Second Guard (16 page)

“Another accident?” Zarif asked, gently placing a hand on the girl’s thin arm.

Brindl cast her eyes away. “I prefer not speak of it.”

The room quieted.

“So the tunnel travels under Lake Chibcha?” Tali asked, filling the silence.

“Yes,” Brindl answered. “That is so.”

“How is it that I never learned of these tunnels from the maestros in Fugaza?” Zarif asked.

Now it was Chey’s turn to respond. “Your Moon Guild scholars do not know everything, friend.”

“In fact, there is much they do not know,” Brindl added, “especially when it comes to the Earth Guild.”

“Point taken,” Zarif said. “There is always something new to be learned.”

“Exactly,” said Tali, steering the conversation back to the salt mines. “Like why Brindl said it may not be possible to use the tunnels.”

Chey sat back down in his chair and rubbed his chin. “I suppose you would need to secure permission from the Diosa?”

“A
diosa
?” said Tali. “You mean a witch?” she asked, turning her attention first to Brindl and then to Chey. Both of them winced at the word.

“She’s not
a diosa
, she’s
the
Diosa,” began Chey.

“And she’s not a witch, she’s an oracle of Machué,” Brindl continued.

“You mean the oracles of yore truly exist?” Zarif asked. “I thought they were nothing more than fairy tales.”

“Of course they exist,” Chey answered, surprised by Zarif’s comment. “But there is only one left now—the Diosa of the Salt Mines.”

“I still don’t understand why this is important to the journey,” Tali said.

“Because,” replied Brindl, bristling at Tali’s blunt words, “if you have any hope of getting to Zipa in time to see your sister at the festival, you must have the
Diosa’s blessing first.”

“What boon does her blessing offer?” Zarif asked. “What would happen if one traveled the mines without the Diosa’s consent?”

“I suspect you might be lost forever within the maze beneath Mother Earth’s apron,” Chey said.

“Or fall to your death in the hidden crevasses,” Brindl added.

Zarif lifted an arched eyebrow at Tali. “Right. So I suppose the next question is…”

“How do I meet the Diosa?” Tali finished.

“You mean, how do
we
meet the Diosa?” Zarif said.

“I would take you myself, but we servants are only given one day for the holiday, not three, as you are,” Brindl answered. “But perhaps you could escort them, Chey. They will
do well to have an Earth Guilder with them.”

Chey nodded in assent. “Of course.”

“We should have just enough time,” Zarif said, and Tali could almost see the calculations going on behind his eyes. “One day to get there, one evening in Zipa, one day to get
back,” he said. “There won’t be a moment to waste.”

“Chey, Zarif, you don’t have to go with me,” Tali said. “I’m sure I can find my way to the Diosa on my own. You should enjoy the holiday.”

“We stick together, remember, stubborn Sun Girl?” Chey asked, offering his palm to Tali. Tali placed her left hand on top of his and smiled.

“Besides,” said Zarif, offering his palm to her as well, “maybe Nel will offer us some of her famous sweetcakes once we get there.”

Tali laughed as she placed her right hand over his. “Of that you can be sure,” she replied, grateful once again to have such friends.

T
he next moon passed slowly for Tali, as if the holiday would never arrive. Most of the pledges who lived in the southern part of Tequende planned
to scurry home for family reunions, as this was the first opportunity to do so since arriving at the Alcazar. Others who could not afford the journey or lived too far away made plans to visit Porto
Sol or simply enjoy a break from training.

Finally, the long wait was over and Tali packed her bag for their early morning expedition into the mines the next day. She had originally been eager to set out that very night, for down in the
mines it would be pitch dark no matter what time they traveled, but Brindl had emphasized that the Diosa only listened to requests at dawn.

The entrance to the tunnel was in the supply rooms underneath the Alcazar kitchens. A few Earth Guilder cooks and maids watched curiously as the group of four passed by their chopping tables and
ovens to descend the stone stairs at the back of the room. Tali wondered if Brindl would be questioned by them later when she returned alone.

The supply rooms were vast and chilly. Brindl led them to a small trapdoor, half buried in potatoes that had fallen from a towering pyramid. She took a handheld lantern from the wall and gave it
to Chey. “Go well and true, Earth brother,” she said to him as he started down the steep steps.

Tali began to follow him, then hesitated and put her hand on Brindl’s arm. “Thank you, Brindl. I know it was not an easy decision to tell us about the mines.”

Brindl nodded and smiled, though her eyes still showed worry. “The Diosa will decide if you may travel the mines, not I.”

“Still,” Tali said, squeezing her arm before turning away, “the opportunity would not exist without you.”

“Please don’t thank me until you all return safely,” Brindl said, turning her gaze to Zarif.

“That we shall do,” Zarif replied, smiling brightly at her worried face. “And I shall remember every detail of our journey so I can tell you about it upon our
return.”

Brindl gave him a wistful smile, and Tali realized then how much it hurt Brindl to be left behind. Tali opened her mouth to say something that might make Brindl feel better, but just as quickly
closed it. She never said the right thing to Brindl. Better to keep her mouth shut.

“May the Mother hold you,” Brindl said as Tali and Zarif followed Chey down the stairs.

Tali felt a chill as the darkness closed around them and she heard a low rumble from above.

“Just Brindl rolling the potatoes back over the door,” Chey said over his shoulder, as if sensing her fear. Though he couldn’t see her face in the dim light, Tali shot a quick
smile at the solid Earth Guilder leading the way. Once again, she thanked Intiq for the company of her two friends. This would not have been a pleasant journey alone.

Down and down and down the path spiraled, hundreds of narrow stairs carved from bedrock, slick in places where trickles of water had encouraged fungi to form. Tali kept one hand on the wall as
she followed Chey, whose lantern cast odd shadows in the darkness.

Torches lined the walls in uneven intervals, and Tali wondered who kept them burning. Finally, they reached the bottom of the spiraling path and ducked through a low doorway to enter a spacious
chamber. The room was completely round, Tali observed, and in the middle, on a stone pedestal, sat a large urn covered with etchings of Machué. Chey bowed his head and whispered a few words,
then walked up to the urn and dropped in several coins, which made a metallic
ching
sound as they fell into the vessel.

Zarif and Tali looked at each other, unsure of what to do. “Shall we make an offering, too, Chey?” asked Zarif.

Chey nodded. “If you like. Brindl said it is customary for travelers to make what donation they can. The miners use this money to pay for the torches along our way.”

“That makes good sense,” Zarif said, as he and Tali added coins to the urn.

Tali looked about the chamber, her eyes still trying to adjust to the flickering light. She counted four different doorways that led to four different tunnels, including the one that had just
led them there.

“Did Brindl tell you which path to take?” Zarif asked.

Chey nodded. “Do you see the animals above the openings?” he asked, pointing to a crude outline of an alpaca above one of the doors.

“I do now,” Zarif said, nodding slowly. “Are all the paths marked this way?”

“Most of them,” Chey answered, “though some have worn away and are difficult to see.”

“But how does it work?” Zarif asked. “Do they represent a destination or a direction?”

“Destination,” Chey answered. “The tunnels twist and turn enough so that directions as we know them aboveground—east, west, north, south—become impossible to keep
track of. Nor do they have the sun, moon, or stars to guide them down here. So the miners use these pictures instead.”

“Ingenious,” Tali answered, “though simple enough that even a child could find his way home.”

“Exactly right,” Chey said. “That is why they use animals; children can remember them well. Like most of us in the Earth Guild, miners are not taught to read.”

“But it is a type of reading, Chey,” Zarif offered. “Many civilizations have used pictographs to communicate among themselves. And I can’t think of a better way to
navigate through this maze of tunnels, can you?”

Chey smiled. “No, but then again, I’m not a brilliant Moon Guild scholar from Fugaza either,” he said, dodging a playful punch from Zarif.

“So how far are we from the Diosa?” Tali asked, worried that dawn might soon be upon them. How did anybody keep track of time without the sun?

“According to Brindl, not too far,” Chey answered, “but we should continue on at a good pace, to be sure we arrive in time.”

About an hour later, after several twists and winding ramps, the three friends finally arrived at the mouth of a new cave. Despite how strong Tali’s legs had become from Jaden’s
endurance training, they now felt wobbly from all of the stairs and downhill walking. Thank Intiq he doesn’t know about these tunnels, or he’d have us doing laps down here on a daily
basis, she thought.

As they stopped to catch their breath, a man stepped out from the shadows…the largest man Tali had ever seen. His head was shaved except for a horizontal strip just above his ears, giving
him a fierce appearance that heavy eyebrows and a menacing scowl did nothing to allay. He wore little but a brown burlap cloth wrapped around his middle, belted with a plain leather cord. His
gigantic arms, as big around as most men’s legs, boasted the only adornment on his body. The traditional vine tattoos twined around his muscles from wrist to shoulder, looking much more
permanent than the ones Tali had seen at celebrations and festivals. The elegant leaves and delicate vines seemed oddly juxtaposed with the obvious threat of his arms, and Tali felt herself shiver.
“Kneel if you would see the Diosa,” he commanded, his voice echoing off the stone.

Brindl had warned them earlier that the Diosa only granted audience to one person at a time. They would not be allowed to enter the cave together; one of them would need to speak on behalf of
all three. Though Zarif and Chey had argued over which one of them should entreat safe passage from the Diosa, Tali had ended the argument by insisting that it be her. This is my problem, I must
speak for myself, she thought, trying not to stare at the sentry’s arms as she knelt before him.

The light flickered and Tali sucked in her breath. An elderly woman exited through the heavy drapes that covered the mouth of the cave. The poor old thing was bent over nearly in half, clutching
a discolored rag to her face and clearly trying to swallow sobs. Intiq save me, Tali thought. Over their meals during the past few days, Chey had explained that the Earth Guilders believed the
Diosa to be a seer and fortuner. In years past, there had been several diosas, though all but this one had died out. Tali wondered what it would be like to see into the future. Would I want to know
my family’s fate? Is the truth worth knowing if it brings such pain? she thought, as the trembling old woman shuffled past.

The guard signaled for Tali to enter. She hesitated and turned toward Zarif and Chey, who both nodded encouragement. Chey tried to smile but his lips would not quite cooperate. His eyes,
however, held a warmth that gave Tali the courage she needed to rise from her knees and slide past the giant. As she parted the drapes and stepped through the entryway, she stopped short and gazed
at the unimaginable view before her.