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Vorslava and went to join him. By the meager light given out by the shuttered lamp the man carried,
Yozerf saw that a path did indeed wend its way down into the darkness below. Unfortunately, it looked
as if its narrow, uneven, and very steep length would have been treacherous even in daylight and fair
weather.
"Is this the only way down? Gless asked nervously. The rain had plastered his blonde hair to his head
and dripped off the tip of his nose.
"This is it, the old man confirmed. Not much reason to go down there, after all. No fishing boats can
put out from here too many sea stacks, too many rocks. Sometimes we'd go down and pick barnacles
off the rocks for the kitchen, and the children like to play in the tidal pools, but there's no need for a
better path."
"Then this is the way we go, Yozerf said, trying not to think of what a long fall it would be down into the
ocean, nor of the sharp rocks no doubt waiting below. Are we certain that the tide is out?"
"At its lowest ebb, my lord, confirmed a man who had been a fisher before the war. But the storm will
have the sea up."
Yozerf nodded and started off down the path, using his sharp night vision and good sense of balance to
test it out, warning others of any unexpected dangers. Some places, they could barely squeeze through,
their faces to the cliff and their heels hanging out over nothingness; other spots, the battered rock had all
but crumbled away, forcing them to pick their footing with utmost caution. Yozerf's heart was in his
mouth throughout the climb, his muscles tense as wires, while he waited for the scream that would
indicate a fall. But luck was with them this night, and they all reached the bottom without anything more
serious than scraped fingers.
Yozerf's boots sank slightly in the wet sand. The trunks of great trees, bleached white by salt and sun and
worn to smoothness by the sea, lay washed up all along the narrow strip of beach. Whipped to a frenzy
by the storm winds, the ocean roared and thrashed close by, and spray and foam soon soaked through
any clothing that the rain had not already reached.
"We have to look for the cave! Yozerf shouted over the howl of the storm and the sea. It should be
almost directly below the keep itself. It will be deeper than any of the others."
If it even exists, he thought grimly to himself. If that old codger remembered things aright. Gods, it
must have been eighty years ago if it was a day what are the chances?
The small force of invaders spread out, clinging close to the cliffs and investigating every crack and
crevice with the small, shuttered lamps they carried. At his first glimpse of the cliff face, however, Yozerf
realized how the hidden entrance had gone undiscovered for so long. The worn stone was pock-marked
with shallow caves, holes, and crevices by the hundreds. Even though they had a vague idea of where to
look, without knowing precisely which cave they wanted, dawn might find them before success.
Damn it. Spread out! he shouted over the scream of the wind. Don't cluster, and don't go over
ground someone else has already searched!"
Calling flame into his hand, he began to look himself. But the going was slow. Although the shallowest
holes in the cliff could be eliminated immediately, too many were both large enough and deep enough to
need further investigation. Precious time slipped away, and he could feel what little hope he'd had going
with it. This was foolish. We'll never find the cave in time, before dawn or the tide forces us to
leave. I should never have pinned all our hopes on such a mad scheme...
"I think I found it! shouted Ji'seth over the wind.
The cave she had discovered was situated almost directly beneath Vorslava, although it was difficult to
make out the dark bulk of the keep from that angle. It disappeared back into darkness, much deeper
than any of the other holes that riddled these cliffs. Moving cautiously, Yozerf went inside, Ji'seth and the
other Sworn on his heels. About thirty feet back, however, he came to what looked at first like a solid
wall. As he was about to curse and turn away, a faint breeze touched his cheek like the lips of a lover.
Startled, he held the flame in his hand closer to the wall and saw that what he had thought to be a shadow
was in fact a narrow crevice.
"I'll check it, Ji'seth offered eagerly. At Yozerf's nod, she slipped through the crevice and disappeared,
taking her lamp with her. For a few moments, they could see the light shining intermittently from the other
side; then everything became dark.
Nervousness made it hard to measure time, but she seemed to be gone half of forever, and Yozerf found
himself straining for any sound or scent. The boom of the sea was muffled behind them, and every shift of
weight or rustle of cloth seemed unnaturally loud.
Then a faint glow appeared once again on the other side of the crevice. Ji'seth emerged, a feral grin on
her face. I found the stairs. This is it, my lord."
"Good, Ji'seth. Tan, you and Wulfgar go and gather everyone else and lead them here."
It was not long before the small force had gathered in the cave. Their breathing was loud in the confined
space, and their eyes gleamed in the reflected light of the lamps. One by one, they passed through the
narrow crevice. It was a tight fit for most of them. Yozerf held his breath as he squeezed through, and
only his cloak tangled on the rock. Several of the more heavily built men, including Wulfgar, left skin
behind on the water-worn edge of the crevice.
There was a larger chamber on the other side. This one looked to have been deliberately hewn from the
rock rather than shaped by nature. Although the air had a slightly musty smell, the cool flow continued,
and Yozerf guessed that cracks in the rock reached all the way to the cliff face outside. At the rear of the
chamber, a narrow stair cut back through the rock, vanishing into the darkness above.
Yozerf paused and glanced at the group behind them. The flickering lamplight made shadows jump
across their faces, but what he could see of their expressions reflected grim determination. They gripped
swords, pitchforks, scythes, and spears, some causally, others with a nervousness that turned their
knuckles white. Some of them would not live to see the dawn, of that he was certain. Perhaps none of
them would.
"This is our only chance, he reminded them. His voice resonated oddly in the cave, giving it new
undertones. We are facing a greater force, but we have the advantage of surprise on our side. Strike
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