After a bit she looked up and found Alaric working at her side. “Some bastard betrayed us,” he said shakily, listening to the distant clamor of bells – it was growing nearer and nearer now, “They’re searching the city house to house, when the time comes they reach the monastery, they’ll search every cranny, the monk’s cells, the very chapel! What is it, lad, you know Orain’s counsel – are we to ride them down at the gates?”
“I am not in their counsels,” Romilly said, “But something of a secret gate at the highest part-”
“And while we waste time looking for the secret paths, Lyondri’s men find us and I dance on a rope’s end?” demanded Alaric. Romilly said steadily, “I do not think Dom Carlo will abandon us like that. Trust him.”
“Aye; but the vai dom is Hastur, when all’s done, and blood’s thicker than wine, they say.. ..” Alaric grumbled.
“Alaric!” she turned round to him, shocked beyond speech. After a moment she found her voice and said, “Surely you can’t believe Carlo would side with the Hastur-lord against – Well, – against us, and Orain-”
“Well, not against Orain,” he said, “Get that saddle on, boy, if there’s a chance…but how do I know? Likely ye’re of the gentlefolk yourself. . . .” his voice trailed away, uncertain.
“Finish with the saddling, and don’t talk nonsense,” she said sharply. “Will you lift that grain-bag to the saddle? I can’t lift it alone-”
He helped her to hoist the heavy pack to the back of the chervine, and led the beast out of the stable. A hand seized her wrist in a hard grip and she started to cry out before, not knowing how, she recognized Orain’s grip, even in the darkness.
“This way,” he whispered, and, knowing his voice even in the silenced whisper, she relaxed and let him lead them into the dark passageway. She heard the other men, trying to move silently, only small creaks and rustles; someone bashed a toe against a rock wall and cursed softly. Then, she heard a soft childish voice.
“My lord Orain-”
“Ah – it’s you, ye devil’s pup-”
Caryl cried out, a muffled squeak. “I won’t hurt you,” he said, gasping – Romilly could not see in the dark, but sensed, from the pain in the small voice, that Orain had grabbed him harshly. “No, I only – I meant to guide you on the secret path – I don’t want my father to find the vai dom – he will be angry, but-”
“Let him go, Orain,” Romilly muttered, “he’s telling the truth!”
“Ah – I’ll trust your laran, boy,” said Orain, and she heard a little whimper of relief as, evidently, he loosed his punishing grip on the child. “A path you know? Lead us. But if you play us false-” he added through clenched teeth, “Child or no, I’ll run my skean into you.”
They followed through the narrow passage, crowding together, bumping, the sentry-birds making uneasy squealing noises in the darkness. Someone cursed in an undertone and Romilly saw the flash of flint on steel, but Orain commanded harshly, “Put that out!” and the light subsided, with someone grumbling and swearing.
“Silence,” Alaric commanded harshly, and there was no sound except the uneasy sounds of animals crowded in the narrow stone passages. There was a place where they had to go single file in the dark and one of the loaded chervines stuck between the stone walls. Alaric and one of the other men had to off-load the beast, hastily, swearing in whispers, while they hauled and shoved. Later they came to a place where the air was bad, coming up as if from the sulphurous center of the earth, and even Romilly could not stifle her coughing. Caryl murmured, “I am sorry – this is only a little bit, but watch your steps here, there are cracks and fissures, someone might break a leg.”
Romilly groped her way along in the dark, scuffling her feet slowly against the possibility of an unseen crack underfoot. At last they were all through, and there was a breath of icy air from the glacier, a little riffling wind, and they stood out of doors in chilly starlight. The pallid face of a single moon, the tiny pearl-colored Mormallor, hung just above the hill, hardly bright enough to lighten the darkness at all; and underfoot was pale slippery ice.