Tavi's teeth chattered together, and he hugged himself beneath his cloak, as he and Fade were shown out of the tent they had been kept in. He wasn't sure if it was the cold that made him shake, or the sense of raw excitement that filled him, made him eager to move and burn away the chill of the winter in motion.
"M-m-more snow," Tavi noted, as he crunched along behind the silent form of Doroga. Great white flakes drifted down in a calm, heavy curtain. Already, the snow had gone from a thin coating of ice on the ground, the night before, to a soft, heavy carpet as deep as Tavi's ankles. He slipped on a thin patch where the ice was barely covered, but Fade reached forward and caught his shoulder until he could regain his balance. "Great."
Doroga turned back toward them without stopping. "It is," he said. "The snow and the darkness may help more of the Keepers to sleep."
Tavi frowned at the Marat headman. "What Keepers?"
"The Keepers of the Silence," Doroga said.
"What's that?"
"You will see," Doroga said. He kept pacing through the snow, until he reached an enormous old bull gargant, placidly chewing its cud. Doroga went to the beast and gave no visible signal, but it knelt in any case and let him use the back of its leg to take a step up and seize the braided cord dangling from the saddle. Doroga swarmed up it easily, and then reached down to help Tavi and Fade up behind him.
Once they were mounted, the gargant hauled itself lazily to its feet, made a ponderous turn, and started rolling forward through the snow. For a time, they rode through the night in silence, and though the warmth of the beast and the riders on either side of him had chased the chill away, Tavi still shook. Excitement then. He felt his mouth stretch into a smile.
"So, this thing we're supposed to be getting," Tavi began.
"The Blessing of Night," Doroga said.
"What is it?"
"A plant. A mushroom. It grows in the heart of the Valley of Silence. Within the great tree."
"Uh-huh," Tavi said. "What good is it?"
Doroga blinked and looked back at him. "What good, valleyboy? It is good for everything."
"Valuable?"
Doroga shook his head. "You do not understand the meaning of the word in this," he said. "Fever. Poison. Injury. Pain. Even age. It has power over them all. To our people, there is nothing of greater value."
Tavi whistled. "Do you have any?"
Doroga hesitated. Then shook his head.
"Why not?"
"It grows only there, valleyboy. And only slowly. If we are fortunate, one person returns every year with some of the Blessing."
"Why don't you send more people?"
Doroga looked back at him for a moment, then said, "We do."
Tavi blinked, then swallowed. "So, uh. I guess something happens to the ones who don't come back?"
"The Keepers," Doroga said. "Their bite is a deadly venom. But they have a weakness."
"What weakness?"
"When one falls, the Keepers swarm the fallen. All of them. They will not pursue anyone else until that one has been devoured."
Tavi gulped.
"This is the trial of my people before The One, valleyboy. It is newly night. You will go into the Valley of Silence and return before dawn."
"What if we don't come back before dawn?" Tavi asked.
"Then you will not come back."
"The Keepers?"
Doroga nodded. "At night, they are slow. Quiet. No one escapes the Valley of Silence while The One fills the sky with light."
"Great," Tavi repeated. He took a deep breath. "So where is your son?"
Doroga blinked up at the sky and then back to Tavi. "My what?"
"Kitai, Your son."
"Ah. My whelp," Doroga said. He moved his eyes back to the ground before them, expression uncomfortable. "Hashat brings Kitai."
"He's not riding with you?"
Doroga remained silent.
"What?" Tavi asked. "Is he fighting with you? Hanging around with the Horse Clan?"
Doroga growled in his throat, and the gargant beneath them let out a rumble that shook Tavi's teeth.
"Never mind," Tavi said, quickly. "How far is it to this great tree and back?"
Doroga guided the gargant down a long slope and pointed forward. "See for yourself."
Tavi strained to look over Doroga's broad shoulders, finally resorting to planting a foot on the broad back of the gargant bull and half-standing, with Fade steadying him by his belt.
Down a long slope of land, dappled in patches of shadow next to round, ice-covered boulders, the land fell off and down as abruptly as if some enormous hand had gouged out an inverted dome from the earth. A low ridge rose all around the precipice, which was a circle that stretched so wide in the falling snow that Tavi could not see the majority of its curve or the circle's far side. A dull, greenish light licked up at the edges of the pit from below, and as the Gargant plodded closer, Tavi could see its source.
The bottom of the pit, a great bowl gouged into the earth, was covered with a valley of trees-trees the likes of which Tavi had never seen before. They rose up, their trunks twisted and gnarled, stretching many branches each high into the air, like the reaching hands of a drowning man.
Covering the trees was the source of the light. Tavi squinted and peered, and it took his eyes a moment to sort out what he was seeing. Covering the trees was some kind of growth that gave off the faint, menacing luminescence. It seemed to cover the trees as might some kind of fungus, but rather than simply existing as a light coating of some other plant, it had grown over them in a thick, gelatinous-looking mass. As the gargant drew closer to the edge of the precipice, Tavi could see that the growth had runnels and areas that looked as though bubbles of air had been trapped beneath it, and for all the world looked like melted wax had been dripped over the surfaces of the trees, but for the desperately reaching branches high up in them, layer upon layer, until the whole resembled some fantastic, bizarre work of art. As far as he could see, in the faint light of the glowing wax, those odd trees writhed and twisted, their branches and trunks hung in festoons and swirls of the waxy growth.
At the heart of the scene stood a single, ancient tree, barren trunk lifting high, dead branches mostly worn away by time. Though there was nothing to hold to scale, Tavi thought that the spire of ancient, dead wood had to be huge.
"The Wax Forest," Tavi said, quietly. "Wow. They didn't say it was so pretty."
"Danger," Fade said, quietly. "Danger, Tavi. Fade will go."
"No," Tavi said, quickly. "I'm the one who spoke. I'm the one who has to answer the trial." He glanced at Doroga. "Right?"
Doroga looked back at Tavi and then glanced at Fade. "Too heavy," he said.
Tavi tilted his head. "What?"
"Too heavy," Doroga repeated. "His weight will break the surface of the croach. The wax. It will alert the Keepers as soon as he steps on it. Only our whelps or a small female can enter the Valley of Silence and live."
Tavi swallowed again. "Right then," he said. "It's got to be me."
Fade frowned, but fell silent.
The gargant's slow-seeming steps covered ground quickly and carried them down to the edge of the precipice. There, Tavi saw Hashat standing beside a large, pale horse, the wind tossing their white manes off to one side, the lean Marat woman with her long legs somehow a mirror of the big grey beside her. The cool winter light gleamed on the captured eagle brooches on her sword belt.
Over to one side, seated at the edge of the precipice, near a couple of lumps in the snow, was Kitai, still dressed in his rough smock, skinny legs dangling over the edge, feet idly waving. The wind pressed his hair back from the slender, stark lines of his face, and he had his eyes narrowed to slits against the drifting flakes of snow.
Tavi scowled at the other boy, and his face stung for a moment, where he had been cut the previous morning.
Doroga nodded wordlessly to Hashat and clucked to his gargant. The great beast let out a snort and rolled to a stop before lowering itself almost daintily to the ground. Doroga tossed down the saddle strap and used one hand to steady himself with it as he slid down. Tavi followed suit, as did Fade.
"Doroga," said Hashat, coming toward them, frowning. "Are you ready?"
Doroga nodded, once.
Hashat said, "Word is abroad. The wolves were leaving, as I left to bring Kitai here. They attack with the dawn."
Tavi drew in a little breath and looked at Fade. The slave looked worried, though his eyes weren't focused on anything. He just stared out over the Wax Forest.
Doroga grunted. "Then this will decide it. If the Aleran prevails, we avoid the struggle."
"Atsurak will not be happy with you, Doroga."
The big Marat shrugged. "He may not survive the day. If he does, he does. That is yet to come."
Hashat nodded. "Then let us begin."
"Kitai," Doroga rumbled.
The figure at the edge of the precipice did not move.
Doroga scowled. "Whelp!"
Still, he did not move.
Doroga glared at Hashat. The maned Marat turned her face away a little too late to hide her smile. "Your whelp is growing up, Doroga. They always get moody before they bond. You know that."
Doroga rumbled, "You just want Kitai to be part of Horse."
Hashat shrugged her shoulders. "Speed, intelligence. Who wouldn't want that?" She lifted her chin and called, "Kitai. We are ready to begin."
Kitai stood up, idly dusted snow off of his smock, and paced toward them, his expression cool. He stopped not a pace away from Tavi, glaring at the Aleran boy.
Tavi felt a sudden fear, as his cut throbbed again, and then set his jaw stubbornly. He had never allowed a bully to frighten him. He'd been beaten often enough, but he'd never surrendered to fear. He took a step closer to Kitai, eyes narrowed, facing the other boy's opalescent gaze with his own. Their eyes were on a level, and the other boy did not seem to be much bigger than Tavi was. Tavi folded his arms and stared at his opponent.
Kitai seemed uncertain how to react to Tavi's stance and glanced at Hashat.
Doroga growled irritably. "You both know the trial. The first to recover the Blessing of Night and return it to my hand will be the victor." He turned to Tavi. "Aleran. The Blessing is shaped as a mushroom. It has a flat head,
slender stalk, and is the color of night. It is located at the base of the great tree, within its trunk."
"Black mushroom," Tavi said. "Great tree. Fine, got it."
"Kitai, you are familiar with the trial."
The other boy nodded. "Yes, sire."
Doroga turned to him and placed his huge hands on the boy's slender shoulders. He turned Kitai to face him, an effortless flexing of Doroga's shoulders. "Then be careful. Your mother would want you to be careful."
Kitai lifted his chin, though his eyes glittered bright. "My mother," he said, "would have fetched the Blessing and been back by now while you talked, sire."
Doroga's teeth showed, suddenly. "Yes," he agreed. One of his hands squeezed Kitai's shoulders, and he released the boy, to turn to Tavi. "We will lower you down and wait until dawn. Once you begin, there are no rules. The results are all that matter. You can choose not to face the trial now, if you wish, valleyboy."
"And go back to your camp and be eaten?"
Doroga nodded. "Yes. Regrettably."
Tavi let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, well. I'll take my chances with the Keepers, I think."
"Then we begin." Doroga turned to one of the lumps in the snow and dug into it with his huge hands, uncovering a great coil of rope of a weave Tavi had never seen before. Beside him, Hashat did the same with a second coil of rope.
Tavi saw Kitai step up beside him out of the corner of his eye. The Marat boy watched the two adults uncovering the rope and testing its length. "It is rope from the Gadrim-ha. From the ones you call the Icemen. Made of the hairs of their females. It will not freeze or break."
Tavi nodded. He asked, "You've done this before?"
Kitai nodded. "Twice. It wasn't for a trial, before. But I have gone in twice and returned with the Blessing. I was the only one who returned."
Tavi swallowed.
"Are you afraid, Aleran?"
"Aren't you?"
"Yes," Kitai said. "Afraid to lose. Everything depends on this night, for me."
"I don't understand."
Kitai sniffed "When I return with the Blessing before you, I will have defended my sire's honor in a trial before The One I will be an adult and may choose where I live "
"And you want to live with Hashat," Tavi said
Kitai blinked and looked at Tavi "Yes "
Tavi studied the other boy "Do you, uh are you sweet on her'"
Kitai frowned, pale brows coming together "No But I wish to be a part of her Clan To be free with her Clan Not to plod around with Doroga and his stupid Sabot" He glanced aside, to be sure no one was close, apparently, and confided m a low voice to Tavi, "They smell"
Tavi lifted his brows, but nodded "Yeah I guess they do "
"Aleran," Kitai said "My sire is right about one thing You have courage It will be an honor to face you in a trial But I will defeat you Do not think that this will end in any other way, despite whatever spirits are yours to call "
Tavi felt a scowl harden his features Kitai's eyes narrowed, and he stepped back a half pace, one hand falling to the knife at his belt
"I don't have any," Tavi said "And back at my steadholt, we have a saying about counting your chickens before they've hatched "
"My people eat eggs before they've hatched," Kitai said, and stepped to ward the coiled ropes "I thought you might make it out alive, Aleran, thanks to your spirits But we will only need to use one rope before dawn "
Tavi started to say something quick and heated back, but Fade's hand gripped his shoulder abruptly Tavi turned to face the slave
Fade frowned at him, his scarred face hideous and concerned Then he said, "Be careful, Tavi" And with that, he took the pack that had been slung over his shoulder and dropped it onto Tavi's
The boy let out a breath at the sudden weight "Fade, uh Maybe it would be better if I didn't take anything with me I'll move faster without it "
"Marat stronger than Tavi," Fade said "Faster "
"Thank you," Tavi said, testily "I needed that kind of encouragement "
Fade's eyes glittered with something like good humor, and he ruffled Tavi's hair with one hand "Tavi smart There Bag of tricks Be smart, Tavi Important'
Tavi tilted his head to one side, peering at the slave "Fade'" he asked
The glitter faded from the man's eyes, and he gave Tavi his witless grin
"Valleyboy," Doroga called "There is no time to waste "
Tavi said to Fade, quickly, "If I don't come back, Fade. I want you to remember to tell Aunt Isana that I love her. Uncle, too."
"Tavi," Fade nodded. "Come back."
The boy blew out a breath. Whatever spark of awareness had been in the man's eyes was gone now. "All right," he said, and walked over to Doroga. He shrugged into the pack, drawing the straps down to their smallest size, so that it would fit closely to his back.
Doroga was handling his rope. Tavi watched as the Marat worked a loop into the end of it with the skill of a sailor and drew it tight. The Marat stood, leaving the loop just touching the ground, and in a moment of understanding, Tavi stepped forward and slipped his foot into the loop, taking up the rope itself to hold it tight.
Doroga nodded his approval. To Tavi's right, Kitai had knotted the rope himself and stood at the edge of the precipice, his expression impatient. Tavi walked awkwardly to the precipice's edge and stared over it to a drop of several hundred feet down a nearly sheer surface. His head spun a bit, and his belly suddenly shook and felt light.
"Are you afraid, Aleran?" Kitai asked, and let out a low little laugh.
Tavi shot the other boy a sharp glance and then turned to Doroga, who had secured the far end of the rope to a stake driven into the earth and looped it about a second such stake, so that he could let the rope out gradually. "Let's go," Tavi said, and with that, took a step back over the precipice and swung himself down into space.
Doroga held the line steady, and after a very short moment of terror, Tavi bumped against the wall and steadied himself, holding on. Doroga began to lower the rope, but Tavi called up, "Faster! Let it out faster!"
There was a brief pause, and then the rope began to play out quickly, lowering Tavi down the face of the cliff at a rather alarming rate.
From above, there was a yelp, and Kitai swung out into space. The boy plummeted down for several yards, and Tavi got the impression that when the rope finally did tighten and catch him that Hashat had only just managed to do so. Kitai shot Tavi a bright-eyed, angry glance and called something up the cliff in another tongue. A moment later, he, too, began to descend the cliff more quickly.
Tavi used one foot and one hand to keep himself from dragging on the stone and found that it was more effort than he would have expected. He was shortly panting, but a swift glance up at Kitai told him that he had
thought correctly. Doroga's huge muscles had an easier time letting out the rope at a faster, controlled rate than the more slender Hashat's did, and Tavi had gained considerable distance on the other boy as they descended.
As he came down, closer to the lambent green glow of the crouch, he shot a glance up at Kitai and smiled, fiercely.
Kitai let out a sharp whistle, and the line abruptly stopped playing out.
Tavi stared up at him in confusion. Until the other boy drew his knife, reached across to the rope that held Tavi thirty feet over the floor of the bizarre forest below and, with an answering smile, used the dark, glassy knife to begin swiftly slicing through Tavi's rope.