Zedal frowned at me, but it was clear I was getting through.
“Second, it’s a matter of speed,” I continued. “We need to get into the fortress before the cult realizes that they’ve lost their army. If you come with us right now, it will take twice as long to cross the valley, and we might miss our chance. Eat, rest, recover, even start training to fight on that crutch. There are better ways for you to spend today than coming with us.”
Zedal sank onto the bottom stair, her remaining leg stretched out in front of her. She glared at the stump. “Fine,” she muttered. “Just don’t get yourselves killed.”
Soon after, we headed out of the temple and down the mountain stairs to the valley below. Ganyir and I led the way, followed by Kegohr and Tahlis, then the initiates. Vesma and Kumi brought up the rear. Everybody had a small pack of supplies and their weapons. Everything else was left behind. We couldn’t waste effort on anything that wasn’t vital to our mission.
As we walked, Ganyir told me more about the fortress we were heading for.
“That place dates back to the early days of the Gonki,” he said. “Before we became a force to make the world tremble. In those days, our valley sometimes came under attack, and there had been terrible losses when Hyng’ohr fell to barbarians. Great storms were also common in the valley, storms that could tear apart ordinary houses.
“The fortress was constructed as a defense against both of those threats. The walls were built sturdy so that the people of the valley could retreat behind them and be safe both from the weapons of the enemy and from the wild winds of nature. They withstood the battering of siege engines and of tornadoes, while our ancestors sat safely inside.
“When we became more powerful, its use started to change. It wasn’t needed as a shelter any more. Instead, it became a barracks, a prison, even a bastion for the valley’s less popular rulers. Whoever holds it holds power in the valley.”
“Then won’t the Cult of Unswerving Shadows have based themselves there?” I asked. “They can always travel into Hyng’ohr when they need to.”
“As I said before, the valley is controlled from the fortress, but it is more easily managed from the city. And besides, the fortress is cramped and uncomfortable by comparison with the City Palace. I would bet much of my life’s blood that Saruqin and his favorites are living in luxury rather than bunkering down in the side of a mountain.”
From the bottom of the mountain stairs, we headed off-road to travel directly toward the fortress. Given the barren nature of the valley, there was little to block our way—no crops we might have trampled or fenced enclosures to keep in animals. Our route was almost a straight line, with only brief detours to circumvent rocky outcrops or patches of particularly treacherous and shifting sand. The biggest obstacle was the dried-up river bed, and we were well used to crossing that by now.
By the middle of the day, we were approaching the fortress up a dusty and rock-lined road. It was a colossal stone building fixed into the mountainside above Hyng’ohr City. Parts of it seemed to have been carved directly from the raw, yellow-gray rock, while others were built from carefully cut stone. High walls were dotted with cylindrical, dome-topped towers. Crenelated battlements ran around the bases of those domes and along the tops of the walls, providing protection for anyone defending the fortress. Narrow arched windows looked down from the walls, offering more vantage points to shoot from or to drop rocks on anyone who tried to storm the place.
A road ran down the mountainside from the palace to the city. We stopped just before our path intersected with it.
“I will scout ahead,” Tahlis said. “To see how busy the fortress is and how watchful its guards appear.”
“I could help, Master,” Elorinelle said. Her eyes flitted between the guildmaster and the fearsome fortification up ahead. “I have a keen eye.”
“I know you do,” Tahlis said. “But scouting is about where you can get, not just what you can see.”
“I know I’m not as slim as some of the other girls,” Elorinelle said, “but I’m still nimble.”
She looked away from the guildmaster, biting her lip.
“I understand.” Tahlis laid a hand gently on her shoulder. “And in other circumstances, you would be a great asset. But can you do this?”
The ground opened beneath him, and he disappeared into the dirt. A moment later, he reappeared on the far side of a heap of rocks.
“No, Master,” Elorinelle admitted. “Not yet.”
“Then I’ll do this one alone. And when this is over, we’ll talk about training you in more techniques.”
He scurried off up the road, leaving us to wait.
We took the opportunity to rest our weary legs, eat, and take on water. The whole time, I kept my eye on the road from the city to the fortress, watching out in case of trouble. The road led into a gateway at the rear of the city, not as grand as the one where we’d fought the golem but large enough to let laden wagons in and out.
“That’s the Pathway Gate,” Ganyir said. “Because it faces away from the docks, it’s never needed to cope with as much traffic as the Main City Gate. Not that there’s much going through there right now.”
“It will get better,” I said. “Growth and trade will return once you’re in charge again.”
“I hope so. But I made some
