The Demon's Den

Jors swallowed and took a deep breath. :No. It's too dangerous. There's already been one accident. I don't want anyone dying because of me.:

:Chosen ... The Companion's mind-touch held a tone Jors had never heard before.. I don't think she's doing it for you.:

When they stopped, An took a moment to work some feeling back into each hand in turn. Herald's probably going to have my finger marks permanently denting his gear. Below her, the Companion stood perfectly still, waiting.

'We're going to have to do this together, Shining One, because if I do it alone, I'll be too damned slow. Go past the mine about fifty feet and look up. Five, maybe six feet off the ground there should be a good solid shelf of rock. If you can get us onto it, we can follow it right to the mouth of the mine and avoid all that shale shit.'

The Companion whickered once and started walking. When she felt him turn, Ari scooted back as far as she could in the saddle, and flopped forward, trapping the coil of rope under her chest. Stretching her arms down and around the sleek curve of his barrel, she pushed the useless stirrups out of her way and clutched the girth.

'Go,' she grunted.

He backed up a few steps, lunged forward, and the world tilted at a crazy angle.

Ari held her uncomfortable position until he stopped on the level ground at the mouth of the mine. 'Remind me,' she coughed, rubbing the spot where the saddle horn had slammed into her throat, 'not to do that again. All right, Shining One, I'll have to get off the same way I got on.'

His movement took her by surprise. She grabbed for the saddle, her cold fingers slipped on the wet leather, and she dismounted a lot farther from the ground than she'd intended.

A warm muzzle pushed into her face as she lay there for a moment, trying to get her breath back. 'I'm okay,' she muttered. 'Just a little winded.' Teeth gritted against the pain in her stumps, she pushed herself up.

Soft lips nuzzled at her hair.

'Don't worry, Shining One.' Tentatively she reached out and stroked the Companion's velvet nose. 'I'll get your Herald out. There's enough of me left for that' She tossed her head and turned toward the mine, not needing eyes to find the gaping hole in the hillside. Icy winds dragged across her cheeks, and she knew by their touch that they'd danced through the Demon's Den before they came to her.

'Now, then ...' She was pleased to hear that her voice remained steady. '... we need to work out a way to communicate. At the risk of sounding like a bad Bardic tale, how about one whicker for yes and two for no?'

There was a single, soft whicker just above her head.

'Good. First of all, we have to find out how badly he ...' A pause. 'Your Herald is a he?' At the Companion's affirmative, she went on. '... how badly he's hurt. Ask him if he has any broken bones.'

:I don't know. I can't move enough to tell.:

Ari frowned at the answer. 'Yes and no? Is he buried?'

:Only half of me.:

:Chosen, I have no way to tell her that.:

.•Then, yeah, I guess I'm buried.:

'Shit.' There could be broken bones under the rock, the pressure keeping the Herald from feeling the pain. Well, she'd just have to deal with that when she got to it. 'Is he buried in the actual mine, or in a natural cave?'

:She seems to think it's good you're in a natural cave.:

Jots traced the rock that curved away from him with his free hand. His fingers were so numb he could barely feel it. :Why?:

:I can't ask her that, Chosen. She wants to know if you turned left around a corner, about thirty feet in from the entrance to the mine.: