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seemed a slight one, was whether she was already dead, somewhere under the earth.
Here the Gatekeeper's people, who were also the merchants of sacrifice, were definitely open for
business. Half a dozen intended victims, their number divided equally between girls and boys, were even
now awaiting their turns, in the same number of wooden enclosures. All were young; all had probably
looked healthy when they were caught, not many days ago unblem-ished specimens were generally
preferred. Now they had the ap-pearance of being drugged, their naked bodies slumped in awkward
positions or crouched, like animals, over their own droppings. They turned to Jeremy eyes that were very
human but utterly lost.
He held his breath until he had made sure that Katy was not among them.
In similar cages nearby there also waited an assortment of an-imals. Posted prices indicated that one or
two of the beasts, rare and almost perfect specimens, cost more than some of the hu-mans. Doubtless
they were more difficult to obtain.
The cages were rough cubes about five feet on a side, and some of them at least were set on wooden
platforms, to raise the con-tents somewhat above the ground. This no doubt made easier such cleaning
and feeding as was undertaken.
Several of the cages were new, which Jeremy took as evidence that business was good. Generally the
heavy cages were left here and only the helpless occupants, their bodies painted with mag-ical designs,
were dragged or carried down into the earth, to Hades's kingdom.
Jeremy, who despite his recent adventures still looked reason-ably prosperous, was given additional
information by one of the attendants, who wanted to sell him an animal or a human.
Lord Apollo was eager to proceed, his spirits were high, and his attitude imbued their joint progress with
a certain style. Je-remy Redthorn might have advanced at an anxious run, but that would not do for the
senior partner. Regally he stifled the im-pulse to trot and infused the boy's walk and carriage with a kingly
grace as he approached the next set of attendants, who now gave him their full attention as he drew near.
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 One man in particular came out bowing and fawning, smirk-ing as if he thought he was approaching an
incognito prince. His object was, of course, to sell the prince one or more humans. The other attendants
smiled and bowed. There was nothing like youthful specimens of humanity, perfect in every limb, if you
wanted to please the Dark God with a really classy sacrifice.
Did the Cave Monster, Jeremy Redthorn wondered, have any real interest in devouring helpless
humans? Yes, the Intruder's memory assured him. One point was surprising the hunger of the thing
below seemed to be more for beauty and rationality than for meat. The monster, then, was some
perverted god, sur-viving from the last cycle of deity creation. It may have played that role, as well as
many others. In past cycles, if not placated by sacrifice, it had come out to ravage the countryside.
Exactly which member of the partnership, Jeremy Redthorn or Apollo, made the final decision to smash
the cages in this Cave anteroom before going farther down Jeremy was never afterward quite sure. It
seemed to be one of those things that they agreed on, though their motives were quite different.
One of the attributes of Apollo, as cataloged at the Academy, was that he was not readily impressed by
sacrifices. Rather, what he looked for in his worshipers was a seeking for purification, a willingness to
atone for guilt.
Nor, one would think, would Apollo have any particular in-terest in the welfare of a humble village girl
named Katherine, any more than he would in any of the other intended sacrifices. After Jeremy had
looked internally for an answer, he decided that the Far-Worker's reason for smashing the cages was
that he, Apollo, meant to claim the Cave as territory from Hades, his mortal enemy. Eventually, perhaps,
he would relocate the true Oracle where it belonged, up on the peak of the Mountain, in open sunlight.
Jeremy's right arm, which he had bruised against the sentry's bony mass and armor, still pained him not
a disabling injury, but certainly a warning of this body's vulnerability. The boy thought that, for once, he
could almost follow the Intruder's thoughts:First, before I enter serious combat, I must attend to this
body, this tool, which is my best and only essential weapon; limbs so feeble and tender must first be
strengthened. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]