In response to that, Steorf cast a minor spell of his own that illuminated his right hand. The radiance it cast was enough for them to see for about six feet around.
'I can cast a brighter one,' Steorf informed Tazi.
'I know you can,' she reassured him, 'but I don't want to overtax you just for this. Besides those two novices lurking about, who knows what else might cross our path?'
Steorf agreed. They left the mortuary-like tunnel and very cautiously re-entered the large cavern that was glowing with phosphorescent lichen. Tazi half-expected the remaining two Children of Ibrandul to ambush them there, but the chamber appeared empty.
'It figures those cowards would scurry back to their den,' Steorf commented.
'Either they thought those aranea would finish us off, or,' Tazi continued thoughtfully, 'they might have run back to inform the Lurker or even Ciredor that we survived.'
'Who knows what we might be walking back into?' Steorf pointed out.
'One thing's certain,' Tazi commented, 'it won't be a pleasant reunion.'
'Did you have any doubt?' Steorf asked with a touch of sarcasm.
'You were right,' she grudgingly admitted. 'We shouldn't have trusted them. Happy now?'
'Ecstatic,' Steorf deadpanned.
The two exited the chamber and began the daunting task of remembering the route they had taken, only in reverse. Tazi was certain that Steorf wasn't any surer of the route than she was. They tried to pool their recollections.
'Which way?' Steorf asked at one of the first junctions they came to.
Tazi studied both routes and closed her eyes momentarily. When she opened them, she regarded Steorf with a modicum of embarrassment.
'I'm not sure,' she told him. 'Dark!' she shouted at nothing in particular and kicked a small pile of rocks.
The sound echoed down the tunnels mournfully.
'Not only am I not sure which path to chose, I also made a horrible mistake at the Dark Bazaar,' she chided herself.
Steorf laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.
'You found out Ciredor's plan,' he reminded her. 'Now we have a much better idea what we're up against.'
She looked at him briefly and averted her eyes.
'Yes, I did discover that, but I should have thought out my question more carefully. If I had been clever, I would have found a way to ask his plan and his location. I paid dearly, and we're not really any better off than before.'
She absently rubbed her bare finger.
'You might have asked more carefully,' he agreed, 'and by the time you and I reunited, Ciredor might have changed positions. I think you did the best you could, given the situation. You can do everything right, and sometimes it isn't enough. However, sometimes it is.'
'Thanks,' she replied, not sounding convinced. 'The only thing I will admit is that the journey to the Night Market was useful. Perhaps more so than the bargain I struck while I was there. If we hadn't made the attempt, we would never have found out the truth about the Children of Ibrandul. Who knows what might have happened then? I do have something rather amazing to tell Fannah when we get back to her.'
'What is it?' Steorf asked, intrigued.
Tazi started to explain her meeting with Fannah's mother, but before she could finish, a scuttling resonated in the tunnel a short distance away. Tazi and Steorf froze in their tracks. Each looked at the other, and they drew their weapons in silent unison, immediately on guard. They continued in the direction they thought was the correct way back but also searched for the source of the sounds.
The rats found them soon enough.
Larger than the rodents Tazi had seen many times scurrying around the docks of Selgaunt Bay grabbing at scraps of fish, these subterranean creatures were a sickly white and, Tazi guessed, partially blind. Of the fifteen or so in the pack, a few hurried away at the scent of her and Steorf, but most held their ground, and some even swarmed at them.
'Back, curs,' Steorf shouted.
He managed to fend off a few as he thrust his glowing hand in their faces. Tazi could hear them squeal in pain and rage. She herself dispatched two right off, easily spearing one on each of her two guardblades. A third, however, slipped past her weapons and viciously tore at her ankle with its razor-sharp incisors.
'Bastard,' Tazi hissed, more out of rage than pain.
She kicked at it, and the animal, almost as large as a dog, was flipped into the air and struck the tunnel partition. The rat's skull split open, and the dying creature spasmed on the ground.
No sooner had the rat's blood begun to spill then three other albino monstrosities turned on their pack-mate and began to tear it apart. The squeals of both the dying and the feeding rats nearly reached a deafening pitch. One ran off with a large chunk of rodent flesh clamped firmly in its jaws. In its place, two others fought for position in the feeding frenzy.
'Back away!' Steorf yelled to Tazi, who had been watching the spectacle with morbid fascination.
The moment she was clear, Steorf ignited the horde of rodents. Those that hadn't yet reached the cannibalistic banquet ran in every direction from the intense heat and light emitted by the bonfire.
'I'm growing a little tired of all the roasting today,' Tazi joked as she massaged her ankle while leaning against the wall.
'How badly did it bite you?' Steorf asked as he reached her side.
Tazi flashed a rueful grin.
'I'm sure the beastie left me a nice bruise, but the tough hide of my boot kept it from puncturing my skin.'
She plucked out a lone tooth that had been embedded in her boot and flicked it away with distaste.
'I wonder what else lives down here?' Steorf pondered.
'I hope we don't find out. This way, I think,' Tazi said, pointing to her left.
She stood up, and they continued along the winding path.
Over time, Tazi and Steorf started to notice that they were subtly ascending with every turn they made. There weren't any other rats or spiders in the various tunnels through which they passed. Tazi took it as a good sign, though they kept their weapons drawn the whole time.
'How much longer do you think?' Steorf asked her.
'I'm not sure, but I think we're fairly close,' she replied. 'Do you think there might be any wards set up to alarm the Children of Ibrandul if we get too close? They've got to be expecting us.'
'Good question. I would assume there's always the chance. I'll keep an eye out for them,' he assured her.
'Then again, they might think that any one of the myriad creatures that live down here might be enough to do us in,' she remarked.
'Not a chance,' Steorf told her easily. 'It will take a lot more than a few vermin to-'
Tazi turned to see what had caused Steorf to stop speaking so suddenly, but he was nowhere to be seen in the dim light.
'Steorf?' she called worriedly and almost didn't see the pit that had suddenly opened up in front of her.
At the last minute, she caught herself right before she would have plunged over the side, arms pinwheeling frantically.
Carefully kneeling by the edge of the precipice, Tazi looked down. About fifteen feet below, she could see Steorf dangling by one hand. He had managed to snag a small crack in the wall. Another fifteen feet farther down Tazi was able to make out several large stalagmites that had been sharpened to razor points easily capable of impaling a human.
'Hang on!' she shouted to Steorf.
'Do I have a choice?' was his reply.
She pulled a length of cord from one of the pouches on her leather pants. Tying one end to a stalagmite near
