But then, by the spirits, she and Sylph would find some time tobe alone. Thatwas her plan for the future.
He winked as he pushed to the front with Dina. He carried hissword in hand, and Dina had hers as well as a shield she’d retrieved from herhorse. They’d both covered their riding clothes with studded leather armor.
Thana stayed just behind them, carrying a light pyramid andfighting her nerves. She’d changed back into her cassock and had her stolensatchel slung around her. Sylph brought up the rear. She’d changed into a graycoat and dark trousers. She carried her stone pyramid and Thana’s detectionpyramid, which extended her already exceptional senses and would warn her ofany traps.
Of course, if they encountered any new crystal, it wouldcaptivate her all the faster.
A chance they had to take.
Sylph had to sift through the dirt until she found the tunnel, anarrow passage braced by wooden beams. Gunnar looked down it and frowned. Itled in the opposite direction of Marienne, and he’d clearly hoped to follow thepyradistés and catch them as they worked.
“If we hurry,” Dina said, “perhaps we can find where this crystalis coming from before we ride back to report.”
Gunnar frowned but nodded. “I suppose you’re right.”
Thana shivered. It was one thing to be brave in daylight, butanyone would balk at squeezing through that narrow, lightless passage. “Wecould collapse this part of the tunnel, but I guess that won’t do any good ifthey’re no longer using it.”
“I was just thinking that,” Sylph said.
Thana grinned. “Really?” She squeezed her arm. “Nice to knowwe’re so in sync.”
“Yes, you’re very cute together,” Gunnar said. “Let’s get goingbefore the ground gets jealous of you two and squashes us dead.”
Dina barked a laugh as she took point. Thana glared as Gunnarfollowed, but she fell in behind him. They moved as quickly as possible,everyone but Thana having to stoop. Pebbles rained down whenever they had tosqueeze, and she couldn’t imagine hauling crystal through the airless gloom. Nowonder they’d encountered so few pyramids. If the pyradistés succeeded intaking over, they could travel overland, and Marienne would be flooded withthis stuff.
And pyradistés like Sylph would wreak havoc unless they were sentaway. Or killed. She wondered which road the rogues would choose. Eitherdecision would make them just like the people they rebelled against.
The tunnel seemed endless, dusty and draining, but before Thanacould ask for Sylph to make them a bigger space to rest in, they broke into anatural cavern. By the groans and stretches of the others, they were as happyto see it as she was.
She held her pyramid high, illuminating jagged walls thatstretched fifty feet end to end and ten feet high. Slender columns of rockconnected the floor to the ceiling, and the slow drip of water came from onecorner under a low-hanging ledge. A veil of humidity coated everything in alayer of dampness, and Thana wiped her face as the close air made her sweat.
“No one dug this,” Dina said softly. “Do you think the pyradistésknew it was here and aimed for it?”
Gunnar peered down several natural tunnels that ran off thecavern before pointing to one. “This seems the most traveled. The pyradistésprobably used these caves to go as far as they could and only tunneled whenthey had to.”
Sylph moved to the center of the cavern and stood with her eyesclosed, holding her two pyramids. She seemed serene, and though Thana smiled tosee that, she wished she could share it.
“Are you all right?” Thana asked.
“Such age,” she said. “Difficult to comprehend but strangelycomforting.”
Thana didn’t quite understand, but falling into a pyramid oftenmade one slightly tipsy. For all she knew, communing with stone whileunderground could make one full-blown drunk. “I’m glad none of us isclaustrophobic.” She tried to laugh as her skin crawled.
Sylph opened her eyes. “You need never fear the stone’s collapsewhile I’m around.” Affection shone from her gaze, as if being underground lether emotions fly free. Or maybe it was because she was hidden from all but afew eyes.
Thana squeezed her arm, glad no matter what the reason. “I’llkeep that in mind.” She cleared her throat, desperate to change the subjectbefore she couldn’t resist kissing her. She nodded toward Gunnar and Dina, whowere looking down the other tunnels, one of which would require them to crawlon their bellies.
Spirits, it couldn’t be that one.
“Do you think Gunnar is right,” Thana said, “about the tunnel weneed to follow?”
She expected Sylph to examine the tracks, but she closed her eyesagain. “The memory of stone is tricky when it’s not been disturbed.”
“The memory of stone?”
Gunnar peered back at them, proving that he’d been listening inagain. Thana might have to kick him soon. “How can stone remember?” he asked.
Sylph opened her mouth, closed it, and shrugged. “I don’t knowhow to answer. You stand outside a gift I take for granted, and I know no wayto describe it.”
“A gift?” Thana echoed with a smile.
Sylph chuckled. “Grudgingly admitted.”
“You can speak with the rock?” Dina asked, her face alight withthe chance for new knowledge. “Do beautiful stones know of the pleasures theygive?”
“I have received no indication of such,” Sylph said with a smile.“But the idea that we converse is erroneous. It is…” She waved vaguely.“Intuition, I suppose.”
“And what does your intuition tell us about the right tunnel totake?” Gunnar asked, his tone a little teasing. Thana glared, hoping he saw thefuture in her cocked foot if he added poking fun to eavesdropping.
He winked as Sylph shrugged again. “That tunnel seems as good asany,” she said. After another moment with her eyes closed, she nodded. “Thereare more caverns in that direction, and something is moving through the stone,sending vibrations.”
Gunnar nodded, all business again as he took the lead. Thana’sheart thundered as they followed. They’d found someone at last. She supposedshe should hope it was the pyradistés. The idea of “something” moving throughthe stone was unnerving, especially considering what slept under
