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.Brethren, do no violence.Harm no one.These are our people.Raise no magicaldefenses.I did her bidding.I had no magical defenses.Haplo knew that.He knew itbecause he was there with me! He was beside me! He saw what I saw.Whatdid we see?A deep voice could be heard outside the door.It sounded distant, but theclamoring of the dead soldiers hushed."Kleitus," said Haplo grimly."We'll have to run for it!" He propelled theSartan forward, guiding him over and around the tangle of bones on the floor,dragging him to his feet when he stumbled."Jonathan!" Alfred attempted to twist around to see the duke."I have care of him," came a voice.Prince Edmund's cadaver was following behind them, leading a bewildered,seemingly stupefied young duke."Your spell worked on him." Haplo sneered."Blasted fool has no idea where heis!""It wasn't my spell!" Alfred protested."I didn't do ""Shut up and keep moving.Save your breath to activate the nines on the door.""What do we do about Jera? "The lazar stood near the open door.The cadaver's eyes stared straight ahead,the spirit twined about the body, sometimes looking at them from its ownvantage point, sometimes peering out of the dead eyes.The dead lips formedwords, and Alfred could hear them, realized that he'd been hearing them eversince he'd awakened from the vision.Page 162 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"The living hold us in bondage.We are slaves to the living.When the livingare no more, we will be free."".we will be free." whispered the echo."Blessed Sartan!" Alfred shuddered."Yeah," Haplo said briefly."She's out to recruit more for her side.MaybeKleitus cast a spell of some sort on her ""No," said Prince Edmund."It is no spell.She has seen, as I have seen.Butshe does not understand."You've seen it! And I've seen it, too! Only I haven't seen it! Alfred lookedback longingly at the table.Outside the chamber, he could hear shoutedcommands, the shuffling of feet.He had only to activate the runes to open thedoor.The sacred light had disappeared, the door would work.But the wordsstuck in his throat, the magic twisted around in his head.If I stay, if Ispend a little more time, I will remember."Do it, Sartan!" Haplo hissed through clenched teeth."If Kleitus takes mealive, we.our people, our worlds are finished!"Two forces, pulling him apart.The people's hope, the people's doom, both inthis chamber! If I leave, I will lose one forever.If I don't leave."Look what we have found, Pons." Kleitus's black-robed bulk filled theentryway, the smaller figure of his minister scuttled in beside him."You seebefore you the Chamber of the Damned.It would be interesting to know howthese wretches found it and also how they managed to break the warding runes.Unfortunately, we can't allow them to live long enough to tell us.""The Chamber of the Damned!" Pons's words were faint, he seemed barely able tospeak.The minister stared around the room, stared at the corpses litteringthe floor, stared at the white wood table."It is real! Not legend!""Of course it's real.And so is its curse.Guards." Kleitus's motion broughtforward dead soldiers, as many as could crowd through the door."Slay them."Brethren, do no violence.Harm no one.These are our people.Raise no magicaldefenses.Alfred fumbled for the runes to open the door, the old woman's voice rang inhis ears, obliterating the construction.He was dimly aware of Haplo standingbeside him, the exhausted Patryn braced to fight, if not for his life, then tomake certain that his body proved useless.But the soldiers weren't fighting."Did you hear my command?" Kleitus demanded angrily."Kill them!"The dead guards stood with weapons raised, arrows notched, swords drawn, butthey did not attack.Their phantasms, barely visible, stirred as if shaken bya hot wind, Alfred could almost feel their agitated whisperings breatheagainst his cheek."They will not obey you," said the lazar."This chamber is sacred.Violencewill turn on the one who uses it."".the one who uses it." spoke the echo.Kleitus turned.His eyes narrowed, black brows came together at the sight ofthe woman's horrifying visage.Pons gasped, and shrank away from her,attempted to hide himself among the troops of the dead."How do you know what the dead think?" the dynast demanded, studying the lazarintently.The runes! Alfred said to himself frantically, and began to trace them in hismind.Yes, yes.The sigla on the door caught fire, began to glow a soft blue."I can communicate with them, I understand their thoughts, their needs, theirdesires.""Bah! The dead think nothing! Need nothing! Desire nothing!""You are wrong," the lazar said in the hollow voice that brought out a sheenof sweat on Pons's face."The dead want one thing: their freedom.We will haveour freedom when our tyrants are dead!"".tyrants are dead.""You see this, Pons," said Kleitus with a ghastly smile, affecting to speak inPage 163 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlnonchalant tones, although he was working hard to control the tremor in hisvoice."She has become a lazar.This is what happens when the dead are raisedtoo soon.Now you understand the wisdom of our ancestors, who teach that thebody must be left at rest until the phantasm has completely abandoned it.Wewill have to experiment with her cadaver.The books suggest that, in thisinstance, the body should be 'killed' again.Although we're not quite certain." The dynast paused, then shrugged."But we will have time to study itfurther.Guards, take her."The slight, terrible smile played on the chill blue lips.The lazar began tochant.The wispy phantasms hovering about their cadavers*302*WEIS AND HICKMANsuddenly vanished.Dead eyes came to life.Dead arms reached out.Dead handslifted weapons but not against the lazar.The dead eyes turned on Kleitus andthe Lord High Chancellor, dead eyes turned on the living.Pons clasped hold of the dynast's black robes."Your Majesty! It is thisaccursed chamber! Leave it! Seal it up! Leave them all trapped inside! Please,Majesty!"The lights of Alfred's runes flared brilliantly.The door started to grindopen.At last! He'd done something right! "l-/-"Haplo "A flash of movement.Alfred turned.Kleitus had grabbed a bow from a guard.A man raised it, arrow aimed straight at Alfred.The man's face was twistedwith fear and the anger fear breeds.Alfred couldn't move.He couldn't havecast a magical defense if he had wanted to."Do no violence!"The man drew back the bowstring, prepared to let fly.Alfred stood waiting fordeath.Not courageously, he realized sadly, but rather foolishly.A strong hand, coming from behind Alfred, shoved him to one side, and he wasfalling.Red light filled the room, blinding, stabbing the eyes, searing the brain withfire
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