"What is it?"
"It could be one of the charges used for the old guns they used," D'Averc said. "If so, it will be useful."
"But you have no old gun!"
"One does not always need one!" said D'Averc mysteriously.
They ran back down the ramp to the entrance of the tower. Risking being seen by the Dark Empire warriors, they dashed along the large, outer ramps as fast as they could, then swung back again down the girders and out of sight.
"I don't think we were seen," D'Averc said. "Come on-we go this way for Mygan's lair."
They began to race up the side of the mountain, slithering and sliding in their anxiety to reach the old sorcerer before Meliadus.
Night came, but they moved on.
They were starving, for they had eaten practically nothing since they had set out for Llandar Valley, and they were beginning to weaken.
But they struggled on and just before dawn came to the valley marked on the map. The valley where the sorcerer Mygan was said to live.
Hawkmoon began to smile. "Those Dark Empire riders will have camped for the night, almost certainly. We'll have time to see Mygan, get his crystals, and be away before they ever arrive!"
"Let's hope so," said D'Averc, thinking privately that Hawkmoon needed rest, for his eyes were a little feverish. But he followed him down to the valley and consulted the map. "Up there," he said. "That's where Mygan's cave's supposed to be, but I see nothing."
"The map has it halfway up yonder cliff," said Hawkmoon. "Let us climb up and see."
They crossed the floor of the valley, leaping over a small, clear stream that ran down a fissure in the rock the length of the valley. Here there were, indeed, signs of Man, for there was a path down to the river and a wooden apparatus that had evidently been used for drawing up water from the stream.
They followed the path to the side of the cliff. Now they found old, worn handholds in the rock. They had not been carved recently, but had been there, it appeared, for ages, well before Mygan had been born.
They began to climb.
The going was difficult, but at last they reached a ledge of rock on which a huge boulder stood, and there, behind the boulder, was the dark entrance to a cavern!
Hawkmoon went forward, eager to enter, but D'Averc put a cautionary hand on his shoulder.
"Best take care," he said and drew his sword.
"An old man cannot harm us," Hawkmoon said.
"You are tired, my friend, and exhausted, otherwise you would realise that an old man of the wisdom Tozer claimed for him will possibly have weapons which could harm us. He has no liking for men, from what Tozer said, and there is no reason why he should think us anything more than enemies."
Hawkmoon nodded, drew his own blade, and then advanced.
The cavern was dark and seemingly empty, but then they saw a glimmer of light from the back. Approaching the source of this light, they discovered a sharp bend in the cavern.
Rounding the bend they saw that the first cavern led on to a second, much larger. This was fitted up with all sorts of things, instruments of the kind they had seen in Halapandur, a couple of cots, cooking materials, chemical equipment and much more. The source of the light was a globe in the center of the cave.
"Mygan!" called D'Averc, but there was no reply.
They searched the cave, wondering if there was yet another extension, but found nothing.
"He has gone!" Hawkmoon said in desperation, his nervous fingers rubbing at the black jewel in his forehead. "Gone, D'Averc, and who knows where. Perhaps after Tozer left him, he decided that it was no longer safe to remain and has moved on."
"I think not," D'Averc said. "He would have taken some of this stuff with him, would he not?" He looked around the cave. "And that cot looks recently slept in. There is no dust anywhere. Mygan has probably gone off on some local expedition and will be back soon. We must wait for him."
"And what of Meliadus-if that was Meliadus we saw?"
"We must simply hope he moves slowly on the trail and takes some time to discover this cave!"
"If he's as eager as you said Flana told you, then he'll not be far behind us," Hawkmoon pointed out. He went to a bench on which there were various dishes of meat, vegetables and herbs, helping himself greedily.
D'Averc followed his example.
"We'll rest here and wait," D'Averc said. "It is all we can do now, my friend."
A day passed, and a night, and Hawkmoon hourly grew impatient as the old man did not return.
"Suppose he has been captured," he suggested to D'Averc. "Suppose Meliadus found him wandering in the mountains."
"If so, then Meliadus is bound to bring him back here and we shall win the old man's gratitude by rescuing him from the baron," D'Averc replied with forced cheerfulness.
"There were twenty men we saw, armed with flamelances if I was not mistaken. We cannot take twenty, D'Averc."
"You are in low spirits, Hawkmoon. We have taken twenty before-more!"
"Aye," Hawkmoon agreed, but it was plain that the journey had taken much out of him. Perhaps, too, the deception at the Court of King Huon had been a greater strain on him than on D'Averc, for D'Averc appeared to relish deception of that kind.
At length, Hawkmoon strode to the outer cave and onto the ledge beyond. Some instinct seemed to draw him out, for he looked into the valley and saw them.
Now it was close enough to be sure.
The leader of the men was, indeed, Baron Meliadus.
His ornate wolf mask glinted ferociously as it turned up and saw Hawkmoon at the instant Hawkmoon looked down.
The great, roaring voice echoed through the mountains. It was a voice full of mingled rage and triumph, the voice of a wolf that has scented its prey.
"Hawkmoon!," came the cry. "Hawkmoon!"
Meliadus flung himself from Ms saddle and began to scale the cliff. "Hawkmoon!"
Behind him came his well-armed men and Hawkmoon knew there was little chance of fighting them all off. He called back into the cavern. "D'Averc-Meliadus is here. Quickly man, he'll trap us in these caves.
We must reach the top of the cliff."
D'Averc came running from the cavern, buckling on his sword belt, glanced down, thought for a moment, then nodded. Hawkmoon ran to the face of the cliff, seeking handholds on the rough surface, hauling himself upward.
A flame-lance beam splashed against the rock close to his hand, singeing the hairs on his wrist. Another landed beneath him, but he climbed on.
Perhaps at the top of the cliff he could stand and make a fight, but he needed to protect his life and D'Averc's for as long as possible, for the security of Castle Brass could depend on it.
"Haaawkmoooon!" came the echoing cry of the vengeful Meliadus. "Haaaawkmoooooon!"
Hawkmoon climbed on, scraping his hands on the rock, gashing his leg, but not pausing, taking incredible risks as he clambered up the cliff face, D'Averc close behind him.
At last they reached the top and saw a plateau stretching away from them. If they attempted to cross it, the flame-lances were bound to cut them down.
"Now," Hawkmoon said grimly, drawing his sword, "we stand and fight."
D'Averc grinned. "At last. I thought you were losing your nerve, my friend."
They glanced over the edge of the cliff and saw that Baron Meliadus had reached the ledge by Mygan's cavern and was darting in, sending his men on ahead in pursuit of his two hated foes. Doubtless he hoped to find some of the others there-Oladahn, Count Brass -or even, perhaps Yisselda, whom Hawkmoon knew was loved by the baron, however much he refused to admit it.
Soon the first of the wolf warriors had reached the cliff and Hawkmoon delivered a jarring kick to his helmet. He did not fall, however, but reached out and clutched Hawkmoon's foot, either trying to drag himself back to safety or drag Hawkmoon with him over the cliff.