by Troy Denning
Across the meadow, Sadira saw her sister reach Magnus's side and begin slashing at the ribbons holding him prisoner. Rhayn accomplished little, except to cover herself with slime. The windsinger shoved her away, raising his voice still louder. A searing whirlwind, full of burning sand and flying stones, roared in from the desert and entwined the windsinger and his attacker. Wild undulations rolled through the floater's body, then its blue entrails began to writhe madly about.
In the next instant, the whirlwind ripped the beast apart, flinging slimy tendrils and masses of viscid flesh in all directions. The largest part of the floater's body sailed far over the heath, where it was snatched from the air by the flick of some unseen creature's barb-covered tongue. Magnus closed his mouth and collapsed to the ground, allowing the whirlwind to dissipate as quickly as it had appeared.
Sadira sidestepped the shadow in front of her and rushed to the windsinger's side, arriving a few moments after her sister. Where the floater had gripped him, Magnus's face and arms were red and inflamed. On one of his legs was a long welt that had burst open and was slowly oozing blood.
"Magnus, heal yourself!" Sadira said, pulling a piece of slimy tentacle off his shoulder.
The windsinger nodded and began his song.
The welt did not close. Instead, the tip of a brown root sprouted from the wound. Sadira snatched Rhayn's weapon and used the erdlu claw to cut the thing off.
Magnus howled in pain, then took the lance from her hand and flung it away. "No!" he cried. "It's part of me now. I can feel it growing out of my bones."
Another root appeared from the wound. The three companions watched in horror as it grew larger and longer, until it was as big around as Sadira's wrist. Suddenly, the tip turned downward and plunged into the soil. Rhayn and Sadira grabbed the stalk and, ignoring Magnus's scream, tried to pull it free. The women were nearly jerked off their feet as the thing burrowed into the ground. Finally, when the stem had grown so large that they could no longer grasp it, the sisters gave up.
"We've got to try something else," Sadira said. "Maybe blasting it away?"
"That would be like taking off a leg, maybe worse," Magnus said, his teeth clenched in pain.
"Then what do you want us to do?" demanded Rhayn, her voice betraying her frustration.
"We could reverse the metamorphosis for you," said a deep voice.
Sadira turned around and saw that all of the shadow people had manifested themselves in solid form. They were standing several yards away, their cold blue eyes fixed on the root attaching Magnus to the ground.
"You can do that?" the sorceress asked.
"Of course," answered the shadow. "This is our land, is it not?"
Sadira and Rhayn stepped aside and waved the shadows forward. "Please do."
The group's leader shook his head. "First, there is the matter of payment," he said. "It has been more than a year since our last shipment. We had hoped you were the couriers."
"We're not, so stop wasting time and fix him," Rhayn snorted, pointing at Magnus.
The shadow shook his head. "Not without payment."
"I'll pay you!" the elf yelled, spreading her fingers to draw the energy for a spell.
Sadira laid a restraining hand on her sister's arm. To the shadows, she said, "I'm sorry, but we have no obsidian—"
"Then your friend shall remain as he is until you bring it to us," hissed the speaker.
With that, he walked over and seized the weapon that Magnus had thrown to the ground earlier. As his darkness engulfed the makeshift lance, the other shadows went over to where Sadira and Rhayn had been butchering the erdlu. They collected all of the claws, scales, and bones that the two sisters had labored so hard to harvest, then melted into the ground and swam off toward the distant tower.
"Now what?" Rhayn demanded.
"We follow them," Sadira said. "If they can reverse what happened to Magnus, I'll wager they can control the tower's magic. All we have to do is figure out a way to convince them to give us what we want."
"Leave that to me," said Rhayn. "The shadow has not been cast that can out-bargain an elf?"
"And what about me?" Magnus asked.
Sadira gave him a sad look. "I don't see that we can help you by staying here," she said. "If we're successful at the tower, we'll be back with the shadow people to free you."
The windsinger nodded. "I guess that makes sense, but what about food—and water?"
Rhayn kissed Magnus on the cheek, at the same time patting the brown stalk that anchored him to the ground. "Isn't that what roots are for?"
SEVENTEEN
The Pristine Tower
Sadira slipped past the gnarled form of another bogo tree, taking care to stay well away from the dagger-sized thorns covering its trunk. As she moved, the sorceress kept a watchful eye on the burled limbs overhead. Although she and Rhayn had been in the forest less than three hours, they had already been attacked a half-dozen times by snakelike beasts lurking in the trees. The creatures liked to swing down as their prey passed beneath a branch, trying to impale their chosen victims on the barbed spines that covered their bodies.
Once Sadira was safely past the bogo tree, she turned her attention forward, expecting to see nothing but more twisted, stark boles. Instead, she was surprised to find herself at the edge of a small glade covered with clumps of ash-colored brush. Thousands of fleecy white blossoms, held aloft on long yellow stems, swayed back and forth in the hot wind.
Sadira hardly noticed the meadow. During the last day and a half, she and Rhayn had seen a dozen different fields. All had been equally beautiful, and all had concealed hazards that had to be negotiated at the peril of their lives. The sorceress was more interested in what lay at the bean of the glade.
There, a glaring needle of white stone rose into the sky, as high as a cloud and as sheer as a sculpted column. At the bottom stood an ancient gatehouse, guarding a narrow case of stairs that circled up the spire until it could no longer be distinguished as a separate feature. The pillar seemed to have no summit, at least not that Sadira could see. It simply grew smaller and smaller, until it disappeared into the sky.
"I'd say we've reached the Pristine Tower," said Rhayn, coming up behind the sorceress.
"Not yet," said Sadira, cautiously stepping into the meadow. "There's still a hundred yards to go—and that's no small distance in this place."
The two women advanced slowly, avoiding contact with the brush and its blossoms. When they could not, they carefully inspected the stems for thorns or stickers that might draw even a drop of blood. It was a slow and tedious way to travel, but with what had happened to Magnus still fresh in their memories, the women knew it was necessary.
They were about halfway across when a chorus of snorts and squeals erupted from a short distance away. Yellow canes and fleecy blossoms danced wildly as the growling creatures charged toward the sisters.
"I've got it," Rhayn said, pulling a pinch of sand from her pocket.
An instant later, several squat rodents with the bodies of weasels and the tusks of boars charged from the undergrowth. They came directly at the two women, their clawed feet spraying dirt high into the air. Rhayn tossed the sand in their direction and spoke her incantation. The grains began to sparkle and formed a small cloud close to the ground. The beasts rushed straight into the scintillating fog and promptly collapsed on top of each other, sound asleep.
"That's the last of my spells," Rhayn said, turning back toward the tower.
"I'm no better off," said Sadira. "We'll just have to hope for the best."
During the trek to the tower, the two women had relied on their magic to defend themselves from a myriad of creatures. Unfortunately, whenever they cast a spell, the incantation vanished from their minds. Usually, the mystic words and gestures were renewed through study, but because Faenaeyon had not let them keep their spellbooks, they could not replenish their spells.
Sadira resumed her careful approach to the tower, listening even more int
ently for any hint of trouble. As they neared the white spire, the sorceress saw that it was made of the same porous stone as the grotto at Cleft Rock. Although she found this puzzling, she was not particularly concerned by it. Since both she and Rhayn had exhausted their spells, there would be no need to draw magical energy through the stone.
A few tense minutes later, they reached the gatehouse. It was an ancient structure, solidly built from granite blocks and lined with the dark slits of arrow loops. Stone hinges still hung from the gate posts, and beneath the archway, the spikes of a shattered portcullis were lodged in the foyer's cracked flagstones.
When the two women stepped beneath the arch, a pair of sparkling blue eyes appeared in the darkness of an arrow slit. "Stand where you are!" ordered a voice that seemed neither male nor female. When the sisters obeyed, a black silhouette slipped from the arrow loop and took on the ropey form of a shadow person. It stepped forward to block their way then asked, "Do you bring obsidian?"
"No, that will come later," answered Rhayn, taking charge of the negotiations. "For now, we have only a small gift to establish our good will, and in return we seek a favor to establish yours."
"What is your gift?" asked the shadow.
"News regarding Umbra and the obsidian mines of Family Lubar," answered Rhayn.
In preparation for the negotiations, Sadira had repeated to her sister all that Rikus and Er'Stali had told her about Maetan of Lubar's relationship to Umbra, the shadow people, and the Pristine Tower. After hearing about the obsidian caravans that Family Lubar had sent in payment for Umbra's services, Rhayn had declared she would have no trouble getting what they wanted from the shadow people.
When the silhouette expressed no interest in what she had tendered so far, Rhayn said, "We thought you might be interested in reviving the flow of obsidian caravans."
This offer met with more success. "We will hear what you have to say," the shadow replied. It drifted aside and faded back into the arrow slit.
"After you," Rhayn said, motioning Sadira forward.
The sorceress stepped past the remains of the shattered portcullis, then led the way onto the narrow stairway beyond. She found that they would need to be even more careful climbing the tower than they had been in approaching it. Although each step was only a few inches high, it was also just half as wide as Sadira's foot was long. To make matters worse, in places the staircase was so worn that it had become more of ramp, covered with a thousand years of dust and sand. The footing was so treacherous that a dune's slip face would have been easier to ascend.
"Be careful," Sadira said. "After coming so far, it would be a shame to get hurt here."
"Elves do not trip on staircases," Rhayn replied.
Sadira turned and, being especially careful of her footing, began to climb. At the same time, she asked, "Don't you think you promised too much back there?"
"What did I pledge?" Rhayn asked.
"Nothing, I guess. But it's what you implied you could do that concerns me," Sadira said. "When they discover we can't send them caravans of obsidian, they'll be angry—and where will that get us?"
"They'll be interested, and that's all we need," said Rhayn. "We may not give them obsidian at all, but we'll find out what else they want and give that to them—or make them think we're going to."
Sadira shook her head. "I hope they're not accustomed to dealing with elves," she muttered.
They continued upward for an interminable time, choosing every step with the utmost care. Sadira's thighs soon began to burn from the effort of endless climbing, while the strain of supporting her weight on the balls of her feet caused knots to form in her calves. The sorceress tried to ignore the pain and concentrate on her footing.
Occasionally, she paused to rest and took a moment to look out over the vista. There was not a sand dune or stretch of barren ground in sight. Everywhere she looked, the panorama was covered by some shade of green: silver-green broomgrass on the horizon, a ring of brown-tinged tortoise bushes closer in, and the blue-hued boughs of the bogo forest encircling the tower itself. If not for the risks involved in reaching the place, it would have been worth the climb just to see a panorama so teeming with plants.
During one of these short rests, Sadira asked, "Have you seen any sign of Dhojakt?"
Rhayn shook her bead. "There are many creatures down there, but none of them seem to be following our path." She motioned for Sadira to resume the climb. "Let's go. The less time we give our culls to think, the better."
The sisters climbed the rest of the way without stopping and soon reached the summit of the spire. The staircase ended at the walls of a small bastion, built completely of alabaster and finished with an undulating cap of ivory. Beyond the open gates, a path of limestone blocks crossed an immense basin of shimmering blue water, stopping at a minaret that rose directly out of the pond. This tower was faced with white onyx and crowned by a crystal cupola, blushing pink with the radiance of the crimson sun.
After passing through the gate, Rhayn and Sadira knelt at the edge of the pool. Despite their thirst, they hesitated to drink. The water smelled brackish and foul, while the grasslike blades of some underwater plant clogged the entire basin. In the few places where they could see to the bottom, they glimpsed a rocky growth resembling the gnarled branches a myrrh tree, save that it glowed in a dozen different shades of color, from rosy pink to jade green.
Sadira scooped up a handful of water and, ignoring the fetid smell, lifted it to her lips. When she tried to swallow the horrid stuff, her throat rebelled at the briny taste and she had to spit it back into the pool.
'That water is not for drinking," said a shadow's voice. The sisters spun around to find a dozen shadow people standing behind them. All of the silhouettes had assumed three-dimensional form, with their burning blue eyes fixed on the women.
As Sadira and Rhayn rose, the leader demanded "Tell us of Umbra."
"Who are you?" asked Rhayn.
"I am Khidar, sachem in Umbra's absence," answered the shadow. "Tell me of Umbra."
"First, you must answer a question for us," said Rhayn.
Khidar stepped forward and grasped the elf by the throat. A stain of darkness began to creep up her chin and down over her shoulders. "There is nothing we must do," the shadow growled, spewing black fumes into Rhayn's face.
"And I don't have to tell you what happened to Umbra," the elf countered, answering the challenge with one of her own.
"True—you can die instead!"
The darkness continued to spread, engulfing Rhayn's entire face. Realizing that either Khidar did not understand the concept of bargaining or had no wish to, Sadira said, "Tell him!"
Her sister did not seem to hear. Instead, as blackness swallowed her head and torso, Rhayn lashed out at her captor. Her fists passed right through his body, and, when she withdrew them, they were also covered in darkness.
"We think Umbra was destroyed!" Sadira blurted. "Now let her go!"
Khidar released the elf, and the darkness drained from her body. She collapsed to the walkway, shivering and as pale as the limestone blocks on which she lay.
The leader faced Sadira. "Now that you know who is master in this keep, you may tell me more of what happened to Umbra."
Sadira studied her sister for a moment, then looked back to Khidar. "Before we continue, let me explain something to you," she said. "Rhayn and I came to the Pristine Tower because we need your help. Unless you give it to us, we'll die before we cross the meadow at the base of this spire. So, you see, your threats mean nothing to us."
"You would not find the Black such a pleasant place," Khidar hissed.
"I suspect I'd find it more to my liking than becoming a half-slug and spending the rest of my life crawling through the bogo forest," Sadira said. When the shadow did not contradict her, the sorceress continued, "Your only choice is whether to help us or not—and the same is true of us. We can tell you what we know of Umbra and the Lubar obsidian, or we can refuse."
"
In which case, you'll die—"
"And be no worse off than we are now," said Rhayn, gaining control of her shivering body.
When Khidar did not try to threaten them again, Sadira said, "Let me propose this: we'll tell you what we need. If you agree to provide it, we'll tell you what we know of Umbra."
"That's no good," objected Rhayn. She rose to her feet. "How do we know they won't renege on their promise?"
"How will they know we've told the truth?" countered Sadira. "At some point, we'll have to trust each other."
"Tell us what you want," said Khidar.
"Power," replied Rhayn. "I want you to use the tower's magic to make me strong enough to become chief of my tribe."
Khidar nodded. "You shall have power in proportion to the value of what you tell us." He looked to Sadira.
"And what do you want?"
Sadira hesitated, wondering how they would react if she told them the truth. Remembering Lyanius's initial resistance to the idea of helping her defy the Dragon, she thought it would be wise to stall until she could learn more about the shadow people. Unfortunately, from what she had seen so far, they had little patience for such bartering ploys.
Fearing that she would only make matters worse by being coy, Sadira took a deep breath and said, "I want to stop the Dragon from tyrannizing my city."
Khidar moved closer, his burning blue eyes locked on Sadira's. "Surely, you don't think we can do that for you?"
"I didn't ask you to do it for me, but I know there's something in this tower that can help me do it for myself," the sorceress replied. "Otherwise, King Tithian and Prince Dhojakt wouldn't have tried so hard to prevent me from reaching it."
This seemed to satisfy the shadow. "We'll do what we can to help you," he said. "Now tell us of Umbra."
"Do you know of the war that took place between Tyr and Urik?" Sadira asked, referring to the invasion that Rikus had turned back the year before. When the shadows nodded, Sadira continued. "During that war, a great champion from Tyr, the gladiator Rikus, fought with Umbra several times. During their last battle, Umbra received a terrible wound—"
