The cursed towers 241
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Although Isabeau could see as well as an elven cat, the blackness within the mountain was so dense she
had to conjure a witch's light to see. It hung before her, casting an eerie blue illumination over the fantastic
stone formations that arched about her. There were thick, grooved pillars, taller than any tower.
Clustered here and there on the ground were nests of gleaming pearls as big as hailstones, while
rapier-thin hanging rods fell in tiers down the walls. Draping here and there were delicate lace shawls of
stone, some rippled with pale color, most cloudy white. Here and there calcified tree roots hung down
from the ceiling, weird and uncanny.
The stretcher was too unwieldy to drag through the caves, and so Isabeau untied the vines that bound
Maya's unconscious body. With a great effort of will she raised Maya up until she floated before her,
then pushed her along as if she was a boat upon water. The apprentice-witch had never used the One
Power in this way before, and Isabeau found she was sweating, despite the chill within the caves.
Down into the heart of the mountain she climbed, pausing often to rest. Some of the tunnels were so
narrow and low that she had to creep, others so lofty she could not see the walls. Occasionally she could
hear the babbling of water and once had to splash through an icy stream, the stone beneath her feet so
slippery she had trouble keeping her feet. Otherwise all was quiet, with an aura of deep peace and
mystery.
Isabeau had never known the secret ways through the mountain as well as Meghan, and she frequently
had to stop to get her bearings. Remembering what the old sorceress had taught her, she laid her hands
upon the stone walls, listening, trying to feel through her palms what lay beyond. Whenever she sensed a
great darkness and density in one direction, she would choose that way at the next branching of the path.
At last the steep descending gallery widened out and she sensed a vast space. Feeling rather giddy from
her exertions, Isabeau raised the witch's light so cold radiance spread before her. She was standing at the
edge of a huge cavern, its roof lost in shadows above her. An underground loch spread before her, its
waters inky black. Every now and again a ripple spread, as if something stirred beneath its surface. All
around her were tremendous columns and arches of limestone, intricate as any sculpture. At one end was
a crystalline waterfall of stone, plunging hundreds of feet into the water. All round delicate white icicles
hung like dragon's teeth, and the ground was frosted over with limestone flowers. The only sound was a
slow dripping.
Maya floating beside her, Isabeau clambered over the slippery damp rocks. It was cold, and she huddled
her plaid closer about her. Maya was ashen faced, her breathing rattling in her throat. Isabeau said a
quick prayer to Ea and lowered the unconscious woman into the water. At the last moment, her control
slipped and Maya fell with a splash. She sank out of sight and Isabeau's perturbation grew. She was just
about to dive into the water in search of her when the water roiled, green bubbles bursting into life. She
stared at them anxiously, suddenly afraid the underground loch contained some monster or serpent that
would devour the unconscious woman. There was a flash of silver just under the surface, then a long tail
with a great frilled fan broke through, splashing water into Isabeau's face. She stepped back with a cry of
alarm.
From the depths a red velvet dress came floating.
Isabeau wrung her hands. "What have I done?" she cried. "Maya! Maya!"
Then the waters parted and Maya shot out into the air. Her face was serenely smiling, her dark hair
plastered to her skull. She rolled, water streaming from her silver-scaled body, and plunged again, her tail
smacking the loch so spray drenched Isabeau from head to foot.
For a moment Isabeau could not believe what she had seen. She watched, flabbergasted, as Maya
