Wizards’ Worlds Read Free Page A

hunger did bite at her), what they
     needed to keep life in them could only lie in this land. Purposefully she followed
     the Falconer, but she carried her blade ready in her hand.
    He stumbled along until he was under the overhang of that giant beak. The shadow of
     whatever it held fell on him. Now he halted, drew himself up as a man might face his
     officer on some occasion of import—or—a priest might begin a rite.
    His voice rang out hollowly among the ruins, repeating words—or sounds (for some held
     the tones of those he had used in addressing his hawk). They came as wild beating
     cadence. Tanree shivered. She had a queer feeling that he might just be answered—by
     whom—or what?
    Up near to the range of a falcon’s cry rose his voice. Now the bird on his shoulder
     took wing. It screamed its own challenge, or greeting—so that man-voice and bird-voice
     mingled until Tanree could not distinguish one from the other.
    Both fell into silence; once more the Falconer was moving on. He walked more steadily,
     not reaching out for any support, as if new strength had filled him. Passing under
     the beak he was—gone!
    Tanree pressed one fist against her teeth. There was no doorway there! Her eyes could
     not deceive her that much. She wanted to run, anywhere, but as she looked wildly about
     her she perceived that the ruins funneled forward toward that one place and there
     only led the path.
    This was a path of the Old Ones; evil lurked here. She could feel the crawl of it
     as if a slug passed, befouling her skin. Only—Tanree’s chin came up, her jaw set stubbornly.
     She was Sulcar. If there was no other road, then this one she would take.

    Forward she went, forcing herself to walk with confidence, though she was ever alert.
     Now the shadow of the beak enveloped her, and, though there was no warmth of sunlight
     to be shut out, still she was chilled.
    Also—there was a door. Some trick of the stone setting and the beak shadow had concealed it from
     sight until one was near touching distance. With a deep breath which was more than
     half protest against her own action, Tanree advanced.
    Through darkness within, she could see a gray of light. This wall must be thick enough
     to provide not just a door or gate but a tunnel way. And she could see movement between
     her and that light; the Falconer.
    She quickened step so that she was only a little behind him when they came out in
     what was a mighty courtyard. Walls towered all about, but it was what was within the
     courtyard itself which stopped Tanree near in mid-step.
    Men! Horses!
    Then she saw the breakage, here a headless body, there only the shards of a mount.
     They had been painted once and the color in some way had sunk far into the substance
     which formed them, for it remained, if faded.
    The motionless company was drawn up in good order, all facing to her left. Men stood,
     the reins of their mounts in their hands, and on the forks of their saddles falcons
     perched. A regiment of fighting men awaiting orders.
    Her companion skirted that array of the ancient soldiers, almost as if he had not
     seen them, or, if he had, they were of no matter. He headed in the direction toward
     which they faced.
    There were two wide steps there, and beyond the cavern of another door, wide as a
     monster mouth ready to suck them in. Up one step he pulled, now the second. . . .
     He knew what lay beyond; this was Falconer past, not of her people. But Tanree could not
     remain behind. She studied the faces of the warriors as she passed by. They each held
     their masking helm upon one hip as if it wasneedful to bare their faces, as they did not generally do. So she noted that each
     of the company differed from his fellows in some degree, though they were all plainly
     of the same race. These had been modeled from life.
    As she came also into the doorway, Tanree heard again the mingled call of bird and
     man. At least the two she followed were still unharmed, though