‘Then you must tell me exactly what it contains.’
‘It would be better for you to remain in ignorance, but I can see into your head, mage, and I know that curiosity is your greatest flaw. It was that trait I used within my spell of compulsion to draw you here. If I keep silent, you will meddle anyway. The sack contains the head of the Fiend, the most powerful of all the entities who dwell within the dark.’
Her words puzzled me. I had never heard of anything called the ‘Fiend’. Nor did I understand what she meant by the ‘dark’. Beyond this world there were domains of the spirits such as Askana, the dwelling place of our gods – but as for Kobalos and human souls, where they went after death was unknown to us. They went up or down, and none returned to tell of their experience – though most suspected it was better to go up than down.
‘What is the “dark”?’ I asked.
‘It is the abode of daemons and gods – and of their servants after death. It is the place we witches return to.’
‘Is the head of a god in the sack?’ I asked.
‘Yes, he could be described as a god. There are many Old Gods and, intact, he is more powerful than all the others combined. The rest of his body is bound far away so the head must remain separate – lest his servants succeed in resurrecting him. His vengeance would be terrible.’
‘I know nothing of your gods,’ I told the purra. ‘We have many. My personal favourite is Cougis, the dog-headed god, but many of my people worship Olkie, the god of Kobalos blacksmiths, who has four iron arms and teeth made of brass. However, the greatest of our gods is called Talkus, which means the God Who Is Yet to Be. He is not yet born but we all eagerly await his arrival.’
The purra called Grimalkin smiled at me, showing her pointed teeth. ‘Your people have your truths and my people have ours. We are very different in our beliefs,’ she told me. ‘I will respect your faith and, in return, I ask that you respect mine. The head in the sack must be returned to me. That is the most important thing of all. But whatever you do, leave it within the sack. It would be extremely dangerous to remove it. If you wish to survive, you will need to curb your curiosity.’
‘First I must locate it,’ I said, then pointed at the twitching rat. ‘Release him from your magic so that he can find the sack and the other items that you require.’
The purra nodded, and Hom suddenly stopped quivering and rolled over onto his little ratty feet, his whiskers twitching. I quickly gave him instructions: ‘I need the precise location of a number of objects taken from this purra by the Oussa,’ I told him. ‘The most important of these is a large leather sack. Secondly, find the star-stone. Additionally, there are a number of weapons, and the straps and sheaths that contain them. Report back immediately following the completion of your task!’
He turned, and with an angry flick of his thin tail he left the dungeon.
‘How long is it likely to take?’ the purra asked.
‘Far less time than it will take to obtain what you have asked for. But he will not return here – although he has acute hearing and sharp vision, in that form he lacks the means to speak. So now I must leave and return to my quarters to hear his report from a self that can.’
‘Before you go, let us make the terms of the trade clear,’ the purra said.
I stared at her in astonishment.
‘I know all about the importance of trade to your people,’ she continued. ‘If you do your utmost to return to me my stolen possessions and enable me to free myself, in return I will help you to slay the Haggenbrood. What is more, once we leave this place I will do nothing to hinder what you consider to be your lawful business. Is it a trade?’
‘I need time to reflect upon that. I will consider the possibility.’
‘There is little time! Before you go, ease the noose around my neck. Do it now!’
I shook my head. ‘No, I cannot do that yet. First I will try to get the items that were taken from you. If I achieve that, I will return and do as you ask.’
I did not yet trust the purra. I needed to consider the situation more carefully. And, as I told her, I wanted to see if I could retrieve her possessions and thus fulfil my part of the trade.
The brow of the purra furrowed with anger but, without another word, I made myself very small and slithered out under the door.
I RETURNED TO my quarters as swiftly as possible and waited there for Hom to make his report. Suddenly I felt very uncertain. The proposal made by the purra with pointed teeth had seemed reasonable at the time but now, away from her, I felt foolish.
How could I have allowed myself to negotiate with a mere female like that? Was it skaiium? The same thing had occurred when I’d talked to Nessa and she had pressed her forehead against mine. I had been influenced unduly, and had then recklessly attempted the rescue of the youngest sister, killing a High Mage and a Shaiksa assassin in the process and bringing me to my present situation. Now it was happening again with this strange purra.
Or perhaps she was using some sort of magic to control my thoughts and actions? After all, I knew nothing of this witch and her magic; my usual defences might not be effective.
I took a deep breath and began to focus on the problem, putting aside my fears and attempting to assess the situation logically. There was no doubt that the human witch could create a magical illusion strong enough to pass herself off as Nessa. I had been prepared to release the girl to distract the Haggenbrood momentarily – so why not do the same with this purra? She was the assassin of a witch clan, and to slay four of the Oussa demonstrated that she was a formidable warrior.
I also knew that I could enter her dungeon again undetected, and loosen the noose about her neck – that was all she had asked. I did not understand how she could then escape and reach my quarters in order to accompany me into the arena, but that was her problem. If she failed to do so, I would simply take the three sisters and keep to my original plan.
The homunculus came out of his hole and clambered up onto the chair again.
‘Make your report!’ I commanded.
‘The weapons and the star-stone are in the Plunder Room of the Triumvirate,’ Hom announced.
The Plunder Room was accurately named – that was where I had expected the items to have been placed. It was effectively the treasury of the Triumvirate, the place where confiscated goods of special interest or value were stored. It was well-guarded; too well-guarded – virtually impregnable. It would be impossible for me to retrieve the first two items required by the human witch.