It worked. Gialyn thanked Lud and then heard Elspeth tutting behind him – and then Bre’ach whispering from behind her, “Move faster, Gialyn.” Seemed he couldn’t win no matter what he tried. Ignoring Bre’ach, he continued to follow Lud’s advice. If nothing else, it was easier on his tired legs.
They continued climbing until, after maybe ten minutes, the path levelled out. The stones underfoot didn’t shift as much. To Gialyn’s right, the cliff that encircled the valley rose into the darkness. On his left, the centre of the valley was just about visible in the purple hue of late evening. Campfires – maybe a mile away, Gialyn thought – cast eerie shadows along the flat grassland of the inner valley. Below them, he could see short lines of Kel’madden marching in tight formation towards the fires. Every so often, he saw a cart, pulled by one of those strange dragon-like horses. There were regular horses, too. Although no one was riding them. Strapped to their backs, were large wicker baskets. Probably full of food, Gialyn mused.
“I’ll bet they stole those horses from the villages east of here,” Lud said, when he noticed Gialyn looking at them.
“How do you know that?” Elspeth asked him. They were all together, now that the path had levelled and widened.
“Those harnesses are Salrian leather; I would bet my last gold mark on it.”
“I didn’t know there were settlements that far east,” Bre’ach said. He, too, was looking at the horses, nodding his head in agreement. “Yes, they are Salrian. I saw their tracks when they came off the bridge; I doubt the Kel’madden would think to lip their shoes for mountain work.”
Lud mumbled his agreement. “And I doubt they would have come far enough west to pass through Uldmae or Tanith. There are a few smaller villages, up on the Broan tributary, that aren’t on the map.” His expression turned to one of worry. “My brother is up there, I hope they didn’t…”
Olg laughed quietly. “Don’t you worry, friend. If I know Van, he would have heard them coming a mile away. The man’s a legend; he’s never been caught.”
He said the last to Gialyn while tapping his nose.
“Aye, well, let’s hope so,” Lud said. “His wife is up there with him, and she’s with child.”
“They wouldn’t kill a pregnant woman, would they?” Elspeth asked far too loudly for Bre’ach, who hushed her immediately.
“It’s a war; people die,” Bre’ach told her.
Lud looked daggers at him. “You wouldn’t say that if it were your sister.”
“You’re right, I wouldn’t. But then, if I had a pregnant sister, I’d hope she had the good sense not to put her child in danger. She would be at home, where she could take care of herself.”
Lud had his hand on the hilt of his dagger. “Are you saying we don’t—?”
Gialyn thought the two were ready for a full-blown argument, but Lud released his grip on his dagger when Olg tapped him on the shoulder.
“No time for that, old friend,” Olg said.
Gialyn wondered what he meant by “that.”
Just as he thought tempers had cooled, Lud did pull his dagger, but instead of attacking Bre’ach, he crouched low and put a finger to his lips. Fran and Olg pulled their blades, too. Fran dipped down behind cover while Olg lay flat against the rock face.
Gialyn heard the sound, too, coming from further along the trail, and getting closer. Footsteps.
A Kel’madden Trooper rounded the large boulder and stopped dead when he saw Fran. The Trooper fumbled for his blade. He looked ready to shout, but Fran lunged at him and slid his dagger across the Trooper’s throat. His neck opened like a sack of grain cut with a shearing knife. Blood flowed evenly along the wound, pulsing in time with the Trooper’s heartbeat. Gialyn felt the urge to vomit, and he could hear Elspeth swallowing hard behind him. Before he knew what was happening, Fran had the Kel’madden on the ground with a knee on the back of his neck. The dying man gurgled a little, flayed his arms about, and then lay still. Neither Fran nor Lud looked at the dead man; both focused on Olg, who had taken a crouched position next to the same boulder Fran had hidden behind.
Bre’ach moved forward. He didn’t look at the dead man, either. “Was he alone?” he asked Olg.
“Yes, I think so.”
“We need to move quickly.” Bre’ach sheathed his blade and began patting down the dead man. “How far to the cave?”
Olg poked his head around the boulder. “Half a mile, maybe more.”
Bre’ach was now going through the dead man’s pockets, throwing things to one side and keeping others: bowstrings, whetstone, flint… “Is it clear?” he asked, without raising his head.
“It is now,” Olg answered. “It won’t be if they find him.”
“Nothing we can do about that; there’s blood everywhere. Couldn’t you have just hit him over the head?” Bre’ach said while glaring at Fran.
Fran looked about to answer when Olg interrupted. “And risk him shouting out? Don’t be a fool; he did what had to be done.”
Bre’ach said nothing. He stuffed what he had looted from the dead man into his pack and made his way to Olg’s side. After a long moment, he turned back to Elspeth. “We’ll run in twos,” he said, loud enough for all to hear, but still in a harsh whisper. “You go with Fran; Gialyn with Lud; and me and Olg will bring up the rear.”
“Why are we going first?” Elspeth asked.
“Because you two are the smallest and quietest; if you see anyone, you’ll have more chance of coming up on them unnoticed. Then you can warn us.”
Elspeth nodded her agreement but looked doubtful. She either did not like going first, or didn’t want to go with one of the poachers. But Fran showed no signs of concern. He readied himself and waited patiently for Elspeth to catch up. Once she had secured her bow and tightened the straps on her pack, the two moved off. They immediately disappeared into the shadows.
Gialyn followed, running half bent over. Lud stayed a pace ahead. Gialyn was mindful of each step, but every stone he shifted sounded like an avalanche. Lud moved quickly for an old man. Gialyn tried not to breathe too heavily as he struggled to keep up… which only made him breathe all the harder.
The path stayed level for a while. Lud led him all the way down to the valley floor. They caught up with Elspeth and Fran, who were waiting for them behind the only usable cover: a thick tangle of wolfberry bushes.
Elspeth looked white with fear; a thin sheen of sweat covered her face. “Are you all right?” he asked her. The look she gave said “No,” but she nodded and gave a thin smile.
Gialyn and Lud hid behind the bushes, too, and waited for the others to catch up.
A minute passed – then another. Gialyn began to worry. He thought he could see movement in the valley, just below where the dead man lay. Then a torch light struck up and someone began to climb up the ridge.
“Damn, they’ve found him,” Lud said. “No point sitting here. Let’s go.”
“No, we should wait for the others,” Elspeth said.
“Olg knows where we’re going, girl. If it’s safe, they will follow.”
“If it’s safe?” Gialyn looked at Elspeth as he spoke.
“Yes, boy… safe. Olg won’t risk leading them to us if he thinks they’re being followed.”
It made perfect sense to Gialyn, but he really didn’t want to go. Elspeth, on the other hand, was already following Fran. For the briefest of moments, Gialyn considered waiting, then Lud grabbed his arm and pulled him into line behind Elspeth.
Ten more minutes and they were at the mouth of the cave. Gialyn looked around for somewhere to hide while they waited for Bre’ach and Olg, but Lud tugged at his sleeve again.
“No waiting, boy. I told you – they’ll follow, if it’s safe.”
Reluctantly, Gialyn followed the old man into the Tunnels of Aldregair.
* * *
The tunnel twisted and turned for what seemed like an hour before it finally levelled out and straightened. The light from Elspeth’s small lantern was
surprisingly effective in the pitch darkness. Gialyn could see the ceiling of what looked like a long, narrow cavern. The walls were sheer and smooth. At the far end of the cavern, he could see a small waterfall splashing into a deep pool. There was light at the bottom of the pool, a strange blue light. Gialyn looked to Lud for answers, but the poacher just shrugged.
“What would do that?” Elspeth asked.
“Should we rest here? We can use that light and save the candles. We are well hidden,” Gialyn said.
He thought his idea made sense, but Lud had that look in his eye, the one that spoke of impatience. If Gialyn didn’t know better, he would say the man was trying to lose Bre’ach and Olg.
Fran agreed with him, though. “I think that’s a good idea, Master Gialyn. We should at least rest long enough to take stock and fill our waterskins.”
Lud sighed. “All right; but half an hour, no more.”
Elspeth blew out the candle and sat at the edge of the pool. The blue light lit up her face. Gialyn thought she looked better, more relaxed. Maybe she felt safer, somehow.
“How many candles do you have left?” he asked her. It was a stupid question, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say.
For a moment, Elspeth just stared at him. Then shuddered as though coming to her senses. “Oh, uh, I had a dozen. I think I have nine left.”
“Good… uh… yes, that should last a while. Gods alone know how long these tunnels are.”
“They’re eleven miles,” a voice said. “And why would you want to know that, hmm, why?”
It was only then that Gialyn noticed the fire pit and a rough-looking camp off to the right. The voice came from the darkness beyond.
Lud pulled his short-sword, and Fran his dagger. Both took up a fighting stance.
A figure stood up from the shadows and moved into the light. It was an old man. He raised his arms, and in a croaky, high-pitched voice said, “No need for that, son; I’m no one’s enemy. No, I’m not, hmm.”
“We’ll be the judge of that, old man. Who are you, what are you doing here?” Fran asked.
“Who am I? Hmm, I am Tamson. Yes, Tamson. I live here,” the old man said, looking at Gialyn. “Now, hmm, what are you doing here? That’s a better question, yes?”
To Gialyn, the old man sounded half-mad, like the miner who got himself trapped in the Rundair mine two summers ago and breathed in too much bad air.
Lud took a step forward. “Do you know who is in the valley? You should leave this place, old man.”
Tamson laughed. “I know very well who is out there, hmm, yes I do: I’ve been watching them for weeks. They won’t trouble me, no, not me, not Tamson. If they do, I’ll make them wish they hadn’t, yes I will. I’ll lead them so deep down a hole they’ll never get out. Hmm, never, no they won’t!”
Gialyn got his first good look as the old man walked closer to the blue pool. He was pale, as if his skin had not seen the sun in years. He wore nothing but a shabby, long robe. His hair was silver and his eyes white. Gialyn thought he might be an Albino. That would explain why he liked the dark. He had heard Albinos were sensitive to the sun – although he couldn’t remember who had told him; probably his father.
Fran sheathed his dagger, but Lud persisted in his questioning. “That’s as may be, old man, but you still—”
“Can you help us?” Elspeth interrupted.
“‘Help you’? Help you with what, pretty lady? Pretty lady, yes you are.”
Elspeth smiled and threw a sheepish sideways glance at Gialyn.
“We need to get through to the other side,” Gialyn said. Elspeth nodded.
“That’s easy, hmm, yes it is.” Tamson pointed down to where water flowed over the edge of the pool. “Follow the stream to the big cavern, yes? Then hug the right wall. Right is right, right is right! Hmm.” The old man sang the words tapping on his right arm. “The first tunnel, yes? The first tunnel will take you through, but mind you take the first, yes… the first… only the first! No, not the others, hmm, they lead to nowhere good. Find the other stream and follow it out, yes? Follow it all the way out, yes? Follow it out, all the way to the riiiiiver. You’ll know your way from there, yes?”
“Well… actually.” Elspeth said.
Tamson laughed. “Pretty lady is lost, oh dear, hmm. Where is pretty lady going?”
“Bailryn,” Elspeth and Gialyn replied in unison.
“Well then, you’re in luck, yes you are, the river runs right into Bailryn, it does.”
Finally, Lud lowered his shortsword. “I think you best come with us, uh… Tamson, is it?”
“That’s right,” Tamson said, “Tamson, that’s me. Don’t worry about Tamson, I’ll be safe here, yes? Once you four have gone. I’ll be safe.”
Elspeth mimed a curtsy to the old man. “Thank you, sir, but there are two of our friends out there. They shouldn’t be far behind. Would you mind telling them what you have told us?”
A smile creased Tamson’s old face. He bowed. “The pretty lady asks a favour. Yes, Tamson will help, hmm. Are they lost, too? Hmm…”
“Probably,” Elspeth told him.
“If they come, I’ll see they find the right path. Right is right, hmm, hmm, right is right!”
Gialyn watched as the old man fussed about with his belongings. He picked up an old torn scroll and scribbled on the back of it with a charcoal stick. After wiping his hand on his already filthy robe, he passed the scroll to Elspeth. “Here, pretty lady, here’s a map for you. Now you really must go, yes. If those men come while you’re here, there’ll be no running, no there won’t. You’ll end up down a hole, oh yes you will.” He bowed and then waved toward the exit. “Quickly now, quickly, don’t worry about your friends, If they come, I’ll take care of them. Yes, Tamson will take good care of them.”
Gialyn could still hear the old man mumbling thirty paces inside the tunnel. It wasn’t until Elspeth lit her lantern again and they turned a corner, that the sound dissipated. He wondered what Bre’ach would make of Tamson. I hope he has sense enough to listen.
“We should have brought him with us,” Lud said. “The old man is crazy; no telling what he might say if the Kel’madden found him.”
Fran made a grunting sound, and Gialyn wondered if Lud was right.
“We’ll find out if he can be trusted when we get to this cavern,” Elspeth said. “If the map is correct…”
“And if it’s not, it’ll be too late to do anything about it,” Lud said. Gialyn thought he was about ready to turn around and fetch the old man, but he shrugged and quickened his pace. “He’ll likely slow us down. Let him talk. If the Kel’madden come, we’ll be too far ahead to worry about them.”
“If the map is right,” Elspeth reminded him.
Lud said nothing.
They continued in silence through the seemingly endless tunnel. At times, it was barely wide enough to squeeze through. It’s just as well father isn’t here, Gialyn thought, never mind Arfael; he’d never make it through. At one point, the ceiling dipped so low that they had to crawl, pushing their packs in front of them. The thought of becoming stuck made Gialyn’s palms sweat. He concentrated on the two feet in front of him and tried to forget how far in front Fran was. The quiet poacher was small, even for a Salrian, and had no problems skimming his body along the tight tunnels. He was so far ahead the light from Elspeth’s lantern did not reach him.
“How can he see where he is going?” he asked Elspeth when they stopped to rest for a few minutes.
“He probably can’t. I’d guess he’s feeling his way.”
Gialyn nodded. “Yes, it’s not like we’re going fast enough to bump into anything.”
Elspeth chuckled nervously. It seemed she didn’t like these tunnels any more than Gialyn did.
“It can’t be much longer.” He squeezed her shoulder and she smiled.
She looked a little better for the rest. Tugging her waterskin from her pack, she took a long drink, then offered some to Gialyn. “I can’t believ
e I’m saying this, but do you think Bre’ach is safe?” she asked.
Gialyn put down the waterskin. “I don’t know. If they made it to the Tunnels, then… I was thinking about what Lud said, about them not leading the Kel’madden to us. I hope they haven’t turned back.”
Elspeth nodded. She was about to speak when Lud interrupted.
“Come on, you two; we’re not on a picnic.”
Elspeth rolled her eyes. “I’ll take Bre’ach over that one, any day,” she whispered.
Gialyn laughed quietly. He felt a pang of jealously that he tried hard to ignore. Don’t be a fool, Gialyn. Of all people, she doesn’t care for Bre’ach.
Finally, after another hour or so, the tunnel opened out into the cavern Tamson had told them about.
It looked very much like the last; the stream they had followed flowed into a central pool. Two smaller streams – more like springs – flowed out the other side. The ceiling was partially open to the night sky. Gialyn could see bats clinging to the upper shelf. They looked like they were eating fruit they had collected from their night-time excursion. The husks of various berries and the bats’ droppings fell like rain onto the cavern floor. Fortunately, it was all to the left, on the other side of the stream. The mounds of bat-waste were teaming with a dozen different kinds of crawling insect. The sight made Gialyn shudder, and Elspeth couldn’t even look at them.
Lud dropped his pack on the ground. He didn’t seem at all concerned about the insects. “According to the old man, we are nearly half way. We’ll have a ten-minute rest here before we carry on.”
Elspeth cringed. “Can we not go a little further?”
“The tunnel is right there,” Lud said, pointing to his right. “If you want to rest, it’s here or nothing.”
Elspeth huffed, and then checked a rock for movement before sitting down.
They had only been there five minutes when Gialyn heard a noise. Elspeth must have heard it too, as she spun around and looked wide-eyed with excitement.
“They’ve found us,” she said. “Thank the gods they have found us.”
Lud and Fran drew their blades again. They all stood staring at the tunnel behind them. Gialyn was surprised when he saw movement in the other opening, ten paces to the right. It was Bre’ach. He knew it immediately from his manner, but his smile dropped when he saw the state the Salrian face…
The Dragon Oracles: Omnibus Edition (The Eastern Kingdom Omnibus Book 1) Page 73