Sands of the Soul s-5

by Voronica Whitney-Robinson

  She's given it to me all over again, Tazi marveled. If she's this sure of me, then maybe I can be, too.

  No one was in sight. Realizing that, once again, Cale was right and there was no exterior guard to the manse, Tazi silently slid down the wall and rejoined her cohorts.

  "It looks as though everything is quiet outside," she told them. "I think it would be best to have you, Steorf, check for the most silent way inside." Tazi spoke his name aloud in deference to Fannah's blindness. "You're the best one to figure out the right path to ease our way in."

  It was Steorf's turn to look sharply at her.

  "You want me to 'ease' our way in?" he asked a little incredulously. "We haven't done that in a long time."

  "I'm sure you're still good at it, or have you lost your touch?" she asked with innocent eyes.

  She wasn't sure but Tazi thought she saw Steorf's strong jaw twitch in the hint of a smile.

  "Oh," he answered, "I think you'll find I'm still good at it… and a few things more."

  With that, he moved off to survey the grounds with a different eye, leaving the women alone for a moment.

  "So you and Steorf are back to 'easing' your way around?" Fannah questioned.

  Tazi looked at her in surprise.

  "I'm blind," Fannah explained in her melodic voice, "not deaf."

  Tazi couldn't resist a giggle at Fannah's jab.

  "You don't miss a thing," she replied. "You'd think I would remember that by now." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "It has been a long time since he and I have done something like this together. I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't worried."

  "You'd be a fool to ever say something like that," Fannah corrected her. Laying her delicate hand on Tazi's sinewy arm, she continued, "And you are no fool, Thazienne. You never have been."

  Fannah wasn't able to see the slightly grateful look that Tazi gave her, but Tazi was sure she knew just the same. Since the beginning of their unusual friendship, Tazi had always felt that Fannah could look right through her, blind or not. That hadn't changed over time. She reached over and quickly patted Fannah's hand, almost embarrassing herself with the familiar gesture.

  "Are you ladies ready?" Steorf asked with mock formality.

  He had slipped up behind them noiselessly. Tazi knew he asked the question in jest, but it was appropriate nonetheless. If they weren't ready, this whole crossing would end disastrously. She weighed her options one last time and gazed hard at her companions. There was no other choice.

  "Let's bring this to Ciredor," Tazi finally answered, "and bring it to an end."

  "Then let's be on our way," Steorf said, tilting his head. "If you don't mind," he added after a moment, "I'll make a quick pass to muffle the clanging your rapiers are making, Thazienne, before you alert everyone that we're coming."

  Tazi whirled to face him, an angry retort on the tip of her tongue. She knew well enough her Sembian guardblades were as silent as she was and was about to remind Steorf of that fact in no uncertain terms. But the expression Steorf wore revealed he had been teasing her.

  That's twice now, she thought.

  Her lips curved up in spite of herself.

  "You are touchy, aren't you?" was all he said.

  Steorf swung up onto the wall and reached a hand down. Tazi laced her fingers together and gave Fannah a leg up to him. Soon enough all three were crouched along the wall. Steorf motioned to what appeared to be a servants' entrance and through a series of quick gestures let Tazi know that was probably their best chance. Fannah remained silent throughout the whole exchange. Tazi passed along their plans to the Calishite by pressing her finger into Fannah's hand and drawing a few key symbols. Tazi knew Fannah would not speak aloud again until they did.

  There was only a small garden of stones between the wall and the servants' door. Aesthetically pleasing with a very intricate pattern, the garden also made a very simple and effective alarm. It was much harder to cross silently than a garden of dirt and grass, and any rocks knocked out of place would reveal an intruder had been through it. Tazi touched Steorf's arm, but he was already one step ahead. With a practiced gesture, he made the magical pass he had earlier joked about. Thanks to that spell, the three were able to walk a few inches above the ground and not disturb a single pebble.

  When they reached the door, Tazi motioned for Steorf to step aside. Certain there weren't any wards on the door, Tazi reached under her shirt sleeve, took out her picks, and began to work on the lock. Three quick twists and it sprang open.

  The right tool for the right job, Tazi thought with some small satisfaction, sliding the picks back into their guard on her arm.

  Steorf stepped into the inky blackness first and spread out his hands. After a moment of silence, he whispered, "I don't believe anyone is here."

  "Just to be on the safe side," Tazi said quietly to Steorf, "let's limit the amount of magic you use."

  She wanted to make no mistakes and part of her concern came from the fact that she wasn't certain how well Steorf could control his magic.

  Taking her cue from her two companions, Fannah asked aloud, "Why should we do that?"

  "Well," Tazi replied, "none of my informants have had any dealings with the sorcerer who controls this gate. We can't be certain that he doesn't have some kind of affiliation with Ciredor. If Steorf doesn't know anything about him, we have to assume the worst. The fewer traces we leave behind, magical or otherwise, the better."

  Tazi couldn't see, but Steorf had stood a little straighter when she mentioned his name.

  "Do you know where the gate is?" Fannah asked.

  "Cale wasn't certain, but he thought it was located in the cellar," Tazi answered, swallowing hard.

  Silently, she dreaded going down there. She had always harbored a fear of cellars, which were often traps. After the sight she had seen in the bowels of the one Ciredor had occupied, Tazi hadn't stepped down into a cellar since.

  "We'll have to make our way carefully," Steorf warned, after bumping into a doorframe. "I believe the owner has some kind of shadow spell on the tallhouse. The darkness is absolute."

  Before either Steorf or Tazi could say any more, Fannah took the lead. Out of all of them, she was the best equipped to maneuver through the house. She was the only one not affected by the darkness, having been blind since birth. Fannah lightly clasped Tazi's hand, and Steorf followed directly behind. Tazi was always caught off-guard by the depth perception Fannah possessed. Her ability to discern the dimensions and spatial relationship between objects bordered on amazing. This time was no exception. Fannah moved through the house as though she had lived there all her life.

  Passing carefully through what was most likely the servants' quarters, the trio made their way to the kitchen. It reeked of rancid fat and mold. Tazi's stomach, already in turmoil, roiled at the smells. She wondered how long it had been since the kitchen had been cleaned, or how long it had been since any servants had passed through the building at all. She was hard pressed not to sneeze at the dust they stirred up.

  A few more steps and Fannah led them into a pantry. Tazi dismally noticed it didn't smell much better there, either. Fannah felt along the shelves with deft fingers, passing over spoiled supplies and ruined goods until she discovered the door handle to the cellar. She opened it just a crack, to test the integrity of the hinges. They, at least, had been given some attention recently, and the door opened soundlessly. After one step down the equally noiseless stairs, Fannah stopped and Tazi nearly walked into her.

  "What's wrong?" Tazi asked into Fannah's ear.

  "Something smells down here," she replied.

  "It's probably just more moldy food," Tazi reassured her.

  Fannah still hesitated. "I can smell that, but there's something else," she said.

  "What?" asked Steorf, who had moved to share the step with Tazi.

  "I can smell old food and something else. Something like animal waste."

  "We can't stop now," Tazi urged.

  Ste
orf moved past Fannah and continued the rest of the way down the stairs, both Tazi and Fannah trailing in his wake. The moment he reached the base of the stairs, a light sprang up. Everyone froze.

  Bathed in the weak glow, Tazi could see that the cellar was not very big. Only thirty feet long and twenty feet wide, the room didn't concern Tazi. She had been in bigger traps before. The walls were made up of dark, rough-hewn river rock and constantly seeped moisture. The stones were slick with mold and slime. The smell of decay permeated the entire room. Glancing around quickly, Tazi could see there was no other furniture or staples housed in there, save for the prize for which they had been searching.

  A stone archway taller than Steorf and nearly as wide as it was tall nestled in the far corner of the room. Aside from its size, the archway was unremarkable to look at. Tazi was able to see through the opening of the portal and make out the far wall directly behind it.

  "That's it," she said, moving to stand beside Steorf. "Let's go."

  Steorf put his arm out in front of her.

  "No," he said, "Fannah was right. There is something else down here. See?"

  He pointed to a bowl near the gate that was overflowing with what looked like food scraps. Tazi could barely make out the dish.

  "There's no creature here now," she reasoned. Turning around in a complete circle, she proclaimed, "We're alone. There's nowhere for anyone to hide."

  Suddenly, a low growl filled the cellar. The threesome faced the gate in unison in time to see a large, gray creature slink around from behind it. Tazi was amazed and somewhat startled. Since she had been attacked by one long ago, she harbored a deep seated fear of dogs, but this was something more than a simple canine.

  Slightly larger than the average mastiff, the dark-furred creature's eyes glowed a deep red. As its lips pulled back in a warning snarl, Tazi could see that its mouth was filled with what looked like an impossible number of teeth. As it swung its massive head from Tazi to Steorf to Tazi again, it clicked its teeth with deliberate slowness.

  "But you could see straight through that gate," Tazi said, "and that thing wasn't there a moment ago."

  "Gates can twist perception as well as time and distance," Steorf explained. "I'll deal with this."

  No sooner did Steorf move forward than the dog-beast sprang from beside the gate. In two quick bounds, the hound, as large as a man, had covered the distance between them.

  Steorf raised his arms and spoke a word that Tazi didn't recognize. A crackle of light exploded from his hands toward the animal. Whatever spell he thought was going to happen didn't, though. Undaunted, the beast knocked him flat, tearing a good chunk out of the leather gauntlet Steorf wore. Fortunately for him, he had thrown his hands in front of his face in a reflexive defense. The dog shook the glove mercilessly and circled around for another pass.

  "Do something," Tazi screamed, but the burly mage half sat and stared at his own hands as though dumbstruck. "Your sword!" Tazi yelled.

  The beast, no longer content to shred Steorf's clothing, leaped once again onto the mage.

  Steorf, knocked back onto the ground, grabbed the hound's collar with both hands. He was barely able to keep the snapping jaws from his eyes and was losing ground fast.

  Tazi, realizing that Steorf couldn't draw his weapon to defend himself, jumped into action. Shoving Fannah back, she ripped off her travel cloak, wrapped part of it around her left arm, and threw herself at the tangle of fur and friend.

  Landing nearly astride the animal, Tazi managed to lock her left arm around the dog's throat and throw part of her cloak over its muzzle with her right hand. Between that and the momentum from her leap, she was able to wrench the beast off of Steorf.

  Tazi stole a quick glance at the young mage to see if he was all right. Steorf looked uninjured but still dazed. She wondered just when was the last time he had to rely on his physical abilities but didn't dwell on the thought. She didn't have time for more.

  Barely able to contain the snarling monster that was at least twice her weight, Tazi found herself thrown against the wall. The wind was momentarily knocked out of her, and the dog was able to use the opportunity to free its face from the confines of her cloak.

  Tazi thrust out her left hand and said the spell word that triggered her emerald ring, but there was no gray shield to protect her and no excruciating pain, as the ring had always demanded.

  Tazi found herself staring into the beast's red eyes, eyes that glinted almost as much as its bejeweled collar. She could feel the dog's breath hit her face in short, hot blasts. Her right wrist still bore the scars of a dog attack from many years before, and faced with one of her bogeymen, Tazi began to sink into the mindless terror of childhood. She instinctively crouched against the wall and began crawling backward like a crab. The dog only watched her retreat and stood its ground.

  It took only a moment for Tazi to realize that the gray beast wasn't following her. She whipped her head around to search for Steorf. Tazi saw that he had moved backward from the spot where he had been attacked and was crawling around, probably looking for something to use against the dog as a shield. Turning toward the stairs, Tazi could see that Fannah had stayed exactly where she had pushed her. Glancing back at the hound, she confirmed that the animal had not followed her. In fact, the beast was sitting right beside what was left of Tazi's cloak, unperturbed. She backed up a little more.

  "Steorf," she cautiously whispered back over her shoulder, "I think the beast only attacks if someone approaches the gate."

  The young mage was unsteadily rising to his feet.

  "It doesn't matter," he finally responded. "The animal must be impervious to magic. I think that collar protects the canine. There's no way we can defeat it. We'll have to leave and think of another way."

  Tazi detected a quake to Steorf's voice, and she was momentarily surprised by his quick defeat. She wondered if he actually meant that there was no way for him to defeat it magically, but part of her wanted to run as well. The most powerful tool she possessed was useless against the hound. A hasty retreat was appealing and seemed logical. She looked over to Fannah, though, and saw the raven-haired woman standing on the bottom step. She appeared serene to Tazi, but very vulnerable. Tazi's mouth tightened, and she stood up.

  "No," she answered Steorf, "there is no other way than this. I'm not running away or taking the easy route anymore."

  Tazi took a step forward.

  As she suspected, as soon as the hound saw her move closer to the gate, the beast was in motion. Tazi could see its powerful muscles bunch in effort as the dog made its attack. With a vicious snarl, the guardian launched itself into the air, much as it had done with Steorf.

  Tazi crossed her arms at her waist and drew her Sembian guardblades. Though she knew their enchantments would be useless against the guardian, the rapiers were still good steel. Not many things were impervious to that.

  Tazi used the animal's might against itself. She held her right arm sturdy, and even though the dog saw the threat she posed, it was unable to stop its motion. The beast impaled itself onto Tazi's right rapier. She simultaneously swung across with her left blade and partially decapitated the thing. The momentum and size of the animal toppled both of them to the ground.

  Straining against the animal's dead weight, Tazi managed to push the creature off of her. She rose just as Steorf, somewhat shamefaced, reached her side. Tazi didn't notice him as she checked to verify that the dog was truly dead, not completely trusting the copious amounts of its blood that covered her. She half-expected it to open its eyes and gnash its jaws. One look at its nearly severed head, however, removed all doubt.

  Tazi grasped the blade that was still embedded in the guardian with both hands and began to tug. She finally had to place her foot against the animal's side to give her the leverage she needed to free her weapon from the meat of its chest. Steorf handed her the other rapier.

  "It's safe now, Fannah," she called out as she retrieved what remained of her cloak.

&
nbsp; She used the tatters to clean her blades before replacing the weapons in their sheathes. Soon enough, Fannah stood next to her winded companions.

  "Something tells me you two must be a sight, indeed," Fannah said.

  Tazi smirked at the comment, but Steorf didn't respond.

  "Well," Tazi admitted, looking at the large carcass and the widening pool of blood on the floor, "we did a pretty horrible job of not leaving any kind of a trace behind."

  She flashed a smirk at Steorf.

  He stepped over to the dog and knelt by its side. Steorf slid his hands over the dull collar and deftly removed it with a small click. He placed his hands on the dead beast's side and closed his eyes.

  Tazi watched in mute fascination as a blue glow enveloped the dog. The animal's wounds began to knit themselves shut, and the pool of blood evaporated. With only a few words, Steorf healed the hound. Soon enough, the animal opened its eyes and briefly thumped its tail as Steorf replaced the jeweled collar.

  Tazi took a step back, but the dog merely rolled upright and padded over to lie by the far side of the gate as though it were a comfortable hearth. Fannah walked over to the dog and hesitantly touched it. The guardian thumped its tail once more. Tazi turned to Steorf with an amazed expression on her face.

  "You said we shouldn't leave any traces, and once it was dead I was able to remove the enchanted collar," he offered in quiet explanation. "As soon as we leave, the creature will revert back to its former, unpleasant demeanor toward unwanted guests."

  She cast a sidelong glance at him and said, "I thought you told me the other day that you weren't very adept at necromancy spells."

  "I've been practicing for this journey," was all he would answer.

  Tazi jabbed his shoulder good-naturedly.

  "A good thing for us that you have been."

  She smiled up into his face, trying to recapture some of their old camaraderie, for Fannah's sake if nothing else, but he didn't return it.

  "I'm sorry," he said quietly and cast his eyes down toward his limp hands. "I just…" he struggled with the words, "seemed to have forgot myself during the battle."