"A City Divided" by Roger Zelazny (1982)

Originally appeared in Dilvish,The Damned (1982)

Plot: Dilvish and Black come to a city that is not on the map. The buildings around them dance and jump as they rearrange themselves into a maze. A magician wearing an emblem of a fish swimming to the left tries to kill them with traps while another who wears a shirt with a fish to the right, helps them avoid the other. Their only escape is to make it to the gate before the first wizard's demons can take up guard there. Dilvish and Black fail to do this or find any other escape. The walls rearrange themslves again, signalling that they have lost the contest and will die. Dilvish uses one of the Awful Sayings and flattens the city. The first wizard is killed during the spell. The second wizard survives and explains what the city was all about. The two wizards were twins. Because of this they shared their magical powers between them. Rather than be diminished they arranged the game with the city. The loser was banished to limbo for ten years while the winner enjoyed full powers. Now that the one twin was dead the survivor, Shadd, had full powers which he promised to Dilvish in service. Dilvish asks Shadd what he knows of Jelerak. Shadd tells him of the sorcerer's castles including the closest, the Tower of Ice. Jelerak feels that the wizards are talking about him and sends his own magical show of raising the city then destroying it with lightning. Shadd, wisely, decides to leave Dilvish and Black to their quest for the Tower of Ice.

Monsters:

Sorcererous Creatures - These demons are used by the two magicians in their terrible game. They cut off their own heads and dance around to taunt Dilvish's swordplay.

History: A filler piece Zelazny wrote to bridge his older stories to his newer ones. This story did introduce the Awful Sayings, terrible spells Dilvish learned while in Hell for 200 years.

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