Circle of Dreams Trilogy by Linda McNabb

Author:Linda McNabb [McNabb, Linda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-04-22T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX - GUYAN

The path led them down further into the valley, and half an hour later Zaine glanced back up at how far they had come. The top of the cliff was obscured by the white mist from the waterfall, and even that was a long way up. They had lost sight of the valley floor due to the high rocks that the path wound around, but he knew they must be almost at the bottom.

“It can’t be far now.” Maata paused to rest on a rock. “I could do with a drink.”

Zaine leaned on a rock also, and nodded his agreement with both of her comments. He was tired and just the mention of a drink made his mouth feel even drier than it had before. As they rested, a sound reached his ears that gave him a renewed energy.

“I hear a stream,” Zaine said, turning around and trying to place which direction the sound was coming from. “I must be a run-off from the waterfall.”

Maata got up and they carried on down the path, both keeping an eye out for the stream. Zaine wasn’t happy when they seemed to be heading away from the noise of the stream, and he sighed heavily when the path led them into a blind canyon. The only exit was the way they had just come in. The walls were so high and sheer that it would be almost impossible to climb them.

“We must have missed something on the way down,” Maata said with a sigh that matched Zaine’s.

“I don’t think so,” Zaine replied. “We were very careful.”

“Then it’s another test.” The flatness in Maata’s voice revealed that she, too, had been expecting as much, even though she had said otherwise. “This Guyan really doesn’t want just anyone to wander into the valley.”

Zaine was too tired to reply. He began searching the walls of the canyon for any sign of a rune that would show them the way out. After a search that seemed to take forever, Zaine walked into the middle of the canyon and sat down and massaged his temples as he tried to remain calm. “There are a dozen red cobbles here and there, but not one has a rune this time.”

The sweet tinkling of the stream could be heard again as it echoed temptingly around the canyon, frustrating the travellers stuck inside it. Zaine ignored the sound for as long as he could, and then finally got up and tried to work out exactly where it was coming from.

“We can’t sit here all day,” Zaine muttered. He walked over to where he thought the water was coming from and picked a red cobble. He put one finger on it and firmly drew the design that had been on the previous cobbles.

“The wall is shifting,” Maata almost shouted as she grinned at Zaine. “What did you do?”

“I drew the rune,” Zaine replied, looking unsettled as the wall of the canyon continued to twist to create a narrow passage.

“I guess that test was to see if you would try to copy the runes you had seen?” Maata guessed.

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