His long-fingered hand quivered over the map that Lief held out for him. Nth let the borrowed knowledge flow within him, welling up like pus in a wound until his fingers brushed the paper. “S…” The human words welled up, the cumbersome and imprecise means of communication that he hated to have to use. “Somewhere here. When we are here, I will know it.”

“That’s…” Cyrene squinted. “That’s the Shadow Canyons?”

“There’s nothing there,” Harathes spat. “Nothing except monsters like this one. It’s a trap.”

“Well, amazingly we didn’t get the map with all the secret Dark paths marked on it,” Lief remarked acidly. “I must have a word with my cartographer.”

“If there was some way through the barrier mountains, it would indeed be a short step to Darvezian’s tower, and from an unexpected direction—avoiding his entire gauntlet of fortresses and followers,” Penthos mused. “Well, this is what we wanted, is it not?”

From the assembled expressions, Nth judged it not to have been what any of them particularly wanted, but Dion nodded tiredly.

“We’ve come this far,” she agreed, and even Nth could sense that she did not speak so much of physical distance, but of compromises made. “We will follow this path, and trust to prophecy.”

“There’s a lot of Dark territory between us and the Shadow Canyons,” Lief pointed out unhappily. “Ghants and blight-wolves and Murgl-wyrms and all sorts.” His finger traced a line from Shogg’s Ford, showing the route. “Not convinced that the power of prophecy’s going to get us through all that.”

“It will be an epic journey,” Harathes said potentiously. “A worthy quest, through monsters and the servants of the Dark one, past evil forests, marshes, and jagged rocks…”

“Mm.” Lief grimaced. “You’re not selling it to me.”

“Prophecy is silent as to how we get to where the spider’s path begins,” Dion said slowly, considering the map. “Yes, the direct route is across the darkest of Dark territory, through all manner of hazards, ill country, and the lairs of vile things. So let us not take it.” She smiled, a brittle expression. “Here, we will go past Shogg’s Ford through the Eningsmire and there pass into the lands of the Light at Ening’s Garth. A greater distance, yes, but better roads and little to oppose us. We shall travel north in safety, and cross the border once more at the fortress of Cad Nereg, which stands closest of all the Light’s bastions to Darvezian’s lair. From there, we turn aside from the path and meet the Shadow Canyons. All agreed?”

“And this?” Cyrene prompted, indicating Nth. “We travel through all the lands of the Light with him, do we?” A moment later she plainly heard her own choice of pronoun, but did not take it back, merely regarded Nth doubtfully.