It was with a surge of triumph that Dannyl had spotted the figures in the distance. But the feeling hadn’t lasted long. It turned to dismay as he realised Lorkin was not among them.
Much cursing had followed. The Traitors they’d tracked were too far ahead to be caught and questioned, because doing so would take too much time, so Dannyl and his Sachakan helpers had hurried back to the huts. By then it was night, and creating a light for the tracker was unavoidable. To direct the light where he needed it they had to follow closely behind Unh, and several times they wound up trampling the signs he was looking for. It made the process of picking up the trail slow and difficult, so when Unh had lost the trail completely a few hours later, Achati decided they should camp for the night and continue after the sun rose.
The slaves dropped their burdens with obvious relief. But though they were obviously exhausted, their masters were more demanding than usual. The Ashaki groaned and complained, and had their slaves rub their legs and feet. At first Dannyl was puzzled, then he remembered that the one kind of magic the Sachakans didn’t possess knowledge of was Healing. While he had been soothing away the aches and pains and blisters of walking, they had no choice but to suffer.
I hadn’t realised how much of an advantage it is to us. It could be a significant one, if our countries were ever to fight each other, or another enemy. If we both have to trek to meet our foe, the Sachakans will be the only ones sore and tired from the effort.
The Duna tribesman abruptly rose and announced he was going to try locating the trail again. Achati looked at the others, saying that someone should go with him to keep them both shielded. Dannyl stood up.
“I’ll go. Unless you need me here?”
The magician shook his head. “Go. Keep your shield strong and don’t go too far. The Traitors may be watching us. They may not dare to kill anyone, but if they injured one or some of us we’d have to split up or slow down.”
Following Unh out of the camp, Dannyl created a globe light and set it hovering ahead of the man. He stayed several paces back and tried to step wherever the tribesman did so that he couldn’t possibly be trampling on any tracks but Unh’s. The distance between them made keeping both within a shield challenging.
The Sachakans had camped in a bowl-like hollow between two ridges. Unh made his way around the shorter arm of one ridge, keeping his eyes to the ground. After several paces he squatted and stared at the ground, then looked up at Dannyl and beckoned.
Dannyl closed the distance between them, then looked where Unh was pointing.
“See here,” the man said. “That stone has been stepped upon, then pushed back into the dirt. You can see the direction the stepper was going by the way there is a groove at the front, and a tiny mound at the back.”
It was rather obvious now that the man had pointed it out.
“How do you know it was a human and not an animal?”
Unh shrugged. “I don’t. It would have to be a big animal though, and most of those were hunted out long ago.”
He rose and went looking for more signs of passage. Dannyl followed, concentrating on holding the shield, directing the globe light, and walking only where the tribesman did. They stopped again and again, Unh pointing out a thread of cloth caught on one of the few stunted trees, some human hair, and some distinct footprints in a sandy area. Then he spent a long time examining the ground, and Dannyl used the opportunity to look around, trying not to imagine figures watching them in the darkness. He glanced to the side and felt a shiver run down his spine.
“Is that a cave?” he asked, pointing at a crack in the steep slope to one side.
Unh rose and approached the gash of darkness in the rock slowly. He continued to scan the ground, his head nodding from it to the crack and back again.
“Nobody went this way,” he said. He touched the side of the opening. “This happen not long ago.”
He beckoned and Dannyl hurried over. They peered into the darkness. Dannyl drew magic and created another light, which he sent inside. Stones filled the base of the crack, sloping downward then levelling off. The sides of the opening continued for a short way, then ended in darkness.
“There a bigger space inside. Want to look?” Unh asked.
Dannyl glanced back toward the camp, which was not far out of sight, then nodded. Unh grinned, an expression at odds with his usual dignified aloofness. A thrill of eagerness went through Dannyl, not unlike the excitement he’d felt so long ago when exploring the Allied Lands with Tayend.
Unh gestured to the opening. “You first.”
Dannyl chuckled. Of course. He was far more likely to survive if they happened to surprise a wild animal, or Traitors.
The floor was loose gravelly rock, and he half slid down into the space. Looking around, he saw only darkness and the hint of walls all around. He paused as Unh slid down to join him, then he increased the strength of the light...
... and ducked as walls of glittering gemstones shone back at him. A sound echoed in the room, and he realised he had let out a wordless exclamation of fear.
No relentless strikes came. He was breathing heavily, his heart hammering in his chest.
“You seen something like this before,” Unh stated. He was regarding Dannyl with interest.
Dannyl looked at him. “Yes.” No point denying it. His reaction had been nothing less than obvious.
“This not dangerous.”
The man spoke with certainty and authority. Now it was Dannyl’s turn to look at his companion with curiosity.
“You know what this is?”
Unh nodded and looked around, his expression knowing and happy. “Yes. These stones have no power. They have not been raised to have power. They are natural. Safe.”
“So... the stones in the place I was in before were made to be dangerous?”
“Yes. By people. Where was this place?”
“In Elyne. Beneath an ancient ruined city.”
Unh nodded again. “A people once lived in the mountains here. They knew the secret of the stones. But they are gone. All things end.” He shook his head. “Not all,” he corrected. “A few secrets Duna kept.”
“You know how to make gemstones with magic in them?”
“Not me. Some of my people. Trusted ones.” His expression darkened. “And Traitors. Long ago they came and made a pact. But they broke it and stole the secrets. That is why I help the Sachakans, even after what they do to my people. The Duna not forgiven the Traitors.”
“Do the Traitors know how to make caves like the one in Elyne?” Dannyl asked. If he’d known that, he’d never have entered this one like some child exploring for fun.
“No,” Unh replied. “Nobody knows that. Even the Duna forget some things.”
“That’s one thing probably best forgotten.”
“Yes.” Unh grinned. “I like you, Kyralian.”
Dannyl blinked in surprise. “Thank you. I like you, too.”
The man turned away. “We get back to camp now. I found trail.”
It was much harder to get out of the cave than into it, with the stones sliding out from under their feet, but the tribesman set his toes into the rough surface of one side of the crack and climbed out that way. Dannyl created a small disc of magic under his feet and levitated out. Unh seemed to find this very funny.
The walk back to camp was much quicker, since Unh no longer needed to stop and examine the ground. Dannyl was relieved to find that the magicians had let their slaves go to sleep, sprawled on the ground behind them. They were drinking some sort of liquor from the ornate cups each had brought with them. Dannyl accepted a measure of the fiery liquid. He only half listened to their conversation about an Ashaki’s son who had no skill as a trader and was going to ruin his family.