"Like the two we left back there spanning the ice," said Ferret, peering down at the lantern dangling below, its yellow light illuminating the vertical shaft dropping away at her feet, "we're going to have to anchor another rope up here and leave it for our return."

"Let's hope we don't run into many more of these, um, barriers," said Egil. "We'll have only three hanks after this."

As Ferret began pounding a rock-nail into a suitable crack, she said, "How do you suppose Ordrune got down here? I mean, I've seen no signs that anyone has come this way before-no old rock-nails or rings or ropes… nothing whatsoever left behind."

"Mayhap Ordrune has mastered flight," suggested Arin.

Ferret paused in her pounding. "Can anything other than birds fly?"

"Dragons," said Egil. "Bats, fell beasts, insects, and a number of other things."

Ferret grinned ruefully and struck the rock-nail one last time. As she slipped a snap-ring through the eyelet, she said, "I suppose what I meant to ask was, do you really think Ordrune can fly?"

Arin turned up her hands. "He is a Mage, and it is told there are Mages who can move through the air."

Ferret threaded the rope through the ring and tested the anchoring of the rock-nail. "There. It seems sound enough. Let's go."

N-nope. Can't leave 'em. Unlike before. Shipmates. My shipmates. A sob escaped Alos's wet lips.

As Burel waited, he looked out at the Boreal Sea, out at the vast gurge. The entire turning surface seemed to bend, spiraling down into the distant rumble of the dark, gaping hole.

"I hear water churning," said Arin. "Somewhere ahead."

They clambered over broad shelves of rock, slippery and damp, and scrambled up ledges and leapt over cracks, and slid down rubble-strewn slopes, shards tumbling before them. Soon Egil and Ferret could also hear the swash and surge of water, the sound drifting up the passage.

Great tears rolling down his face, moaning in desolation, Alos pulled another leather bottle from his recovered saddlebags. Uncorking the flask, he lifted it to his brown-stained, gap-toothed mouth and swallowed gulps of the fiery liquid between gut-wrenching sobs of self-pity.

"Do you see it?" called Aiko down.

"No, I do not," replied Delon from below.

"It's got to be there somewhere," rumbled Burel, "or so the Dragon said."

Aiko looked above, sighting on the rope at the very top, there where the Dragon stared over the ledge. "Left!" she called to Delon. "I think it should be somewhat left of where you are."

Delon moved leftward along the ledge, peering down into the churning brine at the foot of the cliff, the bard searching for evidence of the underwater crevice leading to the Kraken Pool within.

"There it is," breathed Ferret, holding her lantern high, the light swallowed up in the darkness of the cavern beyond.

They stood at the entrance of a huge chamber, a short path sloping down to an enormous pool, ebon water upwelling from black depths below. Roughly circular, the grotto itself was perhaps a hundred feet high and two hundred feet across, its far reach lost in dimness to all but the Dylvana's eyes.

Egil put both hands on Arin's shoulders and whispered, "What do you see?"

The Dara's gaze swept the chamber. " 'Round the edge to the right runs a wide pathway, boulder strewn. At the far side it disappears into a wide channel beyond-"

"The treasure," interjected Ferret. "Do you see the treasure?"

Arin nodded and pointed nearly straight away. "Alongside the path just before the entrance to the channel, the silver chest rests up in a small hollow within the wall."

"How long till low tide?" asked Egil.

"Four candlemarks," replied Arin.

Egil pulled Arin to him, and for a while none said ought. But then he sighed and murmured, "Let us hope that Delon and Burel and Aiko are in place and ready."

"Ah, surely they are," said Ferret, gazing in the direction Arin had pointed. "We've come too far and planned too well for anything to go wrong at this stage. And the treasure itself, well, we've almost got it."

But Egil gazed down at the ominous stir of ebony water. "If the scroll is right, then somewhere within is a monster who will dispute that claim."

Arin, too, looked at the dark upwelling, then said, "In four candlemarks we shall know."

CHAPTER 75

Time crept past. "But what if they didn't make it all the way down the cliff, or perhaps couldn't find the underwater exit?"

Arin turned to Egil. "Fear not, chier… and have faith."

"But we don't know, love. We don't know that all is in readiness. Look, we can return to the ledge above and execute the plan tomorrow. Recall, should low tide come and go without you luring the Kraken outside, the strategy is for them to climb back up. We can meet them atop and know whether all is ready or no."

"Again I say fear not, chier. Both Delon and Burel said that given the face of the mountain wall, the descent, though long, would be rather easy and swift. It's the climb back up that will take time."

Egil sighed, and fell silent, and only the rush of water in the cavern beyond broke the stillness.

Finally Ferret said, "Dara, can you tell from here whether or not the treasure has a charm on it?"

Egil growled, "It is not a treasure, Ferret."

"Nevertheless, chier, she has a good question," said Arin. "I will attempt to ‹see›." Arin stood and stepped to the cavern entrance. After a moment she said, "Mayhap there is a glow, yet if so, it is too faint to discern from here."

"Oh." Ferret's voice fell.

"Would you rather that it did glow?" asked Egil.

"Oh, no," replied Ferret. "I'd rather that it did not, for who knows what a charm might do? I was simply hoping the Dara could tell whether or not one was present."

" 'Tis time, chier," said Arin, standing.

Egil looked at her, his heart in his gaze. He tried to speak, but found he could not. Instead, he embraced her, wrapping her small frame in his arms. He kissed her lingeringly, and then with a sigh he released her and stepped back.

Ferret dipped one end of a short section of stiff rope into lantern oil and then lit it. "Your torch to run by, my Lady," she said and handed it to Arin. Then she gave over a lit lantern to the Dara, saying, "And a lantern to leave at the silver chest, should you get the chance."

Egil's heart hammered in his breast as Arin took torch and lantern and nodded her thanks. Yet before she could turn to go, Egil stepped forward once more and took her face in his hands and kissed her one last time and whispered, "I love you."

"Chieran," she replied, then turned and quickly stepped away, blinking back her tears.

Down into the cavern she stepped, and taking a deep breath she began running swiftly along the path to the right and toward the distant goal, while behind, Egil held his breath and gritted his teeth, and Ferret clenched her hands in white-knuckled grips.

Dark waters upwelled in the pool.

Fleetly and lightly Arin ran, rounding the curve of the cavern, dodging past boulders and springing over rocks in her path. Now she came to the final arc, and by the light of the lantern she bore, Egil and Ferret could see a niche in the wall, silver glinting within.

Arin paused, placing the lantern into the hollow, and she called out above the roil of the water, "The chest, 'tis charmed!"

And the black waters of the pool churned and seethed.