The Sentinel Mage

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX





THEY REACHED THE base of the escarpment midway through the afternoon. Harkeld tilted his head back and stared up. The cliffs leaned over him, bulging outwards, sheer and impossibly high. “There’s a way up?”

“Couple of ways,” Tomas said. “But only one suitable for horses.”

Clouds drifted in the sky. Their movement made it look as if the cliffs were toppling slowly forward. Harkeld looked away, blinking against dizziness. “Do we start today?”

Tomas shook his head. “Tomorrow.”

“How high is it?” Justen asked.

“More than a mile.”

The escarpment looked like the edge of the world, extending east and west as far as Harkeld could see. The sandstone was cream-colored at its base, shading up into pink and red as it reached towards the sky.

“Do we ride up?” Justen asked.

“Walk.” Tomas grinned. “Good exercise.”





THEY SPENT THE rest of the afternoon in preparation. Tomas divided their escort in two—the twenty men who would continue into Masse, and those who’d return the way they had come—and gave orders to his second-in-command. Supplies were split, packhorses chosen for the climb up the cliff, weapons sharpened, firewood collected to take with them, waterskins filled.

Finally Tomas declared them ready. “Now all we have to do is climb the cursed thing.”

Harkeld grunted and turned away. It wasn’t the climb he dreaded; it was what awaited him in Masse. The trek across the desert plateau. The first anchor stone.

They dined early, before the sun had sunk from the sky. A hawk spiraled down, landing in front of one of the tents. Gerit.

The witch dressed and joined them at the campfire.

“What’s it like up top?” Tomas asked.

“Empty,” Gerit said, filling a bowl with stew.

“Anselm’s men—”

“Still heading inland.”

“What about water?” Tomas asked. “Did you see the river?”

“Wouldn’t call it a river.”

“But there was water?” Tomas persisted.

“A trickle,” Gerit said, shoveling food into his mouth. “Enough for us.”

“Good.” Tomas nodded. “We’ll get an early start tomorrow.”

“How early?” Justen asked.

“Two hours before dawn,” Tomas said. “Otherwise we won’t be at the top before dark.”