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THE MOMENT OF TOE MAGJCUN 233
"It'll be all right," Quoriy assured him. "You'll see.
We'll lose that pair of fools quick enough."
Mudge skidded to a stop. "Righty-ho, but wot about this new lot o* fools?"
A whole platoon of soldiers had appeared in the hall directly ahead and were
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now charging toward them. The platoon was an interesting mix of species,
varying in size from armed rats and mice to two great cats and one ape.
"Listen," Jon-Tom said innocently, "can't we talk about this?" The ape stabbed
at him and he jumped aside, bringing down his staff on the other's spear.
Instead of listening to reason, the ape reversed his weapon and tried to shove
the butt end through
Jon-Tom's teeth.
He ducked and the blow passed over his head. A
swipe with the ramwood took the ape's legs out from under him. The sound of
fighting was deafening in the narrow corridor. The otters found themselves at
a disadvantage in such confines, where they couldn't make use of their
quickness. But the guards' rein-
forcements couldn't get at their quarry and kept bunching up against each
other in the corridors.
Superior numbers couldn't be brought to bear against the invaders, but neither
could they escape.
Jen-Tom saw Mudge cut a tendon in a vizcacha's leg, saw blood spun, and
watched as the stripe-faced soldier went down, too stunned to scream. Then
something whacked him on the back of his neck and he staggered. He whirled,
hunting for his assailant, and saw nothing but stars before his eyes.
The stars grew brighter as he was hit again. He blinked and shook his head. As
he did so he leaned slightly backward, and saw his attacker. An armored possum
hung by its tail from one of the rafters. Iron weights were strapped to its
waist and it was taking
its time picking out targets among the otters below.
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234
Nobody could reach him and Mudge was too busy defending himself with his sword
to unlimber his bow.
The possum wasn't used to fighting someone as tall as a human, however.
Jon-Tom tried to knock the dangling fighter loose with his ramwood staff but
couldn't quite reach him. For its part, the possum decided to stop playing
around. The next iron ball it selected was lined with short, sharp spikes. It
strug-
gled to draw a bead on Jon-Tom as he bobbed and dodged below.
Jon-Tom thumbed the concealed switch set in the staff, and the ramwood
lengthened by six inches of sharp steel. A sudden jab pierced the possum's
throat.
It looked very surprised, hung for a moment longer from the ceiling, and then
dropped like a stone.
The otters fought well, but no matter how many they cut down, there were
always more soldiers to take the places of the fallen. By now the whole
complex must be alerted, Jon-Tom thought grimly.
Still, it was Memaw who finally called a halt to the fighting when she saw the
twisted form of poor
Norgil lying limp against the marble. The otter had taken half a dozen sword
thrusts and his life was leaking out on the floor. Already blood made the
footing treacherous. That would take away the otters'
one advantage: their quickness.
So Memaw put up her sword and said, "Enough.
We surrender."
"Surrender? Wot's that mean, surrender?" said
Quorly, panting hard. Her fine clothing had been shredded by sword cuts but
otherwise she appeared unharmed.
"No, Memaw's right, she is." Knorckle tossed his sword aside. "Better to
gather strength and wits in jail than to perish here."
The guards moved among them, collecting knives
THE aSOMSHT OF THK MAQSCWI
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236
and scimitars and searching briskly for any concealed
weapons. Jon-Tom prayed they might leave him his duar, but they confiscated it
also, along with his backpack.
When this was done, a massively muscled jaguar shoved his way to the fore. His
leather armor was streaked with sword cuts.
"Explain this outrageous intrusion," he growled.
~ Jen-Torn stepped forward and growled right back at him. "Outrageous is the
word for it. Here we arrive on time for our appointment and instead of
receiving a courteous greeting, we are brutally attacked.
What kind of troops do you station in here, anyways?
. Cutthroats and murderers!"
The jaguar's eyes narrowed and he stroked his
- chin. "An appointment, you say. With whom?"
"Markus the Ineluctable," Jon-Tom told him defiantly. "And is he going to be
pissed when he
/ clears how we've been treated."
"Markus, you say?" The officer pushed his helmet back off his ears. He looked
tired. "Next I expect you're going to tell me that this is all a misunder-
standing and that it'll easily be straightened out as soon as I take you to
the advisor?"
"~ "Of course." Jen-Torn replied easily.
The jaguar seemed to consider. "The master is sleeping and would not wish to
be disturbed. This casts something of a shadow over your story, tall man. It
may be that the appointment you seek will be
"' with the Chamber of Official Torments... but that is not for rne to decide.
The Great Markus will do
;. that"
"Fine with us. If you'll just take us to him, I
imagine he forgot all about our visit tonight. He'll straighten this out
fast." Jon-Tom glared at the sol-
^ diers bunched together behind the officer. "When
^ he learns what's happened, heads will roll."
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336
"I prefer to bounce them myself," said'the jaguar evenly. "As a point of
interest, some bounce nicely for a while, while others just go smash. I wonder
which yours would do." '
Jen-Torn went slightly weak in the knees, but didn't let k show. "Why not ask
Markus?"
"Why not, indeed?" replied the officer surprisingly.
"As I said, only he will know the truth of your words.
If you'll be so kind as to follow me?" He gestured with a paw.
"That's more like it." Jon-Tom strode confidently past the jaguar, continuing
to glare at the guards.
They descended several levels until the air began to grow thick and moist.
They were below lake level, and moisture seeped relentlessly through ancient
stonework.
"Markus the Ineluctable lives down here?" he asked their guide.
"No," rumbled the jaguar. "As I told you, he sleeps and would not wish to be
disturbed. I will notify him of your arrival. As he's expecting you, I'm sure
he'll be right down. Meanwhile, I thought you would enjoy explaining
yourselves to the leading members of our government, who are at this moment
awaiting your presence in their new conference chamber."
"We've heard that some members of the Quorum weren't getting along too well
with their new advisor."
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"Is that so? A vicious, unfounded rumor. So much gossip in the city
marketplaces these days. You really shouldn't pay attention to such idle
chatter. Ah, the
Quorum doorman. You there!" he roared at a doz-
ing javelina. "Visitors for the Quorum!"
Tusks flashing in the dim torchlight, the javelina roused himself and led them
forward. Jon-Tom balked at the sight of the iron grille, but there was nothing
to be done about it now. They were herded toward the open cell.
THE MOUKHT OF TBK UAOICSAS
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