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“Take a bite,” said Dar. He dipped a chunk of bread in the broth and popped it in his mouth.

Kale swallowed hard. She would not insult her hostess. She dipped her spoon in the soup and only half filled it. Closing her eyes, she lifted it to her mouth. It did smell good. She tasted it. Her eyes popped open.

“Onions!”

Dar laughed.

Leetu’s voice entered Kale’s thoughts. “I told you he’s just like a big brother. He teases even when he’s worn out and too tired to sit at the table.”

Kale grinned across the room, answering Leetu’s friendly smile with a wink.

Just like a brother. I’ll have to learn to tease him back.

“I might be willing to help you with that project.”

Kale sighed and dipped her spoon in the onion soup. She would like to stay here. But tomorrow they would go on.

Deep into the mountain.

Looking for the meech egg.

Walking straight into Risto’s lair.

42

THE BARRIER

Blue sky, white clouds, green grass.

After half a day of trudging down gray granite tunnels toward the center of Mount Tourbanaut, Kale wanted sky above her head and grass beneath her feet. She tried to remember that outside the mountain was a frenzied blizzard and walking was certainly easier within.

I don’t really want to go questing on the icy slopes of a mountain with a furious wind trying to push me off and hard pellets of snow pounding against me.

She looked at the grim walls revealed by the lanterns they carried. I’m certainly not cut out to be a tumanhofer.

Librettowit walked up front with their guide, Tilkertineebo Rapjackaport. Kale found it hard to remember even part of the tumanhofers’ names. The names for places in the tumanhofer mountain were short. They had passed through small towns, Glep, Tras, and Burr. Soon they would reach Fiph, and then a stretch of tunnels where no tumanhofers cared to roam.

Fenworth trundled along in a wooden cart pulled by a burro. No danger threatened them for this part of their journey, and the old wizard slept most of the time. Dar sang his hiking songs. The kimens and Metta joined in. Kale sang too, but her heart couldn’t keep up with the happy beat.

I’m not really afraid, just realistically cautious. After all, we’re going into Risto’s territory. Someone should be worried about the things we may have to face.

They ate noonmeal at a tavern in Fiph.

The long tunnels of Penn stretched for miles in a mazelike structure. Rapjackaport explained that hundreds of years ago the tumanhofers had mined this region. Now only druddums careened through the passageways.

Mile after mile, Rapjackaport led them deeper into the mountain. Shades of gray mottled the walls of the large tunnels. The floors had been leveled of all bumps and ridges. The walls were hewn smooth by tumanhofer tools. So far, this final approach into Risto’s stronghold was exceedingly dull. The only breaks from monotony were old miner signs at each corner, telling directions. They indicated the four points of a compass with an arrow showing which direction the tunnel followed.

Kale resisted the urge to ask how much farther they had to go.

I’ll be glad when we get to where we are going, retrieve the egg, and hurry out of here.

“The Cavern of Rainbows,” said Rapjackaport. “This is where I leave you.”

Kale’s head jerked up at the sound of the tumanhofer’s voice. His hearty words bounced off the walls. They’d entered a gigantic cavern.

Huge, glistening crystals hung from the ceiling in the brilliant hues of a rainbow. The floor was a rippled rock substance that looked as if it was once a thick porridge of pastel shades. Kale imagined someone pouring it out and watching it harden. Round craters dotted the area. They reminded Kale of the dents made by bubbles in the top of porridge cooking in a kettle, only these were quite large. Kale could have put both feet in the one nearest her. Another was wide enough Dar could have lain in it. Three walls were solid lightrock but not the blue she’d seen most often underground.