'You did well. We should be back in Sigil in no time.' The Thrasson waved Tessali down from the wall. 'Come along. We won't hurt you, and you can tell me about the Lady of Pain. I'd like to know more about her before I present Poseidon's gift again.'
Tessali's wild-eyed fear gave way to gape-mouthed incredulity. 'You're barmy as a dretch in Cania.' He climbed down from the wall, shaking his head slowly. 'And I must be an addle-cove for keeping your company.'
Rewinding as he walked, the Amnesian Hero followed the thread into the dim comer. As he and his companions moved, the darkness seemed to thin ahead and swallow everything behind. It took only a few steps to reach the corner and discover that the wall no longer abutted the hut Instead, a long narrow passage had opened between the two. The golden thread ran straight down this corridor and disappeared into the silent gloom ahead.
'This can't be right,' Tessali whispered. 'There should be a busy street here.'
'There should be a wall.' Jayk was standing beside the hut, looking down a gloomy side passage that ran along what had once been the front of the building. Now it was simply a long wall of unmortared stone, similar to the one down which the golden thread ran. She kneeled and began scraping at a stone with her fingers. 'This is where I tied the thread.'
'That is the trick of mazes,' the Amnesian Hero said. 'You cannot trust what you remember. You must place your faith in the thread, no matter how strange its course may seem.'
Tessali shook his head emphatically. 'I climbed over only one wall before I found you, and it was no thicker than my foot is long. We must be going in the wrong direction.'
'By that thinking, when you climbed the wall, you would have seen the street on the other side.' The Amnesian Hero continued to rewind the thread. 'Did you?'
'I saw nothing but… nothing.'
'Then trust to the thread. This place makes no sense, and only the thread can lead us back to the world we know.'
With that advice, the Amnesian Hero started down the passage, his frozen foot clumping bluntly on the rock- hard ground. He had forgotten all about it during his audience with the Lady of Pain, but now he recalled that he needed to find a healer before it thawed. He redoubled his pace, wrapping the thread around the spool so furiously that his wrist began to tire. They passed several more side passages before following the thread down one, then began a zigzagging course through the murky corridors. The Thrasson did not ask Jayk how long her spell would last; even if he had truly wanted to know, the knowledge was no use to him. Aside from walking faster, he could do little to speed their escape.
Hoping to keep his thoughts off his foot, the Thrasson waved Tessali to his side. 'You may tell me about the Lady of Pain.'
'What do you want to know?'
The elf had no trouble keeping pace with the Amnesian Hero. Even at his best, the Thrasson could not rewind the spool faster than his companions could walk. If his foot started to thaw, he would have to give up rewinding the thread and simply follow it to the exit, but he was loath to abandon one of the few possessions linking him to his past.
'I need to know everything about the Lady,' said the Amnesian Hero. 'Who is she?'
Tessali scowled. 'What kind of question is that?'
'An honest one, but of course,' said Jayk. 'There are so many things Zoombee does not know. He has lost his memory.'
Tessali arched one of his peaked eyebrows. 'Truly? That is interesting.' He rubbed his chin, then looked back to the Thrasson. 'With a little work, we can discover what you're trying to forget.'
'I am not trying to forget anything.'
Tessali looked doubtful. 'How would you know that without knowing what you've forgotten? In these cases, by far the most are caused by a simple lack of mental strength…'
'My mind is as strong as my arm.' The Amnesian Hero glared down at the elf. 'Just tell me how I can get the Lady of Pain to accept Poseidon's gift. I'll be fine.'
Tessali rolled his eyes. 'You see, this is exactly what I'm talking about. If you'll just let me help you, you won't need to ask such addle-headed questions. You'll know why that can't be done.'
The Amnesian Hero almost stopped to face the elf, then thought of his frozen foot and followed the thread around a dark corner. The hard-packed ground gave way to cobblestones, while the stones in the corridor walls were now held in place by generous amounts of mortar. The Thrasson might have been tempted to accept Tessali's offer of help, had he not suspected the elf would insist on a stay in the Gatehouse after they escaped the mazes.
'Just tell me about the Lady of Pain,' commanded the Amnesian Hero. 'Poseidon has promised to restore my memories after I deliver this amphora to her.'
'He'll never be forced to keep that promise, which you would know, were it not for your unfortunate – and most likely curable-condition.'
Tessali, the Amnesian Hero realized, was insidiously clever. Even as he dodged the questions about the Lady of Pain, the elf was deftly tiying to bait the Thrasson into accepting help.
'I should warn you, Tessali, that I regard the dodging of my questions the same as making trouble.' Without slowing his pace, the Amnesian Hero cast a meaningful glance in Jayk's direction. 'I suggest you start answering.'
'Let me have him now, Zoombee.' As she spoke, Jayk slipped up close behind Tessali and pushed her head over his shoulder. 'Already, he has dodged many questions, yes?'
'No!' Tessali skipped forward, then gazed over his shoulder at the Amnesian Hero. 'I was only suggesting how I might help you remember for yourself.'
The Amnesian Hero motioned Jayk back to her place, then spoke to the elf. 'For now, Tessali, I prefer that you
