They stood on an exposed mountainside. If there were sentries on the wall of the strange building, the three on the trail were still too distant to be noticed, but if they stood guard at the bottom of this long trail, or anywhere closer, they were only visible if anyone looked in their direction.
Sandreena pointed to a depression about a dozen yards below the trail. ‘That’s a stream bed when it rains here,’ she said. She turned off the track and carefully led her horse down the loose rocks and scrub, weighing each step for treacherous footing. When she reached the gully, she saw that it quickly deepened. Reaching the bottom, she halted. ‘We’ll leave the horses here and tonight get as close as we can to investigate.’
‘Leave the horses, Sergeant?’ asked Farson.
‘There is no cover along the trail, those below can just sit there and start shooting arrows at you like swinging targets in the marshalling yard, as soon as they spot us.’ She glanced up. ‘We have three switchbacks above us and five or six more below.’ She looked at the two knights. ‘Farson, I want you to lead the horses back up to the top.’ She pointed to a point directly above their hiding place. ‘Wait up there. Untack them, clean them, water them and wait until sundown. Then tack them up again and be ready to ride at a moment’s notice.’ She sensed he was about to object, but cut off anything he might have said. ‘You have the most critical duty. If we are not back by sunrise tomorrow, you assume we are dead. You must get back to Durbin and take the fastest route to Krondor, by ship if you can, or trade the three horses in for fresh mounts, and get to the Temple.’
She realized that only one man at the Temple was on Creegan’s safe list. ‘Find Brother Willoby, in Father-Bishop Creegan’s office. Tell him what we’ve found. He’ll know what to do.’
Brother Farson said, ‘Whathave we found, Sergeant.’ He pointed in the general direction of the distant construction. ‘I don’t even know if I can describe that, let alone divine it’s purpose.’
‘It is an invasion point,’ said Sandreena. ‘Can’t you feel them?’
‘Who?’ asked Jaliel his dark brow knitted in concentration or worry.
‘Demons,’ said Sandreena. ‘The place is crawling with them if my skin is any indication.’
Farson said, ‘Sergeant, I’m a little on edge, but…I just don’t feel it.’
‘Me, neither,’ agreed Jaliel.
Sandreena studied them both for a moment, then turned her attention back to the task at hand. ‘You have your orders,’ she said to Farson, and he nodded. He turned the animals around slowly; she knew he didn’t relish the idea of leading three horses back up that trail.
She watched closely for any sign they might have been observed, while the returning Knight-Adamant tied her horse’s reins to the saddle ring of Jaliel’s, then that mount’s reins to his own. ‘See you tomorrow, Sergeant, Jaliel,’ he said as he led the three horses back up the shallow gully and started the tedious climb back to the top of the ridge.
‘Now what,’ asked Jaliel quietly.
‘We wait,’ she answered, looking at the sky. ‘Best if we rest now. You try to sleep. I’ll stand watch.’
The more experienced of the two knights she had recruited nodded, not needing further urging. It was only morning and they might have a long day ahead of waiting, but years living in the wilderness had taught him to take rest when it was offered.
Left to her own thoughts, Sandreena crawled up to a boulder so she could rest her arm on it and then her chin on her arm and study the distant construction. Flickers of movement gave tantalizing hints of something going on, but she could make out no useful detail. She would have to be content to wait until dark-ness fell, which was a good nine hours or more away, and then creep down for a closer look. She offered a prayer to the Goddess, that they would remain undiscovered, because she had no illusions that they would be able to make it back to the top of that long switchback while being chased if they were on foot. Hiding was their only hope.
So she settled in, prayed, and waited for the sun to crawl across the sky, trying very hard to drive thoughts of Amirantha from her mind.
Night arrived slowly, but after the sun had set, Sandreena and Jaliel began to move carefully down the side of the mountain.
The failing light frustrated Sandreena: even as she got closer to the building, she could make out even less detail. Little Moon was the only one rising this early in the evening and the smallest of Midkemia’s three moons provided scant illumination. Middle Moon wouldn’t be seen until just before dawn and Large Moon wouldn’t rise until well after dawn. Still, as their greatest need was stealth, she would rather deal with having to get closer now, than trying to approach the demons on a Three Moons Bright night.