XII

With a soft but worried nigh, Yoreno’s horse pulled back on the reigns. He turned to look at her and patted her along the top of her head. “Easy, girl.”

“I don’t think they like this enclosed space,” Mai said.

“It’s not that enclosed,” Lev said.

He was right. The width of the pass was at least fifty or sixty paces wide and it slowly climbed while ambling in different directions.

“What do you suppose made this path?” Mai asked.

Yoreno glanced past Dorrin as he swallowed visibly, his eyes darting about carefully and said to Mai, “What makes you think this pass was ‘made’?”

“Come on,” she said, gesturing to the walls. “Look at it.”

“The rock looks natural enough to me,” Dell said.

“But the direction of the curvature…” she said and pointed with her free hand. She had her staff strapped to her back. “It goes straight down.”

“Maybe a river cut through here a thousand years ago,” Lev said in way of explanation.”

“The ground is soft enough for that,” Yoreno said. “Look at all this sand.”

“Nonsense,” Mai said. “And that sand probably doesn’t even belong in here. It’s been getting swept up and trapped here for a long time.”

“Listen to her,” Dell said. “She’s our landform expert now.” He chuckled.

Mai looked at him sarcastically. “I’m just being logical. Something the rest of you seem to lack.”

“Come on,” Mai, Dell said. “you know I don’t mean anything by it.”

She nodded, conceding that point.

“Wasting time,” Sorika said.

“See,” Dorrin said. “Even Sor is afraid.”

“When did I say I was afraid, freckle face?”

“Uuh…”

Yoreno turned around and continued to lead the group through the pass. He noticed smooth holes that had been bored into the sides of the canyon walls. Perhaps those had been carved out by water, like Lev had suggested.

There was no wind down here. The breeze was blocked almost entirely from the sheer sides of the mountains and with such high walls it was actually somewhat dark down here despite the fact that they had reached this place during midday.

And it was quiet.

Apart from the occasional grit falling from the walls above, the only sounds in the pass came from the Emblazoned Party. Yoreno hoped there weren’t any bandits or monsters down here waiting to attack whatever unsuspecting group of travellers came this way.

But they were no unsuspecting group. Even now, Yoreno had his sword out, Ito Farralia strapped to his back. He wasn’t planning to use Dantera’s blade, but if he had no other choice, then he would.

If Yarsha came through here, it couldn’t be that bad.

Then again… he wondered. “Do we know if Yarsha came through here?”

“Yeah,” Dell said from beside him. “The innkeeper said so.”

“But do we really know?”

The other knight shrugged. “I guess not.”

“And if he did,” Yoreno added, “Did he come through alone, or with a group of adventurers?”

“I guess we’ll find out once we meet him at Kilik Dungeon.”

“How far is it?” Mai asked?

“It’s going to be late day tomorrow at the very least,” Yoreno said.

“Damn,” Dell said. “I was hoping we wouldn’t have to camp out inside this unnatural corridor.”

“Now you?” Lev asked.

“Yeah,” Dell said.

“Stop complaining,” Yoreno said. “We’ve been in far worse places than this—had to sleep in far more dangerous places.”

“And wetter places,” Sorika added.

Mai shivered. “I still remember that time in the slime cave when we had to spend the night.”

Lev chuckled.

Something cracked against the side of the canyon wall up above. It echoed down toward them. Then the rock hit the sand heavily.

Mai yelped and Sorika had her knives out before the rock even stopped rolling toward them.

No one moved for a few moments.

“What caused that?” Dorrin asked.

“It was probably nothing,” Mai said.

Lev dismounted and stalked up to the rock. He picked it up, turned and said, “It’s just a rock.”

But they all looked past him as something heavy thundered ahead—too far beyond the bend for any of them too see.

Silently, they all waited.

The horses neighed nervously.

“Still think that’s nothing?” Dell asked.