Of Truth And Beasts Part 43

Wynn ignored him.

Shade crawled through the underbrush toward where the cliff's face must meet the slope behind the brush. Unable to stop herself, Wynn closed the crystal in her hand and dropped to all fours to follow Shade.

"What are you doing?" Chane asked in alarm, almost letting go of his branches.

Wynn scrambled in before he could stop her, keeping her eyes on Shade's tail . . . until she realized Shade should've reached the wall of the cliff by now. She raised the crystal, but all she could see was Shade's haunches.

"What do you see?"

-Dark- Darkness, and that was all? Shade wormed into the brittle branches to one side, and a strange, soft shift of stale air blew over Wynn. She crawled into the s.p.a.ce Shade had left and found herself in a barren area beyond the brush. Wynn held up the crystal again.

Light shone upon a stone archway directly above her. She stood and her head almost touched the top. Shade stood beside her, and Wynn turned around, holding the crystal forward.

Wynn almost couldn't believe what she saw. They were in the mouth of a tunnel, and every stone in the walls was perfectly set without a trace of mortar.

A short while later, Chane crawled into the tunnel after Wynn-with a knot in his stomach. In addition to his packs, he now carried heavy burdens of water, three blankets, and their remaining food supplies. They had abandoned the wagon and their travel chest, and let both horses go.

During the busy moments of final packing, when no one was looking, he had gulped down the last of the red-black life in his final brown bottle. After a moment's hesitation, he also took another dose of the violet concoction as well.

Shade was now leading the way, and Ore-Locks brought up the rear. But once through, Chane could not stand fully erect and had to hunch in the tunnel.

"It was foolish to abandon the horses and trust this pa.s.sage to take us through," he said. "We do not know where it leads."

Wynn turned her head and gave him a resolute look he had come to know well. She carried her staff in one hand and her cold lamp crystal in the other.

"Ore-Locks says it is common for his people to build a back way out of their seatts," she said. "Though this one would be much longer than any he's heard of. Why else would this tunnel be here in the middle of nowhere?" She turned back around. "No, this tunnel has to lead to somewhere else."

The knot in Chane's stomach tightened, as he could not fault her reasoning. Why else would the dwarves build a tunnel that led to the foot of the Slip-Tooth Pa.s.s?

Wynn pressed on behind Shade, and Chane began to wonder how long he could walk stooped over like this. Then an opening appeared ahead in the light of Wynn's crystal, and they all emerged into a large, open area.

"What in the . . . ?" Wynn began, and she quickly pulled out the spare cold lamp crystal, warmed it, and handed it to him.

Chane held up his to match hers and he saw openings in the walls at ground level. The knot in his stomach eased slightly. As his light shone on Wynn's face, he could see doubt and even fear in her eyes. This was clearly not what she'd expected to find.

"Ore-Locks?" she said, her voice wavering. "What is this?"

The dwarf stepped around her. "I do not know. It looks similar to the entrance chamber at Cheku'n Station, in my seatt, but . . ."

Ore-Locks pointed up.

Chane followed his finger to see large dead crystals embedded high on the walls. In his mind's eye, he envisioned the rushing, busy entrance caverns that he and Wynn had visited at Dhredze Seatt, with glowing orange crystals offering warmth and light. Vending booths had filled the cavern air with the scent of sausages, smoke, and livestock amid the sounds of dwarves in avid barter.

Yes, he could see the similarities in this lifeless place, but it was somewhat smaller than the market cavern he had visited. Had they simply wandered into the remains of an old settlement? Perhaps they could still go back and he could catch the horses.

Wynn headed at a fast clip for a large archway at the chamber's far side. Chane and the others were forced to quickstep to catch her. In spite of himself, Chane began to wonder what they had found here.

Holding his crystal high as they pa.s.sed through a short tunnel to the next cavern, he immediately spotted the large tunnel beyond. Three lanes of grooved tracks stretched into the dark pa.s.sage. At the tracks' near ends were triple platforms. But what troubled him more was the sight of long-dead trams at all three docks. Whatever happened here, all trams that once served this unknown route had arrived and been left abandoned.

Did any of the trams still function? If so, he hated this prospect even more, for that would hasten Wynn's rush toward whatever lay at the route's end. He was losing any remnants of control here, with no way to stop her. If he openly argued now, she might realize his true intention and dismiss him.

Shade glanced up at Chane and rumbled, as if this was all his fault, as if he should have somehow prevented it.

Perhaps he should have.

"Come look at this," Wynn said quietly, standing beside the far end car of one tram.

Chane joined her and found her studying a cylindrical, dead crystal about the size of his torso. It was secured at the front of what had once been some form of engine to push and pull the tram.

"Do you remember?" she asked.

Of course he did. How could he possibly forget the sight of these crystals bursting into light and then the tram lurching until it raced down the tracks? The determination on Wynn's face was increasing by the moment. This must be so much more than she had hoped to find.

"Ore-Locks," she called. "Can you make these work?"

The dwarf was examining a long-decayed car. "I have no knowledge of such engineering, but even if I could, the tram cars are not sound." Then he looked ahead down the tram's tunnel. "I think I may see . . . wait here. I will be back."

Before anyone could speak, he trotted off at a fast pace.

"What is he doing now?" Chane asked.

Wynn just gazed down at the tram's crystal. "I wish we could make one of these work. Imagine how quickly we'd make it under and across the range."

But that was the crux-the trams did not, would not work.

"Can you not turn back?" he said suddenly, unable to stop himself. "Have you not tried hard enough, suffered enough, only to walk into dangers we cannot even guess?"

Wynn blinked in surprise. "Turn back? Chane, you don't really want to . . . ?" She trailed off, as if struggling for words. "You know we can't fail. You're with me here, aren't you?"

Chane hesitated, glancing aside, and he found Shade watching them both.

"Always," he answered.

He could see Wynn about to press him further, but Ore-Locks came trotting back, no longer carrying his iron staff.

"What did you find?" Wynn asked.

"Give me a moment, and I will show you."

To Chane's surprise, the dwarf leaned over and used his broad hands to bend the brackets holding down the crystal engine. Both brackets broke easily, and he lifted the heavy crystal off its base.

"Follow me," he said, trotting off again.

With little choice, they hurried after him. He led them a short way down the tracks to find two good-sized carts made of solid metal. Wynn walked quickly to the one farthest down the tracks.

Its platform was thick, but a large metal "box" with high sides had been attached on the top, as if the cart had once been used to transport materials for short distances. Ore-Locks's staff was already stowed inside. A bare section of the platform at the back sported a two-man pump.

Wynn looked to the large crystal in Ore-Locks's arms. "Do you think you can-?"

"No, I cannot make the crystal drive us, but this crystal may still absorb and reflect the power of another."

Chane did not follow the dwarf's intention. He watched as Ore-Locks laid the large crystal on a bare section of the platform at the cart's front, and then lashed it in place with a length of rope from his sack.

"What are you planning to do?" Chane asked.

Ore-Locks reached out to Wynn. "Give me your crystal."

With some hesitation, she pa.s.sed it off to him.

"Step back," he said.

Ore-Locks looked away from the engine crystal and touched it with Wynn's cold lamp crystal.

Light instantly exploded from the front of the cart, illuminating a good distance down the track. Chane put his hand up to shield his eyes, and he pushed Wynn behind the cart, out of the engine crystal's sightline.

"Your sage's crystal does not provide enough light for safe travel with speed," Ore-Locks said. "The larger crystal can amplify its light, with the cart's box shielding us in back from too much glare."

"Good," Wynn said, nodding. "Chane, can you pump this cart?"

He could, but his despair began growing again.

"We will take shifts," Ore-Locks said.

His sudden willingness to work together only irritated Chane. The dwarf was nothing if not single-minded.

"Shade, up," Wynn said, tossing her pack into the walled box and climbing onto the platform. "Chane, we can put your packs and our supplies here in the box."

With one final, accusing glance at Chane, Shade jumped aboard after Wynn. Chane began pa.s.sing blankets and water to Wynn. Every action, every movement, felt wrong, and as Shade blamed him, he could not help but blame Ore-Locks.

Wynn had both a route and means of transport beneath the range.

Nothing would make her turn back now.

Sau'ilahk had come to depend more and more on the elves who followed Wynn. No one in their group was able to sense his presence, yet they had their own method of tracking that had proven more than adequate so far.

Although he longed to feed on them, he had come to view their presence as necessary. They served him unwittingly, and he never needed to risk exposure. In the foothills with all the outcrops, trees, and brush, it was never difficult for him to hide close to them and listen without being detected. But his confidence in their abilities fell apart as they dismounted their horses and stood beside Wynn's empty, abandoned wagon.

Chuillyon picked up an empty harness, his face filling with confusion.

"You saw nothing?" he asked Hannschi.

"No." She shook her head, equally troubled. "When I arrived, they were gone. Their horses were still here, set loose. All their belongings but the chest and tents are missing, and I could find no sign of the journeyor or her companions."

Sau'ilahk longed to kill them all right now. How could they let Wynn slip away?

Tall Shodh approached the slope, his dirty cloak swinging over the top of his boots.

"It is clear they entered the mountains," he said, and turned about. "Will we do the same?"

His tone was almost challenging.

"Of course," Chuillyon answered. "Can you sense for their life shadows again?"

Sau'ilahk had become familiar with the abilities of these elves. He was not surprised when Shodh turned to face the slope and closed his eyes, chanting softly under his breath. He stood there for long moments, and then raised one slender hand.

"There," he said quietly, pointing upslope and to the right.

It seemed Shodh could sense the lingering tendrils of life and was capable of separating people from wildlife. At least he was doing something.

Sau'ilahk remained hidden behind an outcrop near the bottom of the pa.s.s as he watched all three elves begin to climb. It felt too long before he heard Hannschi's voice echo down the slope.

"Look, Domin! A path."

He longed to blink up beside them, but there was little cover where they stood. Soon they started off again, snaking and curving up the mountain until he lost sight of them.

Sau'ilahk allowed himself to fall slightly dormant, to dematerialize and blink up the mountain. At first, he could not see them, but he heard voices again. He drifted ever so cautiously around the sharp slant of a sheer cliff face.

The last of the three elves was disappearing into the brush at the base of the cliff wall.

When they did not come out, anxiety began to trickle through Sau'ilahk. Rather than blink into the unknown, he drifted nearer, slowly following where he had seen the elves vanish. Within moments, he found himself looking out of a tunnel into a vast cavern with dead crystals lining the upper walls.

The elves were crossing the cavern, looking about in wonder. A large, open archway filled a good section of the far wall. The three were debating something, but Sau'ilahk had missed the first part.

"We cannot leave the horses saddled down there," Hannschi said. "And we need what is left of our supplies."

"Go quickly," Chuillyon answered. "We cannot let the journeyor get too far ahead."

"I will go," Shodh said.

Before the slender elf came straight toward Sau'ilahk, he blinked out, focusing on the archway at the vast cavern's far side. He was not at all surprised when he rematerialized and hurried onward to find a tram platform.

His anxiety changed to hope. Wynn had found an ancient tram station on this side of the range, but did it lead to the seatt? He dared not believe it yet. He had been disappointed too many times.

Drifting past the tram, he spotted an old metal pump cart out on the tracks, and he stilled his mind to listen. Far ahead, he could hear the rhythmic creak of heavy wheels in the tunnel's stone grooves for tracks. Wynn was already well ahead, leaving the elves behind.

Sau'ilahk glanced back, hearing Chuillyon's m.u.f.fled voice in the tunnel leading to the tram station. He no longer needed these elves, and Shodh was outside. Could he risk attacking the girl and the old elf to replenish himself before going after Wynn?

He remembered how Chuillyon alone had almost bested him once in Dhredze Seatt. He might spend more energy than he gained, and even in hunger, it was not wise to take such risks when he was so close to victory.

Sau'ilahk turned back toward the tracks in one last instant of indecision. Then he blinked down the tunnel after the sound of those wheels in the deep stone tracks.

Gha.s.san il'Snke was not a man easily disheartened. But day after day, night after night, of searching this fallen mountain for an entrance had left him questioning his abilities. In addition, he'd been tracking Wynn's rough position. By her distance from him, she had to be inside the range. Although she had a long way to go before reaching this side of the mountains, she was moving more rapidly than he thought possible. How was the question he could not answer.

Tonight he searched the upper regions of the mountain's northern base, stopping once for a supper of flatbread-which was almost gone. He should have been glad for anything to eat out here, but when closing his eyes, all he saw were lamb kebabs, honeyed yams, and herbed rice. He had been away from home for so long now.

Gha.s.san was also not a man given to any kind of sentiment, but he could not help missing his rooms at the Suman guild, eating properly prepared food, and partaking of the companionship of his peers there. He had been too long among the Numans, with their tasteless vegetable stews and open, unguarded chatter.

And now he was alone, sitting on a fallen mountain, and looking for a way inside.