"Now was that a rousing send-off or what?"
"And I thought Temple folk were unnerving to be around," Rai replied.
"You'd be wise to avoid provoking them. They may be our protectors, but don't forget they'll take you out in a second if they think you're getting sick with the plague."
"But isn't that a good thing that they're here to protect us from the plague? I mean, we're not sick, so they're not any danger to us, right?"
"I'm all for them tracking down plague-infested menaces, as long as those Guardians stay away from Durmah, you know what I mean?"
"Ah, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, eh?" Rai found certain wisdom in his viewpoint. However, Stoi's anxiety around the gate Guardian puzzled Rai. As a Durmah and traveler, Stoi should've long since become used to dealing with Guardians. They were just another Sept with a job to do, and for the good of Az'Unda. Even with her amnesia, Rai knew the fight against the plague took priority over all aspects of life on Az'Unda.
Rai turned back to look at the city one more time. She could just make out a few Sept houses through the mist, dwarfed now by the outer wall of the city. The rounded roofs of the houses looked for a moment like a multitude of fish scales all layered upon each other, the hot sun glinting off their dark stone tile shingles. The city's circular, concentric rings of houses rose higher with the innermost ring of houses set close to the Temple. The main Temple structure towered above everything, at the literal and cultural pinnacle of the city. Beautiful as it was, Rai again felt an inexplicable need to put the past behind her, even her recent past in Raven's Call, so she turned to face the landscape before her once again.
The road ahead faded into the mist, but Rai made out the approaching tree line of a vast forest. They'd cleared all forest growth around the cities in the early years following colonization on Az'Unda to make it easier for the Guardians to defend against approaching threats.
The few narrow roads gave way to a dense forest, with a few spans to each side so travelers wouldn't have to overnight within the forest proper when out of range of city walls. Kait had explained this to Rai earlier, and now Rai understood she had been trying to reassure her of the safety of traveling these roads.
Near the forest line, the road split in two. From her recollection of the maps that Stoi and Meik had shown her back at the Sept house, she remembered that the left fork traveled through the forest to sea level along the coastline. The other fork turned to the right and followed the tree line, vanishing in the haze where the hills rose a few miles off.
"We take the right fork, correct?" Rai asked Stoi.
"You should know. You're the navigator on this trip as I recall." Stoi chided, shaking his head. Stoi's fatherly ribbing was a genuine comfort.
"Oh yeah, I mean, we're taking the right fork," Rai tried to let his mood infect hers. "How far do you think we can get before dark?"
"Hmm, let's see. Usually if we start first thing, we can make the Baris Pass by early afternoon. We didn't start until later, so we won't hit the pass until after sunset."
"Well, at least the heat will have subsided by then. I bet the view is fantastic from up there!" Rai said. Looking back to check that Laan was still behind them, Rai could just make out the circular walls of the city through the haze. They were going uphill now, and the haze was thinning, allowing Rai a clearer view of the dense forest surrounding them.
"The view from the Pass is indeed something to see. You can see everything--the ocean, the hills, the coastline, and the farms. Everything. You could even see to Raven's Call, assuming the enshrouding lowland mists blew off for a few hours. Wait 'til you get a view of the Zairne Spine from up there! Those mountains to the north are positively staggering in height."
"Perhaps the view will jar my memories."
"Maybe, but I doubt that, Rai. Few people your age have been outside the safety of the city."
Not what she wanted to hear, but he was probably right.
Stoi sank into a pensive silence, scanning the road and checking to make sure that Laan was still there behind them. Watching him watching everything made Rai nervous, so instead she focused on the passing scenery.
Rai looked behind them, and noticed a lone rider on horseback following close behind Laan's wagon. "Is that our escort?" Rai asked.
Stoi turned around. "Yeah, about time he showed up. I hope that he won't annoy us this trip. I prefer it when they keep quiet. Usually means there won't be any trouble on the road."
They continued along the trail, gaining slowly but consistently in elevation and the landscape around them changed. First, the low shrubs in the plains on the right grew more frequent while the trees thinned along the forest line on the left. Even the birds appeared thinner and less substantial. Rai also noticed an improvement in her distance vision at this height, and realized that they were climbing above the haze. She could see farther up the road, and back toward where the city would be, except for those mists.
As they rounded a turn in the road Rai was surprised as a ridge of mountains appeared, towering in height.
"Wow!" Rai said. "Those mountains are incredibly tall."
"And that's just the Baris Spine," Stoi explained. "There are much taller Spines north of this one."
"Like that Zairne Spine you mentioned before?"
"Exactly. People who just stay in the cities don't get a true appreciation of the mountain ranges. It's one of the reasons I love the travel, despite the risks."
The road ahead twisted and folded back upon itself up the rise, forming a series of triangles upon the otherwise steep face of the Spine. The sun was now low in the horizon, and Rai counted no less than a dozen switchbacks along the rising trail before them. Stoi was right; they'd never make the pass before nightfall.
Approaching the first switchback, Stoi took over the reins, which was good because the wound in her arm was beginning to itch and ache. "You've done a great job so far, Rai, but I'd better take over now. This part of the trail gets a little rough."
"Thanks for letting me drive this far. Laan looks as though he could use some company back there. What do you say I ride with him until we make camp for the night?"
Rai was desperate for conversation, for reasons she couldn't quite express. She wanted more of everything from her senses; she wanted to see more, feel more, and hear more. Her mind was a gigantic void, a void she desperately wanted to fill as quickly as she possibly could. With Stoi so focused on the road, it was hard to keep him talking.
"Are you getting bored?"
Rai flashed him a guilty frown. "I'd love a chance to stretch my legs. Walk around a bit."
"I guess I should have warned you how slowly these trips can pass. I concentrate so hard watching for trouble that I don't have much left over for conversation! I guess we travelers just get too used to the solitude of the road. I'm so used to going alone, with all of my focus on the road ahead of me."
"I'll chat with you when we stop to make camp."
They reached the first switchback and Stoi reined in his horses, bringing wagon to a stop. Rai disembarked, taking her cloak and travel bag with her. As soon as Rai was off the wagon, Stoi urged the team forward, handling the horses expertly. He took a slow but steady pace around the first turn, giving the horses' adequate time to pull the wagon up the dirt-packed trail.
Rai watched Laan's wagon approach and looking at the road behind them for the first time, realized just how far they had come in this short time.
Laan had a perplexed look on his face, likely due to Rai's sudden exit from the lead wagon. He slowed the wagon as he drew near and he moved over to the left side of the wagon's seat to make room for her. Rai shouldered both the pack and cloak, and then jumped up on to the running board and climbed up. She stowed her belongings under the seat and then sat down next to Laan.
"Stoi get too quiet for you?"
Rai laughed. "Yeah, you could say that. What's he worried about, anyway? Don't we have all the protection we need from the Guardians?" Rai turned aroun
d. Their escort followed a short distance behind them. Was the Guardian within hearing range?
"His wagon was attacked a few years back. He's never been able to relax on journeys since."
"No wonder he's so careful!"
"Yeah, but his 'carefulness' goes beyond the norm. I swear he thinks there's a Terror in every shadow. It borders on paranoia. I'd hoped having you along for the trip would make him be more social and less anxious, but no such luck, I'm guessing?" The frown on Rai's face was all the answer he needed. "Perhaps we'll have some luck getting him to talk over dinner tonight. It's always worth a try, right?"
Rai shrugged. "I guess so. I'll try asking him to tell me a story. Something about Sept history to distract him. Did he get that scar on his face during the attack?"
"Actually, that scar is an altogether different story. I'll let him tell tonight, if he can be persuaded. His injury happened as an isolated incident, but he did watch a Guardian take down a Terror before he got into the safety of his wagon. When he got back home from that trip, he couldn't sleep for days because of how deeply the creature had disturbed him. I hope we never come face-to-face with any Terrors ourselves. Hearing them in the distance is more than enough for me." Laan shuddered as he took the next switchback.
Rai wondered what the Terrors resembled, even though knowing might give her nightmares too.
"Have you seen them?"
Laan stared straight ahead. "No, I haven't had the misfortune of seeing a Terror." He paused, and Rai sensed a deep fear within him. "I doubt I ever will, either, with the Guardians doing their job."
"I know Stoi would prefer it if we didn't need the Guardians; they tend to make him anxious. I'm glad they're there. If I didn't know for sure that the Guardians were there to protect me, I'd probably be fighting you for that Waystation job, 'cause there's no way I'd travel!"
For the first time her excitement came with a twinge of fear. The light continued to fade and she remembered the brothers saying it took a good half-day to take the Spine. They had only made four of the turns so far, and Rai knew they had another six or more to go before they reached the top.
"Will the daylight last until we hit the pass?" She didn't think that Laan's answer to this question would be any different from Stoi's earlier, but as with Stoi, she felt some comfort just hearing Laan's voice.
Laan looked up, and then back over the plains, as if judging the light. "No, we'll get three-quarters of the way up before dusk starts to fade."
"Could we stop midway up the trail?"
Laan just shook his head. "This is one pass you don't stop on if you can help it. There's not enough space to turn these wagons around up here. We'll finish the last hour or so in the dark. It won't be so bad, you'll see. All three moons will light our way here soon. 'Dark' depends on the moonlight and cloud cover. Having all three moons up at once is a sign of good luck!" Laan flashed her a winning smile before returning his attention to the road ahead.
"Now on any trip where I'm lucky enough to have a riding partner, I'd have us take turns telling stories. I'm guessing that your amnesia might make it hard for you to return the favor, but perhaps I can manage to keep us both entertained?"
Rai sighed, grateful for the suggestion. "That sounds like a great idea. Besides, being as I'm new to the family, I must have plenty of tales to catch up on! Who knows, maybe hearing your stories will help me to remember some of mine."
"That's the spirit! Let's see now, which tale to regale you with first ..."
CHAPTER NINE
Just over half a dozen stories later, they reached the Baris Spine's northern pass. Laan ceased telling stories once night fell and advised Rai to remain silent, which she had done without question. Stoi and Laan directed the wagons down a short trail off the main road, and presently they came to a flat, established camp area with a ring of blackened stones in the center. Rai wondered if this campsite had been there since the original settlement of Az'Unda. Stoi and Laan unhitched the horses from the wagons, removing their saddles and harnesses, and then fit each with feedbags filled with grain.
As the men set about the nightly ritual of grooming the horses for the evening, Rai tried to get a feel for the surrounding terrain. Under the bright moonshine of Az'Unda's two largest moons, Meerius and Bruoh, Rai saw the pass was wide and flat at the top. She could just begin to make out the dark forms of the rolling hills to the northern side of the pass.
Looking up, Rai's breath caught as she took in the clarity of the stars at this height. Even the farthest of them seemed close enough to touch. Walking across the road, Rai noted how the steep walls on both sides of the road flanked both the road and their campsite. This pass is no place for the claustrophobic. The only exits were either direction on the road itself, either eastward from whence they'd come, or westward toward Kiya's Grace. Everywhere else was sheer wall; it reminded Rai of the caves in the Temple. Then Rai thought she heard the sound of horse hooves, and she stopped and peered ahead, trying to pierce the darkness.
Just when she thought she was imagining the sound, Rai caught a slight movement to accompany it, and focused in on the image of a lone rider moving quickly toward her. Rai spun around and then ran back to the wagons.
"The Guardian just caught up with us."
"It's about time! I thought he was right behind us," Stoi replied. "I'll see if he has any news of the road. Why don't you stay in Laan's wagon tonight?"
Rai climbed into the wagon, and slid into the small sleeping cubby to the left of the door. Laan entered the wagon a moment later. He closed and bolted the door. He lit a small lamp which provided meager light inside, but it was enough once her eyes adjusted.
"Doesn't look like it would hold back a Terror, now does it?" he asked Rai, gesturing toward the door. Rai shook her head, although she couldn't say, never having seen a Terror before. "Well think again. This door lock is a geared system," Laan explained. "Just a half turn of this lever bolts the door on all four sides.
Rai glanced up at the air vent in the ceiling. "And I guess a Terror would be too big to fit through that?" Rai asked.
Laan nodded. "And even if it wasn't, it'd never get into the cage." Rai was confused. She looked more closely at the vent and understood what he meant. Thick metal mesh lined the walls and ceiling of the wagon. "Nothing with more than two legs has ever gotten into any of our wagons."
"Indeed? Only city walls could make me feel safer! How will we keep the horses protected? Aren't they still exposed?"
"Yes, they are. One of the many reasons we don't make these trips without the Guardians watching over us."
Rai could hear the sound of the approaching rider much more clearly now, and strained to listen. It seemed to her that the Guardian was moving at a leisurely pace. The sound of approaching hooves grew louder, their ringing echoing in the high pass.
"State your business, Guardian!" Stoi's voice boomed. Rai thought Stoi's greeting a bit harsh; the Guardian was their protector, after all.
The sound of the hooves ceased. "I am your escort," a smooth, masculine voice stated. The Guardian's horse snorted. Could Guardians train their horses to display indignation?
"What news have you of the road?"
The Guardian ignored his question. "I wanted to make sure you'd made camp for the evening. Nighttime travel is ill advised, as I'm sure you're aware, but now it would be suicide. This road is under a travel warning. Our scouts have been tracking an Iron Wolf pack in the area, although they haven't been able to locate their exact position yet. In addition, I've been noticing Terror sign, fresh by the look of it too. You are to stay inside the wagons from dusk until dawn. Do not venture outside for any reason, not even to tend the horses. Remember, no more travel after dark, under any circumstances."
"The Guardians at Raven's Call didn't mention any of this when we left. Last thing we heard, the road from Raven's Call to the Baris Spine's northern pass was marked clear."
"It was. I have just told you that the status of this road has been changed,
from 'clear' to 'warning.'"
"And now that your scouts are tracking these creatures, they'll be able to exterminate them?"
Rai sensed the apprehension in Stoi's voice--and she detected no sympathy in the voice of the Guardian. What was going through Stoi's mind right now? What was it about Terrors and--what was it the Guardian said, Iron Wolves--that could so frighten a seasoned traveler like Stoi? Rai marked that Laan now wore a dark, worried look on his face and she wondered what he knew about iron wolves or terrors.
"Just follow my directives and you'll be safe." The Guardian didn't answer the question. "Get what sleep you can, and set out again at first light. Stay on the road, and don't stop for anything."
"Very well. We'll do as you say."
Rai heard Stoi climb into the other wagon and bolt the door. The Guardian dismounted, and walked his horse across the campsite to the other horses. After that, Rai heard nothing, save for the occasional whinny of a horse.
Laan dug through the supplies and handed her some bread, sliced sausage, and cheese to eat. There would be no campfire tonight.
Rai rolled uneasily in her sleeping cubby. She hadn't bargained for dangerous creatures roaming about while on this journey. She understood now why Stoi was so serious and vigilant. Although she loved being on the open road and away from the city walls and Temple, the ever-present dangers of travel dulled her enthusiasm. At least at a Waystation she wouldn't worry about what beasts might attack her out on the road.
Rai heard the deep, regular breathing of slumber from Laan, and though it took longer, sleep finally found her as well.
*
Rai awoke to the sound of birds chirping, and wondered how long she'd slept. Although it was still dark in the wagon, Rai reasoned that the birds wouldn't sing in the middle of the night. Rai emerged from her sleeping cubby and put her ear to the air vent for a minute or so, listening for any activity outside. All she could hear were the wind, sporadic snorts and whinnies from the horses, and the songs of birds. She pulled down on the door mechanism's lever as quietly as she could, and the bolts retracted into the door with little sound. She opened the door a foot or so and looked outside. Although the sun hadn't yet crested the horizon, the first light of morning touched the land, and the trees and vegetation were wet with dew. Rai pulled on her boots, swung the door open, and stepped out. She used the latrine across the road Laan had told her about the night before, and then looked out across the southern horizon, waiting for the sun to rise.
The Dream Sifter (The Depths of Memory Book 1) Page 8