Darkvision

CHAPTER TWENTY

The vengeance taker, wizard, and Datharathi fugitive disembarked at Huorm. Eined scanned the docks for agents hired by her family, but saw nothing suspicious. To hide her identity, she tied her blue sash around her head like a great scarf. "We'd best keep an eye out, anyway," Eined cautioned, her voice uncertain. "Datharathi agents aren't as ubiquitous as you'd feared," suggested Ususi. "Perhaps," allowed Eined. Iahn led them into the city. They located a horse breeder willing to rent a secondhand travel coach. It was a crude, dirty version of the custom coach the wizard had left behind in Vaelan, but Ususi supposed it would serve. As the sun reached its zenith, the coach pulled out of Huorm's north gate. A little-used dirt road led north, toward rolling foothills crowned by the Dustwalls. A broader road led east and west. They turned west, directly toward the lone spire of Adama's Tooth, easily visible among the lower foothills as a lone peak, strangely tall and slender. Ususi drove, using her magically summoned steeds to pull the coach. Iahn sat on the bench at her side. Eined rode inside the carriage, hidden from casual observers. No need to tempt Datharathi sympathizers or sycophants with glimpses of a lone family member traveling without her normal retinue.

The wizard drove at a brisk pace, but not so swiftly as to draw attention. Outside the city, carriages were rare. Foot traffic ruled the road, though most folk moved to the side rather than face down an oncoming horse and wagon. After traveling a quarter of the afternoon, Eined called from a side window, "There! Take that road!" The main road, heading west, veered to the north. Eined pointed to the south, to a narrow, slightly overgrown trail. Eined's head poked fully out of the carriage window as she said, "That leads directly to Adama's Tooth. It used to be the route for low-grade ores to be transported out of the mines below the peak, before Shaddon moved in permanently and established an air link." "What kind of traffic are we likely to see on it?" Iahn asked. "Hardly any. Shaddon's got Adama's Tooth sewn up pretty tight. Housing and meals are provided internally, and outside supplies are brought in from Vaelan via airship." Iahn nodded, satisfied. Ususi turned the carriage down the narrow track. The vengeance taker noted a few stares from nearby travelers, but nothing beyond typical curiosity. The new trail, despite being narrow, was in excellent condition, and they practically raced down it. The thin spire of Adama's Tooth grew to become the dominant feature of the surrounding landscape. Sunlight failed as they drove into the shadow of the slender mountain. "Why is it called Adama's Tooth?" asked Iahn, leaning over to direct his question into the open carriage window.

"Was Adama some ancient hero of your people?" "No. The Adama is what passes for religion around here." "Truly?" Instead of replying, Eined opened the side door of the still moving carriage, climbed the side ladder, and seated herself behind Iahn and Ususi. "Now that we're so close to Adama's Tooth, it's probably better if I can see what's coming. There-we want to turn right here." The woman pointed toward an even narrower path off the trail they'd been following. "It looks steep now, and it'll get steeper. I hope your summoned steed is up to it, or we'll be walking before we get to the top." Ususi nodded and turned the carriage down the path. As promised, the angle pulled all the riders back in their seats. "This will get us to a side door halfway up the peak. Unless Shaddon changed the locks, I can get us in without attracting any notice." Their speed dropped to about half their earlier clip-the summoned beast struggled with the grade, but persevered. Eined touched Iahn's shoulder. "Sorry-you were asking about the Adama? Adama is not a person, but a belief system and a code of conduct. To the average Durpari, the Adama is the one true force guiding their lives. It encompasses all the deities of what some call the lesser beliefs." She shook her head and smiled sardonically. "You do not follow the path of the Adama," Iahn concluded. "I did, once.

But if you are part of a merchant family long enough, you either learn to lie to yourself-a mind sickness I'd prefer to avoid-or recognize the Adama as just another in a string of half truths the merchant elites feed the lesser classes to keep themselves on top." Iahn said,

"How so?" "Think about it. The Adama teaches that only through honest business practices and mutual respect can one find peace and happiness. The key word is 'honest.' Sitting on the council of any of the big chakas in Vaelan quickly teaches that larger profits are possible the further a merchant stretches the concept of honesty."

"Mmmm," agreed Iahn noncommittally, seeing that Eined was expressing pent-up hostility. She might be correct, but he had little common experience as a basis for comparison. "But," continued Eined, warming to her argument, "the Durpari people get their sense of truth, fairness, and racial tolerance from the conviction that everything and everyone is a manifestation of the Adama. It's the foundation by which they conduct themselves. In fact, word of the Adama has spread to other lands, giving all of us a reputation for evenhandedness and fairness-which only enhances business prospects." "Eined," Ususi said quietly, "we're being hailed. What should I do?" While Eined lectured Iahn on the Adama, the road had begun to switch back and forth at an alarmingly precipitous angle. In a short time, they ascended a few hundred feet on a path that zigged and zagged upward. An iron gate blocked access to the roadway ahead. On the left side of the gate was an impassable vertical wall. On the right side, a drop of a few hundred feet emptied onto a reddish-brown boulder field. Two men stood on the road in front of the gate, near a small guard cave hollowed into the side of the mountain. One had his hand on the pommel of his sheathed sword. The other, a pace behind the first and standing in the mouth of the cave, had a bow in hand and a shaft resting lightly on the string. Although the arrow was not yet drawn, the threat was implicit in the man's stance. The guard with the sword moved a step closer and yelled, "Stop! Turn around. This route is closed." Eined stood immediately and raised her hand in greeting. "Captain Alberik, don't you remember me?" The captain blinked his eyes, then a grin spread wide over his face. "Mistress Eined!" The guard stopped, at a loss for words. "How long has it been-five years? — since last you opened the side gate for me, Captain?" The guard nodded. A smile flirted with his lips. "Too long. I've missed you." "Yes, yes, and I you," said Eined hastily. "I'm back now-I must run up and talk with my uncle. Be a prince and open the way for me, won't you?" Alberik asked,

"Why didn't you come by airship? This access is closed." "If I had come by airship, how would you know I'd returned?" The captain blushed, then said, "I thank the lady's kindness." Alberik turned to the other guard, who stood puzzling over his captain's apparent familiarity with the intruder. "Open the gate. It's all right-this is Eined Datharathi!" The other guard jumped, retreated into the cave mouth, and in moments the sound of a metal crank was audible. The gate slowly slid into a recess in the cliff wall. As it did, Alberik moved to the side of the carriage. He reached up and grasped one of Eined's hands, asking, "Will you come back to see me?" Eined smiled and said,

"I hope so." Ususi drove the coach forward. In moments, they left behind the open gate and hopeful guard captain. Eined smiled fondly and said, "The fruits of a misspent youth sometimes work in your favor." The increasingly angled path terminated in a dark tunnel mouth. Adama's Tooth still soared higher into the air. Even the efforts of dwarven engineering had limits-no mundane road could hope to reach Adama's Tooth's apex. Eined pointed out the airship port-two great wings of stone high above them. They could see the silhouette of a ship hanging at a pier within the torchlit cavity. "Someone from Vaelan is here. Probably just a routine visit." Eined's voice betrayed uncertainty. "No doubt," said Iahn. He was sure he'd have noticed any magical scrutiny of their approach. He'd felt none. The vengeance taker doubted that anyone expected Eined to appear at the family mine site. Ususi drove the coach to the edge of the tunnel mouth and stopped. "We're too wide," she said, comparing the width of the tunnel to their carriage. "This high passage is rarely used, and never by conveyances as large as this. We'll have to walk from here." Ususi nodded. She tied off the reins, pulled the handbrake, and pointed at the steed tied into its harnesses. With a small pop, the creature vanished. After dismounting, the trio gathered in front of the tunnel.

Ususi snapped her fingers and said, "Bring me my pack!" Eined glanced at the wizard, then at Iahn, uncertain if Ususi were talking to her.

She gave a small jump of surprise when the coach door opened of its own accord and Ususi's large pack floated out and into the wizard's hands. "Don't worry. My uskura is always with us," said Ususi, as she reached into the pack. She pulled forth a tiny orb of pale stone.

Eined peered around, trying to discern the invisible helper, with no luck. "It's perfectly natural. Where we're from, they're common aides." "Where you're from… where is that?" asked Eined. "I've noticed how pale you both seem. And the streaks that run through your skin." "Our home is far from here," broke in Iahn. "Now, let's enter and find what we came for." Eined nodded and dropped the subject.

Ususi released the orb to orbit her brow, and a bright light broke from it. Following the wizard, Eined and Iahn entered the tunnel mouth.