THE TREASURE OF LYNORTIS When he heard the scream, Kane had been thinking that he was last becoming tired of forest. For days he had been riding along the narrow road that led through the forest to the Myceum Mountains, and the giant trees that sheltered the road had become monotonous. The scream brought his thoughts sharply out of the lethargy induced by the long ride. Kane halted his mount and searched about him for the source of the cry. It had seemed to come from farther up the road. "Damnation, but that was a woman's cry, or I've never heard one!" said Kane to himself. "Must be trouble up the road ahead." He loosened his sword from its scabbard and, fondly caressing its worn hilt, debated whether to yield to curiosity and investigate the cry, or to be prudent and keep back. While Kane paused in the road to consider the merits of either alternative, he suddenly found himself entangled in a small war. The war, a rather one-sided one, consisted of a woman on a swiftly fleeing horse accompanied by a mounted soldier, who was vainly trying to fight back seven or eight attackers. As Kane watched, a man on the side of the soldier slipped a sword behind the soldier's guard and plunged the point into his throat. Blood spewing from his slashed neck, the soldier toppled flying from his saddle. "Hell, I'm into it now!" thought Kane. "A bunch of bandits attacking some other travelers, and, like it or not, I've ended up in the fight too!" He drew his sword and galloped forward towards the fleeing girl, who, along with her pursuers, had just caught sight of Kane. As Kane reached her, he realized too late that the girl had taken him for one of the bandits, rather than for one trying to help. From somewhere on her saddle she drew a short spear and hurled it at him. To hit a moving target with a light spear thrown from a plunging horse is nearly impossible, but Kane's proximity saved the girl from a complete miss. The spear struck his horse in the neck, causing it to fall before the hooves of the girl's horse. Both horses and both riders tumbled into a struggling heap in the middle of the road. Kane's last thought before blackness enveloped him was that this was a hell of a way to end an afternoon. It was night by the time Kane recovered his senses. He shook his head, partly trying to dislodge a small demon with a large hammer who was driving nails into his head, and partly trying to clear his mind. After his thoughts became coherent, Kane discovered that there really was no demon at all, merely a bad lump right where his shaggy red hair stopped and his forehead began. His arms were bound behind him, and his legs were tied so that he would not fall from the horse on which he was being led. He considered his plight. That he was still alive after his fall was not too unusual-it was not the first time a horse had fallen with him, and he knew how to fall without doing too much damage-it was strange, though, that the outlaws had spared his life. Looking about him, Kane saw that his horse was being led by an outlaw ahead of him along a narrow forest path. On a horse tied alongside him was riding the young woman that the bandits had been chasing. Even in the darkness Kane could tell that she was a creature of uncommon beauty. "More's the pity," muttered Kane, thinking of the fate probably intended her by the outlaws. She lifted her head and looked at him on hearing his voice. "Sorry. Just thinking out loud. Bad habit. Ought to quit it," he replied to her questioning look. She nodded and examined his face with open curiosity. "Her appearance is that of a lady," Kane thought, "she might even be someone important, to judge from her clothes and the fact that she hand a soldier escort. Maybe she'll be held for ransom instead of being used for entertainment" For some reason he couldn't pin down, a slight load was lifted from Kane's spirits. "I'm sorry I tried to kill you," the girl's accents were soft and refined. "I thought you were one of them." "An unfortunate mistake for both of us, it seems. Any idea why they didn't kill me?" "No. They did seem quite curious about you, though. Perhaps they spared you for curiosity's sake. I'm afraid I know why they captured me." Seeing that she did not seem disposed to continue the conversation. Kane began to look more closely at his captors. He then noticed something strange. A force as large as the one that had captured them surely would not have trifled with anything short of a merchant's caravan. But nowhere could Kane see any evidence of any loot whatsoever. The outlaws evidently had nothing to show for their efforts other than the two prisoners. To all appearances the bandits' sole purpose of the raid was to capture the girl. Thinking perhaps she could explain it, Kane asked, "Care to tell me your story?" She considered this for a moment and acquiesced. "I had been out hawking with Captain Oasis, and we were on our way back. We had ridden a little in front of our escort, when the bandits attacked. They cut down the escort with crossbow fire and pursued the two of us when we tried to escape. Orsis tried to hold them back while I escaped, but they killed him too. Then you appeared out of nowhere, and I thought that you were one of them trying to head me off. So I threw my hunting spear at you, but killed your horse instead. Then my horse fell over yours, and the outlaws caught me before I could regain my feet." "It's surprising that you weren't injured by the fall. Perhaps I should introduce myself. I am Kane. I was of late trying to reach the Myceum Mountains. To whom do I have the honor of speaking?" She seemed to think it bold of Kane to ask her this, but deigned to answer him since circumstances were peculiar, "I am Sesi." She said this with the air of one who attached regard to her fame. "Who the hell might Sesi be?" wondered Kane. "The name is vaguely familiar, and she is obviously of high rank." He was spared the necessity of a reply. The outlaw who was leading their horses had become aware of their conversation. He looked over his shoulder and said in a low tone, "One more word out of either of you, and I'll slice off your ears and gag you with them." There was something in his voice that gave Kane the impression that he would cheerfully perform the deed. As they rode silently along Kane thought about the outlaw's threat. Was the outlaw merely being nasty, or did the outlaws fear pursuit' Sometime later they reached a clearing, wherein a fire burned brightly, and figures moved about in the shadows. Here they halted. The outlaws dismounted, cut Kane loose from his horse, and brought their prisoners into the light. Kane decided that they were in the bandit's camp. In the light Kane got his first good look at his captors and his fellow captive. The captors were nothing unusual. They were the common breed of local outlaws. Men of every breed and description filled their ranks. They could have been any one of hundreds of small time thieves who preyed on unprotected travelers. Kane decided that escape would not be too difficult-provided he was not killed immediately. Looking at Sesi, Kane saw his earlier impression confirmed. She was a tall woman, probably in her early twenties. Long brown tresses flowed down her back and along her neck. Her bearing was proud, as was her face. Her eyes, Kane decided, were probably brown too. A perfect face, one used to laughter and smiling, was now stained and pale from fear. A costly woolen robe hung over a splendid figure and was gathered about her waist and breast by complicated twistings of gilded cord. Any jewelry that she had worn had been removed from her person by the bandits. The left side of her gown was dirty and slightly torn from her fall, and she limped on her left leg. Kane again hoped that she was to be held for ransom and would not be raped by the outlaws. A large man stepped into the fire light and approached the prisoners. From the way the others stood aside, Kane rightly guessed that this was their leader. "So you caught her. Any casualties, Amenit?" "None of our own," replied a lean individual on Kane's right. The big man chuckled. "I knew I could count on you, Amenit. And who's this?" He noticed Kane for the first time. "I gave orders that no one was to be spared but her"' Amenit hastily explained. "He wasn't in with the escort. He showed up just as we were about to ride her down, and she killed his horse under him. They went down together, and the fall knocked him out cold. So I figured that bringing him back here was about as easy as killing him there. Then I thought maybe you'd want him questioned: he looks like he may be one of Jeresen's band. We can always kill him later anyway, Grey." "So this is Grey," thought Kane, examining the big man. From what he had heard from the few people he had seen recently, Grey was a local bandit who terrorized the immediate countryside. He looked the part - fall and heavy, somewhat dirty, sloppy, decked out with too much jewelry. He was fat, but Kane could see he wasn't wanting in strength. Among a host of other weapons, a huge scimitar hung at his belt, an unusual weapon that he had taken from an Eastern traveler who had had no further use for it. His face was cruel, from his fat lips to his watery eyes, which were now focused on Kane. In Kane he saw a man of not unusual height, but who seemed twice as thick as normal in all dimensions. A barrel chest, thick neck, heavy legs, thick arms - qualities that gave Kane an aura of massiveness rather than size, power rather than strength. His large hands with their extraordinarily long fingers seemed out of keeping with the rest ...
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