With Egdin's advice he conquered an unpleasant outbreak of a fungus infection which severely affected the mechanicals , particularly the lift workings .sx After Egdin's death ( a rare moment of emotional contact with the Samalians who seemed genuinely sorry at the necessity of the old man's demise , and as unable to cope with his continued suffering as Tegna was ) , Tegna found himself having to deal with the inexplicable outbreak off respiratory problems among the faceworkers on his own .sx He felt at first that it was caused by the particularly powdery quality of the lode of ore that was being worked , but then he began to suspect that it was the flow of air within the mine that was the root of the trouble .sx The mines were like a living being , the air flow being controlled by the workforce of gates and pumps biologically engineered by the bird-lords , but it was old .sx As he went about his duties on the work floor , busy with the sounds of trundling wagons and hacking picks , Tegna found himself coming to the conclusion that whole areas might have been forgotten over the years and were now being discounted .sx It was clear to him from little things that he observed that the Samalians he had dealings with did not feel that they had important or very high-status jobs .sx It seemed possible to him that the present generation of overlords might be a little inclined to take the efficiency of the mine for granted , particularly Lord Vartha who was rather more given to melancholy and self-absorption than positive thought .sx It took great tact and deference to suggest to the Samalians that they might have overlooked the implications of the direction the workers were taking with this particular lode , or that something might be blocked , but he did succeed in getting his point home .sx The Samalians agreed to his recommendation that the workers be given finely woven face masks and even admitted that he might be right about the air flow .sx There were many old passages in the mine that were not even used as trackways anymore ; it was possible that one of these had become blocked .sx Nowadays the Samalians relied on the interconnected sensitivity of the mechanicals to tell them about rock falls , but these old tunnels were not webbed into the system .sx Anything might have happened there .sx Clutching a roll of ancient illuminated documents which seemed to be some sort of plans of the mine ( and for which Tegna would willingly have given every tooth in his head ) , Lord Vartha ushered a small group of workers through the unmarked entrance that led to the older parts of the mine .sx The party consisted of three common workers , big and strong , Tegna and two overseers , Olav and Cravel .sx Cravel was quite elderly and knew the mine better than most .sx Lord Vartha was not happy about this mission , which was evident not only from the tone of his voice but also from the droop of his shoulders .sx Cravel , who cared about the mine , was clearly exasperated at finding the expedition mastered by this particular Samalian .sx Lord Vartha did not lead .sx He put Tegna and one of the workers at the front and stayed in the middle of the group with Cravel ; Olav brought up the rear .sx Tegna suspected that being put at the front was not intended as a favour somehow .sx " Watch how you go now son , " said Cravel to the fearful yet fascinated Tegna .sx It's not just the roof that can cave in .sx Watch out for the floor .sx I never trust these old sump holes - not a nice place to end up .sx " .sx How kind to warn him !sx A pity Cravel couldn't extend his concern to sounding out the way himself !sx .sx " Where do the sump holes end up ?sx " faltered the worker placed slightly in front of Tegna , also catching on to their allotted role .sx " Where do you think ?sx - The Dark River , of course !sx " hissed Tegna .sx They exchanged frightened glances - everyone knew about The Dark River that flowed from Samul .sx If you put your toe in it to test the water you didn't get your toe back .sx The passages were dark and filled with a sandy slippage along the edges , but if Tegna or the workers were ghoulishly anticipating the remains of discarded mechanicals they were out of luck .sx As he held up his lamp Tegna saw that the frugal old-time Samalians had even taken out the central raid once it was no longer needed .sx Talking was kept to a minimum .sx Cravel , who was fairly sure that the air flow was not as it should be , insisted that chances of vibration be eliminated wherever possible .sx When they came to branches in the tunnel Lord Vartha checked their exact location on the ancient charts that he carried , sometimes finding it with difficulty .sx Tegna tried to take in as much information as he possibly could on these occasions , peering out of the gloom as inconspicuously as he was able .sx They relied on the guttering lamps to tell them if the airways were free or not .sx They soldiered on .sx .... It all happened at once , as Tegna had most feared it would .sx One minute there was the silent flickering plodding , and the next roaring chaos .sx A shaking and rumbling and screaming , Tegna's throat choked with dust in the darkness as pit props and pebbles collapsed and scuttered round him and the floor tilted crazily beneath his feet .sx Then it was still - but for the odd small rock breaking free and juddering into silence .sx Tegna was wedged against a pit prop and there was a rock wall at his back .sx He had a terrible conviction that in front of him there was nothing very much at all .sx Moving with great care and surprise that he still seemed to be in one piece , Tegna eased his flint and steel from his soft leather pouch and set about producing a light .sx Groans came from below and in front of him .sx he held up the light .sx He had been right , a great hole welled below him .sx He was to one side of it ; over on the other side he could just make out Olav , his head shattered by one of the last rebounding rocks .sx Being at the back hadn't been much of an advantage after all .sx Conscious of the groaning again , Tegna spotted Cravel who clung , gasping , to a bit of pit prop that jutted into the void like the uvula at the back of some mighty gaping throat .sx He could see that the old miner was too far down the shaft for there to be any real hope of rescue , even assuming that the niche that he was huddled in himself was secure , and he was pretty sure it wasn't .sx Terrified eye met terrified eye in a flickering moment , and then Cravel with a grunt of resignation was gone .sx Tegna didn't even hear him hit the bottom .sx Gulping back the nausea , Tegna tried to steel himself to cope with the practical reality of his immediate situation .sx He was lodged to one side of a great pit , but he made out that it might just be possible , with great care , to traverse the edge and get on to firmer ground .sx In his efforts he dislodged the remnant of the pit prop that had saved him and he heard it clatter its way down from wall to wall .sx There was a screech as yet another of his erstwhile comrades was dislodged from a vain hold on the side and crashed down and down and down .sx How far was it to The Dark River ?sx Tegna sat shaking on the brink , then the groan came again .sx He looked gingerly over the edge holding as firmly as he could on to the rock wall with one hand as he held up the lamp .sx It was what he least wanted to see , the glinting many faceted eye of the Samalian .sx " Help me Tegna , " moaned Lord Vartha .sx He was clinging to the rock face , his plumed robe ripped around him , his long foot and leg gleaming with little scales as he scrabbled to keep his footing on a tiny disintegrating ledge .sx One claw gripped the wall , the other reached out to Tegna , the silver and jewelled finger stalls slashing against the stones in their vain efforts to reach him .sx " Help me !sx " Did the beak move as he spoke ?sx Tegna couldn't tell .sx Was there a man in there ?sx Tegna didn't find it foremost in his mind .sx This was a fellow living creature and Vartha had never done him any deliberate hurt .sx Things had been as circumstance had decreed .sx Hatred of Samalians seemed abstract at that moment .sx Besides , Lord Vartha , if any one did , would know the way back to the safe parts of the mine .sx Moving with extreme caution he set the lamp down beside him on the rock floor and then spread out flat on his stomach .sx Even if he could reach Vartha he did no think he was personally heavy enough to bring him up over the edge , but none the less he reached down towards the thrashing claw , the rock floor biting achingly into his chest as he did so .sx His hand gripped the metallic roughness of Vartha's ; he felt the living muscle struggle beneath the silver scaled skin as the Samalian writhed to get a firmer hold , writhed and lost the battle .sx With a despairing wail Lord Vartha slid , scrabbled and finally plummetted down into darkness , rebounding from wall to wall as he did so .sx Tegna , who found that he had risen to his knees , waited sick and shivering for the final silence .sx He was left clutching a single red jewelled fingerstall .sx He crouched against the rock wall and put his head down between his knees .sx He had tried , he had tried to save him .sx What was it best to do now ?sx Then gradually through the shaking sickness he began to realise that he was free .sx Not out of the mines of course , but free in the sense that for the first time in his captive life no-one knew where he was .sx While this condition , of course , included himself , he had a fair working hypothesis of where he was .sx If he could get back over that chasm he would have known exactly where he was since he had taken care to look over Lord Vartha's shoulder at every junction on their route .sx He held the lamp up over the abyss and did not fancy his chances .sx .... then he saw it .sx The light had caught on the troupe of tiny gold birds along the top ; lying crushed at the shattered side of the passage and half covered in rock dust was the precious roll of the mine charts .sx Tegna's heart stood still .sx The roll was far from easy to reach but without it he knew he faced the unknown .sx It was heartbreaking to have to retrace his earlier climb to safety .sx He was dripping with sweat by the time he got it and the moisture trickled icy with terror down the center of his spine as he worked his way back again to the solid part of the passage .sx He sat back and looked through the scrolls , trying to judge his exact position .sx He was sure now that there was no turning back - how much further could he go before the lamp gave out ?sx Was the tunnel still blocked or had the rockfall tackled that particular problem ?sx The air seemed to be flowing freely as it should from the dark future of the tunnel - he had to take the risk .sx Consulting the charts he saw that the nearest entrance to him , if it was still there , would bring him out near gate Forty Three .sx He had ideas about gate Forty Three ; he had been letting them flit around inside his head ever since he had first had a glimpse of the charts .sx He walked as swiftly as he dared through the older passages .sx As he grew nearer the living part of the mine he listened out for alarm calls , had anyone registered the rockfall - surely it couldn't have gone unheard ?sx Mike Chinn .sx DAY OF THE DARK MEN .sx Midday found the two men riding down a raised flint road , constructed for the local landowner to oversee the fields of maize that seemed to stretch on to infinity in all directions .sx Pale houses or workers' huts dotted the waving landscape like imperfections - each one brooding dead and empty now that the growing season was over for the year .sx Unshuttered windows stared back blindly at the riders like empty sockets .sx The one dressed all in black finished priming his flintlock pistol and slid it back in its saddle holster .sx He rubbed at his dark beard with dusty gloves and pulled a wry face .sx " There's nothing more depressing than an agricultural area in winter , friend Garban , " he remarked .sx " Even in South Lativ .sx " .sx " At least the sun's shining , " replied Garban Quen e ed , his gaudy , florid clothing the very opposite of the other's .sx He inclined his orange-haired head at the pale yellow sun that strained bravely through the erratic cloud .sx His strange eyes - colourless irises with crimson pupils and orbs - squinted even in that thin light .sx " Small comfort , " muttered the first .sx Garban regarded his companion - hair and eyes as black as his clothing - with ill-disguised wariness .sx It had been nine months since he had left his alien-landscaped continent home of Vanqu e a to na i-trema vely voyage to the lands of Aysan and the Laneenovitch Empire - out of pure curiosity .sx Nine months of wandering which finally led him to the South Lativic town of Authen :sx ruled by the paederastic Graav Ilyich Vandersaan .sx There he had found Vanqu e ans were still a novelty to the decadent Aysans .sx The orange-haired man had been tossed into the Graav's gaol , awaiting a home of a more permanent nature :sx in Vandersaan's private collection .sx In the cell he had met the enigmatic Aundr e m Dari e esan :sx a man either insane or possessed of an awful knowledge .sx Whichever , they had escaped from the cell - killing the Graav Ilyich Vandersaan on the way - and rode north , through the winter-seized lands of South Lativ to this dismal spot .sx The Vanqu e an frowned .sx Was it only last night he had pinned Vandersaan to his chair with a knife through the mouth ?sx A night's travel with Aundr e m's joking half-hints seemed an eternity .sx The man in black reined in his horse suddenly and stared intently to his left across an endless field of old maize .sx " Now what's that ?sx " he mumbled to himself .sx " Where ?sx " The Vanqu e an slitted his inhuman eyes and looked over the fields .sx " There , " Aundr e m pointed a gloved hand .sx " That flashing .sx " He pulled a pair of field glasses out of their case on the saddle of his stolen horse .sx The other saw it then :sx a rainbow scintillation that was more a flickering than a flashing of light .sx It had the look of marsh gas , a will-o'the-wisp - but no natural phenomena could explain the unearthly beauty of the sight , nor the bizarre colours that were stranger by far than those sometimes found in Vanqu e a. Aundr e m urged his nervous horse down the steep flint slope and into the whispering cornstalks .sx Not to be left behind when his curiosity was a dagger in his mind , the Vanqu e an spurred his own maroon , horned mount down off the road and followed the silent , black-clothed man into the eternally moving , whispering sea .sx As he rode deeper , the sounds seemed to form words , invoking pictures of the past day in his memory .sx - Vandersaan's painted and powdered face , sneering :sx And you want work , demon , you say ?sx .sx - A black-bearded face revealed in a flash of magical light :sx Uryell ?sx No , by the Internection- you're a Vanqu e an !sx .sx - His own voice , thickly accented :sx Garban Quen e ed is the closest the Lativic tongue can get to my name .sx I arrived in Aysan nine months ago :sx at Marchai , in Karlmain .sx .sx - Phrases from Aundr e m :sx No Vanqu e an came to Aysan until Maylaert IX's reign .sx .. I can normally tell where I am - but the when can be a little more difficult .sx .. .sx Garban shook his head , scattering the nightmarish sequence .sx Vanqu e ans were a practical race , despite being born of a surreal land - even their religions held less mystery than most .sx The unexplained was never welcome .sx But there was certainly something weird in the air .sx Garban could feel it , as could Aundr e m's mare :sx she whinnied and shied constantly - eager to turn and leave the green forest .sx The Vanqu e an horse , however , from birth subjected to the peculiar world of the second continent , accepted events calmly - though his nostrils flared at the scent of something unknown .sx Aundr e m himself was silent - checking his horse's wayward lurches with practised tugs on the reins or a quick dig with spurs - but never once spoke , not even reassuring whispers .sx Garban had the feeling that the dark man knew what caused the coruscating light - or was almost certain - but would not say until they had arrived at the scene .sx The Vanqu e an guessed that , despite the other's usual cool and sardonic manner , there was something happening that Aundr e m could have no control over - something that made the man in black afraid .sx For the first time , Garban wished he were free of his strange companion - or had never met him .sx But his curiosity would not let him go now - not until an answer to Aundr e m Dari e esan was found .sx They emerged into an area where the maize was roughly trampled and shredded - and the dancing light hung over them blindingly .sx It cast a moving illumination on them , making everything leap and dance .sx Garban could not see clearly with the dazzling borealis writing across the sky in soundless agony , not even through shielded eyes , for his colourless pupils were less adaptable to extremes of light than most .sx But he heard Aundr e m's gasp of wonder - and the utter silence all around them was crushing in its totality .sx " That's it !sx " cried the other suddenly , and Garban squinted at the spot he indicated , shading his eyes as well as he could .sx A huge and alien form lay crushed and obviously dead amidst the pulped ruins of maize stalks .sx Oily sap glinted on the strange iridescent hide , and papery leaves stuck to it like grotesque parodies of feathers - further emphasising the thing's odd nature .sx They urged their horses forward - but even Garban's horned mount refused to go any closer to the dead form .sx Instead they dismounted , .sx Aundr e m's black rapier and Garban's blood red sword drawn .sx They advanced on the corpse ; fearing less the body than whatever could have killed so huge and powerful a creature .sx It was almost the height of Garban , and broad .sx Its skin seemed scaley and , although losing its lustre in death , strongly suggestive of the tortured rainbow that writhed over it .sx It had four upper limbs that could not accurately be described as arms , and two powerful legs that looked reptilian .sx Its hammer-shaped head seemed to have no mouth ; and two blind , faceted eyes flashed like huge rubies at either side .sx The Vanqu e an stared at the dead creature in morbid fascination :sx somehow , it felt chillingly familiar .sx " Qromme , " said Aundr e m somberly .sx " What ?sx " said Garban , startled by the sudden voice after so much quiet .sx " Qromme :sx one of the two sorcerers who quarrelled with those who became the Seven Wizards of Trolsaus - rulers of that tiny island kingdom .sx " The Vanqu e an stared at the inhuman thing incredulously .sx " That was a sorcerer ?sx " he whispered .sx " Once he was as human in shape as you or I - but gradually his nature moulded his appearance .sx " Aundr e m walked closer and tapped the scaley thing with the tip of his boot .sx " Q saqoch would not be unlike him , I imagine .sx And what of the Seven themselves , I wonder ?sx How human are they after all these centuries .sx ..? " His voice trailed off into silent speculation .sx Garban looked at him curiously .sx " Yet if this was equal to the notorious Seven of Trolsaus - what could have killed it ?sx " .sx The other rubbed his beard thoughtfully .sx " They thought themselves immortal :sx Gr e na'r , Aryoq , Qromme , Sh e tt a-circ n , Aury a-circ n , Q e saqoch , Tsanienn , Thull e-trema and J'mt a-grave g'r .sx And so they were , to all practical purposes .sx Not gods , perhaps - but much more than men .sx " His fists clenched spasmodically .sx " Something that holds no regard for even the gods did this !sx " .sx He bent over the thing's neck - or where the neck would have been - and he hissed angrily .sx Garban peered over his shoulder and saw the thick , squat neck had been thoroughly crushed .sx The rest of the body also bore signs of terrible mangling .sx " As I thought :sx the shells around the Internection have been broken , " Aundr e m was saying .sx He stood up , his peat-black eyes sombre .sx " It has to be .sx And Qromme and Q e saqoch somehow made it happen !sx The colossal idiots !sx " .sx He turned to glare at Garban , his expression pleading an understanding the Vanqu e an was unable to give .sx " They've disturbed whatever lies beyond this cosy nest of worlds - and something has come through to be rid of the irritation !sx " He laughed queerly - his voice strained and harsh .sx " Aundr e m , " asked Garban softly , fearing the answer , " what has happened here ?sx " .sx " The Dark Man !sx " replied the other .sx His black eyes burned into the Vanqu e an's with a feverish intensity .sx " Or Fatecaster - he has a million names .sx But the childish meddlings of Qromme and Q e saqoch have finally brought him to the Internection .sx The reach of the Dark Gods has been lengthened !sx " .sx Aundr e m halted the tirade abruptly , and he took a deep , shuddering breath before continuing .sx " I'm sorry , friend Garban - but if you only appreciate what this means !sx It's the end of something far older than the decaying Empire - older even than Vanqu e a. The world must change now - it has no other choice .sx " .sx " And this Fatecaster - or Dark Man - or whatever his name is ?sx " .sx The man in black pointed at the crushed neck and rent scales .sx " That , " he said with a certain degree of his old sardonicism , " is the work of the hand named Fatecaster .sx Now do you understand my fears ?sx " .sx Garban gazed long at the wounds , and considered the strength that must have been needed to tear and crush Qromme's huge body .sx He found himself nodding .sx " I can understand a little , Aundr e m Dari e esan !sx " .sx His blood-red sword snaked up at blinding speed and snatched Aundr e m's ebony rapier from his hand - catching the blade between its twin points .sx Before the other could react to the sudden action , Garban held his sword's tips at Aundr e m's throat , pale face grim and uncompromising .sx " What the hell !sx " Aundr e m managed to gasp out .sx " You have set me to thinking this past day , " said the Vanqu e an .sx " I couldn't make up my mind whether you were mad or not ; but things said have pricked my interest .sx And now I want answers .sx " .sx Aundr e m did not answer for a while , he just stared bemused at the other .sx " Might I ask what prompted this ?sx " he asked finally .sx " You called me Uryell when you first glimpsed me in Vandersaan's cell , " began Garban .sx " I recalled the name later - from an ancient legend of how the Kthalniir were driven from Aysan by the silver-handed Uryell :sx a hero with dark green eyes and pale red hair .sx Not unlike my own first appearance in the shadows , I'll wager .sx " He stared challengingly at Aundr e m , but his expression remained unreadable .sx " Secondly , amongst the smoky haunts in Lativ there's a common tale about a man who will come when the Empire ends - a man with a sword , yet he can neither kill nor die ; with Fate in his right hand .sx He's usually referred to as Fatecaster .sx The old fools who tell the tale for a drink show much the fear as yourself .sx " Garban broke off there , and looked again at the crushed corpse of the inhuman sorcerer .sx Aundr e m sighed .sx " Well - what do you want answered ?sx " .sx " This Internection you mention so glibly :sx what is it ?sx And from where comes your peculiar knowledge of the past and future of the Empire ?sx " .sx His face lit weirdly by the aurora flickering over them , Aundr e m sighed again , and smiled crookedly .sx " Other places - dimensions , universes , call them what you will - all crowding upon each other ; passing through and around , circling in an eternal chaos .sx That's the Internection , my friend :sx dimensions so like this as to be identical ; or as different as heaven and hell .sx