Part 13 (1/2)

aRocks donat have fish in them!a Mark said scornfully.

aThey do too!a Xaya retorted. aSometimes, anyway. Father showed me one once, that the old Prefect was having him make into a scroll-weight. Theyare inside, and you have to smash the rocks open to find them.a On Kaylas other side, Dara stopped talking to Glyndon to listen to Xaya. aIs that true, Mother?a she asked.

aYes, it is. Iave seen the kind of thing Xaya means. They arenat common, but if Alden says the stream ahead may have some, it probably does.a aLive fish?a Mark said, still skeptical but willing to be convinced.

aNo, silly,a Xaya said. aBones and things. Like somebody made a clay cast of a fish, only in rock.a aThatas weird,a Mark said.

aWhy would a wizard want to wrap a rock around a fish?a Dara asked Glyndon.

aWhat makes you think a wizard did it?a Glyndon said.

aWell, how else could it happen? But it doesnat sound as if it would be any use.a aWizards are always doing things that arenat any use,a Mark said before Glyndon could answer. aWhen they do anything at all.a aWhy donat you see if you can find a couple of these rocks?a Kayl said quickly. aMaybe you can figure it out for yourselves.a aCan I go too, Mother?a Dara asked.

Kayl looked at Glyndon, who nodded. She gave her permission, and the three children scrambled up the hill almost as fast as Xaya had come down it. Kayl watched them go, then turned to Glyndon with an inquiring look.

aSheall be able to absorb things more quickly if she gets a break now and then,a he said. Then he smiled. aAnd so will I.a aWhat do you mean by that?a aI have to find out how much Dara knows, how sheas been taught,a Glyndon said. aThe Sisterhoodas approach to magic isa very unusual.a aWhy donat you talk to Barthelmy about it?a Glyndon blinked. aBecause I hadnat thought of it,a he confessed. aExcuse me.a He scanned the string of Sisters above them in search of Barthelmy, then began to climb more rapidly.

Kayl did not try to follow him. She finished the climb alone, feeling glad he had not stayed and yet wis.h.i.+ng he had. She wanted someone to snap at or quarrel with in order to relieve the mounting pressure of her worries about Dara, about the crystal, about the Sisterhood, about the Tower. The realization made her feel ashamed, but it did not lessen her irritability. She set her teeth and tried to empty her mind of everything but climbing.

The technique was only partially successful; the incline was not really steep enough to demand such concentration, and she had nearly reached the top. The descent on the other side was just as frustrating. It required enough attention that she could not ponder her troubles deeply enough to resolve them, but it did not occupy her mind fully enough to allow her a respite from worry. When they stopped for lunch beside the stream at the foot of the mountain, Kayl felt like a bear just out of hibernationa”hungry, cross, and ready to tear the arms off anyone who got in her way.

Her first act was to check on the children, whom she found happily smas.h.i.+ng fist-sized rocks against larger rocks by the side of the stream. She withdrew without interrupting them and went to collect her ration of cheese and journey-bread. She saw Glyndon and Barthelmy, deep in conversation, and waved at them but did not stop. After a brief search, she found a place a little apart from the rest of the expedition and sat down to eat.

The day was relatively warm, though Kayl could still see snowcaps on the tops of the mountains around them. The sun was high enough for its rays to reach even to the bottom of the canyons between the mountains; the stream sparkled like a flow of diamonds. Kayl stretched her legs out into a patch of sunlight and let her cloak fall open to enjoy the warmth.

aMay I join you?a The deep voice was unmistakable.

Kayl turned and found Ferianek Trone standing behind her, looking unusually grave. aIf you wish,a she said.

aThank you.a Ferianek seated himself. Kayl began eating her lunch, wondering what the scholar wanted. After a time, Ferianek said, aI heard about your girl and the crystal.a aIam not surprised,a Kayl said, struggling to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. aI think everyone knows the story by now.a aProbably.a Ferianekas head turned toward the stream, where the sounds of shouting and laughter were still occasionally punctuated by the sharp cracking noise of one rock hitting another. aI think I owe you an apology,a he said.

aFor what?a Kayl said. aDonat tell me youave been teaching Dara as well!a aNo,a Ferianek said, smiling. The smile faded and he said seriously, aIn a way, thatas the problem.a aI donat suppose you could be a little clearer?a Ferianek sighed. aI feel responsible for what has happened to your daughter, and to your friends as well.a aYou mean Glyndon?a aAnd those who died at Glenduraas Tomb, yes.a Ferianek sighed again, and held up a hand to forestall Kaylas objection. aI know. I know. I wasnat there. Thatas the whole point.a Kayl stared at him. aFerianek, if youa”a aNo, listen to me. My family have been Watchers of the valley for over a thousand years; thereas a binding between us and the place you call the Twisted Tower that keeps us here, in these mountains, close to the valley. It serves little purpose, now, for most of the spells we once knew have been lost or forgotten. But the binding goes on.a His voice deepened further, and the bitterness in it was evident. aI am tied to the Windhome Mountains. For more than thirty years I have been searching for a way to break that tie.

aI knew of the Sisterhoodas search for the Tower, so I came to you sixteen years ago and told you how to find it. I hoped that you would destroy it, or at least change somehow the spells that hold me. But I did not tell you all that I could have; I did not speak of the sealed doors or the crystal that powers the Toweras spells. I could not ask you to harm the Tower, nor help you do so, but I could hope. Unwarned of what lay within, you might have smashed the crystal or abolished the spells on the Tower or taken its power to use for yourselves.a aYou were willing to wager all our lives on the hope that we would accidentally set you free?a Kayl said incredulously.

aI was desperate. And I did not know there was danger in the Tower beyond the spells that guarded it. I did not know the black creature was there, and alive! I thought all you had to fear was magic, and the Sisterhood has a good reputation for that. So I let you and your friends find a way inside, without telling you what you might find. And from that error, the rest has followed.a aAnd the second expedition the Sisterhood sent?a Kayl asked. aDid you know about it, too?a Ferianek nodded. aI knew, and again I did nothing. I s.h.i.+rked my duty as Watcher of the Tomb and let them come; I betrayed my oath as a follower of the Way of the Third Moon and let them die. And all because I wanted to be free of the obligations that hold me here.a aAnd now you are trying to redeem yourself by helping us?a aI wish I could say yes,a Ferianek said, speaking with more bitterness than Kayl had ever heard in his voice before. aBut this time there are Magicseekers on the road to the Tower. Their reputation is as bad as the Sisterhoodas is good; I have no choice but to try to find some way of stopping them. So, again, I use you for my own purposes.a aI see.a Kayl was surprised to find that she did see. Ferianek was a scholar at heart, not a man of action. His desire to leave the duties he had never wanted was easy to understand; so was the desperation that had led him to clutch at the unlikely possibility that the Sisterhoodas first venture to the Tower might, somehow, free him. His guilt over the consequences of his inaction was almost too familiar. But how much would really have happened differently if they had heard Ferianekas tales before they entered the Tower that first time? Kevran would not have broken the crystal, true, but they would surely have tried to take it with them. And if Glyndon was right, and the black thing was guarding the crystal, the results might well have been the same.

aItas easy to blame yourself for might-haves and might-not-haves,a Kayl said at last. aItas easy, and itas human. Itas also stupid.a Ferianek looked at her in surprise, then laughed. aYou sound like the Adept who taught me the Way of the Third Moon.a aHe must have had children.a aShe did,a Ferianek said, smiling.

They ate in silence for a moment, then Kayl asked, aWhat would you do if you could leave the Windhome Mountains?a aIad go to Kith Alunel,a Ferianek said promptly. His eyes lit with longing for a dream long denied, and his voice was eager. aThere are scrolls in the Queenas Librarya. I could spend years there.a aYouad spend the rest of your life in a library?a Ferianek laughed sheepishly. aNot all of it, I hope. Iad like to visit the Waywalker settlement on the Island of the Moon, too.a aIs that the colony you told Bryn and Alden about?a Ferianek nodded. aI would like to have a hand in building it. From here, I can only send others to help.a He smiled. aMy daughter and my eldest son are already there.a Kayl realized with a slight shock that this was the first time, in over two weeks of traveling together, that she had heard Ferianek speak of anything personal. She was about to question him further, when a shout echoed through the trees.

Ferianek looked up. aTime to go.a Kayl pushed herself to her feet with a groan. aI thought Iad gotten back into shape after ten months of traveling.a aClimbing mountains uses different muscles from ordinary walking,a Ferianek pointed out. aThe tops of the thighs, for instance.a aI know, I know,a Kayl said. aBut knowing doesnat make them any less sore.a Ferianek laughed and went off to collect his pack. Kayl shook the crumbs out of her cloak and started down the hill toward the stream.

The three children accosted her excitedly as soon as she came in sight, and proudly displayed their finds. Mark had found a smallish rock which, when broken open, revealed a star-shaped skeleton. He also had two larger rocks, one containing the impression of a twisted leaf, the other showing the skeleton of a fishas tail. Dara had found the pattern of a delicate, fernlike leaf, and Xaya had a large rock which had split perfectly in half, showing a complete fish on either side.

aVery impressive,a Kayl said. aHave you eaten? Good; leave the rocks and go get your packs. Itas time to go now.a aLeave them!a Mark said indignantly. aIam not going to leave them.a Kayl studied him for a moment. aAll right, if you want to walk around with a pack full of rocks, you can. But if you take them, youall have to carry them until we camp tonight, and I donat want to hear any complaints about how heavy they are, either.a aI wonat,a Mark promised, and immediately began gathering up his three pieces. Dara looked thoughtfully at her own find, as though wis.h.i.+ng it were smaller, but finally she picked it up. Xaya had already fitted both halves of her fish-rock back together and was cradling them protectively in her arms.

Kayl went with Mark and Dara to help them find room for the rocks in the bundles they carried. She was reasonably sure that the rocks, however interesting, would not be carried past the first rest stop, so she made sure that they were easily accessible. By the time they finished, Ferianek had started out along the bank of the stream, with the first of the Sisters just behind him, and Kayl had to hurry to catch up.

The afternoonas march provided Kayl with even more time to think than had the morningas journey. She had more than enough to think about; her conversation with Ferianek had shaken her. She could not help seeing parallels between his situation and her own, but it was the differences that disturbed her most. She had been trapped by circ.u.mstances into coming on this expedition, and she resented it fiercely. But Ferianek, who was bound to this task far more surely than she, and with less consent, did not seem to feel resentment or anger toward anyone. Kayl had been laying her troubles at the door of the Sisterhood, blaming them for their interference in her life. Ferianek blamed no one but himself.

Kayl was quiet and thoughtful for the rest of the day and into the evening, but she came to no conclusions and found no way around her worries. Finally she forced herself to let her tired body sleep, but even her dreams were troubled. The next morning she felt almost as tired as she had when she lay down. She tried to suppress her irritability during the dayas travel, with only partial success.

So absorbed was Kayl in her thoughts that she did not at first realize that the late-afternoon rest halt had become the end of the dayas journey. When the various activities of setting up camp finally registered on her mind, she went looking for Javieri.

aFerianek says that we are less than an houras walk from the valley,a Javieri said in response to Kaylas question. aI am sending the scouts to make certain the Magicseekers have not reached it ahead of us. Besides, after what you and Barthelmy have told us, I have no desire to spend a night in that place. We will go on in the morning.a Kayl looked up at the mountains and s.h.i.+vered.

CHAPTER.

TWENTY-SEVEN.

Demma Jol, Bryn and Alden returned to the camp before dark with word that the valley around the Twisted Tower was deserted. Javieri nodded and summoned those most immediately involved to her tent for a final conference. Kayl followed Glyndon in. Barthelmy and Corrana were already present; so, to Kaylas surprise, were Ferianek Trone and the Wyrds. Kayl sat down on the ground just inside the door of the tent. Glyndon followed suit, and Javieri began.

aTomorrow we will reach the Twisted Tower,a the Elder Mother said. aI have decided that the entire expedition will accompany us to the valley.a Barthelmy made a surprised noise. aAll of us? I thoughta”a aAccording to Ferianek, there are twenty Magicseekers somewhere between the edge of the Windhome Mountains and the valley of the Twisted Tower,a Javieri said patiently. aWe know they have not yet reached the valley; we have no guarantee that they will not arrive while we are there. If they do, we will need every sword we have. And every spell, no matter how feeble.a aIf it really is the Tower that is interfering with your magic, do you think it wise to use even weak spells so close to it?a Glyndon asked.

aPerhaps not,a Corrana put in dryly. aBut I, for one, think it better than being killed by Magicseekers.a aThe scouts will, of course, check once again to be sure that the Magicseekers have not arrived before we enter the valley,a Javieri said. aBryn and Alden have proven matchless at finding traces in the woods. They will cover the forest on the slopes around the valley. Demma Jol and Forrin willa”a aNo,a said Kayl.

Javieri looked at her with narrowed eyes. aWhat?a aShe means you should have asked us before you made all these plans,a Bryn said. aWe arenat members of your Sisterhood, remember?a aI beg your pardon.a Javieri had the grace to look uncomfortable. aYou have been so helpful I had forgotten.a aFlattery will do nothing for you,a Bryn said. aAfter what weave heard about that Tower, this is as close as we want to come to it.a aBesides,a Alden added, aI donat think you wish to leave any of your swords behind to watch the children.a aAnd Iam not letting Dara and Mark get any closer to the Tower than this,a Kayl finished. aI know Bryn and Alden feel the same way about Xaya. Theyave already agreed to watch my two so I can go to the Tower with you; we discussed it yesterday.a aYou seem to have arranged everything,a Javieri said in a tightly controlled voice. aBut what if the Magicseekers come upon this camp while we are away?a aThatas unlikely,a Glyndon said, and flashed Kayl a brief smile. aWeare coming at the valley from almost due north; if they followed the path we took the first time, the Magicseekers will be coming from the southwest.a aKayl,a Barthelmy said in a low voice, aare you sure Mark and Dara wouldnat really be safer in the valley, with more of us around to protect them?a aIt is not only Magicseekers that Dara Kaylar has to fear,a Corrana said in a cool voice before Kayl could answer. aYou are forgetting her link to the Crystal. Since we do not understand the nature of that link, it seems unwise to expose the girl more than is necessary.a Barthelmy stiffened and glared. Javieri gave Corrana a look of angry dislike. Corrana gazed back at them with the same unruffled, enigmatic expression that had so frequently irritated Kayl. aI agree,a Kayl said quickly. aBut even if Dara had never had a link with the Crystal, I wouldnat want her any nearer to the Tower. If the Magicseekers do get through Ferianekas traps, theyall be at the valley, not here. And if they donata well, the Tower isnat a safe place for anyone, much less a child.a aYou have an answer for everything,a Javieri said. aEverything but the Twisted Tower itself.a aThe Twisted Tower is my affair,a Kayl said. aMine and Glyndonas and the Sisterhoodas. Itas not my childrenas concern, and not Brynas or Aldenas either.a aVery well,a Javieri said. She looked at the Wyrds. aYou are determined?a aWe arenat going any closer to the Tower, if thatas what you mean,a Alden said.

aThen there is no reason for your further presence here,a Javieri said. aYou may go.a Kayl found Javierias tone annoying, but the Wyrds seemed simply amused by their lordly dismissal. They rose and picked their way around people to the door of the tent. Bryn paused and said with a fierce smile, aThe luck of the Tree to you, Sisters.a Then they were gone.

aIf your Wyrd friends will no longer help us, Demma and Forrin will have to scout the forest as well as the valley.a Javieri gave Kayl a cold look, as she resumed her speech. Then she looked at Corrana and her eyes narrowed. aI think enough of your skills remain that you should a.s.sist the scouts, Elder Sister. Magic may find what others miss.a Corrana inclined her head. aI am honored by Your Serenityas trust,a she said, and Kayl heard the smooth irony in her voice.

aWhen we are sure there are no Magicseekers near, the rest of us will join the scouts at the base of the Twisted Tower,a Javieri went on after a final sharp glance at Corrana. aElder Sister Barthelmy and Glyndon shal Morag will remove the spells that seal the Tower, as they have done before; the magicians among us will give them what aid we can.a aRemove the spells?a Ferianek said, frowning. aIs that wise? If the creature of the Tower is still present, as you saya”a aIf we do what we did last time, we wonat be removing any spells,a Glyndon said. aItas more like making a door-sized hole in them, and the hole closes again as soon as we stop holding it open.a aBut that means whoever goes inside the Tower wonat be able to get out again!a Ferianek said, startled.

aNeither will the black thing,a Barthelmy said. aAnd we can open the hole again quickly, once itas been made.a aFurthermore, I intend that Glyndon and Elder Sister Barthelmy remain outside the Tower,a Javieri said.

aWhat?a Glyndon sat up, startled and angry.

aYou can re-open the Tower door as easily from outside as from inside, can you not?a Javieri asked.

aYes, buta”a aThen you will do so. You are the keys that let us into and out of the Twisted Tower; if one or both of you should be killed inside the Tower, those of us inside would indeed be trapped. We will all be safer if you are outside.a And you still donat trust either of them, Kayl thought. Even after whatas happened on this trip, you donat trust them.

aWho will be going inside the Tower, then?a Barthelmy asked.

aMyself, Elder Mother Miracote, and Mother Siran,a Javieri replied. Then she looked at Ferianek and said carefully, aWe would be pleased to have your company as well.a Ferianek s.h.i.+fted uncomfortably. aI am not sure that is possible,a he said, and looked down.

aNot possible?a Javieri said, raising both eyebrows. aWhat do you mean?a aI am bound in certain ways, particularly regarding the Twisted Tower. I do not know whether entering the Tower is one of the things I am forbidden; the opportunity has never arisen before.a Ferianek looked up. aI will try, but that is all I can promise.a aWe can ask no more,a Javieri said. She paused. aThe final member of the first group to go inside the Tower will be Kayl Larrinar, for we shall need a guide who has been there before.a aSo thatas whya”a Kayl began.