book. Some force-don't ask me
'And Esmir is next?' Leiria said.
Safar nodded. 'Yes. At Caluz.'
Leiria slumped, defeated.
'Don't worry,' Safar said, trying to sooth her. 'I have every chance of making it.'
'Oh, of course you do,' Leiria said, angry again. 'In a few minutes several thousand blood-thirsty soldiers will be charging into this valley-led by four great wolves from the hells. While you're hammering away at that machine, or whatever you plan to do to disable it. And you'll be there all by yourself with no one to guard your back, or help you.'
'Actually,' Safar said with a thin smile, 'I was planning on asking Iraj for help.'
Leiria waved, dismissing the remark. 'We don't have time for silly jokes,' she said.
'It really isn't a joke, Aunt Leiria,' Palimak broke in. 'He has to have Iraj there or the spell won't work.'
Leiria stared at Safar. The more she heard, the worse it became.
'Listen to me, Leiria,' Safar said. 'We really don't have as great a lead on Iraj as you think. He'll be in those mountains before the blink of an eye and everything we've done up to this point will be a tragic waste. I can delay him, perhaps even defeat him. Either way it will give my people the chance they need.
When you catch up to them, use the airship to speed things up. All you have to do is get them to the top of those mountains. Palimak can show you how to go from there.'
'Please, Safar!' Leiria said. 'Give me a chance to think. This is moving too fast and I don't know where it's going.'
Safar put an arm around her. 'The same place we've planned on from the beginning,' he said.
'Syrapis. But only if you do exactly what I tell you. Hear me out, Leiria. You have less than two days to get them through the portal before it closes. It shouldn't be too difficult-Palimak and I had no trouble getting back here. Even so, that's not much time to get to Caspan and meet Coralean.'
'That's right,' Leiria said, feeling numb. 'Otherwise he'll sail without us.'
'And he'd be insane to do otherwise,' Safar said.
They heard people shouting and turned to see that everyone had boarded the airship and was ready to go.
'Aren't you even going to say goodbye to them?' Leiria asked.
'I wish I could,' Safar said, eyes becoming moist. 'But they'd only argue with me and there isn't time.'
Leiria started to speak, but Safar stepped in, pulling her close. Crushing her to him, kissing her long and deep. A kiss of farewell. A kiss of regret.
Then he pulled away, saying, 'See you in Caspan!'
Leiria nodded. 'All right,' she said. 'Caspan.'
She turned and started for the airship, walking slowly so Palimak could catch up after he'd spoken to his father.
Safar knelt beside the boy. 'We've already talked about this,' he said, 'so you know what to do.'
Palimak rubbed an eye. 'Sure I do, father,' he said, voice trembling.
'Do you have the book?'
Palimak patted the package in his tunic and nodded. 'Yes, father,' he said.
'And when you get to Caspan,' Safar pressed, 'what then? What did we agree?'
Palimak dodged the question. 'I'm supposed to wait for you,' he said.
Safar pressed harder. 'Yes, but if it comes time to sail and I still haven't shown up-then what?'
Palimak started to cry, but Safar grabbed him by shoulders, stopping him.
'Then what, son?' he insisted. 'Then what?'
Palimak sniffed. 'We leave without you,' he said.
Only then did Safar pull him close, hugging him and whispering that he loved him and calling him a brave boy, a noble boy, who could do all the things his father asked of him.
Finally, Safar stood up. 'You'd better go, son,' he said.
Palimak straightened his shoulders, trying to look manful. 'Goodbye, father,' he said.
He started to turn to leave, then stopped. 'But what if they don't listen, father?' he asked.
'They'll listen,' Safar insisted.
'Sure, but what if they don't?'
And Safar answered, hard-'Then make them!'
When Iraj stepped into the passageway he suddenly became frightened. Attack seemed imminent, danger a densely coiled spring ready to snap. He smelled the fear in his spell brothers and knew they were experiencing the same sudden cold dread. Never mind they were surrounded by a veteran guard of soldiers and wizards prepared to die to protect them. Never mind the passageway into Caluz had been declared safe-the enemy driven back.
The feeling of dread persisted, growing stronger with each step they took down the wide, torch-lit corridor. Where every wavering shadow seemed an assassin gathering to strike.
Moments before they had declared victory. The trouble was the victory had come too easily. True, Fari and his wizards had cast the mightiest of battle spells to clear the passageway-and beyond. They'd reamed it with magical fire, followed up by soul-shriveling spells no mortal could withstand. At the same time, expecting a counter-assault from Safar, they'd thrown up impenetrable shields designed to turn his own attack against him. Luka had quickly followed up, sending his best fighters rushing behind the spells to wipe out any force that remained.
Safar's expected counter never came and when the soldiers burst into the light on the other side, there was no one to meet them, with only the bodies of their own dead for evidence that any fighting had gone on before. Confident, Iraj had brushed aside all doubt and ordered his party forward to finish off Safar.
Now, as he moved toward the light shimmering at the end of the passage, all those doubts returned-and in greater strength. He thought, it's impossible … Safar couldn't have been defeated so easily. Then a second fear- what if he were dead? Iraj had to catch Safar alive, then kill him with his own hands or all his plans would be for naught.
Mind in turmoil, belly roiling with conflicting emotions, Iraj burst out of the passageway into dazzling light.
And found-nothing.
Iraj blinked in the strong sunlight, struggling to regain his bearings in the odd beauty of Caluz. All was serene, all was peaceful, but no matter where he looked he saw not one living soul.
He sniffed the air-Safar's spoor was so strong he knew he still must be there. His companions evidently agreed.
'It's only one of Timura's tricks,' he heard Fari say.
'Yes, yes, a trick,' Kalasariz agreed.
'A pitiful trick at that,' Luka added. 'There's no place he can hide that we can't find him.'
Just then-on the hill directly opposite them-Iraj saw a lone horseman ride into sight. The man waved at him, almost cheerily, as if greeting an old friend.
It was Safar!
And he rose in his stirrups to shout: 'This way, Iraj!'
Then Safar swung the horse about and cantered easily back down the hill as if he had nothing to fear in the world.
The airship hovered just above the mountain path, a sentinel for the last group of Kyranians streaming out of the Caluzian Valley to safety.
Palimak crouched in the observer's platform, watching the villagers pass under him. In a few minutes the airship would get the signal from Dario that all had crossed. Then it would be Palimak's duty to lead them through the portal to Caspan. He tried hard not to think about what would happen after that.
