The Secret Of The Unicorn Queen -The Dark Gods by Josepha Sherman Page A

promised silently. 
    Hoping Pelu and Dian were all right, Sheila did the only thing she could: she stole warily on, following the light. 
        Now she could hear a faint thread of sound, as though two people were arguing. And ahead of her the light had become very bright, outlining what could only be the end of the passageway. It seemed to come out into some sort of an audience chamber. Now, who would be holding an audience at this hour of the night! Sheila wondered. 
        Kumuru, of course. 
        Hardly daring to breathe, Sheila took a silent step forward . . . and another . . . and then another. 
        Well, this was the end of the passageway, all right. And that probably was an audience chamber out there. But she couldn't tell for sure, because a huge column was blocking her way. Sheila gritted her teeth. Who knew what danger might be waiting ahead? But whatever it was, she certainly couldn't just stand there like a frightened rabbit all night! 
        Cautiously she moved out of the passageway and darted behind the column. From here she could see that this was indeed a vast room. The red sandstone walls were covered from floor to high, vaulted ceiling with murals. Sheila took a look at them, then quickly turned away. 
        Ugh! The creatures painted on those murals were horrible! All teeth and talons and staring, hating, evil eyes. Were those the Dark Gods? How could anybody ever be crazy enough to want to worship them? 
        To take her mind off the hideous murals, Sheila warily peeked out from behind the shielding column. 
        At the far end of the audience hall, half hidden by shadow, was a stone bier. On it lay a funerary statue of a warrior figure, like one she had seen in a history book. But not quite. Someone had apparently painted this one, putting in every detail of the slain warrior's sword and tunic and long, silvery hair—Sheila had to hastily bite down on her lip to keep from crying out. That wasn't a statue at all! That was Illyria! For a moment Sheila was sure the woman was dead. But then she realized that Illyria was breathing, softly but steadily. The Unicorn Queen was sound asleep, entranced. 
        I've got to wake her up! Sheila thought frantically. 
        But, how? All at once feeling very young and helpless, she ached to simply run to Illyria and shake her till she opened her eyes. But that would hardly do the trick. Sheila knew enough about magic by now to realize you couldn't break a spell like that. 
        Besides . . . they weren't alone. From the other end of the hall Sheila could hear the sound of angry voices. Holding her breath, she peered around the other side of the column. And now she finally got a look down the many-columned length of the hall. 
        Uh-oh. Trouble. 
        At the end of the hall, beneath a spectacular, gem-encrusted mural of heroic figures, stood a glittering red throne that looked as though it had been cut from one gigantic ruby. And lounging on that throne was Kumuru, King of Samarna and Sorcerer of the Dark Gods. 
        Sheila sighed soundlessly. Even now, in the middle of all this danger, she still had to admit he was incredibly good-looking! The light from the mass of torches turned his skin to burnished gold and his hair to gleaming jet. His fiery red cloak was thrown casually back off his shoulders, and rubies glinted from his towering feather crown and heavy golden breastplate. 
        Kumuru suddenly leaned forward, pointing contemptuously at someone who stood before him—a tall, lean someone dressed all in black. Someone who seemed strangely familiar. . 
        Waiting till Kumuru's head was turned away from her, Sheila tiptoed down to the next column. Now, if only the mysterious stranger would turn around . . . more . . . just a little more . . 
        I don't believe it! 
        The man in black was no stranger. Sheila knew him far better than she cared to. This was none other than Sheila's old foe: