Tiri shrugged. “I guess.”
Lyra looked around as she walked, gazing at their new surroundings. Similar to the plains below, they stood among an immense field of grass, the tips of which stood just below Lyra’s line of vision. To the north, a line of foothills arose, growing taller as her gaze shifted west. There, she found a wall of incredibly tall peaks, capped by white. She turned southward and gazed at the distant line of foothills that lay beyond a closer series of ridges, the nearest of which presented a cliffside that towered above them a mile to the southeast.
Away from the others, Lyra finally approached a subject that she had, until now, avoided.
“How do you feel about Gar?”
“What? Gar?” Tiri’s eyes flicked down, and then back toward Lyra. “I guess he’s thoughtful…and quite charming.”
“And handsome,” Lyra added.
“Yes, that too.”
Lyra stopped walking and faced Tiri. “Come on, Tiri. Admit that you like him.”
“Of course I like him.”
Lyra sighed. “You know what I mean. You have feelings for him, and you know it. Whenever I turn around, you are with him or staring at him, or both.”
Tiri’s gaze shifted toward her feet. “Yes, he makes me feel…special. And his eyes, I could look into those eyes all day.”
“Tiri, I love you, but you don’t have any experience in this area. While I lived at the castle, I never saw you with a boy…because there were no boys around. You’ve never even been friends with a boy before, have you?” Lyra did not want to mention Donte.
“No.” Tiri shook her head. “I do like him, but I don’t know what to do.”
Lyra took Tiri’s hand. “You need to be more confident. You’re beautiful and smart…and don’t worry about him not feeling the same way toward you. I’m surprised he hasn’t thrown himself at you yet. He has little attention for me or anyone else when you’re around. Trust me; he is falling for you in a big way.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Yes. Now, don’t doubt yourself. Remember that you were a princess, so be sure he treats you like one. You can’t let him have all of the power.”
“If you say so.”
“As long as you have that straight, I suggest that you kiss him. That will set things into motion. Trust me on that one, too.”
Tiri smiled, her cheeks growing red. “Kissing him would be nice.”
“Just go on and do…”
The ground shook, and Lyra looked down at it in confusion. A rumble arose above the swishing of the grass, growing louder. She turned toward the noise as a white horse crested a rise to the north. Moving faster than Lyra had thought possible, the stallion sped toward her, trailed by dozens of horses varying in color and pattern.
“Run!” She grabbed Tiri’s arm and ran toward camp, trying not to fall as she stumbled through the tall grass.
As the rumble increased in intensity, Lyra felt it thumping in her chest, matching the beat of her racing heart. The lead stallion blasted past them, passing through the spot where they had been standing a moment earlier. Not stopping, the two girls continued running, narrowly avoiding the stampeding horses as they trampled a broad swath through the long grass.
When the intense noise began to fade, indicating that the herd had passed them, Lyra slowed to a stop, breathing heavily as Tiri settled beside her. Her gaze followed the herd as it continued south, growing ever more distant until the rumble faded to the swishing of grass, swaying to the rhythm of the cool mountain breeze.
“You two were lucky. Surely, the horse gods must favor you to spare you like that,” Gar said.
Lyra snorted. “I don’t know about any horse gods, but we were lucky alright. It was a close thing, nearly being trampled by that herd.”
She took another bite of the jackaroo leg, gnawing on the chewy meat until it was ground enough to swallow.
“They were beautiful, Gar. When you first described them, I didn’t understand what you meant.” Tiri stared into the fire. “The only horses I had seen were the big ones that used to pull my father’s carriage. These, however…these were lithe, majestic creatures, swift and stunning.”
“We want to help you, Gar,” Lyra said.
“Help me?”
“Not you. The Tantarri.” Lyra glanced at Tiri, who nodded. “We want to help you track them…earn their trust…ride them.”
His eyes narrowed as he stared at Lyra, his expression visibly softening when they shifted to Tiri. “Maybe you’re right. We’ve tried everything we can think of, but you two did not grow up as one of us. Perhaps you can offer a new approach.”
Lyra smiled, mirroring Tiri. “Good. Can we start in the morning?”
Gar stared at Lyra for a moment before nodding. “Yes. I have a few things to do at daybreak, but we can leave shortly after that.”
Lyra’s grin widened. She had gotten him to commit. Now, she needed to figure out a plan.
34
Lyra looked to her left, finding six Tantarri warriors walking through the tall grass. A glance to the right revealed Tiri, Gar, and four more warriors. The group had been walking south for more than an hour, with everyone scanning the horizon in hope of locating the infamous herd of wild horses.
A distant rumble caused Lyra to glance toward the sky, dark with rolling clouds, as she tried to determine if the sound was from a stampede or the storm on the horizon.
“It looks like rain is coming,” she said, loud enough for Gar to hear. “Maybe we should turn back?”
The sky to the west roared with thunder and a flash of lightning arced to the ground, a bright streak against the dark background behind it. The rumble echoed throughout the plain. Oddly, the rumble grew louder until the horses suddenly emerged from a low area to the southwest.
“Here they come,” Gar shouted. “They’re heading toward a canyon again.”
The Tantarri broke into a sprint, racing toward a canyon mouth to the east, matching the angle of the herd but at a far slower pace. Startled, Lyra and Tiri ran after them, trailing the group. A glance to the south showed the horses passing the Tantarri with ease. In moments, the white stallion raced into a narrow canyon. Seconds after the last horse vanished from sight, the lead Tantarri warriors reached the gap.
Lyra passed Tiri and two of the slower Tantarri, trying to keep up with Gar and the others at the fore. Loose sand and rock covered the canyon floor, forcing her to watch her footing as she weaved through the scattered scrub that dotted the ground. She glanced up at tall canyon walls that drew closer and closer together as she ran further into the canyon.
The men in front of Lyra faded from view as they rounded bends in the ravine, only to reappear at the next straightaway. She felt wet drops hit her arm, her head, her shoulder. Suddenly, the sky opened up and it began to pour. The rain fell so heavily that Lyra’s vision was obscured beyond fifty feet. She found herself slowing, the heavy rain beating the last of her energy away. The Tantarri warriors at the lead reached a higher spot, a rocky rise in the canyon floor, and stopped. Gar and the others gathered into a cluster, gasping for air as Lyra settled beside them.
“We’ve lost their trail,” Wuli, one of the Tantarri warriors stated. “The rain is going to make it difficult to track them.”
Frustration was apparent on Gar’s face. “We’re so close.”
Lyra looked down at her feet, seeing a rivulet of water running past them, down the rocky rise. She turned toward the canyon walls and found water pouring down them, gathering at the bottom.
“This canyon will be dangerous in the rain,” Wuli warned. “It could flood in moments.”
Tiri and the last three Tantarri slowed to join the group, panting from the exertion.
Gar frowned and looked down at the water flowing past, steadily gaining in volume. “You’re right. We need to get out or find higher ground, fast.”
Lyra looked up at the canyon wall to the north, finding it a sheer rise of hundreds of feet and no visible way up.
She spun about to look at the other side and discovered what appeared to be a narrow ledge about twenty feet up a moderate incline.
Thunder shook the canyon and lightning crashed, sending a bright flash crackling across the sky. The rivulet on the canyon floor became a swift-flowing creek.
“I see a ledge up there,” Lyra pointed toward it. “It should be a safe spot to wait out the storm.”
Gar’s gaze followed and he nodded. “Let’s try it.”
Lyra scrambled up the hillside, her foot slipping twice as she sought higher ground. When she reached the ledge, she found it wider than expected. It continued upward, heading deeper into the canyon. She walked a few steps and turned to find Gar helping Tiri to the ledge. Half of the Tantarri huddled beside him while the others closely trailed Tiri.
Without a word, Lyra continued upward, taking the ledge around a bend, where it became much wider, providing enough space for three men to walk shoulder-to-shoulder safely. She wiped rain from her eyes and squinted at the ledge ahead, finding that it ran as far as she could see, continuously going upward.
“Where are you going, Tali?” Gar called to her.
Lyra turned around to face the others. “This ledge continues for a while and is wide enough to be safe. I want to see where it leads.”
Gar glanced at Tiri, who nodded. He then turned and spoke with the others. While they discussed the situation, Lyra looked down at the canyon floor and found that it had become a river. Judging by the ferocious current, she knew that they had made the right choice to find higher ground. The deluge at the front of the storm had eased to a steady rain, which was more than enough to continue feeding the newly formed river.
“Wuli, Tiri, and I will join you while the others remain here,” Gar said as he walked toward Lyra. “We’ll see where this leads, but only if you promise to turn back should it become dangerous.”
“Of course.” Lyra nodded and Tiri smiled.
Leading the small group, Lyra walked up the ledge while she kept one hand on the cliff wall beside her. They reached a level spot and rounded another bend, only to discover that the ledge continued upward as far as they could see.
The trail leveled and widened as a rocky wall rose on the previously open side, tall enough to obscure the opposing canyon wall. Lyra slowed to a stop as she stared into the mouth of a cave, three times her height and just as wide. Tiri and the two men stopped beside her, staring at the cave with furrowed brows.
“Come,” Gar said as he marched into the opening.
When they stepped inside, Lyra wiped her forehead and eyes dry, happy to be out of the rain. The cave was dark before them, with the slightest bit of light coming from ahead. Wuli reached into his pack and pulled out a torch and a flint. After a few strikes, the torch began to smoke. The man blew on it, feeding air to the orange spark until flame blossomed, black smoke billowing from the flickering light as the man led them forward.
The cave walls were surprisingly smooth, the floor even and flat. They rounded a bend and the light ahead grew brighter. Lyra turned and found a dark opening in the side of the cave, eight feet tall and half the width.
“Another tunnel,” she noted.
Without a word, Wuli ducked through the opening, followed by Tiri, Lyra, and then Gar. The tunnel turned and Lyra noticed drawings on the wall, depicting symbols, horses, and people dressed in strange garb. As they continued down the corridor, Lyra inspected each scene drawn on the wall, finding images of various seasons and different events.
They emerged from the tunnel into an open chamber, large enough that the light from Wuli’s torch barely reached the far wall or the high ceiling. Gar continued forward, walking toward an object that sat at the center of the room. The rest of the group followed, encircling the object to examine it under the torchlight.
“It’s some sort of brazier.” Gar grabbed a chunk from the square opening and held it up. Lyra leaned closer, finding it black and smooth.
“Try lighting it,” Gar suggested. “I suggest we all step back first.”
They backed away a step, and Wuli held the torch to the black rocks, which soon began to glow. A small flame came to light and he pulled the torch back, the flame spreading across the brazier until its glow illuminated the room.
Lyra glance up and found the ceiling uneven. “This cavern is natural, but someone made the tunnels we took to get here.”
“There’s another opening ahead,” Tiri pointed past Lyra.
“Let’s see where it leads.” Gar waved Wuli forward.
Again, Tiri and Lyra followed the man while Gar took the rear. The tunnel curved until they reached a stairwell heading upward and another going down.
“Let’s try down first,” Gar suggested.
Wuli began his descent, using his torch to sweep cobwebs away, the thin strands lighting and instantly burning to dust. Upon reaching the bottom, Lyra noticed a light beyond the man. Seconds later, they emerged to daylight.
Lyra squinted as her eyes adjusted, blinking as she tried to comprehend her surroundings. They stood in a plaza, tiled with multi-colored panels of blues and oranges and surrounded by flat-roofed buildings made of stone – not assembled stone bricks, but walls carved from solid stone with no seams and few cracks. The doorways and windows of the buildings stood open with no door or window to fill them. Daylight lit the city, emitted from a massive opening above a rock wall that ran along one side, leaving open air between the top of the wall and an overhanging cliff that acted like half-a-dome, protecting the city from the rain that fell outside.
At the middle of the plaza, beside the outer wall, was a fountain, gurgling as bubbles stirred water that flowed over the edge of a knee-high wall and disappearing into a stone grate.
With their mouths open in wonder, Gar led them across the plaza, his neck twisting this way and that as he absorbed the view.
“What is this place?” Tiri asked.
“Who made it? And where are the people?” Lyra added.
“I…do not know,” Gar mumbled. “Wuli, have you ever heard of a city like this, a city built inside a mountain?”
“I know nothing of such a city…and I would doubt that one might exist…if I were not standing in it.”
“Hello!” Lyra shouted, the sound echoing throughout the quiet city. “Is anyone here?”
“Shh,” Tiri hushed her. “What are you doing?”
Lyra shrugged. “I want to know if anyone is here.”
Not moving, the group listened in silence for a full minute, but they heard nothing but the patter of the rain outside and the gurgle of the nearby fountain.
“Exploring the city will take some time. Let’s worry about that later.” Gar headed toward the tunnel they had taken. “Let’s see where the other tunnel leads, the big one we took to get here.”
Wuli followed Gar, the two men leading the girls up the stairs, through the corridor, past the flaming brazier, and into the dark cave from where they had first arrived.
Gar turned when he reached the larger tunnel, and Wuli shifted to the Tantarri leader’s side, holding the torch up as the two girls followed closely behind. They rounded another bend, their surroundings growing brighter as they approached an opening that led to daylight. Emerging from the tunnel, the group stopped and stared in wonder.
A lush valley stood before them, filled with long green grasses, trees, shrubs, and a shimmering lake at the center. Tall cliffs encircled the valley, their sheer faces containing it from the outside world. Lyra noticed the herd of horses feasting on the lush grass, halfway between her and the lake that lie a mile away. At that moment, the rain stopped and a ray of sunlight appeared, a wide beam shining down upon the herd and striking a rainbow in the sky above. Lyra doubted that she would ever see anything so beautiful as that moment. She stared in wonder, striving to capture and absorb every detail of the scene before her, hoping to bottle the vision to cherish and relive it as a precious, priceless memory.
“My people have many stories,” Gar said so
ftly. “Legends that we tell around the campfire. One is of a land so beautiful, so pristine, that it can be the only true home to the Spirit of Nature. In the stories, this land is called Viridian.” His voice fell to a whisper. “We have found Viridian.”
35
“Wait here,” Gar said quietly as he strolled into the tall grass, toward the herd.
Wuli blew hard on the torch, taking multiple attempts before he was able to extinguish it. Tiri grabbed Lyra by the elbow and pulled her away from the Tantarri warrior. When they had moved a dozen paces, Tiri stopped and looked toward Gar and the incredible vista surrounding him.
“What is it?” Lyra asked.
“This place…is so beautiful. It lifts my heart,” Tiri said.
“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Lyra agreed. “But what of it?”
Tiri glanced toward Gar again. “I feel…inspired. I want to…I want to kiss him.”
Gar stopped immediately, frozen stiff at perhaps one hundred paces from where Tiri and Lyra stood.
“Well, I already told you what I thought. You’re a fool for not kissing him already.” Lyra snorted as she thought about it. “He’s enthralled with you, Tiri. I’m shocked he hasn’t made a move on you himself.”
Gar turned to face them. His mouth moved, but they heard nothing.
“We can’t hear you,” Lyra shouted, flinching at the way her voice reverberated. The herd of horses stopped eating, raising their heads, their ears upright and alert.
Lyra looked up at the tall arching overhang above that formed a perfect curve to the cliff wall behind her and reminded her of the formation above the city of stone, identical in shape, but facing the opposite direction.
She turned to find Gar running toward them.
“Hush!” he said in a loud whisper as he approached. “You’ll frighten the herd.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it would be so loud.”
He slowed to a stop a few strides from the girls. His eyes were focused on Tiri, a hunger burning within them. He moved close to her and put one arm about her waist, pulling her close as he whispered.
Rogue Legacy: The Secret History of Issalia Page 22