Shadows of Aggar (Amazons of Aggar)

by Chris Anne Wolfe

  In and out of a cramped, cold sleep she had drifted. Always coming back when Terri’s voice called and always remembering to listen — to think. Terri told her about mine shafts and air ducts and how they were digging another hole from the side to reach her — how they were going to look for the mine tunnel below her too. And then her mother’s voice returned.

  It didn’t seem as though she had ever lived anywhere else, and her tummy ached with hunger.

  Dirt fell from above again, and she felt the earth tremble as she slipped deeper. It seemed that the air smelled different after that, but the darkness stayed. That was the angled tunnel they had cut, Terri had told her years later. But she had been so deep that she was beneath the hard rock and to reach her they would have had to shake the walls around her closed. From that shaft, however, they could try to drop her some food and a light. Then maybe if they could see her better, they could plan the next step.

  Earlier they had tried to drop her some food by rope, but it had not reached. Now from the side shaft a pair of nut bars were dropped, and then a fully glowing light bar.

  The bumps had not hurt so much as the things found her, but the light had hurt her eyes. She had closed them, crying again, working a small fist closer to her face to rub the dirt away. The slight movement had loosened her suddenly, and with a startled scream she fell.

  Dirt gave way to hard, smooth wall and her hands flayed out. The metal screeched beneath her fingernails as she slid. A corner bumped, and her body was falling free before a gritty floor slammed into her.

  Everything had hurt with the sudden freedom and the sharp smack of the ground, but the food and the light bar followed her. If she had been less hungry, she would have stayed in a tearful heap, but the nut bars fell close, and she was so very, very hungry. Once she was munching, quietly huddled into a corner, things seemed a little less awful. With the light bar she could see the tunnel went in two directions like a hallway, and she could see the metal tracks on the floor. She knew metal and people went together, and she wondered if Terri’s friends would be coming. Terri had said they were trying to find a tunnel that would come underneath her. Terri had said they would come get her from below through that tunnel. This must be it. They must be somewhere.

  Another light bar descended with a shower of dirt, and she shied away from the falling debris. As the dusty hail tapered off, her curiosity began to stir again. She picked herself up and stiffly went over to the glowing tube.

  A small square box was tied to the light bar, and she fumbled with the string to slide it free. It was not really a box at all. It was a compass like the one Terri had taken on her off-world travels. Morgan had a bigger one, but it didn’t work as well as these, and the child grinned with delight. Amazons used this kind. Now she was a proper Amazon.

  And Amazons always think.

  She looked at the box carefully and saw the thick tape on the one side. She held it closer to the light and saw the big black mark on the tape. There was a little red line on the little piece of tape on the opposite side.

  The needles twirled as her hands clumsily tipped the box to peer at the marks. She remembered Terri showing Morgan and her how to point the arrow at a tree or something and follow it. Morgan was a lot better, she remembered; she could use paper maps instead of trees, but Diana had been good for her age. Terri had said so.

  There weren’t any trees here, but there were those taped marks.

  She held the small box close in front of her like Terri had taught her and turned all around until the black arrow matched the black tape mark. It pointed her right down the tunnel along the metal tracks. She picked up the extra light tube and, still munching on her nut bar, set out.

  The walk had been terribly long. She had stopped and rested or slept when she got tired, but she always checked the box carefully as she began to walk again. Her mother would later tell her that it had been a much longer walk than she had even imagined, but in the end the child had come to a windy cliff entrance.

  Very like this one. Diana sighed and opened her eyes to find the cold, clammy tension in her body lessened. She had come out at the ore dump station, although without the ancient cargo shuttles, there had been no way off the yawning ledge.

  The adults had been frantically busy, and n’Sappho had finally recovered the mining records from the galactic trade union for those centuries before the Sisterhood’s settlements. The summer’s dawning sun had seen the helicopters launched in their search through the numerous cliffside entrances. As small as a four-year-old might be, and as grubby as her adventures had made her, the yellow of her coveralls had been a bright mote of hope against the dingy, beige rock.

  Terri had cried as the ’copter swung around the cliff’s bend and she sighted the sleeping little bundle on the cold ledge. Later she had explained how the woman in the side shaft had distinctly seen the light bar stop and then abruptly fall again before suddenly flashing silver and disappearing. It had been Terri’s hope that it meant Diana had fallen past the metal casing at the end of the duct and that she was ‘safely’ in the mine tunnel itself. Hurriedly, Terri had snatched one of the field surveyor’s compasses and taped her crude directions together.

  Her mother’s arms had never felt better than that night as Diana had been cuddled and soothed to sleep. Terri’s cocoa and cream had never tasted so rich. Morgan had been one of those most happy to see her safe, and for the next several months, whenever the nightmares struck, her older cousin had been right there to hold her and wake her.

  Her family had always been there; Diana breathed a slow deep breath and remembered their strong love and embrace. Thirty-seven hours she’d been lost… an unbelievable thirty-seven hours. Her eyes opened and she found Aggar’s gray dawn beginning. Goddess, nearly forty hours she had survived that night. And now, she thought triumphantly, she had just dealt with two more tonight.

  † † †

  Grimly, Elana knelt beside the body of the soldier. Di’nay’s sword stood upright in the ground nearby. It made her shake to think what must have happened to part the Amazon from her weapon.

  This was the second man she found, much larger than the first. The first had been slender and well groomed. Elana recognized him as the messenger who had struck the boy in the Keep’s hall that night so long ago. But this one was large enough to have challenged even Di’nay’s strength.

  It was readily evident that the sword and its victim had fallen from the heights above. To some extent, it had been the power of the sword’s lifestones that had drawn Elana to this place. Her eyes lifted to the craggy shapes above but dawn was not yet here, and the shadows were indecipherable unless she risked searching further with her Sight. She looked at the man before her again. The Seer would soon discover the deaths of these scouts. Her presence had been announced to some extent already.

  Her wrist’s stone would not have brought her here if Di’nay were not somewhere near too. The sword’s stones did not have quite that much power over her. It worried her that the eitteh had yet to find her as well. At least one of them should have returned.

  Determinedly, Elana rose and looked above.

  The winds howled, overwhelming her for a moment with the frosty, sleeping life of the distant mountains. Then slowly, the familiar touch of brush and hibernating animals that slept nearer here came to her.

  Cold — not the air, but a feeling. Loneliness — fear… Di’nay? Worrying, Elana cast her Sight into the dark shadows, and a faint glow of life began to emerge. Yes, there — caught between the trail above and a sheered-off drop below… but she was very far away — much further than four hundred feet.

  Quickly Elana searched above, tracing the routes taken by the soldiers and Di’nay by the shimmering afterglow of lifesigns. She took up the fallen sword and started for the foot of the trail. It was going to be a long climb.

  † † †

  The sword drove deeply into the sandstone of the trail, and the length of rope dropped with a thud. Elana had stumbled across t
he hidden packs of the soldiers and had gratefully confiscated the rope they carried as standard gear.

  Cautiously now she approached the edge of the ledge. The ground crumbled a little where the weight of the soldier had crashed over it, but the whole was fairly solid. She squatted low and peered through the gray overcast.

  Her brow wrinkled as she searched below her, but the angle was steep.

  “Di’nay!”

  “Here!”

  She could see her now. They were lucky. The line would reach.

  “Wait! A rope is coming!”

  Diana heaved a sigh. It was good to hear another voice. Then she smiled at herself; it was especially good to hear Elana’s voice.

  “Can you reach it?!”

  “Yes!”

  Diana would have reached it, if she’d had to jump. This nook was too cold and too cramped to tolerate any longer. The rope swayed in the wind and snaked almost in front of her. With an easy grab Diana caught it and called, “Is it secured?”

  There was a second or two before, “Yes!”

  Her muscles were stiff and protested as she began to pull herself up. The wind teased, snatching at her a little. But the rope was sturdy and she defied the swirling tug. Her toes scraped against rock, and despite her stiffness, it felt good to be moving again. She made the ledge and managed to drag herself over before collapsing.

  Elana sat braced with her back against the wall and the rope wrapped around her waist, its tail end tied to the sword. Her smile was a mixture of weariness and gratitude. “It is good to see you in one piece.”

  Diana lifted a hand, still laying on her back. “Thank you for…” She gulped another breath of air and admitted, “I am so glad… you didn’t wait ’til dawn.”

  “I heard you fall, I think,” Elana murmured. “I could not wait after that.”

  “Thank the Mother you didn’t.”

  I love you, Elana thought as Di’nay rolled and stood, stretching. The Amazon’s brown eyes were warm as she looked at Elana then, and her grasp strong as she took Elana’s hand. Yes, she was whole — with a silent prayer, Elana let Di’nay pull her to her feet. Her lover’s arms were sheltering even as they trembled from the exertion, and Elana hugged her fiercely.

  By the Mother’s Hand, they would survive.

  † † †

  The camp was quiet in the sheltering shadows of the narrow ravine. Garrison’s body lay curled tightly, still well covered by the thermal blanket. The fire had died, and guiltily Elana realized she had left it burning in her haste to leave; they had been lucky.

  The air stirred with a strange breeze, and startled, Elana spun about. Di’nay paused, her hand falling to her sword’s hilt.

  “Eitteh?” Elana whispered, suddenly whirling back towards Garrison.

  A faint whine called out to them then, and they saw the flicker of golden ears behind Garrison’s form. Diana winced as she recognized in the cry, the pain it carried.

  The emerald eyes were glazed and focused poorly on her approaching companions. Her small frame was huddled against Garrison, seeking the warmth of the blanket and the protection of his shadow. Her wings were folded awkwardly, and Diana’s heart twisted as she saw the knife slash along the animal’s side.

  Together the two knelt and gently Elana took the creature’s gaze, easing the burning pain.

  “I thought it strange she did not find me sooner,” Elana murmured and carefully lifted a fine furred wing. “Di’nay, I need my medicine purse.”

  Diana hurried to fetch it.

  The wound had bled slowly. It had not touched the muscles that supported her wings, Elana saw with relief. Instead the hind leg had been hurt. She might always be lame, Elana explained to the young animal; although she would fly unhindered. Melysa would be able to stitch the tendons together so that the leg might still carry some weight, but it had to be done soon. Elana apologized, but that kind of surgery was beyond her skills.

  The golden cat rumbled reassuringly, rubbing her face against Elana’s gentle hand.

  “Can she make it to Melysa’s alone?” Diana asked in concern. She owed much to this small one. She would not abandon her now.

  Blue and emerald gazes locked and Elana said softly, “She says, yes.”

  “And you say?”

  She hesitated and then nodded. “I believe so. The bandage will hold for a few hours, and the drug will keep the pain at bay for as long. It is not very far by flight. Yes, she will manage.”

  The long tail twitched, and Elana paused, concentrating. Blue eyes blinked and the two separated. Turning to Di’nay she smiled without much humor. “She reminds us that Melysa is a hawker. If we wish to send word to the Council, she can take a message. You will not have to guess at their ability to receive it then.”

  “Dear friend,” Diana lay a hand on the silken head, “we will miss you.”

  With a throaty growl, the eitteh tilted her head, urging Diana to rub the fur behind her ears. Then returning to sensibilities, the green eyes looked back to Elana.

  Slowly Elana drew a breath; they needed to make decisions and break camp soon. The soldiers would be missed, and the Seer would be nearer to finding them.

  “Did you use your Sight to find me?” Diana asked unexpectedly.

  “Some. I was careful. I do not think he will know exactly where we are. But he may be close.”

  “Maltar is not stupid. If he knows we’re in this area, he will know we seek the Wayward Path. There are no other neighboring routes.”

  “Truth.”

  “In the South Ridge, is there more than one entrance to the Path?”

  “Two or three, depending on weather,” Elana supplied. “But they are all near the mouth of the Black River.”

  “Most obvious route would be to retrieve our horses in Black Falls and ride east,” Diana mumbled, thinking aloud. “Is there another way?”

  “To the Keep?” Elana shook her head regretfully. “The River Road is the sole approach. Although we could always go through the forests…?”

  “No, they’ll be scouting the woods as thickly as the road, and we need the speed. The longer we’re traveling now, the better the odds that they’ll find us. If we went directly south after the Path, where is the next settlement? Is there some way to cut east below Black Falls?”

  “There is a better way,” Elana said suddenly. “At the mouth of the Black River there is a trader. He harbors boats and is always well stocked with supplies. And a day downstream at the village, Rotava, the Black River is joined by the Suiri — ”

  “The Suiri that runs through Gronday?” Diana asked quickly.

  “The same. The Black River there is white water, but the current back up the Suiri is lazy, and it is not so very long a trip even if it is farther. It would take five days — at the most, maybe six.”

  Diana smiled. From Gronday it was a single day’s hard ride, north to the Crossroad and on east into the Keep. Less than a ten-day totaled — once through the Path. And the horses she had stabled with Mattee were strong and quick.

  “Will the Council send word to the base?” Diana asked.

  “Very likely. What would you ask?”

  “For Cleis — and our crew, an escort from Gronday.” Using Melysa’s hawks would give an added bonus of credibility to the Council too; Thomas would undoubtedly appreciate a note in her own handwriting. If Melysa delayed a day, it would also mean that the Council would not receive the message of their whereabouts until after they’d reached the caverns of the Path. That would reduce the risk of the Seers inadvertently lifting the clouds before the rocks protected them. Perhaps that gray ceiling would keep the Maltar’s puppet from discovering the death of the scouts too soon.

  Elana’s voice drew Diana back from her thoughts and she noticed the woman’s faint smile. “Perhaps the Council will add a few sword arms of their own. They owe you much for this Seer’s identity.”

  Diana grinned and pulled the green satchel from her pack, seeking her writing pad. This mission might
yet change the way Aggar and the Empire dealt with each other… or at least, how Sisterhood and Council did.

  † † †

  Chapter Four

  Diana was gambling — gambling that the Maltar’s Seer was having difficulty with the thick overcast sent by the Council — that the scouts would not be immediately missed. She was gambling that the Maltar would not risk igniting a border war with the Changlings by bringing a larger force into the territory, if he had other options. And he did have another — he could muster his Ramains’ spy rings and attack his quarry as it emerged from the Southern Ridge. He had been shrewd enough to avoid detection by the Council’s spies as well as the Council’s Seers, and he was not one to ignore the advantage when it might be his. While it might insult the Ramains’ King, it would be a negligible risk given the King’s dependence on Maltar ore. It was to his favor to wait — she was gambling he would.

  She was praying he would.

  After the hellish night spent amongst the rocks, she had little left to give and even Garrison’s skinny figure had grown into a heavy burden. She held no delusions about her abilities to travel far. By early afternoon she decided to take the risk of searching for shelter long before darkfall.

  The cave was a welcoming place with black-and-orange runes painted on the smooth walls. Murals of animals and half-human, half-beast people lined the innermost curves — pictures of a celebration. Diana walked around the twisting walls, amazed at the detail the artists had managed even with such crude strokes.

  Garrison was tended, and eventide finished, yet Diana’s eyes still returned to the dancing images on the wall. A spring of sacred water centered the merriment, and creatures of wings and children of fine fur played with one another.

  “They are the records of the Beginning.” Elana’s voice was so very quiet that the reverence she spoke with was almost lost. Di’nay looked at her sharply, but she only stared into her tea. Fascinated, Diana came to sit next to her and waited.