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"Len of the Saiph League can be perfidious, Lord," said hy, "but the manner of their demise shall teach other would-be hirelings with a sword what they must reap by such incompetence."

Satisified, Belphegor turned his attention to the interesting thing he had going on himself. Elam was suspended from a tree, with the frayed ends of two ropes twisted around the base of his thumbs. There was no hope of slipping out, as his thumbs had become two bloated purple bulbs. Elam had never felt agony remotely like it before. His back and legs were lashed to a straight log, and this log and all his body weight was suspended by two slender points. He told Belphegor the Ark was in his tent, and described his tent to the finest detail.

Belphegor said, "That is no help to me. Your brothers must have moved the Ark by now. I need to know where it is going so I can arrange a suitable greeting."

Elam desperately tried to explain how there was no telling where the Ark went but he couldn't put the words together. Belphegor raised an eyebrow. "You are a strong man, Elam, but your suffering must be at the limit of your endurance. I assure you this torment can be pushed far beyond your endurance, yet endure it you must." He displayed a stone carried in something like a cradle of rope.

The stone focused the mind of Elam. He said, "My brother holds the tablet up and turns in a circle. When he faces the way Elyon would have us go, there is a loud report."

Belphegor thought about that. Yes, Elyon might do such a thing to protect the tablet. Good, it took at least four Laelites out of play. So it was time to bring things to a head, Belphegor thought. he draped the stone and its net of rope around a stubby branch on the log strapped to Elam's back and the weight pulled one of the man's thumbs out of its socket, then another. Elam began to scream continuously.

Elam's screams steered the men of the Remnant through Shaula Wood to the place where he was being tormented and they ran into Belphegor's picket of len. Their shouts of warning went unheard by reason of the noise made by Elam.

Remiel used his talent to shred their cloaks. A wad of cloak wound up in Ukobach's mouth. Surgat and Orobas found sections of their cloaks wrapping around their heads to both make them blind and stifle their cries. This was utterly beyond their experience and effectively sliced the three of them from the fight.