Lady Day would take little comfort from the canyon beyond the Gathered Waters, south of them. Already its western wall threw heavy shadow halfway up the eastern precipices, leaving the depths in darkness. Each day it would be lit for a short time at midday. The rest of the time it would be a dim and forbidding region. Lutha stared into its shadows and shivered, turning her attention elsewhere.
“Trompe and I saw many abandoned hives on our way here. Why so many?”
Chahdzi cleared his throat. “H’din ha’disha. Empty hives, yes, they become … vacant when the Dinadhi move about. From one place to another.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Perhaps a spring dries up.” His tone shut off further discussion.
Trompe cast a quick glance at Lutha, pursing his lips, shaking his head. Chahdzi was uncomfortable with the question.
She read his expression and let the matter drop, turning her attention to the landscape below her, where the delicate green of new leaves sprouted beside the transient water, a silver shoestring of oasis in this rocky land. They were close enough now that she could identify fruit trees, the branches almost hidden behind a flourish of blossoms.
When they stopped to drink from their flasks, Chahdzi took Leely, who was by now asleep, fastening him to his back with crossed belts that might have been made for the purpose. They went on, more quickly as the day waned and the sun fell, climbing downward until Lutha thought she would drop from the pain in her legs where the muscles rebelled at every step. She told herself another thousand steps and she would rebel, danger or no. She began counting, storing up her pain against the explosion she intended. She had reached eight hundred and something when the trail leveled and they debouched upon the level gravel soil of the canyon bottom.
“Now”—Chahdzi sighed—”it will be easier.” He was sweating and pale.
“Let me take Leely,” said Trompe.
“Let Leely walk,” said Lutha. “He’s awake. He’s just being lazy.”
The boy screamed at being put down, and when the three adults started ruthlessly off without him, he ran after them, raging incoherently. Lutha stopped his mouth with a cookie, which occupied him until they were almost at the stream. The sun had sunk below the rim of the canyon above them, and the great cave with its hive was deep in shadow.
Chahdzi took a small stoppered bottle from his pack and directed them to take a small mouthful each, even Leely. Then, while they sputtered at the acrid taste, he said, “Take a deep breath and go fast. Only a little more now, but the darkness comes swiftly.”
“I’m ready to drop,” said Lutha.
“You may not,” he said softly. “Not yet. Only a little more. Quickly.”
They pushed themselves into an exhausted stagger that accelerated into a heart-pumping plunge, fueled by Chahdzi’s stimulant, as they splashed through the narrow stream, tending a little southward to a place immediately below the great cave. Now they were in shadow. Now they could see the hive itself, see the few people assembled upon the lip of stone, peering down at them.
“Ladders!” said Lutha, disbelievingly.
“Only a few,” said Chahdzi, gesturing her to climb first. “Go, rest, go, rest. Keep moving.”
They climbed. They climbed forever. Leely screamed. Lutha cursed under her breath. One ladder led to another, led to another yet. A few were slimy with spray. And then they were on the flat, sagging with exhaustion.
A high tenor voice soared:
“See our Lady depart. See her dance westward, upon the rock-rimmed mountains, beautiful her feet among the trees … ”
A tiddle of bone flutes, a rattle of little drums sounded from the wide-windowed loft of a tower nearby. Seemingly the rush was over. People were moving about purposefully, with no appearance of panic, men and women both, difficult to tell what sex they were in the loose robes, their hair cut alike, their faces painted this way or that. Some wore only the underrobe, the back hem pulled between their legs and up over the belt in front. Others’ robes flowed free. A few had put on leather outer robes, these evidently for ceremonial reasons, for the singer and the musicians were among those so clad.