Go north, to the ice, she told him. He understood that she was deaf, and could read lips. She’d been hired to watch the arrivals for people on a list of names she’d been given, then deliver the message. He nodded and she quickly slipped back into the crowd.
Once out of sight of the arrival platform, he pushed far enough into the place between that he wouldn’t be easily seen by anyone in the market. So many others had done this recently it was impossible to tell if one path was used more than another. As he moved northward, he noticed other arrival places within the market. From each, several streets radiated, forming a beautiful pattern of interconnecting lines. On one was a circle of wagons pulled by pairs of huge beasts, the line slowly uncurling as they trundled into a market aisle. The rest of them were empty, and as he passed the furthest reaches of the market he noticed aisle after aisle of empty stalls.
The Raen’s return was already having an effect. How long before the entire market was abandoned? Or would it be? The Raen had ordered that all visitors’ names and purposes be recorded. He had not left orders for the market to be closed, or the official would have been worrying about losing his job–or not be there at all.
Perhaps the Raen knew the group of potential rebels was here and did not want to frighten them into relocating somewhere he couldn’t find them.
The market shrank behind Tyen as he crossed a patchwork of cultivated land watered via a network of aqueducts. He skimmed over a city. Beyond it he could see the shadow of distant mountains. He had crossed countless paths forged by passing sorcerers so, guessing the whole world was like this, he started to follow them to hide his trail, zigzagging towards the peaks.
Hills swelled and were replaced by ridges and valleys. Snow dusted the ground. Finally he reached a great cliff and, rising to the top, found a plateau of ice pierced here and there by the mountains’ peaks. His path crossed one freshly used path, and he changed course to follow it, skimming down to one of the many smaller crags.
It led to a dark opening in the rock. As he arrived at the base of this he instantly regretted not emerging into the world again sooner. The air he sucked into his starved lungs was bitingly cold and made him cough. Drawing in magic, he created a barrier of stilled air around his body and warmed it.
Once recovered he approached the opening. Creating a spark, he saw an icy floor descending steeply. Stairs had been carved into one side, while the flat area was marked with long gouges. Keeping his barrier strong enough to protect him from an attack, he slowly walked down the stairs. The passage soon levelled and widened to form a cave. It was empty but for a row of sleds. No harness was attached to these, so he guessed they were either pushed by hand or propelled by magic.
It was unlikely the rebels would leave paths in the space between that led straight to their lair, so there must be a leg of the journey that involved non-world-travelling forms of transportation. The sleds might be it.
But if he was in the wrong place he could be taking sleds from locals who needed them. He looked around the cave but found no clues as to their owners. Emerging from the cave again, he considered the surrounding landscape. No tracks in the snow led away from the entrance. If he took a sled, where should he go? Though he suspected that nobody was close enough for him to find and read their mind, he tried anyway.
And immediately sensed someone behind him.
Spinning around, he faced the cave just in time to see a young man dressed in a padded coat emerge. The man frowned and looked him up and down.
“What’re you here for?” he asked.
“I’m looking for Yira Oni of Roihe,” Tyen said. “She left a message that led me here.”
A smile broke out on the stranger’s face. “Which one are you?”
“Tyen. Tyen Ironsmelter.”
“Ah! Tyen. We’ve heard a lot about you. Come in. I’m on my way out, but I can send you on your way. It’s a bit of a trip, but you can travel fast when you’ve got the knack of it. I’m Brev, by the way.”
The man walked back down the stairs. As Tyen followed he saw that another sled now sat alongside the others. The man steered it towards the back wall. To Tyen’s surprise, and chagrin for not having noticed, there was a fold in the rock that concealed a tunnel. The floor and walls of this were ice, smooth except where the blades of sleds had carved lines into it. The spark of light Brev had created did not penetrate far into the tunnel.
Brev waved at the darkness.
“Take it slow the first time. There are sharp turns. Look for grooves in the walls; they indicate when a turn is coming up.” He pointed at the seat. “Sit and push against the walls. Not too hard to begin with, or you’ll squish your descendants.”
“Thanks,” Tyen offered.