Angel of Storms (Millennium's Rule, #2)(57)

There was no railing. The bridge was too narrow for sleds. If Tyen hadn’t been warned, he would have sped on over the first wooden section and plummeted into the chasm.

Pushing his sled in behind the others, he climbed off and shouldered his bag. He started across the bridge. It was slippery with ice and he drew extra magic in case he had to steady himself, but he made it across without losing his balance. In the far tunnel were more sleds. He chose one and continued on.

The next pair of lamps revealed nothing, but as he pushed past them he heard bells ringing in the distance. Soon after, he saw a light at the end of the passage. A few hundred paces before it, a figure stepped out to block the way, silhouetted against the brightness beyond. Tyen stopped.

“Who are you?” a man asked.

“Tyen Ironsmelter.”

“Ah! Yira’s friend. Well, then, you can enter.”

“My thanks,” Tyen replied as the figure stepped out of the way. Pushing on, Tyen reached the end of the tunnel and emerged into a bright, glistening cavern.

As with the crack, the cavern walls in front and behind curved so that the far corners were out of sight. The roof, if there was one, was hidden in the darkness far above. Tyen wondered if the cave was another, smaller chasm, the lower half filled in to create a floor.

A few hundred people were sitting on makeshift beds, stools and chairs in the centre of the room, the only clear path through them leading to an opening into another cave. Most were women, he noted, and the only males were old men and boys. He searched a few minds and confirmed that they were the relatives of rebels. A few glanced up at him, but none appeared alarmed at his appearance. Nobody seemed inclined to greet him, either. As he let a little air through his barrier it brought the smell of sweat, unwashed bodies, cooking and garbage.

This could not be their base, he decided. It must be some kind of decoy base, and he would have to pass a test to go on to the real one. That didn’t make having the rebels’ families here any less dangerous, but perhaps it was a risk they couldn’t avoid.

Another row of sleds lined the wall he had just emerged from, so he manoeuvred his into place, climbed off, and picked up his bag. By then he’d attracted a small crowd of children. He hid his dismay. He’d expected a wary group of adults, not this.

“Who are you?” a boy asked.

He smiled at the bright, curious faces, earning grins in reply. “Tyen.”

“Are you here to fight?”

“Maybe.”

“We’re g’ta fight the Rrrraen,” the boy replied, growling out the name.” He jabbed his fingers in Tyen’s direction. “We’re g’ta zap zap zap him!”

“Well, then. It looks like I’m not needed here.” He looked around. “But it wouldn’t be polite to leave without saying ‘hello’. Do any of you know where I can find Yira?”

“Yira!” one of the girls shouted, spinning around as she searched the room. Another pointed to the cave opening.

“Through there?” Tyen asked.

They all nodded. He bowed in thanks, earning giggles, then set off towards the opening with the small crowd following.

People regarded him speculatively as he passed them. He nodded politely. Many were occupied in domestic tasks. One pair were washing clothes, the older woman up to her elbows in a tub of steaming water, the younger holding up garments, which steamed at her intent gaze.

When he was a few steps from the opening, a man emerged along with Yira. The man looked Tyen up and down, the first person to look concerned about the stranger in their midst. Yira grinned as she saw him.

“Tyen! I knew you’d join us. This is Ceilon.”

Ceilon was a little older than Tyen, taller and with a sallow complexion and high, thin eyebrows that made him look perpetually dismayed.

“Welcome, Tyen,” he said. “Do you know the purpose of our gathering here?”

Tyen looked at Yira. “I know it is not what Yira told me.”

“No?” Ceilon glanced at her. “What did she tell you?”

“That she and all her friends were going to live together somewhere safe. That was so out of character, I knew she must have meant something else, and the best explanation I could think of was a gathering of sorcerers for another purpose–and what with recent news it wasn’t hard to guess what it might be.”

Yira sniffed. “Took you a day or two to work it out, but then, you always were a bit slow.”

Ceilon looked from Tyen to Yira, then shook his head. “Yes, there is nowhere truly safe now that the Raen is back. Come through to our planning room.” He gestured for Tyen to walk beside him. “A few of our supporters are absent, but I will introduce you later. We have not chosen a permanent leader yet. We expect many more sorcerers will join us, and that some will come with greater experience in battle and strategy.”

“And leadership,” Yira added quietly.

The second cavern was smaller and round. Wooden crates were arranged in a circle and several men, mostly young, were sitting on them. All regarded Tyen with curiosity.

“This is Tyen Ironsmelter,” Ceilon told them as he led the way into the circle. “The strongest sorcerer of the former Liftre school of magic.”

“Well, that was never confirmed,” Tyen amended. He narrowed his eyes at Yira, who had moved away to stand by one of the crates. She smirked. What has she told them about me? he wondered.