The Nomad - By Simon Hawke Page 0,78

may have to search the entire city.”

“But that could take weeks!” Ryana said. “Days, perhaps,” the pyreen replied. “I do have the ability to detect magic, and that should help us greatly in our search. It was how I knew not to trust your friend, Valsavis.”

“He is no friend of ours,” Ryana said. “Wait,” said Sorak. “You mean you detected magic on him?”

Kara nodded. “I could not tell specifically what sort, without being obvious, and that would have alerted him. But there was a strong aura of defiler magic about him.”

“The Shadow King,” Ryana said. “That settles it. There can be no doubt about Valsavis now, not that I ever had much to begin with.”

“Well, we do not need to concern ourselves about Valsavis now,” said Sorak. “There is no time to waste. We had best be about our business.”

“This way,” said Kara, leading them across the plaza.

“What if we do not find the talisman by nightfall?” asked Ryana as they followed her.

“Then we must allow enough time for us to leave the city and be well way from it before darkness falls,” said Kara, “so that we may return and continue our search again in the morning. Of course, that is no guarantee that the undead shall not follow.”

“But if they do not know that we were here—” Sorak began.

“They know,” said Kara, walking quickly. “They know even now. They can sense our presence.”

Ryana glanced around uneasily.

Kara led them across the plaza, from which three streets led off in different directions. Suddenly, Ryana had an eerie sense of deja vu. As they crossed the plaza, she realized that this was exactly like the game they’d played back at the Desert Palace in Salt View. One street led off the plaza to the left, curving slightly, so that they could not see what lay around the bend. Another street led straight away from them, offering an unobstructed view for several hundred yards. And the third street led off to the right… and part of it was blocked by rubble. It seemed too much for coincidence.

“Sorak…” she said.

He nodded. “I know. It is just like that game we played back in Salt View.”

It seems exactly the same,” Ryana said. “Exactly, right down to the pile of rubble there. But how can that be?”

Sorak glanced toward Kara, walking ahead of them with a purposeful stride. “Perhaps she had something to do with it,” he said. “The manager of the Desert Palace was the son of Kallis, the apothecary, above whose shop she lives.”

“You think she purposely designed the game to mirror the reality?” Ryana asked. “But why?”

Sorak shook his head. “I do not know. And I do not know that she designed the game. It is possible that she told Kallis about her journey here all those years ago, and that he may have told his son, perhaps in the form of a story. And perhaps his son recalled it when he designed the game. It could be as innocent as that.”

“Or else there could be a purpose to it,” said Ryana.

“Yes, I suppose there could be,” Sorak said. “Time alone will tell.”

“Could the Guardian probe Kara’s mind?”

“A pyreen?” Sorak shook his head. “Not without her being aware of it. It would be foolhardy to attempt using psionics on a pyreen. They are masters of the art. And there could be no greater display of disrespect”

“No, I suppose not,” Ryana acknowledged. “But I would feel much better if I knew what to expect.”

“Expect the unexpected,” came a voice within both their minds.

Kara stopped and turned to smile at them. “The ears of a pyreen are even sharper than the ears of elves,” she said.

They continued walking. Kara chose the street that led to the northeast.

“I meant no offense, lady,” said Ryana.

“I know,” said Kara. “Your reaction is quite understandable, under the circumstances.”

“But the game, my lady…”

“I know about the game,” she said. “And you were right. There is a purpose to it. There are many adventurers who come to Salt View hoping to seek me out and pry the secret of the treasure from me. They do not know, of course, that the Silent One can speak, or that she is pyreen. They have only heard the story, since elevated into legend, that I have been to Bodach, that I had found the treasure and survived. They assume that I am some old woman who had embraced the druid vows after her ordeal, and they imagine they can prevail upon me to