“Almost,” she said, squinting. “There’s a faint shape that I can almost see, but it’s faint and transparent.”
Joel looked at J’Mart. “What’s going on?” he asked the little man. “I thought the only people that could see you were Fender, Massar and me.”
J’Mart shrugged. “Beats me, magic man. All I know is magicians can see me, and most animals. Especially cats. If your girlfriend there can suddenly see me, well, I’m happy to make her day a little brighter.”
Joel snorted. “Ha! I’m sure that she’s really been missing having a short little man tell her all about how she’s going to be eaten by a fundarg.”
The Ramiken looked offended, but only for a moment. Then he grinned. “Good point, my friend. If she starts to be able to hear me, too, I’ll keep all of my comments very positive and uplifting. All right?”
That said, J’Mart wandered over to where Fender was discussing something with Gaen, leaving Joel alone again with Athena. “He’s gone again,” said Joel. “I guess we should get some sleep while we can, huh?”
“I have a question for you first,” said Athena, a puzzled expression on her face.
“What’s that?”
“I just realized that it was J’Mart who helped your ice umbrella save us from the firestorm, and he’s done some other incredible things, too. So why don’t we ask him to simply transport himself to the book and bring it back? Or transport it here? It seems he’s powerful enough to do anything.”
Joel nodded. “It’s a good question, and I think I can finally answer it. I had been wondering the same thing, but the more I’ve been around J’Mart, the more I realize that even though he’s incredibly powerful, he’s also incredibly disorganized. He’s got so much power, and he’s so flighty, that asking him to do one simple task like that would be like hunting a rabbit with a trebuchet. A rickety, poorly-constructed trebuchet.”
Athena was quiet for a moment, and then she nodded. “I think I know what you mean,” she said quietly. “It’d almost be more dangerous to do it that way.”
“You’ve got it,” he answered. “Now, shall we get some sleep?”
They spread out their bedrolls next to each other, though not touching. Joel would have liked to talk with her more, but the cold air and lack of a fire forced him to burrow inside his covers to keep warm. Though he shivered a bit, he eventually fell asleep, listening to the muffled tones of Fender, Gaen and Jared still talking quietly.
The next morning they made ready as quietly as possible. There was no more jerky left in anybody’s pack, and plants that they had been depending on for the roots were too covered by snow to find easily. Hunting was out of the question, so the party started off early on empty stomachs.
Around midmorning they were forced to halt. The ravine they had been following came to an abrupt end at a huge fissure in the earth, several hundred feet deep and fifty feet across. The sides of the chasm were so steep that no light penetrated the depths, leaving the bottom in pitch darkness.
Across the gorge, the ravine they had been following continued, but about a mile beyond that it finally came to an end at a towering cliff face, stretching miles in each direction and hundreds of feet in the air. Far off in the distance in both directions the cliff became the Liavir Mountains, snow-covered and towering into the clouds. It was as if a giant knife had been used to slice off a piece of the mountain range, and that same huge knife had skipped across the landscape before cutting a huge gouge into the earth itself.
At the base of the cliff face, about half a mile west of where the ravine met the cliff, a huge white wall circled a city unlike any Joel had ever seen. Towering spires, many crumbling and in ruins, could be seen even at this distance on the other side of the wall. The wall itself seemed to be in good repair, unlike the city it guarded. It was impossible to tell from what it was made, but it reflected the light in a way that hurt Joel’s eyes a bit.
There was a huge gate in the middle of the wall that opened onto the plain in front of the city. That plain, which stretched more than a mile from the wall to the gorge, was crawling with goblins. Joel guessed there were thousands of them. Scattered fires burned across the plain. The gate to the city was closed, however, and the creatures seemed to only populate the flatland.
“Behold Vertton Crags,” said Withers. “‘Twas a magnificent city at one time, but now only ghosts and demons wander its streets. None know who lived there, but as you can see, not even goblins brave the city now without good reason.”
“Incredible,” said Joel softly. “It must have been beautiful once.”
“Indeed,” said Jared. “I have heard much about it, though I have never had the fortune to lay eyes on it before now.”
It was Step who spoke next. “It’s beautiful, all right, but how are we supposed to get over there? I’m no gelf, able to leap hundreds of yards without breaking a sweat, and I don’t fancy climbing down into the dark, either.”
Unlike the rest of the party, Frayne had been scouting the wall of the gorge in both directions. “I can tell you how we won’t go,” he growled. “There’s a bridge about half a mile to the west, but it’s lousy with goblins, which is no surprise. No way we can slip through there. If we’re going to cross unseen, it’s going to be here. Suggestions, anyone?”
No one spoke at first. “Fender, can you do that levitation trick to the other side?” asked Jared. “Seems to me that we just need to get one person over, since we have ropes and such.”
Fender shook his head. “I can levitate, but only for a short time. I’d never make it over that gorge.”
“I could shoot an arrow over with a rope tied to it,” volunteered Bowen, “but I can’t guarantee it’d hold fast on the other side. Not strongly enough to hold a person, anyway.”
“Cut down a tree?” suggested Step. “No, never mind,” he continued. “There aren’t any trees tall enough to reach across.”
“Ah, but you solved it!” exclaimed Joel. “All we need to do is cut down three or four of them and lash them together until they can reach across. Then the lightest of us can cross and carry ropes across for the rest of us.”
Everyone agreed this plan had the greatest chance of success, so Bowen and Step began the tricky task of cutting down a few large trees without attracting attention from the goblins surrounding the company. It was also agreed that Athena would make the trek across, since she was a little lighter than Step, though not by much.
Joel was not happy about her risking herself, but she sternly cut off his objections. “I’m not going to stop taking chances to help this quest succeed just because we care about each other,” she told him. “In fact, that’s a good reason to continue – I don’t want the multiverse to cease to exist with you in it when I could have stopped it. Besides, I’ll be tied off on this side, so it’s not like I’m going to fall straight to the bottom if our bridge breaks.” Joel had to agree.
An hour later, the bridge was ready. In order to maintain their cover, Bowen and Step had used smaller trees, so the bridge consisted of six of them tied tightly together. Without any further waiting, they hoisted the makeshift bridge until it was vertical, then let it fall toward the other side. It spanned the chasm with a few feet to spare, and as soon as it had settled, Athena jumped lightly on, carrying two coils of rope.
It was almost anti-climactic. She reached the other side without any problems and promptly tied off the two ropes, one at ground level and the other chest-high. One by one her companions followed on the makeshift rope bridge. Joel did his best not to look down, and had the presence of mind to pray fervently that J’Mart wouldn’t choose that particular moment to appear and frighten the daylights out of him.
Luckily, the Ramiken failed to appear, and before long they were all safely across. Gaen had Step toss the tree-bridge into the gorge, but decided to leave the rope bridge where it was, in case they needed a fast escape across on the way back. Withers waited until they had rested for a few moments, and then they struck out agai
n through the ravine.
It was a nerve-wracking hike. Joel had seen that literally thousands of goblins surrounded the ravine, and he knew that one misstep by any of the small party could be disastrous. Jared had suggested waiting until nightfall, but Frayne and Gaen both disagreed with the idea. Goblins had impeccable night vision, and the fact that the group was still in the Northern Wastes meant that they still had to avoid the night predators. The trade off for being able to see was the need to be extremely quiet, and hence the march was a slow one. Frayne continued to have Athena, Bowen and Step trade off as they scouted ahead, and Joel couldn’t help but breathe a little easier every time Athena returned safely.
Though the going was slow, they reached the end of the ravine and the cliff before it got too dark to halt. As soon as they had found a small, easily guarded depression in the cliff, almost everyone collapsed in relief. Once again, they couldn’t build a fire, but Gaen had them all gather around.
“Tomorrow we’ll enter the city,” he told them without preamble. “It’s not going to be easy, but here’s what we’re going to try.
“Did any of you notice the creek exiting the wall of the city?” Bowen nodded, as did Jared. “Good,” continued the Warmaster. “Withers told me that a spring in the rock feeds the city with water, and that spring flows out through a drainage tunnel and onward to the gorge.”
“How big is the tunnel?” asked Step. “I think I know what you’re going to say next.”
Gaen nodded. “It’s big enough for one person to go through at a time. The tunnel is ten feet long, and its entire length is underwater. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but remember: that water is cold. Damn cold. It’s going to take your breath away the second you break the surface, and then you have to swim. Like I said, it’s not going to be easy.”
J’Mart, who was sitting calmly on Joel’s shoulder, looked at him. “How’s your snorkeling?” he asked innocently.
Joel ignored the Ramiken. “How far is it from here to the tunnel? Is there cover the whole way?”
“No,” answered the old warrior, “and there’s the other problem. It’s a good hundred yards from the last stretch of covering brush to the tunnel. It’s going to be a stretch for all eight of us to make it inside without being seen.”
“And you’re sure going at night is out of the question?” asked Jared.
“Ordinarily I’d say no, but the problem is that goblins can see in the dark almost better than they see during the day. They would have no problem picking us out, but we’d be tripping over ourselves the whole time. I think the best time to go is at dawn, before it’s completely light, but not totally dark either.”
J’Mart chuckled in Joel’s ear. “Which means that water is going to be nice and chilly,” he said.
Joel glared at him sideways. “Look, unless you can ‘poof’ us inside, I think we can do without the comments from the peanut gallery,” he said.
The little man shrugged. “Okay, okay. Just thought I’d add a little comic relief here. You guys are awfully tense.”
Joel didn’t bother to respond to that. “So dawn it is,” he said to Athena. “I really hope we can all make it inside, but I don’t see how we will.”
Fender looked at Gaen. “I think the SongMaster should go first. Out of all of us here, he is the one most equipped to recover the Duran, I think, and it is imperative that he makes it through the tunnel and into the city. Any of the rest of us are disposable, but he is not.”
“I agree,” replied Gaen, “with one change: someone else will go first, because we are assuming that the city is free of goblins, but for all we know it’s crawling with them inside the wall. I am not sending him through the tunnel to be fished out of the other side and killed at their leisure. Someone else will lead the way, and if there are goblins on the other side, perhaps they can hold them back long enough for the SongMaster to break out his magic and perhaps rescue both of them.”
Step held up his hand. “I’ll go first,” he volunteered. “I’m probably small enough to fit through that tunnel easily, and I’m also probably the best swimmer here. I’ll make sure he gets out on the other side alive.”
Gaen nodded. “So be it. The rest of us will follow as we can. Bowen, you’ll be last, because I need your bowshot to hold off the goblins that are sure to see us.” The Warmaster stood. “I’ll take first watch, and Frayne, after me. This may go without saying, but I suggest you all get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be very interesting.”
Joel wrapped his bedroll around himself and settled against the cliff wall. He knew he wasn’t going to sleep well. J’Mart was nowhere to be seen, and Athena was scouting a last circuit around the camp.
He knew there was a good chance that one or more of his companions would be killed the next day, and he dreaded it. The thought that he might die briefly entered his mind, but he dismissed the thought. After all, I volunteered to come here. He looked up at the unfamiliar stars, bright in the cold clear sky. “I don’t know if there’s anyone out there that can hear me,” he whispered, “but Yath, if you’re truly on my side, do this for me, will you? Let my friends survive, and I’ll do what I can to get the Duran. Deal?” There was no answer, and he laid his head on his arms and closed his eyes. He heard Athena settle next to him a little while later, but he barely stirred, and eventually he slept.
The eastern sky was glowing faintly when Step shook him awake quietly. The others were waking. Athena’s head was resting on his shoulder, and though he was reluctant to disturb her, he quietly woke her before he stood. It was cold, and he found himself fervently wishing for a hot cup of coffee or mirpoix. He located Fender standing a few yards away and walked over to him.
“I can’t make mirpoix, because my magic makes noise, but you can, can’t you? A cup would taste really good right now.”
Fender smiled, though he was obviously deep in thought. “I think that can be arranged.” He closed his eyes and muttered a few words, and a steaming cup of mirpoix materialized in Joel’s outstretched hand.
“Oh, that’s good,” said Joel after his first sip. “Am I the only one who’s cold?”
The others in the party had gathered around Joel and Fender. “No, you’re not the only one,” said Step. “But I’ve got furry underclothes on, so everything’s right with the world.”
Ordinarily Joel would have laughed at the attempt at levity, but nobody smiled. Gaen spoke next. “All right. It’s time to go. Follow me.”
Withers sat down, closely wrapped in his cloak. “I will wait here for you for one week or until I risk discovery. Then I will head back. Whatever your task inside Vertton Crags may be, I wish you luck.”
Gaen barely glanced at him and headed into the forest, and the others followed. They walked about half a mile until they reached the edge of the trees and looked out onto the plain. Thousands of goblins stretched across the flatlands, scattered from the wall all the way to the gorge. An old wooden bridge spanned the gorge directly in front of the city gates, and it was also covered with the creatures. Although the size of the army was impressive, it did not seem to be particularly well organized. There was a good deal of talking and laughter, and it seemed that many of the creatures were sleeping.
Just as Gaen had described it, about a hundred yards from the tree line the smooth line of the city wall was broken by a small drainage tunnel, out of which flowed a fast-moving stream. Thankfully there were no goblins stationed between the company and the tunnel, but the terrain was bare. They would be in plain sight while they made the dash to the stream.
Gaen held up his hand for attention. “Once you break the trees, don’t stop for anything. It’s only ten feet through the tunnel, but be prepared – that water is going to take your breath away. Step, you’re first, followed by the SongMaster.
“If the other side is clear, then wait for us. Otherwise, make for the north side of the city, toward the cliff wall. The wizard’s last locator spell this morning places the book there, but that’s all we know.
We’ll meet up somewhere in that vicinity.” The Warmaster looked at all of them one by one. “Whatever else may happen, it has been an honor serving with all of you. May Yath protect us, and let’s go.”
Step drew himself up and took a deep breath. “Right. No sense in waiting around,” he said. Without another word, he broke the tree line and, running in a crouch, headed for the stream.
Gaen clapped Joel on the shoulder. “Time to go, SongMaster.” Joel glanced around at his friends, his gaze landing on Athena. She smiled at him and blew him a kiss. Keeping that image in his mind, he took a deep breath and started to run.
Step was halfway to the stream already. Keeping as low as he could manage, Joel ran for his life. The way was clear, and he allowed himself to believe for a moment that they might make it without being discovered. As Joel crossed the halfway point, Step reached the stream. Without breaking stride, the little man launched into a long, flat dive and disappeared into the icy water. Joel heard somebody running behind him, but he didn’t dare stop to see who it was.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one to hear his follower. There was a shout from inside the goblin camp, and then another one, and Joel’s heart sank into his stomach. They had been seen.
He couldn’t allow himself to check for pursuers. In another few seconds he was at the stream, but he couldn’t bring himself to launch into a dive the way Step had done. He pulled to a halt and started to hyperventilate, trying to build some oxygen in his lungs. He only had a few seconds, during which he risked a look behind him.
Athena was in full stride, running toward him, and the Prince was hot on her heels. The goblin camp was stirring as it came fully awake, and as Joel watched, a stray arrow headed in his direction, though it fell far short of his position. He knew that one look was all he had time for. He took one last breath, whirled toward the stream and dived.
Despite all of his precautions, the shock of the water almost knocked the wind out of him. It was like hitting a brick wall, and almost immediately he felt his legs go numb. His arms felt very heavy, and he wondered if he could actually swim the ten feet under the city wall. The water was clear, and he saw the tunnel ahead. There was no sign of Step, and he hoped fervently both that his friend had made it and that there were no goblins waiting for him on the other side of the wall.
SongMaster's Realm Page 24
