The Silver Serpent
Chapter 32|All That Glitters
The cliff dropped off before her, looking like the end of the world. A thin veil of mist, hanging just below the edge of the precipice, obscured her vision. There must be water down there. Of the lost city of Murantha, or even the far side of the gap, there was no sign. She sighed and grasped her sword hilt for comfort. Her clothing felt heavy in the moist air, and she had pulled her hair up to keep it from clinging to the back of her neck.
Not for the first time, she turned and surveyed the rugged mountains above her. Rocks of the same varying shades of gray she had been looking at for weeks, scattered patches of scrub pine, sheer cliffs as far as she could see. No signs of human habitation, present or past. The scuffle of footfalls on loose rock told her that Hierm had finished scouting farther down the way. She cocked her head as he approached.
“Nothing,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s a sheer drop-off not much farther down. Nowhere to go.” He folded his arms across his chest and looked out at the fog. He had always been a serious young man, but he had lost his youthful optimism. “Do you think Larris and Oskar truly have any idea where we are going?”
“They can’t be wrong,” Shanis said, mostly believing what she was saying. “Their maps and landmarks have gotten us this far. It would be too great a coincidence for all of them to match something along the way.”
They made their way over to where the others waited. Larris was shaking his head.
“When the Thandrylls wanted to trade with us, I truly believed that the trades would somehow aid us in finding the city.” He chuckled. “And then, when they told us to keep them secret until the time came, I was certain. Foolishness.” He slipped his hand into his belt pouch and fished out a very large, very tarnished coin. He held it up close to his eyes and turned it over slowly. “There is nothing helpful here. I have looked it over twice now.” He looked at the others. “Anyone else receive something helpful?”
They all shook their heads and murmured in the negative and, one by one, shared with the others what they had received in the Thandryll’s odd trading ritual. Khalyndryn had been given a kerchief, Oskar a plain, brown cloak, and Hierm a woman’s circlet of woven vines. Shanis had traded an ornate pearl button the she had saved from the dress Bertram had given her in Karkwall, and received a pendant on a silver chain in return. The pendant was a flat, silver circle on which was engraved a stream winding down between two hills, and pooling at the base. She liked it, and was, in fact, wearing it.
“At least all of you were given something.” Allyn said. “I didn’t get a thing.”
“They didn’t trade with you?” Shanis asked, remembering the stone Allyn had given to the Thandrylls. It was pale green with dark blue stripes running through it. Just the right size to fit in your palm, it had been worn smooth from who-knew-how-many years lying in the streambed where he had found it as a boy. It was the only thing he had ever said about his childhood, and she was still surprised that he had parted with a remembrance of his childhood.
“Oh, they traded with me,” he said, his upper lip curling into a sneer. “They taught me a dance. Right foot, left hand, right hand, left. Right foot, left hand, right hand, left.” He acted out the dance, stomping his feet and waving his arms in such an exaggerated fashion that Shanis had to laugh. It was so unlike his unusual demeanor.
She was about to remark when she espied Oskar out of the corner of her eye. He was gaping at Allyn. He turned to look at Larris, and as he did, the corners of his mouth turned up into a smile. Larris was smiling back, his eyes gleaming.
“It can’t be,” Oskar said, still grinning.
“It must be.” Larris was actually bobbing up and down on the balls of his feet. “Can you think of another answer?”
Without waiting for Oskar’s reply, he hurried to the edge of the cliff, sighting his location against a distant peak. “About here?” He shifted a half-pace to his right.
“That looks about right to me.” Oskar held up his thumb and closed one eye, lining Larris up with the landmark. “Try right there.”
“Would one of you care to tell us what you’re talking about?” Shanis asked. She had known Oskar long enough to be accustomed to his reticence when he thought he knew something no one else new, but it still rankled her. This time, her patience was stretched thin.
Larris lay on his stomach and reached down over the edge of the cliff. A few moments, and his facial features relaxed into a smile of contentment. “It’s there,” he announced. With extreme caution, he brought his right foot down over the edge.
Oskar hurried over beside him and grabbed his right arm. “Be careful. Go slowly.”
“There’s the right foot,” Larris said. His face was pale, and a sheen of sweat covered his brow, but his smile remained firmly in place. “Now the left hand.” Trembling a bit, he brought his left hand down. “It’s right here. You cannot even see it until you are right on it, it’s so small. It’s carved at a downward angle so you can hook your fingers into it. Ah, there’s the left foot.” His head sank a bit lower. “You can let go now.” Oskar released his grip, and Larris sank out of sight.
Shanis and the others walked over to the ledge and looked down at Larris. He was descending by way of hand and footholds in the cliff face. The holds were invisible from above, but he was having no trouble finding them as he descended at a steady pace.
“Coded handholds,” Oskar said. “Ancients used them as a system of defense. If you did not know the correct pattern, you would find yourself halfway down the cliff with nowhere to go.”
“But where is the city?” Hierm’s frown made him look like his father.
“It’s here!” Larris cried from down below. He was barely in sight now, the inward slope of the cliff, so subtle as to have been unnoticeable before, now obscured their vision. “It’s beautiful! Everyone come down! Bring water and torches. And some food.”
“The city,” Oskar’s knowing smile reminded Shanis of Master Yurg, “is carved into the cliff.”
“But we didn’t see anything when we scouted,” Allyn protested.
“You would have had to be on the other side of the canyon in order to see it. They built the city beneath an overhang set so far back that you cannot see it from above or from the side.” He smiled. “Your dance reminded me of the coded handholds. Once I came to that conclusion, it was obvious.”
“Happy I could help,” Allyn muttered. “Let’s get what we need from the horses. Hierm, help me?” Hierm nodded and the two headed back up the trail to where their horses were tethered.
“I’ll stay here,” Khalyndryn said, staring into the emptiness. “Climbing out of the dungeon in Karkwall was quite enough for me. I can wait with the horses.”
“Larris said that everyone should come down,” Oskar protested. “I think you should go.”
“He’s right.” Shanis was letting Khalyndryn grate on her again. “There is no telling what might happen to you if you are alone up here. Wolves…”
“No.” Khalyndryn folded her arms across her chest and looked Shanis in the eye. “I will not go.”
“You will go if I have to throw you over the cliff.” Khalyndryn shook her head. Shanis leaned in toward her, hands on hips, bending down until their noses nearly touched. “I killed a man to save you!” Her voice rose. “Yet no matter where we go, what we do, you never change! You are the same childish…”
“I have no purpose!” Khalyndryn’s shout froze the words in Shanis’ throat. “Everyone else can ride, fight, track, hunt…” She looked at Oskar. “…think! What use am I? If I go down there I’ll fall, or I’ll get lost, or I’ll touch something I shouldn’t…I don’t know. I’ll do something to ruin it all.” She did not back down one step. She kept her chin up and continued to meet her eye. “I will take my chances with whatever may or may not be up here. Can you truly tell me that my presence down there would serve any purpose at all?”
Hierm and Allyn had run back when the shouting started.
They now stood at the mouth of the trail where it wound back into the rock, staring at the two girls. Oskar remained rooted to his spot near where Larris had descended, saying nothing, but watching them.
Shanis was taken aback. Khalyndryn had just given voice to Shanis’ own thoughts. She took a deep breath, regaining a bit of composure, and buying herself a moment to think.
“My father,” she began, “always taught me that everyone has a purpose. He said that those who never find it are either too lazy or too afraid. Which one are you?”
“I never liked you, Shanis. You are the most spoiled, selfish person I have ever met.” Nearby, Hierm coughed and turned away. “You never had to do anything the other girls had to do. You never lived by any rules. And when the time came to be an adult, you threw a tantrum because you wanted to keep playing at swords like the boys. Killing that guard was probably the first selfless thing you ever did. I am grateful, but do not expect me to fall down and kiss your boots. You forget. I chose to come with you for reasons of my own. You were going to leave me. You, Oskar and Hierm all had your own reasons for leaving, and they had nothing to do with me.
“I don’t like you,” she repeated. “But I liked and respected your father. He was a strong, humble person who could have done more with his life than raise a spoiled daughter and haul goods for Lord Hiram. Did you know that he and I used to talk while he loaded the wagons?”
Tears welled in Shanis’ eyes, and her throat was tight and sore. She turned her back on Khalyndryn, but she could not walk away. Somehow, she knew she needed to hear what the girl had to say.
“He listened to me, and he always gave me good advice. I’ll wager I talked to him more than you did. You would have thought Master Yurg was your father, you spent so much time at the sword.” Khalyndryn’s voice was tinged with bitterness. “If Colin believes that everyone has a purpose, then I will listen to him.” She emphasized the last word. “I’ll be back.”
Shanis turned around to see Khalyndryn push her way past Hierm and Allyn, heading toward the horses. Allyn followed behind. Hierm took a step toward her, but she waved him away. He shrugged and went to join Allyn.
She felt a firm hand on her shoulder, turned and fell onto Oskar’s shoulder. “Is that what everyone thinks of me?” The tears flowed unabated as she allowed him to support her weight. She rarely permitted herself to cry, and never to break down. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and squeezed tight, trying to reign in her sadness, her fatigue, her frustration. “Is that what you all think?”
“No,” Oskar whispered, stroking her hair. She could hear the lie in his voice, and couldn’t say anything. He pushed away from her, cupped her chin in his hand, and raised her face to look at him. “You just said that everyone has a purpose. That goes for you as well. You cannot change anything that is past: only what lies ahead of you.”
“Aren’t you coming?” Larris called.
She drew away. Khalyndryn and the others would soon be back, and she would not let them see her cry. “Thank you,” she mumbled. “I’ll see you down there.” She pressed the back of her sleeve to her eyes, letting the rough cloth soak up the tears. Using less caution than she should have, she found the first foothold and began her descent. Her anger and confusion lent her a touch of recklessness as she scrambled down the cliff face.
She had never thought of herself as a selfish person. True, she had pursued swordsmanship with single-minded purpose. She wanted to be the best she could be, in order to make her father proud. He began teaching her the sword when she was small, and he carefully supervised her until she was ready for the swordmaster’s tutelage. She still remembered the way he smiled when she mastered a new skill. The special pride he took whenever she bested one of the boys. She knew no other way to please him, and the thought of giving up the sword was more than she could bear. Khalyndryn could not possibly understand the way the sword connected her and her father. As for the thought of Colin engaging in serious conversations with the girl, it felt like such a…violation.
“You might try looking down just about now.” Larris sounded as if he were directly beneath her. “Slow down!”
She cast her eyes downward just as her right foot struck solid ground. She tumbled backward, and felt strong arms envelop her.
“Not enough warning, I suppose. Sorry.” He held on longer than necessary, supporting her weight, his arms across her breasts. Shanis felt his breath on her neck, warm and damp. After he neither raised her up nor let go, she cleared her throat in a loud rasp. She imagined she could feel reluctance as he released her. She straightened, strangely feeling the absence of his embrace.
“So, where…” She stopped abruptly when she saw the city.
Murantha lay in the shelter of a massive rock overhang, recessed so deep into the stone face that it was no wonder they had been unable to see it. This place was wrought by no human hand. It seemed to have flowed out of the native stone in one single piece. It was a mound of domed structures, each with a rounded door set in the front, connected by a series of serpentine paths that wound from building-to-building. Coming toward them from the center was a walkway hewn into the rock. It too curved like the belly of a snake in the dust. A ceremonial well lay near the place where the path curled up into the city. The morning sun glinted on the surface of the water that filled it near to the rim.
Behind her, someone dropped to the ground with a grunt, but her attention was on what she saw above the city.
Glittering in the morning sun, a giant serpent wound its way across the cliff above Murantha. It was rendered in amazing detail: its scales glittered, whether from the stone from which it was hewn or some form of sorcery, she could not say, but it was marvelous. She barely noticed the others as they gathered up around her and Larris. Her eyes followed its sinuous length. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and it seemed to beckon to her.
“We found it,” Oskar whispered, breaking the silence. “I never truly believed that we would. Even as we made the journey, it all seemed a grandmother’s tale.”
“As if we would wake up and find ourselves back home,” she said in an equally soft voice.
“Well, we are awake,” Larris said, “and this is Murantha.” He turned to face the others, and took a few backward steps toward the city. “My friends, you have been faithful to your oath, and our quest nears its end. Let us complete our task, and find the Silver Serpent.
They approached the city warily, each moving at a slower pace than usual. The path beneath their feet was carved like the scales of a serpent, and wound snake-like toward the city. The stone beneath her looked brand-new.
“It looks as if no one has ever walked here before,” she said, watching mesmerized as her boots trod on the stuff of legend.
“Precious few, at any rate,” Larris said. “Murantha has been legend for so long, that few believe it exists. I’ll wager it was created for no purpose other than to house the serpent. Likely no one lived here. It certainly does not appear that the surrounding land could sustain a population.” He looked around, his eyes still wide with childlike wonder. “We are likely the first to tread this path since…” He said no more, apparently unable to come up with an adequate length of time.
“You hope we’re the first,” Hierm added. Larris arched an eyebrow at him, and then gave a curt nod.
The pathway split, wrapping around both sides of the well. Shanis looked down at its sparkling surface, and wondered how deep it was. She stopped and knelt alongside it, gazing into its depths. The blackness beneath the surface was total, and seemed to draw her in. Her head swam, and she jerked back, spriging to her feet.
“Are you all right?” Hierm asked, taking her by the forearm. His blue-gray eyes stared into hers with concern.
“Just dizzy,” she said with forced cheerfulness. “A lot of excitement for one morning.” She pulled away from his grasp, sidled past Larris, who was also looking at her with consternation, and continued along the path. “Well, Your High
ness, where do we start?”
“At the bottom, I suppose,” Larris said, quickening his pace to walk beside her. The path was just wide enough for the two of them to walk abreast.
“You suppose?” Larris had never said that he knew where to find the serpent, but she had assumed that once they found the city, he would lead them directly to it. In retrospect, that had been a foolish assumption, considering he had admitted that he did not even know what it was.
“I got us here, did I not? Well, Oskar and I got us here. We will find it.” His voice exuded confidence.
“Do you practice talking like that?” she asked. Behind her, she heard Allyn snigger. Larris frowned at her.
“Don’t look at me that way,” she continued. You know exactly what I mean. Like a general leading his troops into battle. I assume you weren’t born talking like that. It must be intentional.”
Larris smiled and shook his head. “This will go faster if we divide up. Oskar and Hierm, begin with the doorway farthest to your left, and work your way to the top. Allyn, you and Khalyndryn take the far right, Shanis and I will begin with the three in the middle.”
Before she could so much as make a wise comment about Larris taking charge, the others had headed in opposite directions, eager to begin the search. She stood with hands on hips, and surveyed the city from up close.
There were five of the dome-like structures arrayed in a line before them. Curving stairways wound up between each of them, and swept up each side of the cavern, leading to the second level, where there were four such edifices. The stairs snaked their way progressively upward to a level of three, then two and finally to a lone dome at the top.
“Waiting for something?” Larris kidded before leading the way through the arched doorway of the center room. Shanis followed behind him, ducking beneath the low arch.
The room, which Shanis had thought would be round from looking at it from the outside, was oval, and sunk deep into the cliff face. The faint glow of sunlight through the doorway intruded only so far into the blackness beyond. She heard a scraping sound, and a yellow-orange glow blossomed in Larris’ hand.
“What is that?” she asked.
“Firestick,” he replied. Moving forward, he raised his hand to let the light shine on the domed ceiling above. Something was carved in the surface, but Shanis paid little mind.
“I thought only thieves used firesticks!” she said.
Larris looked at her and smiled. “Come now, do you think we royals let the thieves have all the fun? Seriously, though. They aren’t as volatile as they once were. They’re quite safe. Want to hold it?” He held the firestick, about the thickness of her middle finger and the length of her palm, toward her.
“No, thank you,” she said. Larris’ reassurances notwithstanding, she did not trust the firestick’s reputation. Her eyes took in the round room, twenty paces across, with its perfectly smooth floor, and no visible seam where the curving walls met the level floor. It was empty. She looked back up at the ceiling. “What is all that?” She gestured at the markings that spiraled down from the center. They almost looked like writing, but not quite. Some of the images were tiny pictures: birds, trees, stars, people. Others were squares with differing numbers of dots inside. These, she intuited represented numbers.
“Glyphs,” Larris said, lifting the firestick above his head. “An ancient form of writing. What I would give to be able to record these and decipher them at my leisure.” He touched the wall, letting his hand linger. “What stories might they tell?”
“Let’s hope they’re not telling us that another golorak is coming up through that hole,” Shanis said. She indicated a spot just a few paces in front of him where another ceremonial well lay.
“Thank you for the warning,” he said. “My father always said my eyes were so far in the clouds that I couldn’t see what was right in front of my face. Or in this case, my feet.” He lowered the firestick to reveal a well of about half the diameter of the one they had seen outside. A serpent was carved into the stone around the well; its eye glinted with silver flecks of some stone that had been embedded in the figure. The light of the firestick revealed that, unlike the well outside, this one was empty and no more than a few hands deep. “I’ll wager there’s one of these in every room.”
His prediction was borne out as they continued their explorations. Every room they entered was approximately the same size and shape, with what appeared to Shanis to be the same writing winding its way down the ceiling. And in the center of each room was the same ceremonial well, with the engraved serpent coiled around the outside. The sameness did not end there. Each room was void of any signs of human habitation, or even passage.
They had dutifully examined every room, searching for nooks, crannies, hidden passages, anything that might conceal their objective. They even sifted through the dust at the bottom of each well, but found them all to be equally empty. By the time they reached the top of the city, the others were waiting there with discouraged looks on their faces, and an air of defeat about them.
“Nothing,” Oskar said, looking out at the canyon.
Khalyndryn pointedly looked away from Shanis, who was more than happy to ignore her as well.
“This can’t be it,” Shanis protested. “It’s too empty, too clean.” Oskar met her with a blank stare. Hierm and Allyn looked at one another and shook their heads. She turned back to Larris. “Can’t you feel it, Larris? It feels… false. This is not real.” Frustration welled within her. She could not find the words to describe what she felt, but she knew she was right.
“Looks real to me,” Allyn muttered. He slipped a knife from his belt, and began trimming his nails.
“Never mind,” Shanis said.
“No,” Larris said, taking hold of her upper arm. “Say more.” The keen interest in his brown eyes persuaded her to try again.
“I don’t know,” she said, feeling frustrated. “I’m hungry. Let’s sit down and eat.”
They circled around the well and sat down. Shanis chewed on a piece of jerked venison and contemplated their situation. What should they do? She gazed down into the well. Once again, the waters seemed to pull her down, drawing her in. She gazed at her reflection, and saw someone she scarcely recognized.
She had lost weight since they had left home. Her cheekbones were more prominent. She looked…older, more serious. She leaned closer, watching the image grow larger, until she was nose-to-nose. And then…
“Shanis, what are you doing?”
Someone grabbed her shoulder and yanked her back. She sat upright, and felt water drip from the tip of her nose and splash onto her chin. She wiped the face with her palm and looked around at the ring of incredulous faces.
Larris took his hand from her shoulder and frowned, but said nothing. His brown eyes held a mix of concern and curiosity.
“Don’t mind me,” she said. “It’s the well. It feels like it’s…pulling me down. It’s foolish, I know. Just a feeling.” She sat back and turned her attention to her meal, still aware of a tugging sensation that seemed to draw her toward the water. She took a bite and slowly chewed on the dried meat. What was it about the well? The water!
“Where is this water coming from?” The others looked at her quizzically. “We’ve seen very little water for days. And this,” she slapped the ground with her palm, “is solid rock. Where did this water come from?”
“There’s nothing to feed an underground river in these parts,” Oskar mused. “Especially not at this elevation.”
“No rain to speak of,” Allyn added. “You can see that by vegetation, or lack thereof. Just some scrub and stunted trees. Nothing that requires much moisture.”
Larris dipped a hand into the well and scooped out a palmful of water. He took a long look, then passed his palm under his nose, then nodded.
“It’s clean and cold,” he said, letting it spill back down. He hesitated for a moment, and then touched two wet fingers to the tip of his tongue. He frowned
and leaned down close to the water, inhaling deeply. “I’m hesitant to drink it, but it seems fresh.” He looked up at Shanis. “I believe you are on to something.”
She stood and took a step back, bumping her leg against Hierm. He clambered to his feet to stand alongside her.
“The well is the only thing that is different,” she said, puzzling it out as she spoke. “That is what I was trying to say earlier. There is a sameness to everything over there,” she gestured toward the city. It’s all the same shape, the same carvings, the same stone. The serpents around the doors are plain. Here,” she pointed to the well, “the serpent twists and coils. You can see the scales. It’s done in as much detail as the one in the cliff.”
She narrowed her eyes and gazed intently now at the serpent that encircled the well. The sensation of being pulled along was stronger. She relaxed and imagined that her gaze was being drawn forward by the unseen force. She followed the body of the serpent around until she focused in on the serpent’s eye. Unlike the rest of the carving, which was rendered in lifelike detail, the eye was plain and round, too large for the head, and totally unlike a snake’s hooded orb.
Larris saw what she was looking at. He reached down and probed the carved socket with gentle fingertips. His brow creased and he narrowed an eye, setting his jaw in contemplation. His brown eyes still locked on the serpent’s eye, he drew his hand away, and reached into his belt pouch. He spoke softly to himself as he fished around for something.
“My gift,” he said. “My trade. I wondered why they would give me such a thing. Where is it?”
Shanis and Hierm exchanged puzzled glances. Khalyndryn appeared thoroughly confused, Allyn merely bored. Only Oskar appeared to know what the prince was thinking. He smiled and nodded, still gnawing on his piece of jerked meat.
“Where is it?” Larris whispered. “Ah!” From his belt pouch he drew out the old coin the Thandrylls had given him as a “trade”. He turned it over in his palm, then held it between his thumb and forefinger, feeling the tarnished surface. “I shall look the fool if I’m wrong,” he said, but his eyes were alive with confidence. With that, he laid the coin over the eye socket. A quarter-turn and it slid neatly into the hole.
Nothing happened.
Shanis watched as the grin drained from Larris’ face. His jaw went slack, and the glint in his eyes dimmed. She felt sorry for him, kneeling there, crestfallen.
Whoosh!
Larris fell back on his behind, startled by the sudden noise. Shanis backed up a step as well. The surface roiled as fat air bubbles burst to the surface. A circle appeared in the midst of the water, expanded into a turbulent whirlpool. Everyone crowed around the well, watching as the water drained away to reveal a series of handholds, much like those down which they had descended the cliff face. Larris looked down into the well, then lifted his head, smiling.
“Who’s first?”