Part 29 (1/2)

”Why bother?”

Snarling, Duncan lunged at the handler, seeking a warrior's death...but the smothering web tangled his legs, making a mockery of his charge. He tripped and fell hard, the dagger skittering across the floor.

The handler barked a crude laugh, aiming a kick at Duncan's groin.

Twisting away, Duncan glared up at the brute, hawking a wad of spit at his face. ”Kill me and be done with it!”

Wiping the spit from his cheek, the handler snarled. ”Your life is not your own.” He brought the club down with expert blows, hitting flesh instead of bone. ”Even maggots live to serve.”

Duncan writhed in pain, longing for death. The club thumped against the side of his head, the taste of blood flooding his mouth. The world began to fade...cruel laughter chasing him into the darkness.

35.

Katherine Kath dreamt of Duncan, of their wedding night in the s.h.i.+eld Forest. Moonlight filtered through the branches, silvering their bower like a blessing from the G.o.ds. Naked, they lay entwined beneath the great oak tree. She kissed him, reveling in his touch, in his taste, in his warmth. Tenderness burned to a deep-seated need. She ached for him. He rolled on top, his mismatched gaze full of love...but something changed. Bruises appeared on his face, his gaze full of pain. No! Kath fought the nightmare, struggling to scream.

”Shhhhh!”

Kath woke, reaching for a sword that was not there.

”Shhhhh!” A raven-faced woman hovered overhead, ebony eyes demanding silence.

Recognizing the healer, Kath shucked the nightmare, struggling to wake.

”Come,” a whispered command. Thera handed Kath her boots, gesturing for her to follow.

Her companions slept, wrapped in their bedrolls, the glow crystal dimmed to a pale light. Even the wolf slept, huddled close to Danya...so perhaps there was no cause for alarm. Rubbing her eyes, Kath crept from her warm blankets, wondering at the late night summons.

The healer moved toward the chamber opening, her footfalls soft on the earthen floor. It was only then that Kath noticed she carried a candle, the first she'd seen in the caves. Why a candle instead of a glow crystal? Another riddle of the night, yet she followed without comment.

A pair of grim-faced guards waited outside the sleeping chamber, but these were strangers, not Bear and Boar. The smaller of the two men wore the tattoo of a badger...but the larger guard bore the snarling tattoo of a mountain lion. Kath stifled a gasp. ”What's this about?” She turned to confront the healer.

”You seek to learn our ways?” Sharp eyes stared back at her, full of judgment.

”Yes.”

”Then come.”

”But the others?”

”Just you.”

Kath sensed Thera's words were chiseled in stone, leaving no room for debate. She looked at the lion-faced guard and then back to the healer, but their faces held no answers. Swallowing her questions, she gave a terse nod.

The healer whirled, setting a brisk pace, a single candle clutched in her fist.

Kath rushed to keep up. The corridors were empty, the light dimmed for sleep. Shadows hovered close, obscuring the drawings. Kath peered through the gloom, searching for landmarks. Horses galloped across a vaulted ceiling, marking a familiar cavern. Three pa.s.sageways later, the horses gave way to a pack of wolves baying at an ocher moon, but the healer did not tarry. More twists and turns followed, as if Thera deliberately sought to confuse her in a tangle of stone.

Kath kept pace, struggling to memorize the progression of paintings. Horses, wolves, badgers, snow geese, the narrow pa.s.sage opened to a long gallery, a place she'd never been before. Charcoal ravens took flight across a rocky sky. The long cavern tightened to a narrow chokehold, the low ceiling almost touching her head. Ducking low, Kath shuddered at the suffocating closeness. The den seemed an endless warren of rock. No sky, no stars, no moon, a place forgotten by time. Kath wondered how the painted people could go so long without feeling the sun's kiss or the wind's breath.

Left and then right, the pa.s.sage widened and then narrowed. Strange glyphs appeared on the walls. The crude drawings seemed older, more simplistic. Kath felt as if they walked backwards in time. Handprints filled an entire wall, a primitive accounting. Done in a dark reddish stain, Kath wondered if they were marked in blood. One of the hands held a sword, the first weapon she'd seen in the drawings. She wanted a closer look, but the healer forged ahead, walking deeper into the caves. Kath hurried to keep up, not wanting to be lost in the stone labyrinth.

Light from the glow crystals disappeared, leaving only Thera's candle.

The smothering darkness drew near. Kath rushed to stay close to Thera, nearly treading on her heels.

Thera's footsteps slowed, the candlelight flickering against rough rock walls. The pa.s.sage opened to a chamber that seemed a dead end...till Kath glimpsed the jagged crack running the height of the far wall. Like a bolt of darkness, a lightning-shaped crack split the rock, creating a narrow pa.s.sage. A great stag protected the opening, magnificent antlers spread wide above a n.o.ble neck. Drawn in bold lines of charcoal and umber, the stag's dark eyes seemed to bore into her soul, full of primal power.

Kath approached the jagged opening, acknowledging the stag with a nod. ”Lightning in the depths of the earth.” Awe p.r.i.c.kled the back of her neck, feeling the breath of the G.o.ds. ”What is this place?”

”A sacred trust.” The healer stared at her, the tattooed raven supplanting the woman. ”A bolt of knowledge split the earth. Do you have the courage to follow it into the depths?”

”A test?”

Thera nodded; the barest hint of approval in her smile. ”One rarely given to outsiders.” The raven peered from the healer's face, dark eyes surrounded by tattooed feathers. ”What G.o.d do you pray to?”

”Valin, the G.o.d of warriors.”

”Can your G.o.d see into the earth?”

Kath had never considered the question yet she staunchly defended Valin. ”He sees into the heart of every warrior.”

”Then pray to him now.” Reaching into her pocket, Thera removed a fresh candle. ”To each soul the G.o.ds give a single Light against the Dark.” Her face solemn with ritual, she slowly waved the two candles in an intricate pattern, as if scribing a great rune in the air. ”Light conquers the Dark.” She touched the two wicks together. The second candle flared bright. She offered the slender taper to Kath. ”Guard it well.”

Accepting the candle, Kath stared at the lightning bolt cracking the wall. ”Alone?”

”Yes.” Thera's voice held a solemn tone. ”To the very Womb of the World.”

A feather of foreboding s.h.i.+vered down Kath's back. ”What will I find there?”

”That depends on what you take.” The healer's gaze narrowed. ”Your candle is lit, don't squander the Light.”

The words held a note of finality. s.h.i.+elding the candle, Kath stepped toward the lightning bolt. Cold air seeped out. Nodding to the great stag, she slipped through the crack.

Darkness rushed to surround her. Her single candle cast a feeble glow. The rock walls pressed close. Musty and cold, they crowded her shoulders, a smother of rock too close for comfort. s.h.i.+elding the candle, she walked forward, studying the walls, searching for animal guides but the rock proved barren.

The earthen floor dipped away.

Kath stumbled and nearly fell, almost dropping the candle. Clutching the taper, she regained her footing. Shaken, she leaned against the cold rock wall, her heart hammering. Without flint, the candle flame was her sole s.h.i.+eld against the dark. She stared back toward the lightning bolt opening...but only darkness lurked behind. Taking a deep breath, she pressed on, caution in her steps.

The steep descent continued, twisting and turning like a serpent delving into the earth. Rounding a corner, she stifled a scream. A skull stared back at her, yellowed with age. It sat in a niche, no bones, no coffin, just a hollow-eyed stare, perhaps a guardian of the cave...or a warning of things to come. Sending a prayer to Valin, she ducked past the watcher.

Deeper...darker...colder...she followed the narrow pa.s.sage into the depths...till she came to a choice. The pa.s.sageway split in two, both branches equally narrow, both slanting down. Holding the candle to the rock walls, she searched for a clue, a hint about one path or the other...but she found no markings. Why give her a choice with no way to choose? Hot wax dripped like tears on her hand, goading her forward. On impulse, she took the right-hand pa.s.sage.

Kath searched the walls as she walked, hoping for a sign that she'd made the right choice...but nothing to mark the way. Down and around, the darkness grew more oppressive. Doubt gnawed at her mind, dragging her footsteps to a crawl. Her breathing sounded loud in her ears. What if she'd taken the wrong turn; forever lost in a labyrinth of stone? Icy fingers slid down her back. Feeling a cold stare, she whirled, holding the candle out...but it was just another skull, staring with vacant eyes, death keeping watch.

Taking a deep breath, she struggled to bridle her fears.