One addressed Orchid in a whispered breathless version of Andii. She answered, then translated: ‘They say we are polluting sacred ground and that they will cleanse us.’
‘Ask for the way out and tell them we’ll go right away.’
She spoke again and the same one answered. Orchid translated: ‘It says the way out is the way we came in.’
‘Perhaps there is a back door?’ Corien asked, raising his sword and gauche.
The shapes were crowding very close now, almost a solid sheet of impenetrable black surrounding them. Orchid spoke again and was answered.
‘What did it say?’ Antsy asked.
‘You don’t want to know,’ Orchid said, her hands falling.
‘Try that incantation thing again,’ Antsy told her.
‘That won’t work here. We really
The scrap of elemental night gestured then, an unmistakable sign of dismissal or end of debate, and Antsy wondered whether munitions would have any effect upon them.
Suddenly a new voice rang out in the Andii tongue, loud and firm. A man stepped through the ring. He was obviously Tiste Andii with his night-black skin, but there were differences from other Andii Antsy had seen. His eyes were the same almond shape but more lifeless-looking, being black on black. His hair was dark as well, and very long. He wore it loose, hanging to his shoulders. His clothes were dark yet rich: a shirt, vest and open robes all of a velvety cloth. He was also rather heavier-set than most Andii Antsy had met.
The man faced an amazed Orchid, looked her up and down, and smiled. ‘I was meditating … saying my goodbyes if you will … when whispers reached me through the night of the True Tongue spoken by a young woman. At first I could not believe it. All were sent away. Yet here you are speaking the Noble Language. I cannot tell you how pleasing it is to me to hear it once more.’ He bowed, smiling even more broadly. ‘Forgive me, but it has been a
One of the shades spoke and the man frowned. He gave a curt answer but the shape replied firmly. The man turned from Orchid, crossed his arms. He spoke again, and while his tone seemed light enough Antsy sensed the iron beneath the words. It also seemed suddenly rather cold in the chamber. Antsy edged away from the man and noted that the gems beneath his boots no longer gave off light. It was as if they were dead, or had had all the light sucked from them.
Then, raising the hair on Antsy’s neck, the entire ring of shades bowed to the man, murmuring. Orchid paled, a hand going to her throat as if to cut off what she almost blurted out.
The shades withdrew and the man turned once more to Orchid. ‘My apologies. They have their duties. One mustn’t blame them for being true to their assigned tasks.’
Antsy sheathed his long-knives. ‘Well, thanks for intervening. Do you know if there is another way out of this place? If there is, we’ll be on our way.’
It was as if he’d not spoken at all. The man continued to study Orchid, his chin pinched between his fingers. ‘What is your name, child?’
‘Orchid.’
‘Orchid? In truth? That is an Andii name. Did you know that?’
Orchid’s face darkened even further in a blush. ‘No, sir. That is, no. I did not.’
‘And what’s your name?’ Antsy asked loudly. Corien set a hand on his elbow.
The man’s unnerving black eyes slid to him. ‘You may call me Morn.’
‘Morn? Right. Well, you just point us in the right direction and we’ll leave you in peace.’
The eyes slid back to Orchid. ‘Perhaps you should remain here. You would be safe and welcome.’
If anything the girl paled even more to a sickly near-grey. ‘We must be moving on.’
‘What is it you seek?’
‘The Gap. We just want to get out of here.’
The man frowned almost as if hurt. ‘Really, child? Don’t you wish to remain? To learn more of your inheritance?’
Swaying, she barely whispered, ‘What do you mean?’
Morn spread his arms wide to indicate the entire chamber and perhaps also everything beyond. ‘I mean, Orchid … welcome home, Child of the Night.’
Her eyes rolled up then and she fainted. She would have smacked her head on the stone floor had not Antsy jumped forward to ease her fall.
*
The place wasn’t so bad, Antsy reflected, once you got used to the wraith-like beasties occasionally wafting forward to look you over — perhaps searching for the best place to bite. In any case in terms of his own personal philosophy he couldn’t complain: he wasn’t dead yet.
He and Corien saw to their weapons and armour. Corien morosely inspected what was left of his brocaded jacket. Orchid walked the chamber hounded by the creature Morn, who seemed determined to persuade her to stay. Antsy hoped she wouldn’t be beaten down, despite the possible truth of this revealed ancestry of hers. Which might or might not even be true. And frankly he had his doubts. He doubted everything until it betrayed him or bit him or tried to kill him — and then he knew he’d been right about it all along.
He and the lad had a few practice sparring matches. Corien was still weak on one side but other than that Antsy knew he faced a duellist vastly more skilled than he. ‘You Darujhistani fellows all seem to be pretty damned good with the sword,’ he told him as they sat resting after a long bout. ‘Why’s that?’
The lad’s shrug said he didn’t rightly know. ‘We have a tradition of swordsmanship that goes back a long way.’
Antsy grunted his understanding. ‘Like where I’m from. We’ve been fighting each other for so long that forming line and taking orders is second nature.’
Corien gave an easy admiring laugh. ‘That’s where we tend to fall short. On that forming line and taking orders part.’
Orchid approached followed by her new shadow. Antsy pulled out a strip of dried meat and cut a bite off, chewing. ‘What’s the verdict?’ he asked around his mouthful.
‘We have to go. This place is still a deathtrap. The longer we remain … well, I’m afraid it will finally get us.’
Antsy shoved home his knife. ‘I’m with you there.’
Morn stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back. ‘If you must go, allow me to guide you.’
‘We make for the Gap,’ Orchid warned, firm.
‘If that remains your wish.’
‘Do you know another way out of this place?’ Antsy asked.
‘Yes.’
‘Okay. Lead on.’
The shade, or Andii, or whatever he was, bowed. ‘Very good.’
They gathered together their gear. Orchid was also firm about carrying the remaining waterskins and shoulder bags of food and supplies — including Antsy’s pannier. He and Corien tried to talk her out of it but fared no better than Morn had in changing her mind.
When they were ready she gestured Morn to go ahead. Antsy fell in next to her. He had the crossbow readied once more. ‘Will we still be able to see?’
‘I think so.’
‘Good.’ He cleared his throat, eyed Morn where he walked in front of them. ‘So … what do you think about his claim? You bein’ part Andii and that.’
The tall girl bit her lip — she appeared terrified by the idea. ‘I don’t know. Part of me feels that it is right. But … I can’t be sure.’ Her gaze shifted to Morn. ‘Part of the reason I can’t be sure is I don’t know if we can trust this one.’
Prudently, Antsy merely nodded his agreement.
‘He is more than he pretends to be,’ she continued. ‘The shades … maybe I misheard, or mistranslated, but
