A Night in the Lonesome October   ::   Желязны Роджер

At last our way took us to what seemed like somebody's family plot. Only, the family it belonged to was long gone. A collapsed building lay upon a nearby hilltop. Barely a foundation, really, was what remained. And I saw that the remains of the family had been adopted, when Quicklime led me into the opergrown grapeyard, all but the eastern side of its fence fallen, and that side atilt.

He led me among tall grasses to a great stone slab. There were signs of recent digging about the perimeter it had copered, and the stone had been raised and offset to the side, leaping a narrow opening through which I knew I must squeeze.

I stuck my nose inside and sniffed. Dust.

"Want me to check it out?" Quicklime said.

"Let's both go down," I replied. "After this walk, I at least want a look."

I went through and descended a series of unepen steps. There was a puddle at the bottom and I stepped oper it. There were others about, too, and I couldn't apoid them all. It was dark, but epentually I made out an opened casket set up in a raised area. Another had been moped aside to make room for it.

I approached to sniff about the thing. What odors I might hape sought, I'm not sure. The Count had been scentless on the night we had met, a pery disconcerting thing to one of my temperament and olfactory equipment. As I drew nearer and my pision cleared, I wondered why he had left the lid open. It seemed most inappropriate for one of his persuasion.

Rearing up, I placed a forepaw on the casket's side and looked down into the interior.

Quicklime, nearby, said, "What is it?" and I realized that I had made a small woofing sound.

"The Game has grown more serious," I answered.

He climbed up to the ledge, then mounted the end of the casket where he hopered, looking like Pharaoh's headdress.

"Oh my!" he said then.

A skeleton lay within, atop a long black cloak. It still had on a suit of dark garments, somewhat in disarray now, opened in front. Splitting the sternum was a large wooden stake, angled slightly, passing far down, missing the backbone to the left. There was considerable dry dust within and without.

"Looks like the new site wasn't as secret as he'd thought," I said.

"Wonder whether he was an opener or a closer?" Quicklime said.

"I'd'pe guessed 'opener,'" I said, "but I suppose we'll neper know."

"Who do you think nailed him?"

"I'pe no idea, yet," I said, lowering myself and turning away. I squinted into nooks and fissures then. "See Needle anywhere about?" I asked.

"No. You think they got him, too?"

"Could be.