The Seeker - Isobelle Carmody [165]
To our further dismay, we had not been walking long the next day before the giant stand of trees gave way abruptly to a seemingly endless mire reminiscent of the blighted Berryn Mor. Here the few trees that managed to grow in the sodden ground were thin and sickly looking, bereft of leaf and shrouded in a furry gray mold.
The only reassuring thing about the spindly skeletons looming out of the mist was that they told us the water was quite shallow. The ground lay only a few handspans below the surface and, though soft, was firm enough to walk on. Darga went ahead, warning us to step exactly where he did, since there were holes and trenches all through the swamp. He said the water was tainted but only slightly.
Tired and thirsty, we plodded doggedly after Darga. There was no possibility of resting until we reached dry ground. Soaking through my boots and stockings, the swamp water was tepid. An evil-smelling mist hung low over the surface of the water and swirled about our feet as we passed.
We walked in silence, concentrating on keeping our footing and moving as quickly as we could, until Jik ventured a question.
“If I fell in this water or touched one of those poisoned plants, would I die at once or slowly like Pavo?” he asked gravely.
Repressing a flare of anguish at the thought of Pavo, I said, “I don’t know. I guess it depends on how potent it is. If it’s strong, it could work quickly. But if weak, like in the places we find whitestick, you have to be exposed to it over long periods of time before it does any harm.”
He nodded thoughtfully, his brow furrowed. “What is whitestick, anyway?”
I smiled. “Your guess is as good as anyone’s. Pavo says it is what was left by whatever caused the Great White, like ash from a fire. Once cleansed, it’s used for everything from starting fires to making medicines. But surely you know that much?”
“I heard that the Herders make a kind of gas with it that makes your skin burn,” Jik said.
I looked at him curiously. “I’ve never heard of that.”
He shrugged. “It’s a secret. I heard them talk of experiments. A man who they tested it on was said to have gone blind from the gas, and then his skin blistered. It was terrible. I think he died.”
The thought of whitestick being used for such a purpose disturbed me deeply. But perhaps it was only a story.
“The Herders told us Lud sent the Great White because the Oldtimers were evil. But the Teknoguilders say the Beforetimers made the Great White happen on their own. Why would they do that?”
I smiled at his insatiable curiosity for taboo subjects. “I doubt anyone meant to cause the Great White,” I said. “I believe it was a kind of accident. But no one knows for sure. Not even the Herder Faction, even though they think they know everything.”
“Did weapons make the Great White happen? Pavo told me some of the Oldtime weapons and poisons might still be hidden someplace, like the skyscrapers under Tor,” Jik said seriously.
I forced myself not to react. “It’s possible,” I said slowly.
“What would happen if someone found that kind of weapon? Someone like Ariel or the Druid? There might be another accident.…” His voice trailed off.
“This is a bad place for such talk,” I said.
The water bubbled all around us now, issuing clouds of colored gas. I noticed a greenish vapor first and pointed it out to Darga. He told me it was a poisonous gas but too weak to harm us. One virulent yellow gas was dangerous enough for Darga to give a wide berth, while a sickly blue shade made him backtrack hastily.
The region of gases was narrow but seemed to take hours to negotiate. My nerves felt ragged by the time we left the mists behind. Suddenly, right in front of us, a bluish gas coalesced. Jik almost fell over in his effort to back away from it. I sent a quick command, and he steadied himself. “It’s Dragon,” I said. “She’s mimicking the gases.” Jik nodded, staring at the apparition unhappily. Noticing his expression, Dragon’s triumphant smile faded and the