Beyond the Draak’s Teeth

by Marcia J. Bennett

  Theon and Hallon returned just as Diak drew a crude map from his pack.

  “I made this years ago,” Diak began, “following several unsuccessful trips into the mountains. I’ve charted the way up to here, near the timberline.” Diak’s forefinger rested on the map three-quarters of the way up the mountain. “From this point on, I tried going north to what appeared to be a wedge, a place where the ridges overlapped, but I couldn’t find a break in the mountains. I was sure that the best way to cross the mountains would be here”—his fingers moved farther north—“or here. But I was wrong.”

  Diak pulled out the worn diary. “According to Freeman’s diary, his ancestors came over the mountains through a pass farther south. At the foot of the pass, there’s a place where hot springs send steam shooting into the air. Beyond the springs lies a valley where rock cliffs shelter a river of ice that leads up over the mountains.”

  Theon frowned at the old man. “What if the diary is wrong, and this pass doesn’t go anywhere? What then?”

  “There has to be a way through the mountains. The journal says so.”

  “How long has it been since the last time you were up in these mountains, old man?” Theon demanded.

  Diak’s eyes stayed on the map. “Fifteen or sixteen years.”

  “Sixteen years! But I thought that—”

  “Theon.” Gringers’s voice held a warning note.

  Theon glared at his friend. “I don’t like this, Gringers. You made me believe that this old man knew where he was going.”

  “I made you believe nothing. You’re here because you are a greedy devil, and you hope to be in on a rich find. Well, no one’s going to force you to climb these mountains. Go! Take one of the boats and go back to the Homeraft if you want to. Finish out the season with Seevan, and return to Fisherman’s Landing. Go on! No one here will try to stop you.”

  Theon made a face. “I’ve nothing back there, and you know it.”

  “Then stay! But stop complaining. If we’re going to get over these damn mountains, we’re going to have to work together.”

  Theon looked at Diak, then turned back to Gringers. “All right. Together.”

  “No more complaints?”

  Theon shook his head. “No more complaints.”

  “Good. Then finish up. It’s time we got started.”

  Chapter 16

  THREE DAYS OF STEADY WALKING BROUGHT GRINGERS and his small party up out of the foothills. From that point on, the slopes grew steeper and aban and lingerry trees gave way to gian and rilror pine. Narrow, sheltered valleys provided refuge each night, and Bhaldavin easily sang away the three immature draak they encountered. There were no signs of gensvolf in the area.

  On their fourth night out, Gringers chose a stand of gian pine for their campsite. Here the trees grew so close together that none but the very smallest of draak would venture in.

  Camp was quickly set up. Diak and Bhaldavin, who had succumbed to the fast-moving water and slippery rocks of the river they had crossed that day, stripped and hung their wet clothing on branches near the fire. Gringers and Theon helped sort through their packs while Hallon tended the fire.

  Bhaldavin was tired, and a quick glance at Diak told him that he wasn’t the only one to feel the weight of his pack and the strain in his back and legs. Just thinking about the climb still ahead of them made him wonder if the old man was going to make it—if any of them would.

  Supper was dried kansa, a handful of hait nuts, several strips of smoked nida, and a hot cup of rayil tea laced with a few drops of luclatch, a potent brew distilled in the Reaches.

  Bhaldavin looked up at the darkening sky and sipped at the last of his tea. The warm passage was nearing its end, and the daylight hours were growing shorter. Already there was snow on the high peaks, and Diak’s claim that they wouldn’t be able to cross the mountains without running into some snow made Bhaldavin nervous. He had never before seen snow or ice, and Diak’s description of his own venture into the heights made him shiver and edge a little closer to the fire, pulling his blanket tight around his shoulders.

  Theon sat down beside Bhaldavin. His hand casually dropped onto Bhaldavin’s bare thigh. “Warm enough, Little Fish?”

  Bhaldavin nodded. The fire’s warmth and the density of the pines helped negate the coolness of the wind that had suddenly sprung up.

  “Your clothes should be dry soon,” Theon continued. “How is your foot?”

  “Tender.” He lifted his left foot and inspected the cut on the outside of his ankle. The rocks in the stream had been sharp as well as slippery, and he had sliced his foot when he lost his balance. The ankle was sore to the touch, but the bleeding had been minimal.

  Gringers approached carrying something. He frowned as his glance touched Theon.

  Theon grinned and removed his hand from Bhaldavin’s leg.

  Gringers shook his head. “You never stop trying, do you?”

  “Just trying to make you jealous, my friend.”

  “You’re a lost cause, Theon.”

  Theon shrugged. “Perhaps.”

  “Here, Bhaldavin,” Gringers said, handing Bhaldavin a pair of boots. “Try these on.”

  Bhaldavin cradled the boots with his legs and looked them over, fingering the three-layered soles and the overlap below the knee where the boots were tied.

  “We’ll all be wearing them from this point on,” Gringers said. “The climbing will get rougher as we go higher. They’ll help protect your feet.”

  Bhaldavin had never worn any kind of foot covering; it was hardly necessary in the Deep, where the forest floor was soft with layers and layers of old leaves.

  “Try them on,” Gringers urged. “I want to see if they fit.”

  Bhaldavin put the boots on and wiggled his toes as Gringers leaned forward and tied the laces for him. The boots felt strange, confining.

  Gringers caught the look on Bhaldavin’s face and lightly slapped his legs. “You’ll get used to them. Give them time. Believe me, you’ll be glad of them before long.”

  Gringers looked at Theon. “What about you?”

  “I’ll wear my sandals awhile longer. They’re comfortable.”

  “It would lighten your pack if you’d wear your boots.”

  “Not that much.”

  “Theon, I don’t want to argue with you. I want you—”

  “Gringers!”

  The urgent tone in Hallon’s voice brought Gringers to his feet. “What is it?” he demanded.

  Hallon stood facing the trees on the downward slope. “I heard something.”

  “Draak?”

  “I don’t know. It was a snapping sound.”

  Gringers crossed to where Diak sat and retrieved his bow from the ground. “Diak, put more wood on the fire. Theon, stand ready. Bhaldavin, get over here. If it’s a draak, you’ll have to… ”

  Gringers’s words trailed off as someone stepped out from behind the trees.

  “Not a draak, Gringers,” Lil-el said calmly. “Just me.”

  Bhaldavin was past Gringers and Hallon in several quick strides. “Lil-el!”

  She opened her arms to him, ignoring his nakedness as his blanket slipped from his shoulders. They held each other a moment or two, then Gringers was there, pulling them apart.

  “What in the name of Brogan’s draak are you doing here?” he demanded angrily.

  Lil-el faced him squarely. “I am where I want to be: with Bhaldavin.”

  “What about the rafts? And Seevan? When he finds you gone, he’ll spit blood!”

  “Let him.”

  “But—but you don’t understand,” he yelled. “He might’ve overlooked our taking Bhaldavin, but if he thinks we took you too, he’ll—he’ll—”

  “He will what? Follow you into the mountains? I doubt that. He might spend a few days looking for me, but he has others to think about and he still has three draak singers, enough to see him and the rest of the clan safely back to Lake Arden.”

  “That’s not the
point. He’ll think I took you!”

  “But you didn’t, and I’ll tell him so when I see him again, if I ever see him again.”

  Gringers took hold of her arms. “You can’t come. You must go back.”

  Lil-el tried to remain calm, but her voice rose. “I won’t! You can’t make me. I’ve chosen Bhaldavin for my life mate and I go where he goes.”

  “Why you—”

  Bhaldavin saw Lil-el wince and quickly pushed himself in between them. “Let her go, Gringers! Let her go, or I’ll never sing for you again!”

  Startled by the vehemence in Bhaldavin’s tone, Gringers released Lil-el and stepped back, glaring at the two Ni. He pointed a finger at Lil-el. “You are not going to stay.”

  “I am.”

  Suddenly Theon stepped in. “Gringers, enough! She’s here; she’ll have to stay. Not unless you want to escort her back—straight into Seevan’s waiting arms. He’d like that.”

  Gringers turned on the small man. “Be still!”

  “Go ahead, yell,” Theon taunted, ignoring the baleful look on Gringers’s face. “Get it out of your system. Then after you’ve calmed down, you’ll realize that Lil-el’s being here might mean all the difference in our making it to Barl-gan. Just think, now we’ve got two draak singers to protect us. Two! And an extra pair of hands if we need them.”

  “Damn it! You don’t understand.”

  “Oh, I think I do. It’s Seevan, isn’t it? And what he thinks about you. Damn it, why do you care anymore? He’s called you thief, spine-head, and a dozen other names I could mention. Gringers, grow up! Live for yourself! Not for that self-righteous bastard who just happens to be your uncle. I begin to think that this whole thing about finding Barl-gan is just a way for you to get Seevan to notice you. That’s it, isn’t it? That’s what climbing this damn mountain is all about.”

  Gringers lashed out, moving so fast that Theon was caught off guard. Reeling from the blow to his nose, Theon fell backward into Hallon, who caught him and lowered him to the ground.

  Hallon quickly stepped away as Gringers came to stand over Theon.

  “Barl-gan is for me and for Diak!” Gringers snarled. “Seevan has nothing to do with it, is that clear?”

  Theon nodded and slowly sat up, blood trickling from his nose.

  Gringers turned and glared at Bhaldavin and Lil-el. Both took involuntary steps backward. Neither had ever seen him so angry.

  He bent, snatched up Bhaldavin’s blanket, and threw it at him. “Cover up or get dressed! You’ll be no good to us if you catch cold. Hallon, keep watch until I get back.”

  “Where’re you going?” Hallon asked quickly.

  “Not far.”

  They watched until he was out of sight, then Bhaldavin went to Theon and gave him a hand up.

  “Are you all right?” Lil-el asked Theon.

  “I’ll live,” he answered. He crossed to the fire and sat down next to Diak. Lil-el joined them while Bhaldavin checked on his still-damp clothes.

  Hallon looked at the opening in the trees where Gringers had disappeared. He was a quiet man by nature, a follower, and he had chosen Gringers as his leader. “Should I go after him, Diak?”

  The old man shook his head. “Leave him alone a little while. He needs to think.”

  “About my staying?” Lil-el asked.

  “Yes. And about what Theon said.”

  Theon picked up his cup and took a drink of lukewarm tea. “I was close to the truth, wasn’t I?”

  Diak nodded. “Too close. It’s something he’ll have to acknowledge eventually—only then can he put it behind him.”

  Bhaldavin came to the fire and sat down beside Lil-el. “Was it true,” he asked softly, eagerly. “What you said about choosing me for your life mate?”

  “Yes.”

  “What about your parents? Do they know where you went?”

  “I told them before I left. They argued a bit, then made me promise that if I didn’t catch up to you within two days, I would return to the rafts.”

  “How far behind us were you?”

  “Only a few hours, my love. I’ve had my pack ready for weeks, just in case Gringers decided to leave early.”

  “You meant to come all along?”

  She smiled at him. “If you were going, I was going.”

  “And if we don’t come back this way? If you never see your parents again?”

  “Will it matter if we’re together?”

  Bhaldavin shook his head, pulled her close, and kissed her, oblivious to the looks he was getting from Diak and Theon.

  Gringers was quiet for three days. He allowed Diak to take the lead and dropped back to act as rear guard. Cautioned by Diak to ignore Gringers’s moodiness, Lil-el, Hallon, and Bhaldavin continued on as if nothing was wrong. But Theon couldn’t leave Gringers alone; he spent his time vacillating between teasing and trying to placate his friend.

  Theon’s constant chatter finally got to Gringers. One night as Theon walked by him, gathering branches for their fire, Gringers stuck out his foot. Theon tripped and fell, his armload of branches scattering in all directions. He rolled over and sat up, glaring. His glance fell on Gringers.

  “What are you grinning about?” he demanded.

  Gringers’s smile broadened.

  “You tripped me on purpose!” Theon yelled.

  “I had to find some way to shut you up,” Gringers responded mildly.

  “Why you—”

  Gringers met Theon’s charge with open arms, grasping the smaller man by the shoulders and carrying him over onto his back. Theon cursed and twisted around, kicking and squirming to break free; then the two of them were rolling over and over down the slight incline at the edge of the camp.

  Hallon started after the two combatants, but Diak stopped him. “Let them alone. They need this.”

  Bhaldavin and Lil-el looked at Diak, then at each other, not understanding.

  The battle lasted only a few minutes, and it was quickly apparent that neither man was doing the other much harm. It was more a wrestling match than a fight, and it ended with Gringers sitting atop Theon’s stomach. Both men were laughing.

  Theon tried to free his hands, which were being held securely at either side of his head. “Come on, get off. You’re as heavy as a draak!”

  “Only if you promise not to say another word tonight,” Gringers demanded.

  Theon looked pained. “You ask a lot.”

  Gringers just smiled.

  “All right, you win. Let me up.”

  Gringers stood and gave Theon a hand up. “Remember,” he said, dropping an arm over Theon’s shoulders as they climbed back up the rise, “no more talking the rest of the night.”

  “Agreed,” Theon said.

  “If you two are finished playing,” Diak asked caustically, “can we get on with preparing supper?”

  Gringers gave Diak a mock bow. “Your wish is our command.”

  Theon glanced at Diak, who gave him a small nod of approval.

  Bhaldavin noted the silent message that passed between the two men and saw the look of satisfaction on Theon’s face as he turned to pick up the branches he had dropped. Gringers had won the scuffle, but Theon had won something more important.

  In that moment Bhaldavin began to grasp that elusive something that linked the two men in friendship: Theon loved Gringers and would do anything to return their friendship to a solid footing.

  Several times in the past few months, Bhaldavin had entertained the thought that Theon was zelfar, a free lover. If true, it explained his past behavior on several occasions. The Ni, unlike men, accepted zelfar in their society and did not ask them to be other than they were.

  Watching Gringers and Theon work at building the campfire together, he wondered how long it would be before Gringers realized the obvious and what his reaction would be, for according to Di-nel, men did not always respond to love as did the Ni.

  Di-nel’s words echoed in his mind as he reached for Lil-el’s hand. “The b
ody is illusion; the inner being is reality. One may be attracted to the outer form, but until the inner being is recognized and accepted, love will elude the most aggressive of hunters.”

  Chapter 17

  BHALDAVIN LOST TRACK OF THE NUMBER OF DAYS THEY had been on the trail. Lil-el thought it was seventeen; Theon said twenty. They argued good-naturedly about it as they followed Gringers up a narrow rocky ravine. The climbing was steep, and loose shale made the footing treacherous in places. A length of rope linked them one to another in case someone slipped.

  Gringers finally reached the top of the ravine and, with a little scrambling, pulled himself up onto level ground. He stood up and looked around, shielding his eyes with his hand as he gazed at the slopes ahead.

  Suddenly he gave a delighted cry.

  “What is it?” Diak called up from below.

  Gringers pointed upward and to the right. “Something over there. It could be the hot springs.”

  “Help me up!” Diak demanded excitedly.

  Gringers took one last look and bent to give the old man a lift over the edge. One by one the others followed. With only one arm Bhaldavin was at a slight disadvantage, but Hallon steadied him while Theon gave him a hand from above.

  “See? Over there!” Gringers pointed as Hallon and Bhaldavin joined him.

  Bhaldavin looked but saw nothing until a plume of white shot into the air. “What is it?”

  “The hot springs, I hope,” Diak said, pushing past Gringers. “Let’s go take a look!”

  The hot springs were sheltered in a narrow ribbonlike valley hidden by ledges of rock. It took them only a short time to climb up to the valley floor. During their ascent, they saw another explosion of steam and water into the air.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Lil-el said, awed by the height of the plume of water.

  Diak shifted his pack to ease tired muscles. “There are hot springs like this in the Reaches. I saw them once when I was much younger. They’re in the foothills of the mountains east of Lachchen Holding. Lord Elson discovered them, I believe. The waters from the springs are said to have some medicinal value.”