From Darkness Won - Jill Williamson [154]
“Ready to go?” Sir Eagan asked.
She nodded, again comparing his features to hers. They had the same mouth, it seemed. And cheeks. And hair. She frowned. Why not give me Mother’s hair, Arman?
Peripaso tugged the line, drawing Averella’s gaze his way. He whispered, “Hold tight now, Lady Vrell.” He made his way to the mouth of the cave.
She doubted they could outrun anything traveling in this manner.
Once outside the cave, Peripaso took a sharp right and walked into the darkness. How he knew where he was going, Averella would never know. She stumbled along, clutching the rope as if it were the only thing keeping her from plummeting to her death.
“There’s a slope here,” Sir Eagan said. “Pass it back.”
“Pass it where?”
“Tell the person behind you.”
Averella’s next step landed before she expected it to. The ground was sloping upward. Oh. She stopped and turned her head. “We are starting up a hill. Tell the person behind you.”
“Keep moving, though, Averella,” Sir Eagan said.
She faced forward and took a tentative step up the dark slope. The tread of footsteps over rock muted the whispers of the message she had passed down the line. Clicking rang out all around, like someone shaking walnuts on a string. A gowzal screeched in the distance. It still sent a chill through her that made her gowzal bites throb.
Averella had no choice but to stumble along through the darkness. There was no way to monitor time, no sun or stars or moon to look to for guidance. All she could do was hold tight to the rope and trust that Peripaso knew what he was doing.
They walked over rock for hours—indeed, for what seemed like a full day—until the sound of their footsteps changed, suddenly echoing around them. Had they entered a cave?
Peripaso stopped. Metal scraped against metal, loud and hollow. A spark bloomed a few feet before her and struggled into a powerful flame. Peripaso lifted a torch high.
They stood in a shallow cave of golden rock. Just behind Peripaso, a dark hole pierced the rock. Averella knew from her experience with Peripaso that they would be going inside that hole.
“Come close, ever’one.” Peripaso waved them forward. “Don’t let go of the rope, jest crowd ’round. Like I said ’fore, the tunnel’s a steep climb. If the person in front of you struggles, best way to help is to make a step out of your hand and give a boost. And stay calm. Panickin’ will cause trouble for ever’one. That clear?”
Sir Rigil responded with a “Yes,” though the rest merely nodded.
“Now, I can’t climb with a flame, so I have to put the torch out. Tunnel’s pretty jagged on top, so watch your head. There’ll be plenty of hand and footholds.”
The freckles on Gren’s face looked golden in the torchlight. “How far up is it?”
“Never thought to measure. It’ll take a good two days to get to the top.”
“Two days of climbing!” Gren said. “What will we eat?”
“I brought enough for ever’one. It’s no feast, but it’ll do.”
“What about water?” Bran asked.
“There’s plenty of water in the tunnels. Won’t go thirsty.
Now, it’ll be blazin’ today up in there as we near the hot springs, but don’t go tossin’ off layers of clothes. You’ll need ’em when it gets cold.”
“How will it get cold if there are hot springs?” Averella asked.
“The hot springs are under Nahar. Once we pass into Cela Duchy, we’ll be so far up the mountain, you’ll be shiverin’.”
With that, Peripaso put out the torch, and the rope tugged Averella forward again.
29
Achan sat at the table in his tent. It was long past dinner. The sun had set, giving him the eerie feeling of being in Darkness again. Cole sat across from him, squirming like a man who’d just removed two dozen leeches. Shung and Manu stood inside the door.
“There’s much to learn in becoming a squire,” Achan said. “You’ll be taught to read and write. You’ll learn the history, customs, and etiquette for each city of Er’Rets. You must memorize wisdom from the Book of Life and try to please Arman in all things. Do you think you can