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  The companions stared at Tienna with expressions of awe until Aram broke the silence. “Well then maybe you can lead us out of here,” he grumbled. “Our guide doesn’t know where he’s going.”

  Aram was one of the tall Northlanders. Unlike many of his fellow Anghare, his bronze hair was short-cropped. She had learned from many days of traveling with him that he could be acerbic. She had also seen that he had tremendous courage and skill, and had proven himself more than once in battle. She turned to Braga to see how he would respond.

  “I have never traveled here,” the Undeani chieftain admitted. “I have never needed to. We’ve often used the outer passages—those closer to the surface—but I have not been this deep. We are many miles into the mountains.”

  “Then how do you know that they go where you say—to the northern end of this range?” Elynna asked.

  Tienna looked at Elynna, and saw again the care-worn lines in her face, the sadness in her hazel eyes, the streaks of silver already marking her sleek black hair, the fatigue. Elynna was Tienna’s closest friend in the company. She was also their leader, though not by choice. The burden had fallen on her because of her gift: an ability to sense not only the presence of the Daegmons, but more recently even their thoughts and intents. When her Westwash village had been destroyed in a Daegmon attack, Elynna had gone to Citadel seeking aid. But Citadel had denied the problem and refused to offer aid. Others from around Gondisle, going to the capital city for the same purpose and receiving the same answer, had somehow found her and joined themselves to her cause.

  Tienna was one of them, sent as an emissary by her Plains tribe, the Arnei people. After the king had refused her an audience, she had stood outside the gate of the castle wondering what to do next. One of the guards had approached her furtively. Her first instinct at the approach was to leave quickly and avoid trouble. She was not used to such crowds, and had never seen built walls or buildings so huge. Everything and everyone was a threat. But something about his demeanor had prompted her to stay and hear him. “There are others seeking the same thing as you,” he had said quietly. “You will find them at the Green Pearl. Look for one named Elynna.” Then he turned quickly and walked away.

  That was weeks ago. Tienna had been with Elynna ever since. And now perhaps Elynna needed her more than ever. Thimeon and Cane, the two she had relied upon most, were gone. Cane was dead. And Thimeon had left the company on his own dangerous quest. The thought of him made her heart quicken—the memory of their last moment together, before he was to drop down over the edge of the Plains and head back to all the dangers of Citadel, when some strange feeling within had prompted her to press her lips to his. She hadn’t seen him since, and didn’t even know if he still lived. She did not know if she would ever again feel that touch.

  “These passages are old and little used by my people,” Braga replied, cutting into Tienna’s thoughts. “They were made in ages long past when a different folk dwelt in this land. Our forefathers’ forefathers, the Undeani who settled the land, rediscovered them. We have made some use of them over the years, but only near the surface. By and large we are not a mining people. We prefer woods and hills to being underground.”

  “But over the generations,” he continued, “some among my people have sought to explore deeper—to travel further below the mountains, hoping to find treasure, perhaps, or just adventure. There are tales of some who have been lost for days or even weeks, and when they returned they could tell nothing of where they had been. Many have disappeared and never returned. In the time of my father, however, a small company traveled far through these tunnels, and came out of the ground two days later many miles to the north—farther than you could go above ground in three days. It is my hope that we will do the same.”

  “Hope?” Aram complained bitterly. “What you mean is that we’re lost.”

  “We are not lost,” Braga replied brusquely. “I know the way back. If you prefer, we can return you to where we found you.”

  Aram mumbled something under his breath. Tienna turned and looked at her other companions. Most of them stood with their heads down. Some had already slumped to the ground. Under other circumstances, she thought, the mine-loving Northlanders might have looked upon the exploration with fascination. But their defeat and the losses of six companions had left them spent. Even the usually cheerful Cathros was in a dark mood. He and his brother Cane had been very close.

  “You and your people rest here,” Braga finally said. “My men will explore ahead. We will return in two hours.”

  “What of food?” Bandor asked. “And water?”

  Tienna had the same concern, though she had not voiced it. Her companions—all except for Noab, Noaem, and Anchara—had lost their packs back at the village where they had been betrayed. Only the three Ceadani, who had been the first to escape the ambush, had managed to get their packs. Since entering the mountain, Tienna had had only a few sips of water from the skins of her Undeani guides. She felt her thirst acutely now.

  “I am sorry,” Braga said. “We did not know the plight you would be in else we would have come better supplied.”

  “Do not apologize,” Tienna replied. “You saved our lives. Perhaps you have saved all of Gondisle. Your supplies would have availed us little if you had not come on time.” She turned to Noab. “You have some meat left in your pack, don’t you?”

  “A little. Perhaps enough for all of us to have two bites.” He answered. Noab was another of the gifted. He could discern truth. His pale deep-set eyes seemed to peer right through you. And he sensed falseness the way Elynna sensed the presence of their enemy, or the way Tienna sensed health—like a strong taste or smell.

  “We have bread too,” Braga added. He removed from his pack a large loaf and tossed it to Bandor. “Best share it now. The meat too. Take what strength you can at the start. It is a long passage.”

  “And water?” Bandor asked.

  “That, at least, will be plentiful. We have always found underground springs. Drink what you have. If these passages are anything like the others we have traveled through, we will be able to refill your bottles.”

  After that, the eight Undeani turned to leave. Taking four of the six torches, they split into pairs and started down four different tunnels. Braga and the young one who had been with Tienna disappeared into a low rough tunnel on the far side of the cavern. The others went through wide archways.

  “I suppose they’re coming back,” Nahoon said after Braga had been gone a few minutes. Nahoon was one of Tienna’s fellow Plainsfolk. His father was from one of the smaller western tribes, but his mother was one of the Uetha. He was even darker skinned that Tienna. He was also recently betrothed. He had not planned on coming with the company into the mountains. Yet here he was, trapped with the rest of them, not knowing if he would see his home or beloved again. “If they wanted to betray us, we’d be as neatly defeated here—lost and without food—as we could have been back in the village. Our enemy wouldn’t even have to fight a battle.”

  “We’re fools,” Aram said more bluntly. “Nahoon is right. We’ve let them all go, and I’ll wager my sword we’ll never see them again. What hope have we now?”

  Aram was wrong. Of that Tienna was sure. She was about to speak, but Noab beat her to it. “Whatever else you may think of him, he does not deceive us. Every word he speaks has the scent of truth. Whether he will find a way through or not, I cannot tell you. But he will try.”

  Nobody replied. The rest of Tienna’s companions soon collapsed to the floor. And neither the hardness of the rock, nor their lack of blankets, nor their present fears could keep them awake. Even the tiger seemed to understand. It ceased its restless pacing, and lay down against the stone wall near where they had entered.

  Though Tienna did not feel tired, she did not know when she would have another opportunity to rest. She walked over to the great tiger and did the unthinkable. She leaned
against its rich thick fur and closed her eyes. The animal lifted one heavy paw and placed it gently on her shoulder, and she fell asleep.

  2

  TRUST

  Tienna woke to the startling sensation of hot breath on her face. She opened her eyes. A huge green orb surrounded by a white face with streaks of black and hints of orange stared at her from a few inches away in the glow of torchlight. She nearly leapt to her feet in panic before she remembered where she was. Slowly the memory of the last few hours flooded over her. She reached up and scratched the big cat on the forehead and then rose to her feet. The effort made her realize how stiff and sore she was. She was used to nights on the open ground of the Plains, but this rock was so much harder than the grassy turf of her home. She was glad she’d at least had such a soft pillow. As she thought that, her huge pillow rose, yawned to reveal its impressive row of feline teeth, and then walked off into the dark toward one of the side tunnels.

  When the great beast left, Tienna looked around the cavern. Many of her companions still slept, curled up against the rock walls around the edges. But a few were seated or standing. Namha stood alone thirty or so feet away, fingering his knives as though testing the edges. Noab, Noaem, and Anchara sat together in the far corner whispering together in the Ceadani tongue.

  With a pang of regret, Tienna realized that she did not hear or see as well as she had the previous night. Whatever heightened senses she had gained from the healing of the tiger seemed to have faded. Or had that only been her imagination from the beginning? She sighed. Her only heightened sense now was of her stiff body. She bent over and grabbed her toes, feeling the deep stretching along the backs of her legs. After a minute or two she began to walk around the outside of the cavern to warm her limbs and loosen up.

  She was on her fifth or sixth time around the perimeter when she heard the approaching footsteps, echoing off the rock chambers. It was hard to pinpoint the origin, but she thought it came from the tunnel directly across from where they had entered the cavern. She watched, and a moment later she saw the faint glow of approaching torches.

  Two of the Undeani strode back into the cavern looking tired and dejected. Elynna rose to her feet at once, and strode toward them from the other side of the cavern to greet them. Cathros rose also and went to her side before she reached them. Tienna stayed where she was. She had already guessed from their expressions what their news was. She heard Elynna question them. They only gestured ambiguously and spoke a few words in their own tongue. Either they didn’t understand Elynna or they had found nothing. Elynna and Cathros gave up and went back to their seats.

  The scene repeated itself two more times over the next thirty minutes as two of the three other pairs of scouts returned from different passages. One of them did speak a little of the trade tongue and kept repeating the words “nowhere” and “water.”

  Another half an hour passed. Tienna grew more nervous. What would happen if they had to return to where they had entered the mountain? Would the Daegmons be waiting? Or Golach’s men? Or both? Her hope grew more faint.

  Braga’s party returned last. He came back to the cavern nearly an hour after the others. The young Undeani who had stayed behind with Tienna when she healed the tiger was with him. They extinguished their torches, set them down by their packs, and then took long draughts from their water skins.

  Elynna, perhaps unwilling to hear more bad news, did not rise to greet him. But the other Undeani were soon at Braga’s side. For several long minutes they conversed and debated among themselves in their own tongue. Braga pointed this way and that, apparently questioning his men about their finds. Whatever they were discussing, there was disagreement.

  Finally, Elynna rose and approached. Cathros came with her. Tienna joined them also. She knew there were no more scouts, and no more directions to search. Whatever decision was to be made, would be made soon. Others may have guessed something similar, because soon nearly the entire company had gathered around.

  Braga continued to speak with his people for another few minutes. Though Tienna understood very little of their language, she could hear the intensity in his voice. Finally, Braga turned to Elynna. “We think we have found the way,” he said.

  The look on Elynna’s face matched the relief Tienna felt.

  “The way where?” asked Cathros. Tienna was glad to hear him speak. He had said very little since the death of his brother and the fight at Creagon’s village.

  “The start of a passage that will lead us far to the north,” Braga answered. “Well beyond where the soldiers could travel in the same time.”

  Cathros shook his head. “I know something about mines and tunnels. From what I have seen so far, these do not follow a straight path. And we have already been delayed.”

  “If you wonder whether your enemy will be waiting at the far end, you need have no fear. These mountains are vast, and we don’t know ourselves where we will emerge. But in any case, though the tunnels do not follow a straight path, they will be much faster than the soldiers can travel. We will pass beneath a treacherous line of ridges and peaks. They will have to detour far to the west and north before turning east again.”

  Elynna’s face fell. “The Daegmons will have no trouble finding me. And I think they can sense Cathros and Tienna and Noab and Noaem just as well. They are aware of our gifts—our power.”

  Braga ran his fingers through his wild beard. “I do not know of what you speak—this ability of theirs to sense your powers—but it is true that even the high mountains may not slow these winged beasts.”

  A long silence followed. After the momentary relief brought by Braga’s good news, the reality of their plight settled upon Tienna again. Their hopes had always been slim.

  “You say you think you’ve found a way?” Bandor finally asked. “But you’re not sure?”

  “The old stories speak of a vast underground lake,” Braga answered. “Arreg may have discovered the passage leading to it. He found the remnant of an old boat lying on the side of one of the wider tunnels.” He paused, and it did not take long for Tienna to comprehend the significance of the find. When several others nodded their comprehension, he continued. “If we can reach the lake and find our way to the far shore, there is only one tunnel on the other side. That will lead us the rest of the distance. Or so the stories tell.”

  The companions looked at one another. None of them spoke for several minutes. Tienna responded first. “If we turn back, we face a certain end. The worst that can happen if we go forward is that we will have to turn around later.”

  “That is not the worst,” Cathros countered. “You live on the Plains and are not used to mines. Here there is no sun to guide us. If we get lost, we will starve. And we must find water even before we find food. The farther we go, the more difficult it will be to turn back.”

  “Your companion speaks the truth,” Braga said. “But whatever you decide, you must decide soon. Who will make the choice?”

  Tienna looked at her friend Elynna. How many decisions had been thrust upon her these past few weeks? Elynna never desired the burden of leading, or the uncertainty that went with it. Tienna had seen it weigh her down, along with the guilt for the decisions that had gone awry—her companions who now lay dead on their past battlefields. How would she handle yet another?

  “I will go with you,” Elynna said after only a moment’s pause.

  The certainty in her friend’s voice took Tienna by surprise. But maybe it should not have. Maybe Tienna had judged Elynna too harshly. She had changed so much even in the past few days. Maybe, with Thimeon and Cane gone, she really was their leader now.

  “But I cannot make this decision for all in the company,” Elynna went on. “We all choose together. Bandor for the Andani, Noab for Ceadani, myself for the Westwashers, Tienna for the Plainsfolk, and Cathros for the Northlanders.”

  “That is fitting,” Braga replied. “Our choice w
ill impact all our peoples.”

  “I cannot speak even for all my own people,” Cathros said in a quiet voice. “But I will trust Braga to lead us. And I will go where Elynna goes.”

  “As will I,” Tienna said.

  A few seconds passed, and then Bandor and Noab both added their agreement.

  “It is decided,” Elynna said. “We will continue on. It will be better to be risk being lost—or even starving—than to return to certain defeat.”

  Braga nodded. “Then let us prepare to depart. But first, since we will be continuing together as one company, let me introduce my clan folk. Few of them speak your tongue, but as brother and sister we must now be to one another.”

  He turned to his right. “This is Amark, the son of my sister,” Braga began, pointing to the younger of the two men who had remained behind with Tienna. Tienna looked at him again. He looked young, between the ages of Theo and Keet. He had bright eyes and a perpetual smile uncharacteristic for his people. Though he had not spoken more than five or six halting words to her, she liked him. “And this is Arreg, Amark’s older half-brother,” Braga went on, nodding toward the one standing behind Amark. He had a similar face to Amark, but his eyes were deeper and more solemn.

  “And Jama and Breanga. They are twins.” These two looked like twins, Tienna thought. They had thick black hair, bushy brows, and long pointed beards. Tienna might never have been able to tell them apart except that Jama’s nose was bent to the left. “They are cousins of Amark and Arreg on their father’s side.”