She led him through the door in the nearest tower and through the corridor that snaked through the south parapet. Nerris kept watch behind them, but drew his knife again at the sound of footsteps from up ahead. He was relieved to see Jhareth and Dist come into view, out of breath.

      "I think we gave them the slip," Jhareth said as Aledine backed away.

      "It's all right," Nerris told her. "They're my friends."

      Dist gave her a puzzled glance. "Who are you?"

      "Your hostage," Aledine said.

      "Hostage?"

      "Long story," Nerris said. "How did you two escape?"

       "We led the guards a merry chase along the roof on the west end," Jhareth said. "Dist slipped and fell to a catwalk below, but the guards kept on chasing me. There are a lot more of them after us now." He paused to catch his breath. "They surrounded me, but I managed to drop down and swing into the window of the castle healer's chambers. At least I think it was the healer. There wasn't time to exchange pleasantries." He pointed to Aledine. "Weren't you the one dancing with Nerris?"

       "Listen, there is a postern gate at the southeast part of the outer wall," Aledine said. "That's your best chance. It's just a stone's throw down the hill and into the city from there."

       Jhareth shrugged. "Good enough for me. Let's go."

       They continued down the corridor, with Jhareth scouting ahead. As their path curved, he held out a hand to bid them quiet. Four guards stood watch about a hundred paces ahead.

       Aledine swore. "The postern gate is just beyond those guards, where the southwest parapet meets the rampart."

       "I guess they expected us to come this way," Nerris said, looking to Jhareth. "Any ideas?"

       Of the three of them, Jhareth was the best at thinking on his feet, and his friend didn't disappoint. He walked back to the nearest window, which looked out onto the yard. A clothesline extended from the headboard above to the window of an inner tower, about two hundred paces away. Several clothespins had been left attached. "Give me your cloaks," he said.

       The cloaks were their only cover, but there was no time to argue. They handed their garments to Jhareth, who began to pin them to the line by the shoulders. When all four were attached, he pulled at the clothesline. The pulley at the end creaked noisily, but the cloaks began to move across the yard, blowing in the breeze like four gray phantoms.

       After a few moments, they heard shouts from the parapet above as the guards spotted their cloaks and Nerris finally understood. In the dark, it was easy to mistake their cloaks for actual people. The guards inside the rampart ahead heard the shouts as well, and spilled out the door, heading for the moving garments.

       "Go," Jhareth told them. "I'll catch up in a moment."

       Nerris, Dist and Aledine ran past the guard post several paces and Aledine felt the wall for crevices. When she found the door, Nerris and Dist helped push. The hidden gate slid aside to reveal an opening large enough for a mounted man to ride through. Jhareth joined them as they exited the castle, and helped slide the gate back into place.

       "I got those cloaks almost all the way across the yard before the guards caught them." Jhareth grinned. "It reminded me of that time Dist broke his toe stubbing it on that boulder. You've never heard so much swearing."

6. The Dangers of Antiquing

        It was a short run down the hill, and Jhareth led them through several back alleys once they reached the city proper, winding his way through until no one could have followed their route. Their respite gave Aledine a chance to explain her actions.

       "I found the postern gate when I was nine," she said, "and I've been using it to sneak out since I was twelve. I love listening to the stories of the common people in all the taverns, so I wore a boy's clothes to hide my identity. The party may be at the castle, but the real fun is out here."

       "That's stupid," Dist said. "A lady of your standing has no business alone at night by herself. Even if they thought you were a boy back then, you're more noticeably feminine now."

       "I have friends in the city I meet up with," Aledine said.

       "Still, a night in the city can be dangerous," Nerris said, "or so I've heard. This is the first city we've ever visited."

       "Then it's a good thing I have three strong boys such as yourselves protecting me," Aledine said, locking arms with Nerris. "Even if you are the worst thieves I've ever seen."

      "You don't care that we stole from your brother?" Nerris asked. Jhareth still carried the ugly idol, and Aledine had certainly noticed it.

      Aledine gave it a glance and shuddered. "I've always hated that thing. When we were little, my brother Eller sneaked me down to the cellars and showed it to me. I've been afraid to go down there ever since. As far as I'm concerned, we're well rid of it. Something about it doesn't sit right with me."

       The moon was out in full, illuminating the streets of Orrigo. Though it was well approaching midnight, Jhareth had them keep to the shadows when he could. The city folk may have been abed, but men of the watch patrolled the streets, carrying their bright torches. Bendel Square was eerily silent, except for the chirping of crickets. The raised hand of Saint Bendel's statue stood vigilant over empty stands and moonlit cobblestones.

       Delwen's place lay to the south, on a small side street which dead ended at an abandoned guildhall. Loose wooden shutters on close knit buildings blew in the breeze, banging off of stone window sills with hollow clacks. Most of the structures' windows were dark, but a dull light emanated from the front window of the old man's shop.

       "You had better wait here," Nerris told Aledine. "I don't think Delwen would take kindly if we brought in the sister of the man he had us steal from."

       "But I want to see this place too," Aledine said.

       "Don't you have friends to meet?" Jhareth asked. "Off with you."

       "Jhareth," Nerris chided. "She did help us escape the castle. Don't be so rude."

       "Fine, come in with us," Jhareth said. "Just don't tell him your name."

       Delwen opened the door almost as soon as they knocked. "Inside, quickly," he said.

       They all entered the shop, and Jhareth showed the old collector their prize. "Is this what you wanted?"

       Delwen rubbed his hands together. "Yes. Yes, I can't believe it's mine at last." He eyed Aledine. "I see you've brought a friend."

       "Just some streetwalker," Jhareth said. "The best money can buy. Speaking of which, we'll be taking our pay now. We have no coin on us, and the wench won't take us to her bed until we get some. Won't even dress like a proper woman, the niggardly slattern."

       "Very well," Delwen said. "Wait here." He opened the door to his backroom and disappeared with the idol.

       Aledine glared at Jhareth with her mouth open and hands placed on her hips. "Streetwalker? How dare you!"

       "You're the one who likes to pretend," Jhareth said.

      "What's that supposed to mean?"

       "I saw you and Nerris at the party. I don't really appreciate someone like you leading my friend on like that."

       "I wasn't leading him on." She turned to Nerris. "Truly, I wasn't. I was just--"

       "It's all right, Aledine," Nerris said. "I enjoyed our dance. I was terrified, but enjoyed it all the same."

       They examined some of the antique weaponry while they waited. Dist showed Aledine the bow he had examined all those weeks ago, and Nerris took a weathered longsword down from the wall. It had to be hundreds of years old, but the blade was still sharp. It felt good in his hand, and he wondered if he would get to wield a weapon like that at Gauntlet.

       After a few minutes, Delwen's muffled voice called them into the backroom. Jhareth opened the door, and they all filed inside. The room was spacious, lit by many candles on a nearby table. Not much was stored here, Nerris could see, but all was hazy. Purple smoke with an acrid stench to it emanated from a brazier in the center of the room. Lord Feigh's stone idol sat on a pedestal in front of it, and Delwen stood off to the side, his face stuck in an old book. He appeared to be muttering along as he read, though Nerris couldn't make out what he was saying.

        "What is going on?" Dist whispered.

        Nerris took another long look at the strange setup and shook his head. "I don't know, but I have a bad feeling."

       "Well?" Jhareth asked Delwen. "You promised us twenty golden marks each."

       "First, I must thank you for bringing me this treasure," Delwen said. "Too long have the Children of Dracien been banished from this plane. With the fall of Clystam, finally they can walk amongst us once more."

       Nerris had no idea what he was talking about. The Church of Clystam was the most powerful religious order in northern Tormalia. Who was Dracien?

       "When the gentle power wanes, the Children of Dracien will come forth to reclaim what was taken, and those most devout will be rewarded beyond all imagining," Delwen continued. He gestured to the idol. "Behold!"

      The ugly, squat figure was engulfed in the purple smoke, and some trick of the light made it appear to be moving. As they looked on, however, stone began to turn to leathery flesh and its hands opened and closed. Nerris backed up a step when he noticed it was outstripping its pedestal. Not only was the idol moving, it was growing.

      Jhareth drew his belt knife. "Sorcery!"

      Delwen chuckled. "No, merely a communion between a pet and its new master. With this demon's rebirth, I smite my enemies and restore glory to the Children!"

       He lifted his head to face them, and Nerris took another step back. The old man's eyes had turned a deep red, and they bore into him with a malevolent fury.

       "All that is required now is a sacrifice." Delwen's voice seemed deeper, and had lost its shakiness. "My new pet will feast well on this city, as well as you boys, and the streetwalker will suffice for his pleasure."

       "Not this streetwalker!" Aledine pushed past Nerris, and before he could grab her she kicked the brazier. It clattered to the floor, spilling flames and burning coal on the floorboards. The creature on the pedestal, which now stood taller than any of them, shrieked as it was deprived of the pillowing smoke.

       "Fool!" Delwen threw down his tome and reached for Aledine, a dagger in his hand. Nerris rushed forward, but before the collector reached her, a clawed hand grabbed him by the hair. Delwen's eyes widened as the demon dragged him into its clutches. "No! You are mine to control! You must--" Delwen's words cut off with a scream as the demon bit into his face. Blood spurted and bones crunched, and Dist and Jhareth stumbled over themselves to flee back into the shop, with Nerris and Aledine close behind.

       Jhareth slammed the door shut behind them, though it did little to muffle Delwen's pained shrieking. Nerris took down the sword from the wall and Dist flung open the shop's front door, gesturing him onward. "Nerris, we have to run!"

      "No," Nerris said. "You saw what happened in there. We can't let that thing leave here."

      "Are you mad?" Jhareth asked. "We're no match for a demon."

      "This is our fault," Nerris said. "We didn't even bother to question why Delwen wanted that idol."

      "There is no way we could have known this would happen!"

      "Maybe not, but I will not let it hurt anyone else."

      The frame of the backroom door splintered and cracked as the demon hit it from the other side, and the impact knocked several vials from Delwen's shelves to shatter on the floor. Another hit knocked the door out from the wall and reduced the frame to kindling. The demon roared at them with bloody teeth as it stepped through. It had now grown to a good eight feet, if Nerris guessed correctly.

      He raised his sword and charged, hoping to end this before the thing could get its bearings. He slashed wildly, but the demon knocked the sword from his grip with one hand and quickly grabbed him by the face. Nerris couldn't breathe for a moment, but the demon let go when Jhareth attacked, slicing at its hamstring with his knife.

      The demon swatted at Jhareth, but he danced out of the way of the blow and backed up. Instead of attacking, the demon made for the front of the shop, directly at Aledine. Dist pulled her out of the way and the demon unfolded its wings, pumping them once and lifting itself into the air. However, it didn't count on the glass window getting in its way and it crashed through with a surprised shriek.

      The window shattered, and the demon fell to the street outside, writhing as it tried to regain its feet. It was up in a few moments, and before Nerris could tell him to wait, Jhareth sprinted toward it. He launched himself off of the window frame and landed on the demon's back, grabbing it around the neck just as it stretched its wings.

     The demon shrieked again, but took flight with Jhareth still on its back. Nerris retrieved the sword and ran outside. Several windows on the street were now illuminated as the candles within these dwellings were lit. The few faces who peered out to see what was going on quickly disappeared again.

      The demon flew down the street, though it was having trouble gaining height with Jhareth on its back. It gnashed and wriggled in mid-air, trying to throw his friend off, but Jhareth clung tight. Nerris ran after it just as it turned the corner.

       He followed it up the main road until it came out to Bendel's Square. The demon was over ten feet by this point, and Jhareth wasn't bothering it as much. It flapped its leathery wings and began to gain height, but a great stone blade suddenly slammed into it, knocking it to the ground. The impact flung Jhareth free of his perch and he rolled away on the cobblestones.

       Nerris blinked, not believing what it was seeing. The blade had come from the statue of Saint Bendel itself. The stone head was turning in the moonlight, and it looked upon the demon with empty eyes. The demon hissed and sprang to its feet. It was of the same height as the statue now, and it charged its new foe with outstretched claws.

      Nerris took the opportunity to help Jhareth to his feet. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" he asked.

      Jhareth nodded. "I guess Saint Bendel doesn't have much of a liking for demons either."

      The statue stepped off its pedestal to meet the demon, stone feet echoing off the cobblestones, cracking some of the weaker ones. It raised its blade again and swung, but the demon blocked the blow with one hand. Saint Bendel grabbed its other arm with his free hand, and the two figures grappled across the square.

      The demon snapped at the statue with its sharp teeth. Saint Bendel stepped back, and the demon pushed off his torso with one foot, sending the statue crashing to the street and causing him to drop his huge sword.

      "It needs help," Nerris said. Without waiting for Jhareth, he charged the demon with his own blade extended. He heard Jhareth's footsteps behind him as well, and so did the demon. It turned toward them, advancing now that its granite enemy had fallen. Huge claws reached for Nerris, but he ducked under them and twisted, falling to his back and sliding under the demon's legs. Nerris thrust upward, right behind the loincloth it wore at its waist.

      The demon cried out in agony and again a moment later, as Jhareth's knife flew through the air and sank deep into its chest. However, their assault did not stop the demon, and Nerris had to get out of the way as a large, clawed foot stamped the cobblestones he had lay on a moment before.

      Jhareth pulled him to his feet, and they backed off as the demon advanced. A glint of light caught Nerris's eye, and a moment later the demon shrieked much more painfully as an arrow protruded from its shoulder. Nerris wrenched his head around and saw Dist standing at the edge of the square. He held the silver bow from Delwen's shop, the one which had supposedly belonged to one of Saint Bendel's most trusted companions.

      Dist loosed another shaft. It streaked through the air as nothing more than an iridescent light and struck the demon in the chest, just a few fingers below Dist's previous shot. Its screams were terrible to hear, but welcome, for these were screams of true pain rather than mere annoyance. Still, the demon advanced on them. It pulled at the shafts in its body, but shrieked when it touched the arrows, which appeared to be smoking where they had struck flesh.

      In its single-minded fury, the demon never saw the statue of Saint Bendel come up from behind. He had retrieved his sword and with one mighty stroke, sent the monster's head flying from its shoulders. Its neck spurted dark blood and the body toppled to the street even as the head landed with a dull thud a few feet away.

      Nerris breathed a sigh of relief and sank to his knees as Dist joined him and Jhareth at the square's center. A few moments later, Aledine emerged from the same street and ran toward Nerris, flinging her arms around him.

      "I knew you could show a lady an exciting time, Nerris Palada." She let go and smacked him on the chest. "I was so afraid for you! Don't ever do anything that stupid again!"

© Copyright 2026 Nicholas Andrews. All rights reserved.