"It''s true," Emerald said. "You never listen to us. It''s always, ''do this'' and ''do that, or else''."

    Dreth stepped forward. His sword was throbbing in his hand.

    "See? Now you''re going to threaten to butcher us all," Percy said, trying to hide behind Sprat.

    Dreth snarled and opened his mouth, but then stopped. In the distance he could hear two pairs of footsteps echoing down the stairwell.

    "You lot are either with me or against me. We''ll talk about this little uprising later." He glared at Cuthbert. "At length."

    "Why look at me?" Cuthbert complained.

    "Now we need a plan," Dreth said. "Or do you think our friends are just going to let you go? Come on, think!"

    "Look, you may as well face the inevitable," said Percy. "You''ll never beat two of them together."

    "Yes," agreed Cuthbert. "But for once in your, er, life, have some consideration for others. If they have you, they might let us go. It''s a win win situation."

    "How''s it a win win situation?" Dreth frowned.

    "Well…" Cuthbert thought for a moment. "Maybe a win win lose situation then." He shrugged. "Come on, two out of three isn''t bad."

    "That all depends on which one of the three you are," scowled Dreth. "No, listen, I think I have a plan…"

    "Too late," said Frumble, "they''re here."

    The party scrambled to hide behind him as he drew Darkblood and stood at the ready.

    Two robed figures stepped out into the chamber, standing side by side.

    "Oh well," said the little devil. "It''s been fun. See you Down Below." He popped out of existence.

    "Now he goes," said Dreth to himself as he turned to the two wizards. "So, we meet again. Harvey. Necromancer." He dipped his head in acknowledgement to each.

    "Hello Dreth, you''ve given me quite a bit of trouble," Harvey Von McVon said. "If you''d have just handed over the girl in the first place, it might not have come to this."

    "Stop with the gabbing," said the necromancer. "Dreth, I''ve been commanded by the Overlord to dispose of you."

    "Okay," said Dreth, leaning on his sword.

    "Okay?" The extremely Dark Necromancer raised his thin eyebrows.

    "Yep, fine."

    "Is that it?" The death wizard seemed a little put out.

    "Should there be more?"

    The dark mage scratched his nose. "Well, I suppose not. It''s just that people usually do some sort of monologue before they go, given the chance. You know. ''I vow vengeance! I will return stronger than ever!'' That sort of thing."

    "I can''t be bothered really," said Dreth. "It''s just satisfying to know that you had to team up with this one," he gestured at Harvey, "to catch me."

    "Hey! He came along with me," the necromancer said. "I didn''t need his help."

    Dreth nodded. "Oh, I see. That''s why then."

    "Why what?" the raiser of undead asked, glancing at his companion, who was frowning,

    "Well, I did wonder why you were with him, after what he said about you the last time we saw him." Dreth shook his head sadly.

    "I never said anything about him!" complained McVon.

    "It''s okay Harvey, I won''t tell. We agreed you were the stronger one." Dreth picked up his sword. "Right then, shall we get this over with? I ?ssume you don''t mind if I put up some resistance, for the look of the thing."

    "Hold on a minute!" The Extremely Dark Necromancer held up a hand. "What, exactly, did he say about me?"

    "I think a blood curdling howl, and then I''ll come at you directly yes?" said Dreth, pretending not to hear.

    "I never said anything!" Harvey said at the same time.

    "Are we ready?" Dreth raised Darkblood above his head.

    "Wait, wait wait!" said the Necromancer. "I''m not killing anyone until you tell me what he said."

    ???Oh come now, we''re all grown, and maybe even dead, people here," Dreth said dismissively. "It doesn''t matter that he could beat you in magic. You''re both powerful in your own areas. Highly feared and respected dealers of death and all that."

    "He lies!" said the death mage, swelling up.

    "I never said that," said his fellow wizard.

    "You were always jealous of me, even when we were boys," the Extremely Dark Necromancer accused McVon, jabbing a bony finger at him.

    "Oh, I was so not," Harvey replied.

    "I remember when I summoned that skeleton when I was ten, and you couldn''t. You sulked for weeks."

    "Who wants to summon a bony old skeleton?" Harvey raised his voice slightly. "At least I could attract the living, not like you. All the girls called you smelly!"

    "And who slew them for their impertinence? I did! Me!" The necromancer pointed at himself proudly.

    "Yah! Because the only friends you had were dead ones. Even they said you were smelled funny, I talked to a few of them you know."

    "You were jealous!"

    "Was not!"

    "Was so!"

    Dreth stepped back a pace as the necromancer raised a hand.

    "Threaten me would you? You wouldn''t dare!" Harvey steamed, raising his own hands in response.

    "I''d certainly dare enough to deal with an upstart like you!"

    "Really? Well, try this then!" With that, Harvey threw a blast of white energy at the necromancer, who staggered backwards under the onslaught.

    Dreth winced at the light. When he looked back, he saw the necromancer, standing straight and tall, radiating power and looking nothing like the skinny old man from a few moments ago.

    "Is that the best you''ve got boy?" The dark mage raised his staff and pointed slammed it onto the floor, causing the earth to tremble.

    The ground erupted around Harvey, and black skeletal hands clawed at him from below. Harvey shouted a Word and they fell back.

    "That old one! It didn''t work when I was fifteen, what makes you think it would work now? Try something new why don''t you? Like this perhaps." Harvey held both arms out, and a wave of multi-coloured fire spewed from his hands and flowed over the necromancer, who screamed in rage.

    "Muddley''s Multi-coloured fire! You think you can defeat me with a mere thirteenth level spell! I knew that when I was in short pants! Try this one for size!" He retaliated with another gesture from his staff, and the walls reverberated from the explosion that followed.

    "Er, I think we should leave," said Tybalt in Dreth''s ear. "We don''t want to get between these two. The Seer boy thinks he can remember a way out."

    Dreth nodded and backed away, slowly, so the mages wouldn''t notice him.

    He needn''t have worried, the two were screaming in rage and throwing so much magic about that the wall were beginning to glow.

    Dreth turned and ran after the others, leaving them to it.

    ~ * ~

    Tybalt pushed at the trapdoor above him. It didn''t budge.

    "Push harder!" Dreth urged.

    "I think that''s my line," said Emerald, giggling.

    "I''m glad someone finds this situation amusing," said Dreth, watching as Tybalt strained against the exit.

    "Oh come on, relax a little," said Emerald. "You outwitted the wizards, probably getting rid of at least one of them in the process. And they aren''t likely to be able to catch up with us soon after Percy tripped that trap and brought down the tunnel roof behind us."

    "That was an accident!" Percy piped up.

    "We were lucky," Dreth answered. "Lucky my plan worked, lucky youngster here," he jerked a thumb at the seer, "remembered this way out, and lucky I wasn''t buried when the roof collapsed. Actually, Percy was the lucky one there." He glowered at the zombie, who simply smirked in return. "Our luck can''t hold forever though," Dreth continued. "I''m becoming curious about why the Overlord is going to such lengths to stop me finding him."

    "He does seem to be throwing everything at you," Frumble interjected. The wizard had been quiet lately, probably afraid Dreth was going to get rid of him now the devil seemed to have disappeared. "The necromancer is a dangerous being to summon. Only those who are desperate conjure him usually."

    "But we don''t know where the Overlord is even," Cuthbert said.

    Dreth looked at the seer, who gulped. "I went to a lot of trouble to reach you," he said. "What about that book of yours? Doesn''t that have some clues in it?" He pointed at the large tome that the seer had brought with him.

    "Well, I don''t think they''d have left it with me if it did," the youth replied. "However!" He raised a finger, forestalling any violence Dreth may have in mind for him. "I''ve been looking through it, and it might be able to help find someone who does have the information."

    "Go on," said Dreth.

    "A little way to the west, so it goes, are two sisters. They may know."

    "And who are these sisters exactly?" asked Frumble.

    "Well," the seer shifted from one foot to another. "They''re a pair of powerful wrmble."

    "I''m sorry," said Dreth. "I didn''t quite catch that. A pair of what?"

    "Wrmhrmfs," the seer said, coughing into his hand.

    "No, still not got it," Dreth tapped his chin and gave the boy a Look.

    The seer sighed. "Witches," he said.

    "Oh, great!" Cuthbert said sarcastically. "We''ve run out of wizards, so we can start with the witches now, is that it? Just what we need." He folded his arms.

    The seer shrugged.