side by a flick of the demon’s beak. He bounced off a mossy wall and fell directly below the creature’s head.
Luckily, the other Banes, lanterns and weapons in hand, ran up behind the beast and the Gold in the lead brought down a spiked club upon the demon’s tail.
Unluckily, this caused the demon to release the trident—sending Salick flying up the tunnel—and brought its attention to the morsel lying at its underdeveloped feet.
That was Garet.
With no time to recover the ends of his weapon dangling in the mud, the Bane scrambled up and wrapped his arms around the Snake Demon’s long neck, just below the head, hugging it tightly so that its beak could not twist around and set its fangs in him. In snatches, he could see the Gold still pummeling its tail and back, to little effect except to make the beast angrier, it seemed. At last, unable to devour Garet, and perhaps beginning to resent the continuous attack on its rear parts, the demon slithered away, knocking aside the lantern and sliding its head into the side pipe.
“Don’t let it get in there,” the Gold yelled. “Heaven knows where that pipe goes!”
To a very large privy, Garet guessed, for he was in an excellent position to smell where it might lead. He still hung from the demon’s neck, more from desperation than strategy. Now the Snake Demon could not move forward and escape unless it dislodged him. The tail thrashed, knocking over the Gold with the club, and sending Garet swinging like one of Lord Andarack’s pendulums.
“Get down!”
Garet let go, dropping to the slimy floor. Salick’s trident pierced the Snake Demon just behind its head. This was both a demonstration of her strength, for demon hide was notoriously thick, and her cleverness, for the beast could go no farther and had not the wit to pull back.
She held it there while Garet and another Bane wrestled with its body, avoiding the small, sharp claws while the Gold with the club set himself and proceeded to kill it with blunt force.
After twenty or so blows, he stopped and wiped his brow.
“Thank you, Salick. That’s so much easier when it isn’t moving!”
Salick pulled the trident free, bracing one booted foot against the demon’s head.
“Don’t mention it,” she said, rubbing her back where she had hit the floor of the tunnel. She took her hand away and looked in dismay at the filth on it. “Yes, please don’t mention it ever again!”
Garet laughed, as did the others. It came out a bit hysterically, but that was to be expected when a demon’s jewel was so near.
He leaned against the slick wall and caught his breath while the other Banes stretched the creature out to its full length. Not for the first time he wondered why the fear cast by a jewel outlasted the demon that bore it. After six hundred years, there was still much they didn’t know about these terrors.
Another Gold and a Green stood behind the demon’s killer, a young man named Salar, if Garet remembered correctly.
“Look at that! Seven yards or I’m a Black Sash,” Salick said. “But honestly, Salar, how did you let this get by you and into the sewers?”
Salar held out a hand, just as filthy as Salick’s, Garet saw. His face was also caked with slime, as if he had fallen at least once in his pursuit of the beast. Garet’s dinner threatened to reappear.
All of us will need an hour in the washing rooms before we get any sleep tonight.
“Not our fault, really. We were coming across the Bridge to relieve the Palace Plaza patrol when we heard splashing in the river. We tied our sashes together and lowered a lantern to see the tail of this misbegotten thing disappearing into the outlet pipe. The grate was rusted—something the Palace should look to—and besides, who ever heard of a Snake Demon swimming anyway? Nobody, that’s who!”
Salick nodded. “Branet will have to hear of this right away. He’s in the Palace Plaza. Garet and I will return that way if you would take care of . .
Luckily, the other Banes, lanterns and weapons in hand, ran up behind the beast and the Gold in the lead brought down a spiked club upon the demon’s tail.
Unluckily, this caused the demon to release the trident—sending Salick flying up the tunnel—and brought its attention to the morsel lying at its underdeveloped feet.
That was Garet.
With no time to recover the ends of his weapon dangling in the mud, the Bane scrambled up and wrapped his arms around the Snake Demon’s long neck, just below the head, hugging it tightly so that its beak could not twist around and set its fangs in him. In snatches, he could see the Gold still pummeling its tail and back, to little effect except to make the beast angrier, it seemed. At last, unable to devour Garet, and perhaps beginning to resent the continuous attack on its rear parts, the demon slithered away, knocking aside the lantern and sliding its head into the side pipe.
“Don’t let it get in there,” the Gold yelled. “Heaven knows where that pipe goes!”
To a very large privy, Garet guessed, for he was in an excellent position to smell where it might lead. He still hung from the demon’s neck, more from desperation than strategy. Now the Snake Demon could not move forward and escape unless it dislodged him. The tail thrashed, knocking over the Gold with the club, and sending Garet swinging like one of Lord Andarack’s pendulums.
“Get down!”
Garet let go, dropping to the slimy floor. Salick’s trident pierced the Snake Demon just behind its head. This was both a demonstration of her strength, for demon hide was notoriously thick, and her cleverness, for the beast could go no farther and had not the wit to pull back.
She held it there while Garet and another Bane wrestled with its body, avoiding the small, sharp claws while the Gold with the club set himself and proceeded to kill it with blunt force.
After twenty or so blows, he stopped and wiped his brow.
“Thank you, Salick. That’s so much easier when it isn’t moving!”
Salick pulled the trident free, bracing one booted foot against the demon’s head.
“Don’t mention it,” she said, rubbing her back where she had hit the floor of the tunnel. She took her hand away and looked in dismay at the filth on it. “Yes, please don’t mention it ever again!”
Garet laughed, as did the others. It came out a bit hysterically, but that was to be expected when a demon’s jewel was so near.
He leaned against the slick wall and caught his breath while the other Banes stretched the creature out to its full length. Not for the first time he wondered why the fear cast by a jewel outlasted the demon that bore it. After six hundred years, there was still much they didn’t know about these terrors.
Another Gold and a Green stood behind the demon’s killer, a young man named Salar, if Garet remembered correctly.
“Look at that! Seven yards or I’m a Black Sash,” Salick said. “But honestly, Salar, how did you let this get by you and into the sewers?”
Salar held out a hand, just as filthy as Salick’s, Garet saw. His face was also caked with slime, as if he had fallen at least once in his pursuit of the beast. Garet’s dinner threatened to reappear.
All of us will need an hour in the washing rooms before we get any sleep tonight.
“Not our fault, really. We were coming across the Bridge to relieve the Palace Plaza patrol when we heard splashing in the river. We tied our sashes together and lowered a lantern to see the tail of this misbegotten thing disappearing into the outlet pipe. The grate was rusted—something the Palace should look to—and besides, who ever heard of a Snake Demon swimming anyway? Nobody, that’s who!”
Salick nodded. “Branet will have to hear of this right away. He’s in the Palace Plaza. Garet and I will return that way if you would take care of . .
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