THREE
It took a good bit of nerve to walk into what appeared to be solid rock; Toshiro couldn't help flinching slightly when his nose seemed to be about to collide with the cave wall, but he passed through with no harm.
In his shock and horror, he barely felt Tetsuko's fingernails digging into his collarbones. They must have passed into Hell. The ground was spongy under their feet, as if one were walking on layers of fungoid growths. The air was thick, like fog, violet clouds swirling around them. The yelping was very close. Geometrically impossible shapes were visible here and there, darting close, seeming more curious than hostile, then fading away; Toshiro wondered if they found him as horrible and unnatural as he found them. He was just beginning to think that Alric had betrayed them when he heard the dead minion say, "Is everybody all right?"
"I think so." Hiroko had drawn her dirk.
"One might have told us what was coming!" Mad Jack said.
"No," Kiku said. "Even if he could have described this, if we'd had any idea of what it was, we wouldn't have followed."
"And, unfortunately, it's the only way back to the world," Alric said, and then he fell silent and stood very still.
"What are we waiting for?" Toshiro asked. He felt warm wetness spreading on his back; Tetsuko had wet herself. He reached his free hand back and squeezed her ankle reassuringly.
"Guidance," Alric said. "Be still and watch."
The Hounds bayed. Toshiro wondered what he was supposed to be watching for, but since he had been cautioned to be still, he asked no questions, but waited, silently trying to keep an eye on everything. The swords shone bright white, and the weird shapes took care to avoid the glow. That was all right with Toshiro; he didn't want a close look at those shapes, and, even more, he didn't want the children getting a close look at them.
Mad Jack elbowed his arm and pointed down. At their feet a white glow was forming a path.
"Our prayers were heard," Alric said. "Stay on that path, whatever you do. Remember, there's no time here; if you fall off, you'll spend eternity in this place."
They set off. The path was narrow; one had to step carefully as chaos pressed in from either side. The Hounds would press so close that at times one could smell a carrion odor, see their eyes glowing yellow, hear their drooling and snuffling. They snapped as close as they could to peoples' heels, as if trying to startle them into stepping off the path. Toshiro heard a rythmic clicking sound; after a moment he identified it as Kozuke's teeth chattering.
"Steady on, Kozu-chan," his father said, sounding more gentle than Toshiro would have thought possible.
"I'm all right." Kozuke's shaking voice was shrill. "Let me down and I'll fight them with you."
"I don't intend to fight at their convenience," Mad Jack replied. "After everyone's out safely, I'll come back with the army and clean this place out at my convenience."
A Hound had been snuffling along as close to Toshiro's left foot as it dared without stepping onto the lighted path. Quietly shifting his sword to his left hand, he slashed down suddenly, and was rewarded with a yelp. The others backed off, snarling and snuffling from a safe distance.
"That was a mistake, Samurai Jack," Alric said. "Don't do it again."
Toshiro didn't understand, but, committed now to following the ex- minion, he obeyed. The path sloped down; he wondered if they were leaving the Mountains of Madness. The Hounds stopped snarling and began to pant and whimper anxiously. He heard discordant flute music, and, too close, that slopping sound.
"Saint Michael the Archangel," Alric said softly, "defend us in battle. Be our defense..."
Slopping, dragging, like an impossibly large snail over stone.
"...we humbly pray, and do thou, oh Prince of the Heavenly Host..."
Shrill piping of flutes, a thousand of them playing a thousand different evil tunes at one time. The path seemed dimmer.
"...cast into Hell..."
Shuffling feet, awkwardly dancing to the hideous music. The shapes were clearer now. Kiku racked the slide on Alric's gun.
"...all the evil spirits..."
The path narrowed to a shining thread perhaps a foot wide.
"Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle..." He let Hiroko down gently. "Walk forward in faith, all of you, and do not turn back."
Her voice shook. "Hachiman, Hachiman..." As if she could summon no more coherent thought, she repeated the god's name over and over as she walked. The path faded and strengthened as two elemental forces strove against each other. Now Toshiro understood, vaguely, what Alric had been trying to explain to them. Here it was meaningless to speak of good and evil; what was here was so monstrously unnatural that to call it "evil" was to try to box up fog, to explain the inexplicable, to reduce the utterly alien to terms that did not, could not, explain it. Aku had been evil. This was worse than evil. This was Outside, completely inimical to everything that lived and breathed under the sun.
The path winked out. The Hounds attacked so fast Toshiro barely had time to let Tetsuko down and shove her away from him. The path sparkled, shimmered, wavered.
"Don't let them bite you, their saliva is poisonous!" Alric, who was already dead, struck about among the Hounds, fighting them off barehanded.
Staying on the path, Toshiro spun and dodged and slashed, with Mad Jack beside him. Kiku fired a burst. He heard her drop the empty clip and slam in another one. The Hounds pressed hard.
"Hiroko!" Toshiro ordered. "Get them out of here! I'll follow!"
Out of the corner of his eye he saw her snatch up a child under each arm and take off down the flickering path, saw Kiku hesitate and then follow her son. He spared one glance; Kiku was walking backwards, shooting Hounds as she went, and then they passed round a bend and were lost to sight.
He threw up his left hand as a Hound leaped at his face.
It took a good bit of nerve to walk into what appeared to be solid rock; Toshiro couldn't help flinching slightly when his nose seemed to be about to collide with the cave wall, but he passed through with no harm.
In his shock and horror, he barely felt Tetsuko's fingernails digging into his collarbones. They must have passed into Hell. The ground was spongy under their feet, as if one were walking on layers of fungoid growths. The air was thick, like fog, violet clouds swirling around them. The yelping was very close. Geometrically impossible shapes were visible here and there, darting close, seeming more curious than hostile, then fading away; Toshiro wondered if they found him as horrible and unnatural as he found them. He was just beginning to think that Alric had betrayed them when he heard the dead minion say, "Is everybody all right?"
"I think so." Hiroko had drawn her dirk.
"One might have told us what was coming!" Mad Jack said.
"No," Kiku said. "Even if he could have described this, if we'd had any idea of what it was, we wouldn't have followed."
"And, unfortunately, it's the only way back to the world," Alric said, and then he fell silent and stood very still.
"What are we waiting for?" Toshiro asked. He felt warm wetness spreading on his back; Tetsuko had wet herself. He reached his free hand back and squeezed her ankle reassuringly.
"Guidance," Alric said. "Be still and watch."
The Hounds bayed. Toshiro wondered what he was supposed to be watching for, but since he had been cautioned to be still, he asked no questions, but waited, silently trying to keep an eye on everything. The swords shone bright white, and the weird shapes took care to avoid the glow. That was all right with Toshiro; he didn't want a close look at those shapes, and, even more, he didn't want the children getting a close look at them.
Mad Jack elbowed his arm and pointed down. At their feet a white glow was forming a path.
"Our prayers were heard," Alric said. "Stay on that path, whatever you do. Remember, there's no time here; if you fall off, you'll spend eternity in this place."
They set off. The path was narrow; one had to step carefully as chaos pressed in from either side. The Hounds would press so close that at times one could smell a carrion odor, see their eyes glowing yellow, hear their drooling and snuffling. They snapped as close as they could to peoples' heels, as if trying to startle them into stepping off the path. Toshiro heard a rythmic clicking sound; after a moment he identified it as Kozuke's teeth chattering.
"Steady on, Kozu-chan," his father said, sounding more gentle than Toshiro would have thought possible.
"I'm all right." Kozuke's shaking voice was shrill. "Let me down and I'll fight them with you."
"I don't intend to fight at their convenience," Mad Jack replied. "After everyone's out safely, I'll come back with the army and clean this place out at my convenience."
A Hound had been snuffling along as close to Toshiro's left foot as it dared without stepping onto the lighted path. Quietly shifting his sword to his left hand, he slashed down suddenly, and was rewarded with a yelp. The others backed off, snarling and snuffling from a safe distance.
"That was a mistake, Samurai Jack," Alric said. "Don't do it again."
Toshiro didn't understand, but, committed now to following the ex- minion, he obeyed. The path sloped down; he wondered if they were leaving the Mountains of Madness. The Hounds stopped snarling and began to pant and whimper anxiously. He heard discordant flute music, and, too close, that slopping sound.
"Saint Michael the Archangel," Alric said softly, "defend us in battle. Be our defense..."
Slopping, dragging, like an impossibly large snail over stone.
"...we humbly pray, and do thou, oh Prince of the Heavenly Host..."
Shrill piping of flutes, a thousand of them playing a thousand different evil tunes at one time. The path seemed dimmer.
"...cast into Hell..."
Shuffling feet, awkwardly dancing to the hideous music. The shapes were clearer now. Kiku racked the slide on Alric's gun.
"...all the evil spirits..."
The path narrowed to a shining thread perhaps a foot wide.
"Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle..." He let Hiroko down gently. "Walk forward in faith, all of you, and do not turn back."
Her voice shook. "Hachiman, Hachiman..." As if she could summon no more coherent thought, she repeated the god's name over and over as she walked. The path faded and strengthened as two elemental forces strove against each other. Now Toshiro understood, vaguely, what Alric had been trying to explain to them. Here it was meaningless to speak of good and evil; what was here was so monstrously unnatural that to call it "evil" was to try to box up fog, to explain the inexplicable, to reduce the utterly alien to terms that did not, could not, explain it. Aku had been evil. This was worse than evil. This was Outside, completely inimical to everything that lived and breathed under the sun.
The path winked out. The Hounds attacked so fast Toshiro barely had time to let Tetsuko down and shove her away from him. The path sparkled, shimmered, wavered.
"Don't let them bite you, their saliva is poisonous!" Alric, who was already dead, struck about among the Hounds, fighting them off barehanded.
Staying on the path, Toshiro spun and dodged and slashed, with Mad Jack beside him. Kiku fired a burst. He heard her drop the empty clip and slam in another one. The Hounds pressed hard.
"Hiroko!" Toshiro ordered. "Get them out of here! I'll follow!"
Out of the corner of his eye he saw her snatch up a child under each arm and take off down the flickering path, saw Kiku hesitate and then follow her son. He spared one glance; Kiku was walking backwards, shooting Hounds as she went, and then they passed round a bend and were lost to sight.
He threw up his left hand as a Hound leaped at his face.
