find peace, and I thought they must have left their blood scattered through most of the known world. I daydreamed a little, wondering which of the Soulenai had wandered Viland thousands of years ago. Was it my mother who had bequeathed me their blood? Druse had shown no sign of Elemental leanings. And Avaldamon. Avaldamon had been Geshardi…and the Book of the Soulenai was written in that language.
Finally we found ourselves at the base of the Abyss. The chasm was bathed in sunlight, for it was close to noon. We stood on one of the narrow rock ledges above the water, gazing silently into it.
There was a strong, deep current, although the upper layer of the water was almost still. I could see fish flashing in its depths, and I thought that fishing must be easy where all one had to do was string a net across this narrow waterway.
“The water comes from an underground river that surfaces through a fault in the rock beneath us,” Isphet explained. “It travels south through the Abyss, then swings east-north-east once past the chasm. From there I believe it meanders its way to the great sea far to the east.”
Suddenly Boaz laughed, and pointed. There, sunning herself on a slight outcrop, was Fetizza. She croaked companionably as Boaz called to her, but did not move.
“Are there any other frogs here?” Boaz asked.
“No,” Isphet said. “I don’t think so. Fetizza shall have to make do with the company of children splashing about her. Come, it is time to eat.”
Once the meal was over, Eldonor took Zabrze off to attend his people, and Isphet led us to the Water Hall.
“Ordinary folk only ever come here at the invitation of the Graces,” Isphet explained as she led us through long corridors and then down a series of stairs. “Many of our rites are conducted here, but mostly, so I have heard, the Graces sit here and dream.”
The Water Hall was situated deep in the complex. It was circular, and very large – perhaps some eighty paces in diameter. The hall was dominated by a pool in its centre; the water was very still, very green. Gilded columns surrounded the pool, rising to a vaulted ceiling which, like the walls and floor, was carved out of the deep pink rock.
As we entered, and Isphet closed the double doors behind us, four Graces walked out from the shadows. They were dressed in simple robes, but all wore such an aura of mystery and assurance that none could mistake their power.
One was Solvadale, and he greeted us softly, kissing each of us on both cheeks. “You are all well rested. Good. Please, step forward and meet my companions.”
There were two other male Graces, Gardar and Caerfom, and one female, Xhosm. They also took our hands and kissed us gently. There were other Graces, Solvadale explained, but many had sworn to total seclusion, and others were so engrossed in mysteries we would hardly see them.
“We are the four who shall be involved in your training,” he said, leading us to benches placed in a semicircle at the far end of the pool.
All four Graces had carefully accorded each of us the same degree of respect, but as we sat their eyes kept returning to Boaz.
Once we were still, Solvadale again took the lead. “It is so difficult to know where to begin, so perhaps I, on behalf of my companions who are with me today, will commence with an explanation. Yet even an explanation has no clear beginning. If you find questions that demand to be asked as I talk, then do not hesitate to ask them.”
He paused, sighed, then continued. “The Soulenai can at times be obtuse. Sometimes they can leave their explanations a little too long before the airing. It was only the night before last that they told us of your impending arrival, although we’d been aware of your existence for some time. I am sorry that the markers had misled you…had we known you were so close we would have sent help.”
“As it was,” Xhosm said, looking at Boaz, “you found enough help within you.”
“You altered the markers,” Isphet said to Solvadale. “Made them lie. Why?”
“We knew of the trouble at Threshold,” the Grace replied, “and we knew something of what trouble it was. No, wait, I shall talk of that soon enough. We altered the markers because we feared what might slither across the Lagamaal Plains towards us. Again, I apologise for the trouble that