Amira face remained flat and disapproving as they crossed the chamber. All around them the great serpents coiled and agitated, scales rustling like the bones of dead men. Several tried to strike but despite their clear desire to kill they still shied away a few feet from the statues, shutting their fist sized reptialn eyes as if against a terrible radience. 

They had almost across the chamber when the hissing, already at the intensity of a sandstorm redoubled in its fury. Amira looked back over her shoulder to see the tomb guardians marching down the far stairs in a neat phalanx. It had not taken them long to break through the rockslide. When they reached the floor of the chamber the snakes began to strike out, spending the frustration they could not vent on the Sorceress and the Slave on the walking corpses that strode among them. Copper blades, razor sharp and bound with terrible geas, struck out in verdigris arcs and cool serpent blood gouted in pale red arcs. The shear weight of the serpents smashed the tomb guardians down over and over, but each time the corpse rose and stabbed or bit at the animals.

"They will cross eventually," Amira said as Rhaak set her down.

"THey will hunt us until we are destroyed or..." she trailed off leaving the alternatives unspoken. Somewhere in this tomb there would be a sanctum chamber where the spells which defended it were scribed into the stone with the finger bones of the ancient priests. That was the only way to find safety. Of course once she had the ring no foe could truly contend with her. It was a tempting thought, but how long could she stay ahead of the guardians, beings who never ate, never slept and never rested.

"We must find the spells that animate them," she declared.

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