When it had done, the girl stooped and
altered two of the lines with a swift stroke from one of her talons. The
creature of the Chasm nodded its misshapen head.
"Asti does not rule here. But long, and long, and long ago there was a
pact made with us in His Name. Pass free from us, woman of the Light.
There are two paths before you--."
The Guardian paused for so long that Varta dared to prompt it.
"Where do they lead, Guardian of the Dark?"
"This will take you down into my country," it jerked the rod to the
right. "And that way is death for creatures from the surface world. The
other--in our old legends it is said to bring a traveler out into the
upper world. Of the truth of that I have no proof."
"But that one I must take," she made slight obeisance to the huddle of
bones and dank cloak on the rock and it inclined its head in grave
courtesy.
With Lur pushing a little ahead, she took the road which ran straight
into the flume-veiled darkness. Nor did she turn to look again at the
Thing from the Chasm world.
They began to climb again, across slimed rock where there were evil
trails of other things which lived in this haunted darkness. But the sun
of Asti lighted their way and perhaps some virtue in the rays from it
kept away the makers of such trails.
When they pulled themselves up onto a wide ledge the talons on Varta's
gloves were worn to splintered stubs and there was a bright girdle of
pain about her aching body.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25