Earth's Requiem(41)

“And he did not try to follow you?” Metae sounded incredulous. “You had better be telling me the truth, Daughter.”

“You know I am. You’re in my mind.” Aislinn tried to keep defensiveness out of her voice. “He may have followed me, but he didn’t find me. I took refuge underground. My next jump left from there.

“Anyway,” she hurried on before Metae could question her more closely about exactly where underground she’d been, “that’s why I’m here. I need an anti-sex charm or something to protect myself. Christ, I’ve had run-ins with two of them in as many days. Perrikus would have had me if you hadn’t shown up. I don’t know if he’s another refrigerator man like D’Chel, but…” Aislinn let her voice trail off, hoping she’d done a decent job convincing Metae of her continuing trust in the Old Ones.

No one said anything further for what seemed like hours. Rune moved close to Aislinn and leaned against her side. Her legs grew tired, but she knew better than to try to sit in an Old One’s presence. “I must confer with some of the others,” Metae said at last. “You and your bond animal will remain just outside the entrance to this cave. Hunting is plentiful. It is safe to have fires, and the water flowing down yon wall emerges as a spring not far from here.”

“How long do you—?” Aislinn caught herself and bit off the rest of her sentence. She knew better than to question Metae.

“Maybe you have more in the way of wisdom than I thought,” Metae muttered just before she vanished in a blast of light so bright that spots danced in front of Aislinn’s eyes.

Rune padded toward the cave’s entrance.

Cunning! It’s illusion. That’s why I couldn’t see it from outside. Either her magic had sensitized itself to it, or Metae had done something to make it visible.



“Do you think it’s safe to talk?” she asked the wolf.



“No.” He headed through a stand of Jeffrey pines.

“Where are you going?” she called after him.

“Hunting. Want to come?”

Aislinn realized she did want to come. The thought of parking her butt outside the entrance to Taltos for an indeterminate time chilled her. She understood what a dangerous game she played and how few tools she had in her arsenal—especially compared with ancient creatures who’d been alive for thousands of years.



My biggest asset is they think I’m stupid, she realized. I’ll have to capitalize on that.



“Coming?”

“Huh?” With a start, she glanced at the wolf. “Sure. Lead out.”

Loping after him, she wondered just how long it would be before Metae returned—and how many Old Ones would come with her. Aislinn had seen enough to know they operated in small groups. It was rare to find one alone, as Metae had been the other day in the square outside her cave, or just now at the gateway to Taltos.

The chirrups of an outraged group of marmots pulled her out of her musings. Good. Must mean Rune got one. The thought of meat cooked over a fire until it was actually done made her mouth water.





Chapter Ten


Aislinn gutted the marmot and was ready to head back, but Rune ran downhill, toward the remains of the town, saying, “We need at least two more.”She wondered about that. The animal hanging from her hands weighed a good five pounds. They still had a couple hours of daylight, though, so she followed him. Walking was always better than waiting. The wolf’s tail disappeared into a thickly wooded grove. Willows grew so close together, they scratched her skin and tugged at her clothing. She came to a spot where she couldn’t go any farther and wondered if she’d missed a turn in the undergrowth. “Rune?”



“Look down.”



Sure enough, the willows formed a rough archway that began on the ground and ended at knee level. Dropping to all fours, she slithered through, cursing the wolf for making her follow him. She could have waited outside until he chased down his prey. Wet ground soaked her wool pants and flannel shirt. The rich smells of loam filled her nostrils. She looked around, surprised to discern a passageway. Someone had cut away branches to make a rough opening in the thicket.

“Ouch!” She pulled her hand back from something sharp and summoned her mage light. Its gentle glow bounced off a veritable jungle of crystals in all shapes, sizes, and colors. The cleverly hidden passageway led into a six by ten foot cave. Its gently rounded roof was high enough for her to stand upright if she crawled a foot or so toward its center. Swiveling around, she pushed her feet forward and stood as soon as she could. The thick soles of her boots cushioned her from the sharp crystals. “This is amazing. How did you find it?”