‘What if the mage put the crabs there for some other reason?’
‘What if? What if? I told you this would be very dangerous. But the rewards are
worth the risk.’
She stiffened. That strange cry had come again. And it was definitely nearer.
‘It may be hunting us,’ Smhee said. ‘It could have smelled the blood of the
ape.’
‘What is it?’ she said, trying to keep her teeth from chattering.
‘I don’t know. We’re downwind from it, butTt sounds as if it’ll soon be here.
Good! That will put some stiffening in our backbone, heat our livers. Let’s go
now!’
So, he was scared, too. Somehow, that made her feel a little better.
They stuck their legs down into the chilly water. They found no bottom. Then
Smhee ran around to the inland side and bent down. He probed with his hand
around the edge.
‘The rock goes about a foot down, then curves inward,’ he said. ‘I’ll wager that
this was once a pothole of some sort. When Kemren came here, he carved out
tunnels to the cave it led to and then somehow filled it with river water.’ He
stood up.
The low strange cry was definitely closer now. She thought she saw something
huge in the darkness to the north, but it could be her imagination.
‘Oh, Igil!’ she said. ‘I have to urinate!’
‘Do it in the water. If it smells your urine on the land, it’ll know a human’s
been here. And it might call others of its kind. Or make such an uproar the
Raggah will come.’
He let himself down into the water and clung to the stony edge.
‘Get in! It’s cold but not as cold as death!’ She let herself down to his side.