Part 24 (1/2)
No heat; his finger touched only cool steel.
Ahira smiled. ”That's beautiful. I wish I'd gone along with Ari, to see him glow the blade for that smith, back in Pandathaway,” He picked up the sword and handed it to Karl.
In the light from the blade, Aristobulus smiled. ”You still would be impressed. If I'd tried to get that blade this bright, the glow would have lasted for only an hour or so.”
”Doria,” the dwarf said gently, ”how long will this last? It's beautiful.” He knew the answer, but he needed to hear her say it.
Her head nodded fractionally, her hands trembling as she knitted her fingers together. ”Always.”
Karl's hand fell on his shoulder. ”I think it's time we got going.”
”Yes,” Doria whispered. ”Home.”
The sword held high to scatter the light as widely as possible, Karl picked his way behind Ahira, the muscles in his shoulders burning like hot wires. It was as though they were walking through the insides of some gargantuan stone worm; the tunnel twisted and turned, leading downward all the way, but never losing its tubular shape, or branching off.
His arms hurt, but he couldn't let both hang at his sides, except when they stopped to rest. The last time had been a while ago. But how long? Who could tell?
Just for something to do, he tinged the point of the sword against the ceiling overhead.
”Stop it,” Ahira snapped from in front of him.
”Why? I justa””
”Stop it.” The dwarf had gotten nastier the farther down the tunnel they went.
”Ahira?”
The dwarf didn't turn around. ”What is it now?”
”How longa””
”How long until what? Until we get there? I don't know.”
”No,” Aristobulus called from behind. ”How long until we stop to rest?” His voice was ragged; the wizard wasn't holding up well.
From the rear of the group, Walter's baritone drifted forward. ”I've got a better questiona”how long until the water gives out? And what do we do then?”
”Relax,” the dwarf said, sounding anything but relaxed himself. ”I've figured that out.” He paused to pick his way around a pile of rocky rubble that was echoed above by a gap in the ceiling. ”We go along until we either find the Gate or use up just over half our water.”
Karl squeezed through between the rubble pile and the wall, barking his s.h.i.+n in the process. He waited on the other side, extending his hand to help Aristobulus through.
The wizard nodded his thanks.
Andy-Andy was next; she hesitated for a moment before accepting his help. ”Thank you.” Her voice dripped insincerity, My, aren't we getting formal. ”And you are most welcome, m'lady.”
She turned away, but not before he caught a trace of a smile.
Karl shrugged, moving aside to let Doria make her own way through. Figuring out why Andy-Andy did what wasn't certain to be a waste of time and effort. But close enough.
The trouble with women is that they're too d.a.m.n intelligent.
Walter moved easily through the narrow pa.s.sage, balancing himself like a dancer. ”Want to switch for a while?”
Gratefully, Karl handed him the sword, accepting the thief's scimitar in return. He slipped it under his belt, then folded his arm across his chest and rubbed viciously at his shoulders. Forcing someone to keep an arm overhead would make a fine torture. And probably had been used as such.
Perhaps in the Coliseum of Pandathaway? No, probably not. Too gentle; people who would chain Ellegon in the middle of a cesspool would have much worse than that in store for someone they were angry at.
But we're going home. All we have to do is tiptoe by a dragona”The Dragon.
”Karl?” Andy-Andy's form was just a silhouette in the light of the sword beyond her. ”Are you going to fall asleep standing up? Or would you be so kind as to come along with the rest of us?”
He didn't bother with a sarcastic smile. She probably couldn't see it anyway. Still ma.s.saging his shoulders, he set off after the others.
Once we get to the other side, Andrea Andropolous, you and I are going to talk this out, without interruptions. And then yours truly is going to see if he can drink Walter Slovotsky under the table.
Ahira was the first to see the skeleton, of course, because of both his position at the front of the group and his darksight.
But he came close to stumbling over it; a distant, obscene reek had him distracted. It was a strange odor, far different from the cool, moist smell of the unending tunnel.
Probably just imagining it. He shook his head and sniffed twice. Nothing. He shrugged, and started to move on.
And caught himself in midstep, the blackened skull barely an inch beneath the sole of his sandal. Ahira teetered on one leg for a moment, like an aerialist on a high wire.
”Hold it.” He regained his balance and motioned Hakim forward, stepping aside to bring the skull out of his shadow.
It lay on its side in the middle of the tunnel, hollow eyesockets staring blindly, open jaw leering, loose bones arrayed behind it in a charred trail.
”What thea””
”Shh,” Ahira whispered. ”n.o.body say anything. Just stay where you are.” He knelt on the rough stone beside the skull, Hakim moving the glowing sword closer without any need to be asked.
The skull had lain there a long time; dust on the upper surface was so thick that Ahira's probing finger sank into the feathery surface past his fingernail, almost to the first joint. Years, certainly. Possibly centuries.
He rubbed his finger against his chest.
Beyond the skull, a charred ribcage lay, armbones to the side, the pelvis and the long bones of the legs arrayed as though the victim had sprawled out before its flesh had vanished.
To the left of the ribcage, a round s.h.i.+eld lay, its concavity cupping the floor of the tunnel. No design on its face, just blackness.
Blackness, and charred bonesa”that didn't make any sense. Unless... Ahira wiped his hand across the surface of the s.h.i.+eld.
It came away black, leaving behind a dirtied outline of the design that had once decorated the s.h.i.+eld's face: three golden circles.
Ahira wiped his other hand against the wall. It, too, came away sooty.
Hakim smiled, and leaned close. ”My friend,” he whispered, his lips a scant inch from Ahira's ear, ”it seems to me that we're almost there.”