walking and hiding, a hunting party from the Keep found him. He sent this.” Mead handed over amuch-folded piece of parchment. Someone had drawn a rough map. The lines and writing were very shaky. “The curate says he began that not long after he firstcame here.”
“Any chance it’s useful?” Eddis asked.
“I think so,” Mead said. “The man is not mad, and though heremembers little of his journey here from the caves, he recalled much of the caves themselves. He also mentioned rumors of a human priest inside the caves who often demanded victims for sacrifice-and something about the undead.” Helooked around the table. “I have no magic to turn the undead.”
“No,” Jerdren said, “but a priest would. That man of yours,Eddis-Panev. He said he’d come and gladly. The curate says he’ll do well by us.I talked to Ferec just now. He’s got a man looking for whatever hard informationthere may be in old Macsen’s records.”
By late that night, he and Eddis had a solid count of twenty to go with them. The dwarves met with them only long enough to eat, answer a few questions, and add to Jerdren’s map of the lands outside the Keep. They left assoon as the meat and beer were gone.
The next few days were busy. Jerdren ran them all throughsome maneuvers, and they laid in provisions. Eddis made arrangements with the castellan to have emergency supplies of food and other needs ready for them, if they had to come back for such things, and he arranged for horsemen to escort the mounted party as far as a base camp well up the east road, to keep the horses and return every few days, so they could be reprovisioned, and any wounded could be returned to the Keep, if need be.
Finally, there, was nothing left to do except choose a day and hour to set out. Jerdren called a last meeting at the tavern late in the afternoon. Eddis settled as far as possible from Kadymus. The little thief was too smug for her taste, and she still didn’t trust him to keep his fingers tohimself.
She and M’Baddah sat against the wall, a wary Flerys betweenthem. She wore sturdy boots and dark pants and shirt. M’Baddah had found ahardened leather vest that would serve her as armor, as well as a shortbow and arrows, and three long throwing knives on a belt, and he’d persuaded her to joinhim them for target practice. Eddis knew Jerdren was still unhappy about the girl’s presence, but he’d seen the results of the outlander’s lessons: The girlwas reasonably accurate with the bow and not afraid to use the knives.
Jerdren brought her attention back to the moment as he clapped his hands to get the party’s attention. “One last meal here tonight,then everyone off for a good night’s sleep-ah, right, Eddis?”
She nodded.
“We’ll leave tomorrow at first light,” he went on. “Wagerwhatever you like, tomorrow will be a very long day.”
It had been Eddis’ suggestion that they leave so early. “Wecan come back to cheering crowds, Jerdren. Better we simply go and get this done, don’t you think?”
The company of men who would take care of their horses andbring them supplies led the way out the gate and down the still-shadowed road. Flerys rode behind M’Baddah, one hand clinging to his belt. The rest were strungout along the road.
They stopped an hour later to rest the horses and refill their water bottles. The familiar swampy country went by on their right, and now Eddis could clearly see the mound where lizardmen were said to live. It was far enough away that she couldn’t make out anything else.
Midday came and went. The company halted briefly for food. The air was clear and cool, and there was open ground all around them. Soon after, the ground began to rise and the hills to close in. Before long, the sky was a strip of deep blue, high above, and shadow lay heavily. The road wound down into a ravine, the sides rising steep and crumbly above their heads. Now and again, rock scree slid down toward them, but Eddis saw no sign of anything that might have loosened the slide.
On Jerdren’s suggestion, the company made no more stops butwalked the horses to rest them instead. Now the lead and rear guards rode with drawn swords and strung bows, and the elves kept watch on both flanks.
The afternoon dragged slowly on. Either the land was as empty as it appeared, or perhaps the company presented too large a threat for anything to challenge them, but they heard and saw nothing.
An hour before sunset-as best Eddis could tell by the deeperblue of the sky-they halted in a large clearing on the east flank of the road.There had been plenty of travelers here, over time, though the two blackened rings of stone looked long disused. The tattered end of a rope that might have once been a horse picket remained.
Men moved out to find wood, with guards to watch over them, while others went for water, taking the horses with them. By full dark, there were two fires and food, and Jerdren had posted guards all around.
Eddis felt edgy, and Jerdren looked it. He spent most of the dinner hour discussing plans that had already been set back in the Keep, mostly the disposition of the horse guards. Blorys finally murmured something against his ear, and the older man sighed and set his bowl aside.
“All right, we’ll stick with things as we planned ’em. Youmen ride back tomorrow, and three days past that, come back with spare horses and the provisions. Someone’ll be here to meet you, but if not, you stay thenight and go back at first light. Come back three days later.”
The guard knew all this by heart; Eddis could see it in his face. He merely nodded, and Jerdren turned to the next matter-choosing watchesfor the night.
After that, the men fell silent. With luck, Eddis thought, they’d find the caves somewhere nearby. With better luck, they’d win through,though at the moment, she didn’t feel as confident as she had the night before.Finally, she settled down close to M’Baddah and Flerys, snugged the blanketunder her chin, and turned her face from the fire. She was asleep in moments.
12
It was much colder and very quiet when she was wakened forher share of the watch around middle night. No wind, no insects or frogs down by the water. That means you’ll hear anything coming after the camp, she toldherself. Of course, it might mean they were near enough the caves that the creatures there had killed off even the smallest game. Not a good thought, here and now. Jerdren’s right, she thought. Why should you care if something eatsyour carcass, once you’re dead? A short while later, she went to waken Blorysand sought her blankets once more.
By daybreak, the Keep men and horses were gone, and most of the party was ready to move out, waiting only for Willow and M’Baddah, whohad gone across the road to check the lay of the land and see if they could locate landmarks on what Jerdren called the “madman’s map.” As Eddis checked thelast of her arrows and strung her bow, elf and outlander came back, and she could tell by M’Baddah’s normally impassive face that they had found something.A faint smile curved his lips, and his eyes were alight.
She was nervy, all at once. Ready to start moving, to do
“We’re somewhere close,” her co-captain said cheerfully.“Just as I said last night.”
She shrugged. “We knew that much. Everything I read mentionedthat ravine.”
“Sure, but that madman-”
“Zebos,” Willow corrected him quietly. “Zebos told us hiscompany did not like the look of the road ahead, where it plunged into a ravine. The big deserted camp they had just passed seemed too open. So they set up for the night in the trees just past the camp. M’Baddah and I found traces of such acamp, just down the road. Across the road, we could just see pale stone, rising above the trees. It is… not a good place, I think. Mead will be able to tellmore, when we go.”
“I felt nothing,” M’Baddah said, “but it will be hard work,making our way through those woods. There are no paths visible from where we were, and the undergrowth is thick.”
Jerdren grinned. “I’d say luck’s with us, so far.”
