?" She poured water from her skin over the wound, then wiped it with a clean piece of cloth from her satchel. Some more water, the sound dripping onto the stones, and she dried it then bound it carefully with her scarf.

Angelica could hear clicking, like small pebbles tapped on a table by someone playing a game, impatient for their turn. She tilted her head trying to place the soft sound, eyes sweeping slowly, carefully, methodically, as she had been taught. Assumptions will kill you, look through what you see, not at the obvious!

"Ready?" Liva met Antrayon's eyes, who nodded as she pulled his gambeson back on through his grunts of pain. "Forget the chain" she said simply as she retied Antaryon's scarf as a bandage for his arm, then began to strap his shield onto his back.

Angelica stepped smoothly, her shield sweeping out level above Liva's head, her sword flicking up in one flowing motion. The shriek from above confirmed her aim. "Get behind me!" she yelled, Liva darting past without question and Antaryon hurling himself forward past Angelica's other side.

With a heavy *thud something fell onto Angelica's shield, and she tipped it forward, bouncing it onto the flagstones. It was a ball of spindly black arms and legs covered with hairs, eyes, and glittering shiny carapace. Angelica did not hesitate, a quick thrust and her sword went through the spider's head deep into its innards. As she pulled it out, she looked with detached curiosity at the glowing goo that coated the blade. They must eat the glow worms.

Fully ready, she flowing with the moment back and up, cutting a second spider clean in half. "There are more coming, go." she said simply as Liva helped Antaryon up, grabbed the lantern, and ran. A third spider fell, and Angelica could hear the spiders clicking and chittering on the stone, indecisive as to how to attack now all surprise was lost. They hunt by stealth Angelica decided, and after piercing another spider she spun and sprinted after the others, leaving a flurry of angry clicking behind her.

"Well that was fun" Antaryon said wryly as Angelica reached them.

"Keep running" Liva replied simply.

@->--/-----

"Stop" Angelica called urgently, the others obeying without question, Antaryon leaning forward breathing hard after their flight.

"Problem?" Liva said as succinctly as she could.

"Yes" Angelica replied, raising her shield and advancing slowly. "They are spinners, not jumpers."

Liva nodded joining the dots "but we have not seen any webs."

The first webs were whispy things, easily cut away. They came upon the dusty remains of some poor fellow long dead, his helmet adorned by luminous algae. Angelica turned over his shield, studying the faded arms. "Northerner" she said with a tinge of sadness "he was of von Housel. Good, honest folk."

"M'L-" Liva cut herself off and continued softly "Anne, do we have time for this?"

"We have not time if we do not." Angelica replied, searching. "Ah!" she said in delight, then from beneath the Mann she fetched out a long halberd, a wicked looking thing with a long wooden handle and a metal head that tapered to a sharp point and had a heavy axe head on one side, with a hook on the other. It was taller than she was by almost a third, and there was nothing subtle about the thing - its every curve screamed its purpose - visiting death on your enemy. Angelica pulled at it, looking closely at the screws and plates keeping the head to the haft, then after tying her own shield to her back looked to the others and smiled.

Liva shivered and said very softly "control."

"Quite so" Angelica replied in kind. "Ready?"

Antaryon checked the lantern was tied in place where he wanted it, stretched his hand then took up his sword again with a nod.

With a quick salute to the dead, Liva fell in to the rear, and whispered back "ready."

Angelica advanced forward, the halberd ruthlessly ending any spiders above them who were not smart enough to flee her methodical slaughter, Antaryon picking off any that dropped low. Glowing blood rained down softly, the floor running with light mingled with their own tears. So few things living in this cursed land, and we have to kill them just for being hungry.

@->--/-----

"Are you getting tired?" Liva queried gently.

"No." Angelica replied brightly. Too brightly. I am in danger of delighting in killing, and it isn't even a fair fight. It is not wrong to defend us ... but I am wrong to enjoy it so.

"They are gone?" Antaryon asked softly, peering up into the ceiling.

"Good" Liva replied "but I would prefer to know where they went to."

"Let's cross that bridge when we get to it." Angelica replied, advancing forward, halberd at the low guard as she advanced, a short time later saying "oh."

"You had to say it, didn't you?" Antaryon chided her with a grin. To their left and right the corridor opened into complete darkness, with a long curved bridge sweeping out into the darkness ahead.

Liva moved to the edge, looking down, tiny eyes glinting back with the myriad reflections of the single candle in the darkness. "About that going left thing ...?"

Angelica laughed. "Ok new plan, Liva a song if you please. They know exactly what will happen to them if they show on the bridge."

Antaryon stepped closer, chased by his own shadow, as Liva began to hum, then sing in a tune that seemed older than any Angelica could recall, although perhaps it was just the place lending eternity to the melody.

Angelia turned with surprise when Liva added words to the melody, bright words carrying far into the vast empty cavern.

“Won't you stay for dinner?

Said the spider to the fly

I know just the perfect spot

For both you and I

A place to watch the world go by

And drink our last goodbye.”

From ahead, in the darkness, a gravelly male voice replied keeping the tune as Liva finished her verse.

"You pack lunch, I'll pack brunch

We'll go down by the brook

For one lingering last look

For both you and I

Weave your words to treasured book

And how the time will fly."

Angelica continued to advance evenly, half expecting with each step to find the stone betray her, but the bridge was as sound as the day it was made albeit with adornments of silk.

Two bright torches flared into life at the far end of the bridge, revealing a half dozen soldiers, most standing behind an older Mann who looked terribly pleased with himself.

"You will come with us" the Mann said flatly. "And leave your weapons."

Angelica shifted the halberd in her hands with unmistakable challenge, the bowmen behind the Mann casually nocking arrows in answer.

"Anne" Liva replied firmly "shoulder arms and follow him."

"Good enough" the Mann replied, his archers eyeing the sides of the bridge and their uninvited guests with equal suspicion as he led them off the bridge and into a garrison post, the heavy doors slamming shut behind them, a heavy cross beam lifted into place with a thud of finality.

@->--/-----