the summer. We are the gatekeepers to Kresim Kurga.”
Taniel felt his heart jump. “It really exists?”
Both monks raised an eyebrow at Taniel.
“The Holy City?” Taniel said. “It’s really up there?”
“The ruins, yes,” the man said. “Long ago, Novi chose his people to guard the high places of the Nine. Kresim Kurga may have been long abandoned, Kresimir’s protection dissipated, but we have not shirked the duty placed upon us by our saint.”
Gavril stepped up beside Taniel as Darden went to the man and woman and spoke in a low voice. Taniel tried to listen to them. He caught the words “ill” and “cousin” before Darden was led down the corridor by the man.
“What is Kresimir’s protection?” Taniel asked.
Gavril was large enough that his head nearly scraped the monastery ceiling. “The God wove powerful sorceries, back during his reign, so that no one, sick or in health, young or old, would be bothered by the elements or the altitude sickness.”
“Altitude sickness?” Taniel said.
“Comes from being so high up,” Gavril said. “Darden and I, we’re acclimatized. Others get thirsty, and bloody noses, headaches, sickness in their stomach. Of course, you’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be fine? Why?”
Gavril didn’t answer. The Novi woman approached them. “Would you like to rest before heading up?” she asked.
Taniel knew he should, but he couldn’t risk Bo getting wind of his arrival. “No thank you.”
“It should be an easy climb,” she said as she led them through the monastery. “We’ve started clearing the road up to the summit.”
They passed by many adjoining corridors that seemed to stretch deep into the mountain, and by dozens of smaller rooms, doors open, monks within. There were both men and women. Taniel paused just outside one bedroom. A monk sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning over a box of colored sand, making patterns with a long, curved stick. Taniel did not see many monks outside their rooms, though he did hear voices down from the deeper corridors. He’d never imagined that Novi’s Perch was this big, or that so many people lived this high up the mountain all winter long.
Ka-poel paused at every room and hallway, the smile on her face like that of a child who wants to explore. Taniel dragged her along impatiently.
After many flights of stone stairs they reached a sudden end. It looked identical to the entrance on the other side, down to the same double doors.
“The doors will be barred after you have gone through,” the Novi woman said. “There are… others… on this side of the mountain.”
Taniel paused at this. He opened his mouth to ask her, but she retreated down the hallway. Taniel was left alone with Gavril and Ka-poel. The big mountaineer shrugged.
“The monks have strange stories,” he said. “About what kinds of creatures come out during the winter months, up in Kresim Kurga. They’ve been waiting longer each year before letting the pilgrims up.” He shrugged again. “I’ve never seen anything strange up there, myself, aside from the odd cave lion. Ready?”
Taniel put a hand on Gavril’s chest. “I’m heading up alone,” he said. Then, to Ka-poel. “I want you to stay here too.”
She scowled at him.
“I need to have a private talk with Bo. It shouldn’t take too long, and the monks said the road is clear.”
Ka-poel held up a finger, then jerked her thumb at herself.
“No,” Taniel said. “You’re staying here. With Gavril.”
Gavril chewed on the inside of his cheek. “I really should… ,” he rumbled.
“No,” Taniel said firmly. He hefted his rifle. “I’ve got this for cave lions.”
Taniel heard Gavril bar the door after he’d gone out and wondered whether the big mountain man was getting any ideas about Taniel’s visit. He might suspect something. But then, the man was a drunk. Taniel’d get a few drinks in him back at Shouldercrown before he headed off.
The trail widened enough that there was comfortable space between Taniel and the cliff edge. Eventually the sheer rock face on his left softened, until it became a rocky, snow-covered hillside. The trail was not steep here, and he didn’t need his snowshoes.
Taniel spotted the cave from quite a ways down the road. It was easy to see—the entrance was as big as a house. He found a good knoll not long after. It was a small hill, perched just higher than the trail, between the trail and the cliff edge. He climbed it carefully and settled down in the snow. It was perfect for a marksman. He could see the cave entrance completely and he