Seekers of Nazar

Chapter Twelve

Tori could feel Tol-Aka's excitement as he led the Seekers into the mountains on the third day. He picked his way among the rocks with confidence. Tori couldn't see the trail he was following, but his horse needed no nudging. They had traveled this way many times. She smiled when his horse trotted ahead, forcing Tol-Aka to reign in and wait for the others.

The mountains were beautiful this close. The brown rock was layered with ribbons of orange and yellow. Occasionally, a bush twisted out of the upper ledges. As they traveled farther, the path began to cut into the rock. Wind and water had worn away the stone long ago, revealing the mountain's inner heart.

Tori studied the steep walls on either side. She had seen the colors from afar, but it had not prepared her for their beauty. Thin bands of gold and silver ran through the canyon walls, glinting like jewels. The more she stared at them, the more her hands itched for an empty vial. She wanted a few flecks so she could learn about their properties.

Tol-Aka stopped. The path ended at a sheer cliff so tall that Tori had to crane her neck to see the top.

"Did we take a wrong turn?" She didn't see an obvious way around it.

As they approached the wall, Tol-Aka pointed to a crevice. "That is Wind Passage. It's a very narrow path through the cliff that leads to the city. It is the only way in or out."

The crevice reached to the sky. From a distance, it was hair-thin and nearly invisible. Up close, the passage itself was only big enough to walk in a single file.

Elleric looked pale. "We're going through there?"

"There is no other way into the city," Tol-Aka said quietly.

Elleric squeezed his eyes shut.

An idea bolted into Tori's mind, and she bit her bottom lip in concentration. Handing her reins to Tol-Aka, she dug around in her bag for her knife. A few feet above her was the perfect bush growing out of the ledge.

She slid off Autumn and started to climb.

Elleric called out, but she ignored him. Taking a deep breath, she focused on her footing as she scaled the rock wall. Once she reached the ledge, she examined the tree to find the straightest branch. Choosing one a few inches thick, she sawed at it with her knife.

"Watch out below," she called as the branch fell to the ground.

"What in the pattern -" was all she heard as she scrambled down.

"Wait." She held up her hand, panting. "I think I can make something. Just give me a second."

She dug around in her bag, took out a small round mirror, some twine, and a vial of liquid. Working fast, she stripped the branch of its offshoots and smoothed it out. Next, she took the mirror and used the twine to fasten it to the end of the stick, with the mirror facing towards her. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and gasped. Her hair was wild. She stole a look at Tol-Aka, who was examining his horse. When she saw he was distracted, she quickly tried to smooth down the worst parts.

Finally, she took out the vial and dripped liquid onto the twine. It soaked into the threads and hardened into a shell when she blew on it.

Putting her supplies back, she examined her creation before thrusting it out for everyone to see. "All done!"

"What is it?" Leilandri asked curiously.

"Oh, right," Tori said, realizing it didn't seem like much. She walked over to Elleric. It would just be easier to show them. "Can you help me secure this to Flame?"

He was too perplexed to argue with her. She held it parallel to the ground, while Elleric secured it to the buckle of Flame's cinch. When they finished, she nudged him to get on the horse.