The mountains on this side of the range were even steeper than those facing Tyr. Instead of barren yellow-orange rocks, the slopes were covered by a dense forest of indigo-needled conifers. These towering trees looked as though they were performing some primitive, gyrating dance. Their red trunks were segmented by pivoting joints that creaked and groaned as the powerful wind contorted them into an endless succession of shapes.
There were also smaller trees-at least Rikus assumed them to be trees-with large, white-barked trunks shaped like balls. From the tops of these globes rose sprays of huge fronds covered with heart-shaped leaves.
Long strings of moss dangled off the boughs of both kinds of trees. From these damson strands sprouted an astounding array of colorful mushrooms, most shaped like bells and as big around as Rikus’s fist. On the ground flourished a puffy, billowing mass of yellow undergrowth.
In the distance, more than a dozen steep ridges covered with the same profuse vegetation reared up, presenting themselves to Rikus.
A great cloud covered the base of the mountains like an immense blanket of cotton, glowing rosy pink with the light of the setting sun. This cloud sent tendrils of thick mist creeping into every one of the deep valleys lying between the ridges ahead.
Rikus barely noticed when Agis stepped up behind him. “Sorry for the rough landing.”
The mul paid no attention to the apology. “It’s a good thing Anezka came with us,” he said, pointing at the vast forest below. “Without her, we’d never be able to find Nok in all those trees.”
FOURTEEN
SINGER
Agis woke to a peculiar serenade of dulcet chirping, underscored by the gentle patter of a soft rain. Without opening his eyes, the noble rolled over on his bed of groundcloud-the name they had given to the forest’s undergrowth of puffy fungus-and yawned. Languidly he reached out to embrace Sadira. Instead of her soft skin, he touched something plump and warm, covered with coarse bristles. The chirping grew softer and more melodious.
“Who’s there?” Agis asked. As his grogginess cleared, he remembered that in order to reduce the jealous tension in the group, they had all agreed to sleep alone.
The noble opened his eyes and, in the pale dawn light, found himself staring at a row of six sapphire eyes. Below the gemlike orbs, a pair of flexible fangs grasped a wad of groundcloud and stuffed it into a hairy mouth. As the creature ate, it rubbed two pairs of shiny forelegs together producing the serenade that had awakened the noble. Four more legs supported the drum-shaped body upon which his hand rested, and a great lemon-colored abdomen hung suspended from its rear quarters.
Gasping in alarm, Agis jerked his hand away and reached for his sword. The huge spider reacted by scurrying up a silk cord running from it abdomen to a white web overhead. There it remained, dangling upside down and rubbing it forelegs to produce gentle, soothing-tones.
The noble sat up, carefully watching the singing spider. He was astonished to see that, as he had slept, the creature had woven a solid, tentlike web high overhead, anchoring it to the jointed trunks of four dancing conifers. Although the web rolled and undulated as the wind twisted the trees into different shapes, Agis could not complain about the shelter offered by the spider’s handiwork. Outside his tent fell a steady drizzle, but he remained as dry as if he’d been sleeping beneath the roof of his own mansion.
There were a dozen similar canopies in the area. Below each, a chirping spider fed on the groundcloud. Sadira, Neeva, and Rikus were each covered by web. Only Anezka lay exposed to the rain, curled into a wet ball and shivering in the cold. Apparently the halfling had fallen asleep during her watch, for she rested on the ground some distance from her bed.
The spider above Agis chirped tentatively, then reached for the ground with two legs. Chuckling at his instinctive revulsion to the creature, the noble put his sword away. To his surprise, the spider descended on a thick strand of silk and landed at his side. It resumed feeding, chirping in a contented tone that made Agis appreciate just how peaceful the forest morning was. In contrast to the ruddy sunrises of the Tyr Valley, the dawn light here was soft and lush and green, the cruel sun hidden behind a thick morning fog.
Growing reflective, the noble looked at his dozing companions. Their bodies were tense and restless, as if even in their sleep they were cringing against the lash-or, more likely, dreaming of the day they would kill those who had held them in bondage.
“What am I doing here, Singer?” Agis asked, assigning a name to the arachnid. He suddenly felt acutely aware of the vast differences that separated him from his fellows. “My ancestors would think me crazy to risk the Asticles estate and name for the sake of slaves.”
The spider chirped a few playful notes, then moved closer to Agis and rubbed its bristled body against his leg. The noble guessed that the thing wanted him to rub its back, but he could not bring himself to touch it again. He felt slightly chagrined for letting the spider’s appearance put him off, but no matter how friendly the beast was, it remained repugnant.
Instead he said, “Still, we know what’s right, don’t we? If my ancestors had acted on principle instead of fear, perhaps we wouldn’t need to worry about what Kalak is planning for his games.”
As Agis spoke, a curtain of moss parted on the other side of camp. A pair of halflings slipped into view and silently crept toward a nearby spider tent, their footsteps muffled by the patter of morning rain. They resembled Anezka in size and appearance, save that they were both male and clothed only in shaggy breechcloths. The rain washed the filth from their bodies in long streaks of black mud. In their hands they gripped flint-tipped spears, and on their belts hung short daggers of sharpened bone.
The noble was about to wake his friends when the two halflings gently laid their spears aside and rushed the spider they had been sneaking toward. They did not snap a branch or create any sound that Agis could hear, and even their target seemed unaware of their presence.
Grabbing his sword, the noble crawled toward the exit of his tent. Singer scuttled around to face the direction he was going. It chirped what seemed an inquisitive tone and followed, but neither it not any of its kin paid any attention to the halflings’ presence. Agis paused, wondering why the spider at his side did not seem alarmed. Either it could not see that far, or its kind was some sort of halfling pet or herd animal.
An instant later, he had his answer. The halflings’ target whirled around to meet its attackers. The spider’s chirping changed to a single screech of alarm, then it fell silent and frantically tried to climb into its web. Simultaneously, Singer and all the other spiders scrambled into their webs, continuing to chirp in agitation.
The halflings’ prey was not fast enough to reach its web before the two hunters tackled it. As the little men wrestled their prey to the ground, Agis stepped into the cold rain and called, “What are you doing?”
The halflings, who had both drawn their bone daggers, looked toward Agis. The noble motioned toward his shoulder satchel. “If you’re hungry, we have food enough to share.”
Though Agis spoke in a congenial tone, the halflings obviously took the stranger’s words as a threat and rushed out the back side of their quarry’s tent. They disappeared into the forest as silently and as quickly as they had come, leaving their spears behind.
Behind Agis, Rikus cursed, then Neeva cried, “Get away, you hairy brute!”
Sadira was apparently the last to awaken and see the spiders. She screeched once, then called, “Where’d these come from?”
Agis did not answer, for he was still trying to catch a glimpse of the halflings. Unfortunately, it appeared that would be difficult. He did not see so much as a branch waving in their wake. The only sign that they had even been near the group’s camp was the spider they had attacked, which had climbed into its web and was chirping angrily. The other spiders relaxed and began to rub their legs together in lively, spirited songs.