The tunnel forked. Ti-Bish took the passageway to the left, the one that slanted sharply down. Skimmer was happy for the gravel in the floor; it kept her moccasins from slipping.
“It’s not much farther,” he said.
“Where are we going?”
“To my secret place.”
She kept her eyes on Ti-Bish. He had a gawky walk, like a blue heron hunting shallow water.
In another six tens of heartbeats, the tunnel seemed to fade, but as Ti-Bish carried his lamp closer, she saw the truth.
Ti-Bish stepped out onto a gravel shore and looked up. A pained howl rose from the bellies of the Ice Giants and shook the world.
“Blessed gods.” Skimmer had to brace her hand against the tunnel wall to stay on her feet. When the tremor stopped, she walked out behind him … and her breath caught.
The coal-black water rippled in the aftereffects of the quake; it spread before them like an endless ocean. An ocean of living light. Tens of fish swam near the surface, driving billows of light with their heads and, in their wakes, leaving milky veils behind. As far as her eye could see, the water had a faint glow; and the ice ceiling above, scalloped and sculpted by eons of water, gleamed.
“It’s … unbelievable,” she whispered. Her heart began to pound. “No one could ever Dream such a place.”
Ti-Bish knelt on the gravel and set his basket down. “Grandmother Earth is alive, Skimmer. The mountains have souls. The trees Sing late at night. Grains of sand can speak. It’s just that no one listens.”
Her gaze followed a sinuous trail of light created by a very large fish. She had heard elderly Traders speak of the far oceans as living seas of light, but she’d never imagined this. “Where are we, Ti-Bish?”
“Beneath the Ice Giants.”
“You mean …” Terror killed her voice. In a bare whisper she said, “You mean that massive bulk of ice sits on top of us?”
“Yes. This lake is their tears. Every time they cry, the water level rises.” He pointed to the ledges that had been carved into the ice from the rising and falling water.
“Do they know we’re here?” she whispered.
“Oh, yes, they called me here—to this very spot—ten summers ago.” That mad gleam had entered his eyes again.
“Called you?”
“Please, sit beside me. Let’s eat and talk.” Ti-Bish laid out shell bowls. With care he unwrapped four roasted fish and divided them into the bowls. Finally, he drew out two wooden cups and handed her one.
Skimmer took it and sat down cross-legged.
Ti-Bish pulled out a water bag and filled his cup as he said, “The water here is salty, so you can’t drink it.”
“How can it be salty when it’s melted ice?”
“Because it’s part of the Thunder Sea. At high tide, salt water rushes in, and fresh water drains out at low tide. Those are ocean fish. And sometimes I see seals and walrus in here.”
Skimmer let him fill her cup from the bag and drank. It tasted good. “This must dazzle everyone you bring here.”
He gave her a hopeful look and softly said, “I have never brought anyone here before.”
For the moment the awesome vista overwhelmed her hunger. He picked one of the bowls up and handed it to her.
Skimmer set her water cup down, took the bowl, and rested it in her lap. When she took a bite, she found the fish still warm, the meat flaky and delicious.
Ti-Bish said, “I come here when I’m afraid or worried. When I’m here none of the terrible burdens of being the Guide weigh my soul down. I feel like I’ve already gone through the hole in the ice and returned to the sanctuary of the Long Dark.”
Her thoughts shifted briefly to Headswift Village, and worry began to nibble at her heart. She ate more of her fish, trying to force the thoughts away, but when she looked up, she found him studying her anxiously.
“I’m glad you’re here, Skimmer.”
The air around her shifted, as though moving in response to the wind outside, and the faintest of ripples brushed the shore. “Why, Ti-Bish?”
“I need to be with you. To pray with you.”
She gave him a hard look. “I thought you wanted me for other reasons.”
“What other reasons?”
“As a man wants a woman. The way Nightland warriors usually do with women captives.” She watched his eyes widen as she added, “If that’s the price I must pay for my people, I will lie with you.”
“You would …” He looked completely stunned. “I … I …” He swallowed hard, turning his eyes away in embarrassment. In an oddly squeaking voice he barely managed to say, “I only want to pray with you.”