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be in the lake."
"I thought you said anything that touched the lake dropped dead,"
Donya said.
"Uh-uh." Shadow spat out rain. "The water's poisonous, I know that,
and Bl I was told that if it got into a cut it would cause infection or
disease. I don't think it'll kill you just to touch it. But that won't help us if
we're flooded. We can't all run over the water like Farryn."
"Hmmm," Donya said thoughtfully. "That gives me an idea."
"Well, tell me, please," Shadow said gladly. "I'm glad someone's got
one."
Donya shook her head. "It'll wait," she said. "Hopefully we won't need to
use it. But Farryn running across the water isn't a bad idea."
"Huh?"
"Scouting," Donya said. "I'd like to be sure we're heading in the right
direction. I can't even tell if we're on the road."
"You'll know if we get off the road," Shadow retorted grimly. "I'll be the
first to go down in a pocket of sucking mud."
"Don't you recognize anything!" Donya asked worriedly.
"I can't see anything, let along recognize anything," Shadow said.
"All right, that's it," Donya declared. "Stop here. I'm going to see if
Farryn can scout ahead. We can't risk losing the road."
Shadow stopped obediently, taking advantage of the rest to pull out a
wineskin and fortify herself against the cold drench. Donya had ridden
back to Farryn and was leaning close to speak to him, but Shadow couldn't
hear anything over the rain; the falling curtains were so thick that Shadow
could, in fact, hardly see them. At last Farryn dismounted, and Shadow
was alarmed to see that the muddy water was swirling around his knees.
The trail had dipped lower and lower since they had left the trail shelter
the day before. Thankfully the rain had stopped around midday and the
weather had improved, a few glimpses of sun showing around the clouds,
before they camped, exhausted, on the tumbled stone blocks of a ruined
shelter. The only complication had arisen shortly after noon, when Donya's
supply horse had fallen in the mud. The horse, with two broken legs, had
to be killed; but worse, Donya's mirror had been crushed beneath the
animal's fallen body. Shadow had told Aubry to send a message to Celene
explaining why Donya did not call. At least the water had lowered slightly,
and Shadow had dared to hope that they could ride through safely and
that they had exhausted their bad luck.
This morning, however, the clouds had spit forth a storm the likes of
which Shadow had rarely seen. Lightning reached down fingers several
times, and had there been anywhere to go to escape them, Shadow would
have done it. The thunder was so loud that Shadow's ears rang, and the
water was rising again.
Shadow squinted through the rain, but for the moment rain and horses
conspired to hide Farryn. Suddenly a silver-coated blur flashed by
Shadow's side and vanished into the storm. Shadow shook her head and
took another healthy swig of wine, grimacing as a little rain diluted the
heady purple liquor.
"Fortune-be-damned swamps," she muttered darkly.
Almost immediately Farryn reappeared beside her, sinking into water
and mud as he flailed his way to a stop at her side. Shadow leaned
precariously in the saddle to hear him.
"The road appears to run straight toward the lake," he shouted over
rain and thunder. "We have not strayed from it yet, but you must bear a
little more to the east. It is another hour's ride to the lake, and another
hour or a little more to the shelters."
"Fortune save us, it's getting dark," Shadow shouted back. "Turn my
horse the right way. We've got to hurry."
"If you wish," Farryn said, "I will take flint and steel and a pack of dry
wood and go ahead, clear a shelter and start a fire."
Shadow was sorely tempted, but she thought of Spirit Lake and shook
her head.
"We can't lead both your horses on this narrow trail," she said. "And it's
not safe for you to be alone by Spirit Lake, not even for a couple of hours.
If there's trouble we couldn't help you. Besides, if we run into trouble here,
we may need you."
"As you say, then," Farryn said stonily. He turned her horse gently to
indicate the proper direction.
Shadow sighed to herself as her poor horse headed patiently into the
rain. No amount of wine was going to keep her warm in this gale,
especially with two more hours to ride. She pulled her cloak around her a
little more tightly and, like her horse, tucked her head down against the
driving rain.
They rode, and rode, and rode, and still there was no sign of Spirit
Lake. Shadow's vision had narrowed to a short circle no farther than her
horse's ears. Looking behind her, she could just make out Argent's dark
cloak behind her supply horse; she hoped she would be able to hear over
the rain if anyone was in trouble.
More riding into the wind, and now Shadow was wondering dismally if
she'd strayed from the trail somewhere. Surely Spirit Lake should've been
visible by now, even in the storm. She looked down and saw, to her horror,
that the water was swirling halfway up her horse's legs. Just as she made
this alarming observation, her horse suddenly plunged forward, almost
throwing Shadow from its back; a wave of foul-smelling water washed
over her, and Shadow desperately held her head up and pulled her horse
back as sharply as she could. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]