LITMIR.BIZ

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      “When the scouts return, we will set out,” he said.

      A notion that had been bothering me finally clicked. “Your people have swept the plateau and have been watching the camp. How could the Vermin slip away without you knowing?”

      “A few of their Warpers had been Story Weavers. They must have learned to make a null shield.”

      “That would only hide their presence from a magical search. What about seeing them?”

      Before Moon Man could answer, a shout rang out. Leif, Marrok and the scout ran toward us.

      “Found a trench,” Marrok panted.

      “Heading east then north.” The scout gestured.

      “Ill intent,” Leif said.

      North toward the Avibian Plains. Toward the Sandseeds’ unprotected lands because their warriors were here in the plateau. Every one.

      Moon Man covered his face with his hands as if he needed to block out the distractions and think.

      The second scout arrived from the west. Puffs of sand from his passage reached us before he did.

      “Another trench?” Marrok asked.

      “The trail ends. They doubled back.” The scout reported.

      Moon Man dropped his hands and began shouting orders, sending the warriors northeast at a run, ordering the Story Weavers to make contact with the people who stayed behind on the plains.

      “Come on,” he said, turning to join the others.

      “No,” I said.

      He stopped and looked back. “What?”

      “Too obvious. I don’t think Cahil would go along with that.”

      “Then where did he go?” Moon Man demanded.

      “The bulk of the Daviians went east, but I think a smaller group either went west or south.”

      “My people are in trouble,” Moon Man said.

      “And so are mine,” I replied. “You go with your warriors. If I’m wrong, we’ll catch up with you.”

      “And if you are right, then what?”

      Then what, indeed. There were only three of us.

      “I will go with you,” Moon Man said. He called one of the Story Weavers and a touch of magic pricked my skin as they linked their minds.

      Not wanting to intrude on their mental conversation, I focused on finding Cahil. I examined the edge of the plateau. A branch from one of the tall jungle trees reached toward the cliff. I could use my grapple and rope and hook it—

      No, Leif said in my mind. Suicide.

      I frowned at him. But I could swing—

       No.

      Nutty could do it. Our cousin climbed trees as if valmur blood coursed through her veins.

       You’re not Nutty.

      I reluctantly abandoned that course of action. Even if I could swing to the tree, I doubted anyone else would follow me. Then I would be alone. I berated myself for being worried about being on my own: living in Sitia had made me soft.

      It has made you smarter, Leif said. Then he added, not much smarter, but we can still hope for improvement.

      “Where to?” Tauno asked as he joined our group.

      I looked at Moon Man.

      He shrugged. “He is better at scouting than fighting. We will need him,” he said with certainty.

      I sighed at the implication. “West.”

      Perhaps we would find a better way down into the jungle or, failing that, we would follow the plateau’s edge west toward the Cowan Clan’s lands. Once in Cowan land, we would turn south into the forest then loop east into the Illiais Jungle. And hope we weren’t too late.

      We mounted the horses. Tauno and Marrok once again led us. The point where the Daviians had turned around was obvious even to me. The hard-packed sand had been scuffed where they stopped, and only flat unblemished sand continued westward.

      Tauno halted the horses and waited for more instructions.

      “A ruse. I can smell deceit and smugness,” Leif said.

      “Why so smug?” I asked. “Laying a false trail is a basic strategy.”

      “It could be Cahil,” Marrok said. “He tends to think he is smarter than everyone. Perhaps he thought this would fool the Sandseeds into sending half their warriors in the wrong direction.”

      I projected my magical awareness over the smooth sand. A few mice skittered into the open, searching for food. A snake curled on a warm rock, basking in the afternoon sun. I encountered a strange dark mind.

      I withdrew my awareness and scanned the plateau. Sure enough there was a small area a few feet away where the sand looked pliant, as if it had been dug up and packed back down. I slid off Kiki and walked over to the patch. The sand felt spongy beneath my boots.

      “A Vermin must have buried something there,” Marrok said.

      Tauno snorted with disgust. “You have probably found one of their waste pits.”

      With Moon Man still on her back, Kiki came closer. Smell damp, she said.

      Bad damp or good damp? I asked.

       Just damp.

      Taking my grapple out of my pack, I started to dig. The others watched me with various expressions of amusement, distaste and curiosity.

      When I had dug down about a foot, my grapple struck something hard. “Help me clear the sand.”

      My reluctant audience joined me. But eventually we uncovered a flat piece of wood.

      Marrok rapped his knuckles on it and proclaimed it the top of a box. Working faster to remove the sand, we sought the edges. The round lid was about two feet in diameter.

      While Tauno and Moon Man discussed why the Vermin would bury a circle box, I found the lip and pried the top up. A gulp of air almost sucked the lid back down.

      Everyone was stunned into silence. The lid covered a hole in the ground. And, judging by the pull of air into its depths, a very deep hole.

      5

      THE SUNLIGHT ILLUMINATED a few feet of the hole. Below the lip a couple rough steps had been cut into the sandstone.

      “Can you sense anyone in there?” Leif asked.

      Pulling a thread of power, I projected into the darkness. My awareness touched many of those dark minds, but no people.

      “Bats,” I said. “Lots of bats. You?”

      “Just smug satisfaction.”

      “Could this be another false trail?” Marrok asked.

      “Or a trap?” Tauno asked. He glanced around with quick furtive movements as if worried the sand would erupt with Vermin.

      “One of us needs to go inside and report back,” Moon Man said, looking at Tauno. “I knew we would need a scout.”

      Tauno jerked as if he had stepped on a hot coal. Sweat ran down his face. He swallowed. “I will need a light.”

      Leif retrieved his saddlebags and removed one of his cooking sticks. “This won’t burn long,” he said. He set the end on fire and handed the stick to Tauno.

      With the flaming stick to lead the way, the Sandseed scout crawled into the opening headfirst. Tempted to link my mind with his to see what he found, I forced myself

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