Below, four Burlies raced up to meet us, perhaps in defense of their precious hole. The fifth, that I had seen prostrated over the opening, now towered, changed into a twelve foot monstrosity, still glowing a pulsing phosphorescent green. Its lambent eyes fastened to mine with an intelligence I had not seen in a Burlie before, but had faced in stone-cold terror in a Demon's gaze when high above Chord's Dais. The sixth, cast into the stream, was gone. Drowned? Killed in its encounter? I had no time to speculate, for they were on us.

The fastest breached the rise, still slightly below me, and swung a raking claw at my knees. I brought the Corm Da down upon it, splitting it from head to chest, a fountain of its fluids jetting into the night air.

As it dropped, it pulled at my steel, forcing me to crouch while I jerked it free of the carcass. I slipped forward on the downside during this, almost overbalancing. A firm hand pulled me back, and a thin steel blade shot forward skewering the swinging arm of a second screaming black beast.

The other two now made the top, and I swung my freed sword to the right, burying it in the one trying to flank me. It swung a powerful roundhouse at my face. I thrust it through the claw with my Roundel and twisted clockwise pulling back the Corm Da and swinging it down, severed the arm.

The sword was hot in my grasp now, and I felt a familiar energy rush up my arm. The maimed beast on my right swatted at me with its remaining right arm, connecting with my back, but I felt nothing. Slashing again, I severed the head of the dying Burlie, sending it bouncing down the hill.

A cry came to me, and I saw Thavis lunge to pierce an attacker. He pulled back, retreating down-slope, fending off two remaining Burlies. A monstrous, glowing thing pounded uphill towards me with a window rattling roar. I quickly crossed to where Thavis fought, and took both his foes from behind, not caring to be gallant.Thavis looked over my shoulder, white faced. I pivoted to see the glowing countenance of an incarnate nightmare bridge the crest. Having taken four Burlies, my sword fairly glowed with heat, and my gut swam with currents of energy.

Both sword and dagger went weightless in my grasp, and I now looked through rather than from my eyes at the approaching horror.

A cry wrung out from me, and it seemed the ground echoed it. I was drenched in the slick heated blood of my foes, and I ran to kill, a wolf leaping to kill a rabbit.

Thief! My mind thundered. Give back that which is mine!

I jumped high onto the obscenities' torso. An impossible feat, that breached ten feet of air. I punched the Roundel deep into the thing's chest, and pulled myself up with it to slash the whirling Corm Da across its stinking throat. It bellowed then gurgled trying to grasp at me with hands that sprouted foot long claws. But I angled the steel, thrusting deep in its scaled chest and resisted, slashing clawed fingers free from their palms with the Corm Da.

Sky breaker! All Slayer! Taste your prey and take back what is mine!

The Corm Da whirled once more and buried it too, in the now slicked breast of the towering hell-spawn. A stuttering shriek, like the steam whistle of an overheated boiler shattered the air. The creature's phosphorescence abated as it died, while strength upon strength flowed up the buried blade and into me. I dropped to the ground and stood back as the beast tumbled down the hill, rolling finally into the stream where it steamed, and dissolved.

I stood and my gaze passed through the night, up the lane, to a rising mountain. I took steps in that direction then stopped. Something in me did not want to go forward. It beat at my conscience, warning me back. Puzzled, I sought that voice within. My breathing slowed, and a sense of duty grew in me. There was something still to do. The small breaches? Perhaps it was that.

Little doors. Little thieving doors that needed to be pinched closed. My eyes passed down the hillside to a glowing hole. Behind me, a breathing man, slowly mounting the hill. I walked down the rough slope towards the hole. I crouched over it, spread my hand over it, grabbed it and crushed it. Heat flowed from me, down to my hand, cauterizing this wound in the beautiful, beautiful fabric of my world. The Corm Da cooled in my hand. I realized I had not yet sheathed it, so reaching over my shoulder, I slipped it into its scabbard, and stood.

I felt the adrenaline of the encounter start to abate, and my vision became more immediate. The rage, and the feeling of being taken over, drained away. I looked back and up, and saw Thavis scrabbling over the hill's peak towards me.

"Damn, you're good, William. Damn good. I never saw anyone move like that. I mean to say, true, you are physically one of the most impressive men I have ever met, but that was something else. You saved my neck. Gods! You're a mess! What in seven feathers was that thing? I almost shat my britches when I saw it! What were you doing by that spot? You bent over it , then it flared and went dark. Did you see anything in it? That thing you slew, it rolled into the stream and just melted away!"

Thavis rattled on, hyperventilating, eyes wheeling around, trying to take in every corner of creation. I gently turned him, and we started to re-climb the hill towards the roadway. By the time we reached the hilltop Thavis had calmed somewhat and went quiet. I squinted, and tried in the dark to pick out some things I had seen after the battle.

"Thavis, look there, and there. Can you see?"

Thavis squinted to where I pointed.

"Spots! More like the one here. What are they?"

Even in the dark, glowing as they were, my hat was off to the man, for the spots were far away, and scattered widely along what must be the near side of Mount Esh. I would not have been able to pick them out, save for the god Credine having envisioned them earlier. I did not like it, but as an epileptic becomes resigned to seizure, I had come to terms with these episodes. At least, I now knew, they could be stopped simply by staying clear of the blade, but I needed it with me as yet.

To Thavis, I replied, "I am not sure, but I have seen something similar when mages set out to trap Burlies. Something they make to attract them. It is done with Burlie dust, I think. Some minor magic as can be made without the direct intervention of Demons. However, these don't seem to be traps, and I have no idea what it was that came for us, though I have a guess or two. I think though, that we should not try the mountain just now. Let's gather our things and get back to Corbell instead, as fast as we can. I think we both want to talk to Mage Orton. I could use a clean-up, a rest, and a meal right about now. Then we can consider this further. What do you think?"

"I think you're right," Thavis huffed.

Once more, my quest to discover anything about my predicament needed to be put off. I again felt pushed to take part in events not my own, by people and forces I barely knew anything about. I gazed with frustration at Mt. Esh and whatever clues to my fate awaited there. On the other hand, perhaps I was becoming too comfortable with my life here. In the service we had called this "going native." Was this happening to me? Did I still hold tightly to my wish to return?

I could send Thavis back alone with this intelligence, and soldier on. No, it would not be my way to leave a man alone in these conditions. Mt. Esh could wait.

We descended the hill and broke camp. Having splashed off in the stream earlier, I dried myself with the bedroll, which I then discarded as a lost cause. Thavis did the same. We gave our packs to Gort, something I had not thought to do on our way here, and headed south-east as fast as we could without running, dark or no dark.

I instructed Gort to follow. Thavis set an uncomfortably fast pace, and I was left to increase my gait to a trot, to keep up. It surprised me that Gort had no difficulty staying abreast, and privately wondered just how fast the thing was, if ordered to speed. Looking forward to a very disturbing conversation with the two mages, I tried to order the report in my mind.