Mrra continued to rumble with an uneasy growl at the sight, but the wizard would not be deterred. He set off, picking his way down the slope from the pass. They would have to cross many mountain valleys and work their way through the stark snowcapped crags before they reached the site of the mysterious vanishing city.
As they came over the next ridge, they found a prominent trail from the south, a clear footpath that wound through the mountains. “This is not a game trail,” Nicci said. In one section, the path widened to reveal moss-covered paving stones, an ancient thoroughfare that had been laid down for traffic. But it had obviously been used in recent days.
“A road!” Nathan could not suppress his optimism. “We are on our way now, Sorceress. That was the sign we needed.”
Tall, black rocks blocked their view as they descended another convoluted ridge. When they rounded a barren swell, following the narrow road, Nicci stopped as they beheld a startling and repulsive sight. Bannon gasped, sickened.
Set upon tall spikes on either side of the path were four severed heads, the faces partially crow-pecked, but otherwise preserved by an anti-decay spell. The skin on the faces had slackened in death, but their mouths had been horrifically and distinctively scarred—sliced from the corners of the lips all the way back to the hinge of the jaw, then sewn up and healed. Their cheeks were tattooed with scales to give them the appearance of serpent men.
Nicci recognized them from their attack on the poor people of Renda Bay.
Bannon flushed with anger. “Norukai slavers.”
“It appears they must have offended someone,” Nathan said.
Nicci stepped forward to scrutinize the appalling heads. “The preservation spell masks how long they’ve been here.”
Beneath the first stake rested a blood-spattered placard written in strange symbols that Nicci couldn’t read. She did, however, recognize the arcane letters as similar to those branded onto Mrra’s hide.
The sand panther growled again, long and low.
Nicci flashed a hard smile and looked along the winding trail that led toward the vanished city. “Yes, that place might be very interesting indeed.”