The Compass of the Soul - Sean Russell, ebook
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Compass of the SoulRiver Into Darkness 2By Sean RussellChapter OneShe was reborn from the earth, emerging from a dark womb of stone into theancient light of a new morning. A shaft of diffuse light lanced through thetrees to caress her skin. Warmth…Let it sink into my very bones, Anna thought, almost certain she would be coldto her center for the rest of her days.A bird lighted on a branch not a yard away, regarding her with a darklyglittering eye. “Chuff,” it said, the single syllable floating up like a bubbleof sound.“Shoo,” she responded. There was something about its bill— blood-red anddecurving, like a scimitar.“Chuff,” it said again, though less surely this time, and took two steps closer,shuffling its red legs along the branch.“I am not food for you yet,” she whispered, and managed to wave a hand, drivingthe bird from its perch. It settled a few yards away, staring back at her withits head cocked, an eerily intelligent look in its glittering eye. And then itfell to flight and sped off into the heart of the forest.Anna closed her eyes. Sleep. She must sleep. Sleep for years, she was sure. Andthinking that she drifted into a nightmare: swepthelplessly along the course of an underground river, fighting for air…struggling to live.Something bounced off her temple, and Anna opened her eyes to find the sunhigher, providing a coverlet of delicious warmth. She had stopped shivering.“Chuff…”The bird perched above her. “Whose pet are you?” she asked, then realized anacorn lay but an inch away. Had it dropped that for her?She turned her gaze back to the bird, and then sat up, suddenly filled withwonder. “But you are no one’s pet, are you?” she whispered. “Flames!” She patteda pocket in her waistcoat and removed a square of wet linen, then glanced backat the bird.“Farrelle’s ghost, but it must have begun already.” Tentatively she reached outa hand to the dark-feathered bird—crowlike with a red bill and legs of the samehue. But the bird hopped away, only a foot; and there it stayed. “Chuff,” itsaid again.Anna laughed. “ ‘Chuff’ yourself.” Gingerly, she unfolded the linen and spreadit out on the ground in the sun. She separated each precious seed, blowing onthem gently. The seed had been her salvation; without it she would never havefound the resources to survive the trip out of the cavern, even though eating itraw produced only a fraction of its power.The bird began to hop about excitedly, and she turned a warning gaze upon it.“This is not for you,” she said.Overwhelmed by sudden weariness, she leaned back against the bole of a tree, butkept her eyes open, afraid the bird might make free with her seed. Where werethe others? Certainly they must be some hours ahead. She had waited as long asshe possibly could before following them out.Anna had arrived at the pool and collapsed, too exhausted to start back up thetunnel in search of another passage. There her candles had burned to darkness.Not knowing what to do when she heard the others approaching, she had crawledinto a crevice and lay still, sure anyone could hear the pounding of her heart.By the poor candle light, Erasmus and the others had not seen her nor had theythe energy or inclination to search. She had watched them gointo the watery passage. Heard them shouting back and forth between thechambers. And when she thought she could wait no longer and still have strength,she had followed.The thought of that water-filled passage caused her to pull her limbs close. Shetrembled.“Do not think of it,” she warned. “Do not.”She had survived! And here she was… on the surface of the world once more.Reborn to the light. Reborn—for certainly she had been in the netherworld theselast days. Days! Could it have been only days?“But what to do?” she whispered. Deacon Rose had been with the others, and sheknew that he would soon be hunting her. Hunting her even now, perhaps. Did hethink she had escaped ahead of them?“What to do?” she whispered again, feeling her eyes ease closed. She forced themopen. Up. She must press on. As soon as the seeds were dry, for she could notlet mold touch them. They were more precious than diamonds. Almost more preciousthan life.Had Halsey escaped, she wondered? Did Eldrich think they had all died in thecavern? Difficult to answer. She no longer presumed to have even the slightestknowledge of the mage’s mind. He had deceived them—trapped them with disturbingease—and only she had escaped, and that only by a near-miracle.The Entonne border was nearby, and Anna could almost feel it offering haven. Ifonly her resources were not so depleted! Food and rest were utterly imperative,for she had endured beyond her limits. Food and rest and clothing. And money.Anna had not a coin in her possession. But where? Where could she go thatEldrich would not suspect?Perhaps Halsey had escaped unnoticed. He was wary and meticulous in hisprecautions. Eldrich might well have missed him. Flames, if she had only paidheed!No use flogging herself with this. Survive. That was her task now. Herobligation.Carefully she rolled the seed around on the linen, which lured the bird nearer,extending its neck to watch.“What bird are you?” she asked. “Not a rook, I think, but some distant cousin.Cousin to the carrion crow. Dark-eyed and cunning.Cold-hearted, too, I’ll wager. Perhaps you are the perfect familiar for me,then. For all those who were close to my heart are gone, and they will never bereplaced. Not if I am to succeed in what I must do.“ Saying this she wrapped theseed up again and buttoned it carefully into her pocket before rising stiffly.Her mind was made up. It might be dangerous, but she could not proceed withoutknowing what had befallen Halsey. If he had fled, he would leave signs. Thingsso subtle that even a mage might miss them. And if he had been discovered… Well,if he’d been able, he would have left signs of that, too.A waning moon sailed west until cast up on a shoal of cloud: stuck fast in theheavens.Anna crouched in the midst of a stand of shrubs, watching. The house that Halseyhad leased was just visible through the branches. At intervals she could see theold man pass before the window, pacing, his stooped carriage unmistakable. Itwas his habit to pace when problems beset him. Perhaps the pain clarified hismind somehow, or maybe it was penance.But still she watched, and had been doing so for several hours. He was alone,she was sure of that. Some time earlier, a local woman had arrived with hisdinner, stayed to clean the rooms a little, and then departed, carrying away thetray of dishes she’d brought. No others had come or gone, or even strayednearby. Still she waited. Impatience had been her undoing once. Their undoing.When Halsey began to blow out the lamps, she moved from her place, still stiffand weakened by her ordeal. A woodsman had fed her the previous night; fed herand set her on the path to Castle-bough. She had made a slow journey through thewoods, accompanied by her chough, for that is what the woodsman called thebird—the obvious appellation.She had hidden herself here earlier in the day, and had she the resources, wouldhave watched another day yet, but her exhaustion was too complete. Knowing thatwarmth, food, and company in her sorrow lay so near weakened her resolve.Before the last lamp was doused she tapped on the window. Silence from within.She tapped again.“Chuff,” said her familiar, somewhere in the darkness.Halsey appeared, standing well back from the glass, looking very unsure.“Halsey… ‘Tis I. Anna. Can you not let me in?”She saw him reach out to support himself, and then he hurried toward the door. Amoment later she was inside where the old man took both her hands in his own andkissed them, as though she were a daughter returned from the dead.“My dear girl. My dear Anna…” He looked at her, words clearly failing him. “Whatof the others?” he said, his voice almost disappearing.She began to speak, but her own voice failed, and she merely shook her head andlooked down, expecting tears to come—but they didn’t. She was too exhausted tomourn. Farrelle’s oath, but she felt empty.He kissed her hands again. “Come inside, child. You look like you have survivedthe ordeal of Helspereth. Come in and I will bank the fire.”She left Halsey bending awkwardly before the hearth while she found cleanclothing. Returning a few moments later, she wrapped herself in a thick blanketand curled into a chair before the flames.“I am warming some soup,” he said solicitously, “and there is bread and cheese.Not much, I’m afraid.”“Anything will be welcome. Only two days past I thought I should starve todeath… A crust would have seemed a cake then.”A blackened pot was suspended over the flames, and a board of cheese and breadproduced. Again, Anna was surprised at how quickly her appetite was slaked. Fora few moments they sat, saying nothing. Each time she looked up, Halsey wasstaring at her, the unspoken questions held in check only by compassion andconcern for her.She took a long draught of wine, and then resettled herself in the chair. “Itwas a long journey…” she swallowed the last word, and continued in anear-whisper, “down into the cavern.” For a moment she closed her eyes, thinkingof Banks drowned and the others buried alive. But she forced herself to go on.Forced some substance into her voice. “Long, arduous, and filled with wonders,though we had little time to stop and marvel. As we traveled, I sensed a vision,and despite our haste,...
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