Night's Master by Tanith Lee Read Free Book Online

cave entrances so disrespectfully, and brings you no food.”
With this the spider agreed, so Bakvi gave her the cake, and tried to sidle
within the cave, but no sooner was the spider done eating than she got in his
way again. “Dear me,” said Bakvi, “I wished only to peep at what your wicked
unkind master has made. Surely you can be persuaded? Is there not some other
service I can render you?” At which he commenced tickling the spider in a
certain part of her anatomy. Presently she became excited, and suggested a
bargain. Bakvi accordingly mounted her and began to work vigorously on her
behalf. She sighed and squealed, but she was a difficult lady to please. Bakvi
bucked and heaved away with a will, and fancied himself near ruined if she
should not soon be satisfied. Eventually, with a violent hiss, the spider tossed
him from her back and declared he might now leave off and enter Vayi’s workroom
instead.
    Nursing his bruises and rather short of breath, Bakvi hobbled into the
cave.
    And there on Vayi’s bench lay a collar of white silver, fiery pale as the
moon and hung with chains of silver spiderweb made metal, as fine as the finest
thread. And in this mesh were caught. like star-birds in a snare, seven
wonderful flashing gems, bright as lightning yet soft as milk.
    “O most marvelous Vayi,” said Bakvi, much recovered. And snatching the
collar, he hid it in his jacket, and ran as fast as he could out of the cave,
along the shore, and over the dark slopes toward Druhim Vanashta.
    Soon enough Vayi came hopping back. The spider was exquisitely grooming
herself with her eight furry limbs, a picture of utter content, but this Vayi
did not notice. Straight into his cave he bounded and straight up to his bench,
and then what a wailing and screeching was heard, and what a turning over of
tables and chairs, and upheaving of braziers and throwing of bellows and
gnashing of teeth and thrashing of spiders. Then came silence, and then came
Vayi hurtling out of his cave and along the shore and over the slopes toward
Druhim Vanashta, screaming for justice and vengeance, and this was how he arrived
at the palace of Azhrarn, Prince of Demons, one of the Lords of Darkness.
     
    Azhrarn was
walking in his garden of velure trees, a Vazdru princess at his right hand
playing a seven-stringed harp more delicately than an evening breeze playing in
a fountain, a Vazdru princess at his left hand singing more sweetly than a
nightingale and a skylark, while all about the jeweled wasps visited the
crystal flowers.
    Into this dark harmony came an Eshva woman who bowed low, and next a
little gamboling Drin.
    “Well, little one,” said Azhrarn, passing over Bakvi a pair of
mesmerizing thoughtful eyes, “what is it you seek?”
    Bakvi flushed and stammered, but drawing his courage together at last, he
cried: “Oh, Incredible Majesty, I, Bakvi, least of your subjects, bring you a
gift. For unknown eras I have toiled in secret, while others have made a great
fuss and show of their work. All my skill and all my love have I poured into
this unworthy token of my worship. Pray deign to glance at it, O Prince of
Night.”
    And, producing the silver collar, he held it out to Azhrarn.
    Both the Vazdru princesses gave a cry and clapped their hands. Even the
jeweled wasps swooped closer. As for the Eshva woman, she shut her eyes in
sheer delight.
    Azhrarn smiled, and that smile filled Bakvi up like a cup with pride, but
before another word could be spoken, into the garden erupted Vayi. At the sight
of Bakvi and the collar, Vayi turned the color of blue gas, and let out a most
dreadful howl of rage.
    “Cursed be all thieves, and cursed be all the furry daughters of gluttony
and lust, my eight-legged handmaidens, and cursed be all the Drin but me!”
    The Vazdru and the Eshva shrank aside, terrified at Azhrarn’s anger which
would surely blast the Drin to ashes. But Azhrarn did nothing, merely stood
where he was, and soon Vayi became aware of him,