Grunting, Warren bent over and retrieved the key, again wiping the spearhead on his pants. Right, he said. My guess is that to pa.s.s this room with any weapon besides the key, we would have to slay every monkey in the mosaic.

Kendra looked down. There were hundreds of apes, including dozens of powerful gorillas. Maybe it was a good thing you didn't have all your gear.

Warren smiled ruefully. You're not kidding. Being butchered by monkeys is pretty low on my list of ways to go.

Come on.

They pa.s.sed through the archway at the other end of the room and began winding down yet another stairwell. All the stairs were real, and at the bottom they found another open archway, narrower than the previous ones.

Warren led the way into a cylindrical room where the floor was hundreds of feet below. Widely s.p.a.ced sunstones provided sufficient light. A narrow catwalk without railings ringed the top of the room, level with the entrance. The roof bristled with barbed spikes. Kendra saw no way to392 descend-the walls were smooth and sheer all the way tothe bottom, where she could barely make out something in the center of the floor.

I'm not sure we brought enough rope, Warren joked, stepping onto the catwalk. I believe this is our destination.

How are you with heights?

Not so good, Kendra said.

Wait here, he said. He walked along the catwalk, testing the air with the key, as if searching for an invisible stairway.

Kendra noticed an alcove in the far side of the wide room. When Warren reached the alcove, he removed something from it. He levitated a few feet into the air, glanced up at the spikes above him, and floated back down.

I think I get it, he called. He reached into the alcove again and there was a bright flash that flung him backwards off the catwalk. Kendra watched breathlessly as Warren plummeted toward the distant floor. He began falling slower, then stopped, then started rising. He floated slowly as he drew even with Kendra, and finally stopped, hovering in the center of the room.

In addition to the key, Warren was holding a short white rod. I can't move side to side, he explained. He floated up close to the spikes, carefully took hold of one, and pushed off, sending himself drifting toward Kendra, moving much the way Kendra pictured astronauts would in zero gravity.

Warren alighted on the catwalk beside her. The short rod was carved out of ivory. One tip was black. He had been holding the rod parallel to the floor, but now that he stood on the catwalk, he tilted it so the black tip was facing up.393 That makes you fly? Kendra asked.More like it reverses gravity, he said. Black tip up, gravity pulls down. Black tip down, gravity pulls up.

Sideways, you get zero gravity. Tilt the black tip up a little bit, gravity pulls down a little bit. Get it?

I think so, she said.

Careful of the roof, he warned.

Have you done this before? she asked.

Never, he said. You learn to experiment in places like this.

He held out the rod. She took it. I want to try it out in the stairway, without the spikes.

Go for it, he said.

Kendra went back to the stairway. Slowly she tipped the rod until it was sideways. Nothing felt any different. She jumped slightly, and it felt perfectly normal.

I don't think it works out here, she said.

The enchantment must be specific to this room, he said. Still, strong spell, I've never heard of anything like it.

Remember, with the rod, you're changing which way gravity pulls you. If your momentum is going one way, turning the rod won't instantly change your direction. When I was falling and I flipped it over, I slowed, stopped, and then started going up. So leave yourself room to stop, or you might end up a shish kebab.

I'm not going to let myself go fast, Kendra said.

Good idea, Warren said. And, for the record, don't try to grab a second rod. It felt like I'd been struck by lightning.

Holding the rod, Kendra followed Warren around the394 catwalk. She kept the black tip pointed straight up, notwanting to risk drifting up to the spikes. When they reached the alcove, she saw that there were nine other rods, each resting in a hole, black tip up.

What do you say we make sure we can't be followed, Warren said, grabbing a rod and tossing it off the edge of the catwalk. Instead of falling, the rod floated back to the same hole from which Warren had removed it. He picked up the rod again. When he let go of it, the rod again returned itself to the hole.

We better hold tight to these, or we'll end up stranded down there, Kendra said.

Warren nodded, removing a rod for himself. He turned it so the black tip was only slightly upwards and stepped off the edge, falling gently, again making Kendra think of astronauts.

Kendra tipped the rod slowly, marveling as she felt the pull of gravity diminishing, even without moving. The sensation was strange; it reminded her of being underwater.

Tilting the rod so the black tip was slightly downward, she floated up, her feet leaving the catwalk. Tipping the rod the other way a tad, she drifted back down.

Now that she trusted the rod, Kendra stepped off the edge of the catwalk and began a mild freefall. The sensation was incredible. She had dreamed of going into s.p.a.ce in order to experience zero gravity, and here she was, in an under-ground tower, sampling something much like it. The dizzying drop beneath her feet was no longer very intimidating, now that she could control gravity with a twist of her wrist.395 Warren rose to meet her. Experiment with the rod, hesaid. Nothing too drastic, but get a feel for how to rise and fall and stop yourself. There's a knack to it. I have a feeling it will come in handy before we finish here.

Suddenly Warren shot downward. Kendra watched him slow to a stop. I thought you said nothing too drastic, she called to him.

He rocketed upwards, drawing even with her again. I meant for you, he said before plunging away below her.

Little by little, Kendra tilted the black tip up higher, incrementally increasing the rate of her descent. She abruptly tipped the rod in the other direction, and her descent slowed with a feeling like she was connected to an elastic band. Making the rod parallel with the ground, she brought herself to a standstill about halfway to the floor.

Kendra glanced up at the distant spikes in the ceiling.

She tilted the black tip all the way down, and with a sudden rush of acceleration she was shooting up toward the iron stalact.i.tes.

The sensation was disorienting, exactly like falling headfirst toward the ground, and the spikes came rapidly nearer. In a panic she whipped the rod the other way. The elastic feeling was much stronger this time, although it took long enough to slow that she got much nearer to the spikes than she liked. Before she knew it she was careening toward the floor of the tall chamber. Her body began rotating, and she lost some sense of which way she needed to turn the rod to slow her fall. She overcorrected several times before gaining control, whipping herself up and down erratically.

When she finally leveled out, Kendra was two-thirds of396 the way to the floor, hovering near the wall. She kicked offgently.

And I thought I was a daredevil, Warren called.

That was a little more daring than I intended, Kendra admitted, trying not to sound as shaken as she felt. She experimented more with rising and falling, growing accustomed to easing herself to a stop and to keeping her body properly oriented. At last she landed softly on the floor next to Warren and normalized the gravity by holding her rod black-end up.

The room was bare except for a pedestal at the center.

The floor was polished, seamless stone. Atop the pedestal sat a life-sized likeness of a black cat, made of colored gla.s.s.

Is that the artifact? Kendra asked.

My guess is we're looking at the vault, Warren said.

Do we smash it? Kendra asked.

That might be a start, Warren said.

How are you feeling? Kendra asked.

Stabbed, he said. But functional. Things could turn ugly fast. If it comes to it, you may want to fly up to the catwalk and hope for mercy from the narcoblix. But don't try to exit the tower. I was very serious about the traps set to prevent anyone from exiting prematurely.

Right, Kendra said. I won't ditch you.

Warren tipped the rod somewhat and jumped, soaring over Kendra's head and landing gently behind her, wincing slightly and clutching his side. See, you can also simply reduce gravity to your advantage. Could come in handy.397 Kendra tilted the rod, feeling herself lightening, andtook a leap, gliding in a long, lazy parabola. Gotcha.

You ready? Warren said.

What's going to happen? Kendra said.

I'll smash the cat and we'll see.

What if the roof comes down on us? she asked.

Warren gazed up at the distant ceiling. That would be bad. Let's hope the spikes are just meant to impale people who are clumsy with their gravity sticks.

You think there may be something scary inside the cat?

Kendra asked.

Seems like a safe bet. We better hurry. Who knows how long before the narcoblix shows up? You ready? Glove on?

Kendra pulled on the glove and turned invisible. Okay.

Warren prodded the cat with the sharp end of the key.

The tip of the spearhead clinked loudly, but the figurine did not crack. He jabbed it a few times. Clink, clink, clink. I'm not sure we're meant to break it, he said. Moving close, Warren touched the cat with his finger and then skipped away, key ready.

The gla.s.s cat shimmered and became a real cat, mewing softly. It had a tiny key around its neck.

Kendra felt some of the tension leave her. Is this some kind of joke? she asked.

If so, I don't think we've seen the punch line yet.

Maybe it has rabies, Kendra said.

Tentatively, Warren approached the black cat. It hopped down from the pedestal and slunk toward him. Nothing indicated that the feline was anything other than a scrawny398 domestic cat. Crouching, Warren let the animal lick hishand. He stroked the cat softly, and then untied the ribbon that held the key. Instantly the cat hissed and swiped a paw at him. Warren stood and backed away, puzzling over the key. The cat arched its back and showed its teeth.

It turned mean, Kendra said.

It is mean, Warren corrected. This is certainly no mere housecat. We have not yet seen the true form of our adversary.

The feral cat spat and hissed.

Warren began investigating the big key. He rolled it, examining it from end to end. Ah-ha! he said, inserting the tiny key into a hole just below the spearhead. When he turned the miniscule key, the handle at the opposite end of the big key detached and clattered to the ground.

Connected to the handle was a long, slender blade. A sword had been hidden in the shaft of the tall key, with only the handle showing!

Warren picked up the sword, swishing it through the air.

The handle had no guard. The sharp blade was long and sleek, and it flashed dangerously in the glow of the sunstones.

We have ourselves a pair of weapons, Warren said.

Take the spear! Without the sword it has a better balance.

Eyes on the cat, Kendra drew near and took the spear from Warren. How do I use this? she asked.

Stab with it, Warren said. It's probably too heavy for you to throw it effectively. Pay more attention to soaring away if trouble comes near.

All right, she said, taking a few practice jabs.399 Without warning, the cat charged at Kendra. She swungthe spear and it veered away, darting toward Warren. His sword whisked down and lopped off the head of the cat.

Warren stepped away from the corpse, watching it intently.

Both the head and the body of the feline began to boil as if full of writhing worms. The head melted into a soupy pool.

The headless body began to heave inside out, revealing wet glimpses of muscle and bone, until the churning finally stopped and the black cat was whole again.

The cat hissed at Warren, fur rising along its arched back. It was bigger now, larger than any domestic cat Kendra had ever seen. Warren took a step toward the cat and it bolted, body stretching long as it raced fluidly away. The next two times Warren came close, the cat streaked away, in the end returning to the pedestal.

Warren approached the pedestal. Baring teeth and claws, the cat sprang at him. A slash of his sword intercepted the feline, and the cat flopped to the floor. Warren stabbed it to ensure the animal a quick demise, and then backed away.

Once again, the lifeless body began to pulse and roil.

I'm not too keen about this pattern, Warren said darkly.

Moving in close, he began stabbing the churning ma.s.s of fur and bone and organs. With each wound it seemed to grow, and so he retreated to let the process finish.

The reborn black cat no longer looked like a domestic animal. Not only was it much too big, the paws were proportionately larger, with crueler claws, and the ears were now tufted like those of a lynx. Still entirely black, the lynx let out a fierce yowl, showing intimidating teeth.400 Don't kill it again, Kendra said. It will keep gettingworse.

Then we will never get the artifact, Warren said. The cat is the vault, and the sword and the spear remain the keys. To get the artifact, we must defeat all of its incarnations. The black lynx crouched, eyeing Warren cunningly.

When Warren feinted forward, the lynx did not flinch.

Staying low, the lynx prowled toward Warren, as if stalking a bird. Warren stood ready, sword poised. A dark blur, the lynx rushed at him, low and silent. The sword flashed, opening a gash, but the lynx got through, clawing and biting furiously at Warren's pant leg. A fierce return stroke ended the flurry of claws. The lynx lay motionless.

Fast, Warren complained, limping away, blood dripping from his tattered pant leg.

Did it hurt you bad? Kendra asked.

Surface wounds. My pants got the worst of it, Warren said. But it got to me. I'm not sure I like what that says about my reflexes. The hide of the carca.s.s began to bulge.

Would the spear be better? Kendra asked. You could stab it before it gets close.

Maybe, Warren said. Trade me. He crossed to her and they exchanged weapons.

You're limping, she said.

It's a little tender, he said. I'll hold up.