“I’ve been here,” the Plainsman said in a strangled voice. “I can’t remember when, but I’ve been here. I know the way through the swamp. And it leads to-” He licked his lips.
“Leads to a broken city of evil?” Tanis asked grimly when the Plainsman did not finish his sentence.
“Xak Tsaroth!” Raistlin hissed.
“Of course,” Tanis said softly. “It makes sense. Where would we go to find answers about the staff-except to the place where the staff was given you?”
“And we must go now!” said Raistlin insistently. “We must be there by midnight tonight!”
The Plainsman took the lead. He found firm ground around the black water and, making them all walk single file, led them away from the road and deeper into the swamp. Trees that he called ironclaw rose out of the water, their roots standing exposed, twisting into the mud. Vines drooped from their branches and trailed across the faint path. The mist closed in, and soon no one could see beyond a few feet. They were forced to move slowly, testing every step. A false move and they would have plunged into the stinking morass that lay foul and stagnant all around them.
Suddenly the trail came to an end in dark swamp water.
“Now what?” Caramon asked gloomily.
This,” Riverwind said, pointing. A crude bridge, made out of vines twisted into ropes, was attached to a tree. It spanned the water like a spider web.
“Who built it?” Tanis asked.
“I don’t know,” Riverwind said. “But you will find them all along the path, wherever it becomes impassable.”
“I told you Xak Tsaroth would not remain abandoned,” Raistlin whispered.
“Yes, well-I suppose we shouldn’t throw stones at a gift of the gods,” replied Tanis. “At least we don’t have to swim!”
The journey across the vine bridge was not pleasant. The vines were coated with slimy moss, which made walking precarious. The structure swayed alarmingly when touched, and its motion became erratic when anyone crossed. They made it safely to the other side but had walked only a short distance before they were forced to use another bridge. And always below them and around them was the dark water, where strange eyes watched them hungrily. Then they reached a point where the firm ground ended and there were no vine bridges. Ahead was nothing but slimy water.
“It isn’t very deep,” Riverwind muttered. “Follow me. Step only where I step.”
Riverwind took a step, then another step, feeling his way, the rest keeping right behind him, staring into the water. They stared in disgust and alarm as unknown and unseen things slithered past their legs. When they reached firm ground again, their legs were coated with slime; all of them gagged from the smell. But this last journey seemed, perhaps, to have been the worst. The jungle growth was not as thick and they could even seen the sun shining faintly through a green haze.
The farther north they traveled the firmer the terrain became. By midday, Tanis called a halt when he found a dry patch of ground beneath an ancient oak tree. The companions sank down to eat lunch and speak hopefully of leaving the swamp behind them. All except Goldmoon and Riverwind. They spoke not at all.
Flint’s clothes were sopping wet. He shook with the cold and began complaining about pains in his joints. Tanis grew worried. He knew the dwarf was subject to rheumatism and remembered what Flint had said about fearing to slow them up.
Tanis tapped the kender and gestured him over to one side.
“I know you’ve got something in one of your pouches that would take the chill off the dwarf’s bones, if you know what I mean,” Tanis said softly.
“Oh, sure, Tanis,” Tas said, brightening. He fumbled around, first in one pouch, then another, and finally came up with a gleaming silver flask. “Brandy. Otik’s finest.”
“I don’t suppose you paid for it?” Tanis asked, grinning.
“I will,” the kender replied, hurt. “Next time I’m there.”
“Sure.” Tanis patted him on the shoulder. “Share some with Flint. Not too much,” he cautioned. “Just warm him up.”
“All right. And we’ll take the lead-we mighty warriors.” Tas returned to the others. They were silently packing up the remains of lunch and preparing to move out. All of us could use some of Otik’s finest, he thought. Goldmoon and Riverwind had not spoken to each other all morning. Their mood spread a pall on everyone. Tanis could think of nothing to do that would end the torture these two were experiencing. He could only hope that time would salve the wounds.