Chapter 767: Serpent Paths

The mysterious bard led Tauri and Gale across the desert sands, each dune they climbed seemed the same as the last. Yet the further they walked, the more distant the chittering of the spiders grew until they could hear them no more.

“How much further do we have to go?” Tauri asked.

Their guide glanced back at the two women with a reassuring smile. “Not much further. We’re almost at one of the Serpent Paths.”

“Serpent Paths?” Tauri stopped in her tracks, as did Gale.

“You help us escape spiders only to lead us to serpents, knave?” Gale drew her sword.

“Wait, wait, wait! There are no serpents,” Evander raised his hands in surrender. “You two really aren’t from around here, huh?”

“Explain yourself,” Gale hissed.

Evander stared at her, lost for a moment. He had witnessed her cleave a giant deepsand spider with a single strike and now she had her blade pointed at him. She was terrifying yet breathtakingly beautiful all at once. “Um,” he swallowed. “T-The Serpent Paths is just the name for a series of tunnels that stretch across the desert. They’re long and they wind through the sands. Most are kept secret and well-guarded by the rulus sand tribes, but I know a few.”

“...And you’re taking us to one of them?” Gale asked.

“Yeah,” he nodded.

“Out of the kindness of your heart?” Gale asked.

“Well, something like that. I couldn’t just stand by and watch you both be swarmed to death by giant spiders.”

“Uh-huh,” Gale said in a clearly disbelieving tone, but she withdrew her sword anyway. “Lead the way,” she gestured with a nod.

“Right this way,” Evander bowed and gestured with his arms. When it became apparent that neither woman would walk ahead of him, he gave a weak smile. “Right.” He turned on his heel and kept walking, hoping the two would follow.

“What do you think?” Tauri whispered to Gale.

Gale narrowed her eyes as she stared at the stranger’s back. “I can’t place him, but he looks familiar.”

“Yeah, he said he saw us in Red Pond.”

“I know, but still. Something’s off about him. I don’t trust him.”

“You think he’s leading us to an ambush?” Tauri asked.

“I’m not sure. Slavers aren’t uncommon out here in the desert where few laws exist.”

“Still, it’s not like we know where to go from here. I say we follow until he leads us to some semblance of a road or village.”

“Very well. Until then, keep an eye out.”

“As you wish, my lady,” Tauri gave a mocking bow and shit-eating grin.

Gale smacked across the head and kept walking.

“Ow.” Tauri rubbed her head. “I thought you weren’t allowed to hurt a Veres.”

“You thought wrong.”

The trio walked for another hour. Soon, the sun would rise and its scorching heat would rain down upon all living things. Fortunately, as they crossed another one of countless dunes, they spotted a jagged rock jutting out from the sand. A cave entrance could barely be seen above the sand.

“What is that?” Tauri asked.

“The mouth of the serpent. We’re here. Come on.” Evander didn’t wait for them and ran down the dune with as much grace as a toddler.

“Are we really going to follow him inside a cave?” Gale asked.

“Not like we have much choice.” Tauri glanced at the horizon. Even now, the dark blue sky was starting to brighten.

“Fine,” Gale grumbled.

Evander waited for them at the entrance. “This way.” The cave took a sudden steep dip, the ground almost becoming vertical. They slid down the smooth stone until they landed in complete darkness. Tauri immediately conjured a flame above her hand, while Gale drew her sword, ready to fight.

“Um.” Evander stared at the women, stunned. In his hands he held some flint and a small torch. “Thanks.” He held the torch over Tauri’s flame, then took a step back, arms spread wide. “Welcome to the Serpent Paths.”

A tunnel curled around them. The floors, walls, and ceiling were smooth with thin ridges. The tunnel itself was somewhat narrow, about 3 meters wide and just as tall. The light of the fire refracted against the stone, leaving a glittering sheen all across the tunnel.

“It’s… beautiful,” Gale whispered, in a rare moment of quiet admiration.

“Yeah, it is,” Evander mumbled as he stared at her.

“How far does it go?” Tauri ran a hand across the smooth surface of the wall.

“This one? A couple of dozen leagues, but there are others that stretch across the entire desert or so they say,” Evander said.

“Who made them?” Tauri asked.

“Oh, nobody. They were once underground rivers that flowed through the land. At some point they dried up and, well, here we are,” Evander said.

“They must be quite valuable in times of war,” Gale said, her mind beginning to consider the possibilities of warfare. Transporting soldiers and supplies deep into enemy lines was worth more than any magic.

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“Yeah, I guess so,” Evander said. “It was the merchant Houses that really wanted to exploit the tunnels. They found a few on their own and they tried to buy access to others from the sand tribes, but the rulus leaders refused. Something about being unworthy and greed. In any case, the Houses control access to a few Paths, and guard them strictly.”

“What about the rest?” Tauri asked.

“Some are lost to time and the desert. The sand tribes know about most of them and they use them when they wish,” Evander said.

“And how do you know about this one?” Gale asked suspiciously.

“Well, there are a few that have been discovered by chance by humble folks. They keep them secret so as not to alert the Houses. A friend of mine was kind enough to share with me the secret of this Path.”

“And what do these humble folks use these tunnels for?” Gale pressed.

“Oh, you know,” Evander shrugged. “Travel mostly.”

“You mean smuggling,” Gale guessed.

Evander winced but quickly recovered with a wink. “Yeah, sometimes. The merchant Houses love to restrict who can trade and what goods they can deal with. They leave the best goods for the nobles and no one else. Tunnels like this help the common folk like me get by.”

“So you’re a smuggler?” Tauri asked.

“A slaver,” Gale said.

“No. Never,” Evander said more harshly than he’d have liked. He sighed, “Look, trust me when I say I hate slavers more than you ever could. I’m not a smuggler either, though I admit the woman who shared with me the secret of this place was a smuggler of certain distilled spirits.”

“Alcohol?” Tauri furrowed her brow. “Why would she smuggle alcohol?”

“Well, it happened to cause a man’s small friend to keep going for many rounds, but it also caused it to shrink after several weeks if the man kept drinking the stuff. Suffice to say, it was banned in many places.”

“And your friend dealt in that stuff?” Tauri asked with a hint of disgust.

“Eh, we all have to make a living.” Evander shrugged.

“So, if you’re not a smuggler, then what are you?” Gale crossed her arms.

“Like I said, I’m a bard. I hear things. Such as secrets about underground tunnels.” Evander walked on, leading them down the path.

“Why help us?” Gale asked.

“I saw you both fleeing from Red Pond into spider territory and I—”

“Had to come save us with a heart of gold, yeah, but why? What do you want from us?” Gale pointed her sword at his back, the tip pressing against his cloak.

He paused mid-step and almost stumbled over. “Is the sword really necessary?”

“That depends on how long you’re going to lie, criminal,” Gale pushed the blade slightly deeper, cutting the cloak. “I knew you looked familiar, I just couldn’t place where from. And then it suddenly came back to me. You were one of the criminals hanging on orders of that sune bitch. Greylark or something.”

“Greymark,” Evander corrected softly. “Captain Victoria Greymark.”

“It seems the noose wasn’t tight enough or your scrawny neck is thicker than it looks. Either way, I don’t plan on following a liar who was bound for the noose,” Gale said.

“I suggest you start talking, my friend really will not hesitate to cut you down where you stand,” Tauri said.

“Duly noted. I think you have established your deadly capabilities quite well.” Evander carefully raised his hands. “May I turn around so that we might speak face-to-face?”

“Slowly,” Gale warned.

Evander did as he was told. Gale pressed her blade against his throat, drawing a drop of blood. “Well, this is much better,” he forced a grin, hoping they couldn’t see how terrified he felt.

“Talk,” Gale said.

“Right. Well, before you chop off my head, might I just say that if you kill me here and now, you won’t know which way to go. The Path has many winding tunnels, most of which end nowhere. So, preferably you at least let me live long enough to get you out of here and back to civilization?”

“You mean lead us to your friends so they can ambush us?” Gale said.

“I don’t have friends. …Not anymore,” Evander said.

“And why should we believe you?” Gale said.

“The others at the execution.” Tauri looked him in the eye, “Those were your friends?”

“My crew,” Evander smiled weakly. “We were—liberators of sorts. At least, that’s the way we liked to describe ourselves.”

“You were thieves,” Tauri said.

“And you were planning to kill us and loot our bodies?” Gale said.

“No. No… nothing of the sort. I,” Evander swallowed and stared at the ground. “I wanted your help.”

“In what way could we possibly help someone like you?” Gale growled.

“Vengeance. Justice,” Evander said.

“Justice? Against whom?” Gale cocked an eyebrow.

“Captain Victoria Greymark.”

Gale scoffed. “Isn’t this rich? A thief wants us to get revenge on the woman who tried to execute him.”

“She murdered a child!” Evander snapped, the anger he had pushed deep down spilling over into his voice.

Gale frowned, taken aback.

“What child?” Tauri asked.

“...Her name was Grace.” Evander took a shaky breath and tried to steady his voice. His eyes stung. He blinked a couple of times before finally speaking, “She was part of my crew. No, she was more than that. Before there was any crew, there was me and her.”

“What was she to you?” Tauri whispered.

“My sister. I found her when she was just a little kid, scraping through the slums of Olduun searching for food.” Evander closed his eyes and tried not to cry. “I took her in, taught her everything I know. This was supposed to be our last job, at least for Grace and me. One large score. But we were tricked. The information was wrong and we were caught. The few of us that escaped ran all the way to Red Pond.”

“Where you were finally caught,” Tauri surmised.

“Yeah,” he mumbled.

“And they executed your little sister.” Gale lowered her sword, her expression unreadable.

“The penalty for attempted thievery for a child is a few years in prison or at the labor camps. Grace was fourteen. She shouldn’t have been on that execution platform. But Captain Greymark wanted to make an example of us for trying to steal from them.” Evander swallowed the lump in his throat. “I don’t know why I’m alive while they’re all gone, but it must be for a purpose. Death did not take me for a reason. And that reason is vengeance. Justice for Grace.”

“And you want us to help you?” Tauri said.

“Yes. I saw the way you two fought against Greymark’s men. And then there was the way you dealt with those spiders. You’re strong. And you’re realm travelers, right?”

“What of it?” Tauri asked.

“You were looking for somebody, but you’re unfamiliar with the land. It’s easy to get lost in the Golden Desert. Let me be your guide. I’ll help you get to where you need to go. All I ask in return is that you help me reach Victoria Greymark. I’ll kill her myself.”

Tauri shook her head. “I’m sorry for your loss, but I don’t think we can help you—”

“You know these lands well?” Gale asked.

Tauri gave her a strange look, but Gale ignored her.

“Y-Yeah! Yes. I do. Very much so.” Evander nodded repeatedly.

“Can you get us to Olduun?” Gale asked.

“Definitely.”

Tauri grabbed her friend’s shoulder, “Gale, what are you—?”

“Stryg would have made his way to Olduun. It’s the only place where we’ll find him. And the sooner we reach him, the better.” Gale turned to Evander, “If you help us reach Olduun, I will personally get you within arm’s length of that Greymark bitch.”

“Thank you,” Evander beamed. “You won’t regret it. I’ll get you both to Olduun faster than any caravan. The Golden Desert is dangerous to all who do not know its paths, fortunately, I do know a Serpent Path or two.” He winked.

“I’m already regretting this.” Gale shoved past him and kept walking.

Evander hurried after her, lighting the way with his torch.

Tauri sighed and followed behind.