They found a shallow ford and crossed the river by mid-morning. Curious sparrows sung from treetops as they plodded ahead toward the Eastern Ridge, a sheer cliff face jutting upwards like a row of giant broken teeth. Once they started marching north Perenenda felt as exposed as Rollo had warned. They continued until the river swelled again and a smattering of trees appeared on their side of the river.

They continued creeping up the river until Sornam signaled them to halt. They stood in silence with only the noise of the river and rustle of leaves.

“What is it?” Rollo asked.

“A badger might have slipped past your watch,” Sornam said. He made three whirring birdcalls, waited and called again. The only sound was the distant echo of the river and the rustling of leaves. After the third time, three swooping birdcalls returned.

Half a dozen men descended from hiding places in the rocks. Rollo shouted some orders but Sornam waved at him to be silent. The men were dressed in brown and green to blend into the landscape.

One of them was broad shouldered and older, his beard beginning to grey. He wore a turban upon his head.

"Sornam," the man smiled, embracing him.

"Norbu," Sornam replied. He led the bearded man toward Perenenda. “This is Her Grace Perenenda of Neredun, daughter of Burulgi, wife of Sarengerel. She is the commander of this army. My lady, this is Master Norbu of Angshar, a Knight of the Northern Houses.”

“So you’re a Peer,” Perenenda realized.

“Aye, my lady," Norbu bowed. "It seems that Sornam's task of watching over you in Nathamaket had taken a twist. I'm sure the story is more than worth telling sometime."

“I’m sure we will both have stories to share,” Sornam said. “We are here to free the Scales, brother.”

“We unite in our cause then,” Norbu said. “But first, Baron Visant.”

“But first, Baron Visant,” Sornam repeated.

"How long have you been here?" Rollo asked.

"As long as you have," Norbu said. "We foraged off the land when we could but we also encountered some men of the Vale periodically. We tried to keep our distance.”

“We’ve kept them at bay so far,” Rollo said. “We’ve prevented their advance.”

“By being camped out here?” Norbu asked. “No, we are the ones keeping them at bay.”

Rollo looked at the top of the cliffs. “Here, at the Eastern Ridge? You’ve prevented them from climbing down, have you?”

The Vale-men behind Rollo laughed.

“Mind your tone, you’re speaking to a Peer,” Sornam warned.

“It’s alright, Sornam,” Norbu said. “They’re tired and they’re just laughing the exhaustion away. And no, we haven’t been preventing them from coming down from the top of the Ridge. We’ve been preventing them from coming through it.”

“Through it?”

“Menquist first suggested it back in Lanfrydhall,” Norbu explained. “Turns out he was right. The Headlanders had access through a passage under the mountains. You’d never find it unless you were looking for it. And we found it, just up the river a bit, masked by some dried brush. We tried to infiltrate the tunnel but we surprised each other in the middle and we barely escaped with our lives. They have their end guarded, while we have prevented them from using this side of the passage. It only takes a few to guard the end. The tunnel itself is very narrow. There are still many of Visant's men on this side of the Ridge, but from what I have seen they have begun to mobilize out of the Withings and have moved north toward Sundersport.”

“So you’ve been camping here while they’ve been withdrawing,” Kamfongil sneered at Rollo. “And you’re the one laughing.”

“No, this is good news,” Rollo said. “This is our opportunity to press toward Sundersport.”

"We intend to go to Sundersport, but the Baron Visant remains in his home in Grastenport, yes?” Perenenda asked. “The scourge remains. We must go into Grastenport.”

"The only way is through the narrow passageway,” Norbu said. "A host of guards and archers are on the other side."

Perenenda scanned the sheer mountain wall. She looked at all the faces and eyes fixed on her. The silence grew heavier without her answer. Her eyes stayed fixed at the top of the Ridge, and then glanced at Dao, who seemed to understand.

Dao approached Rollo. "Commander, may I see your helm?"

Rollo removed his helm and handed it to her. She rapped her knuckles on top of the helm.

"They won't offer us much protection against close range arrows, my lady," Rollo said, "even if we charge headfirst through this tunnel."

"In that case I don't think I'd want it either," Dao said. "But I noticed that the Promisemen do not have straps on their helms but the Vale-men do." She turned to Perenenda. "Your grace, could I have the hooks and the straps from all the commander's men's helms?"

Perenenda studied Dao. The Reaper Captain's eyes were bright with some idea. "Yes, I would like your hooks and straps, if I may," Perenenda said to Rollo.

Rollo shot a look at Dao. "Why?"

Kamfongil cleared his throat. “The princess wants your helm, hooks and straps and all.

Rollo swallowed hard, then gave the order and the men with helms removed their straps and hooks.

"Forty-three," Kamfongil said.

Dao pulled on the straps and tested the hooks. She looked at her Reapers and nodded. "Cut down enough aspen trees to form forty-three straight and narrow poles. We will fix a hook on one end and a loop on the other. Your grace, we will be able to scale this mountain."

“Scale the mountain?” Rollo was perplexed.

“We’ve done something similar before, though not at this height,” Dao said. “We sieged a castle once and scaled the walls. It’s the same idea.”

By noon the poles were complete. Dao showed how the hooks could hang from the loop of another pole, and two of her men showed how they could climb the mountain and aid one another by chaining together the poles.

"I will lead eight of my Reapers over this mountain and clear the other end of the passage way," Dao said.

"Six of your Reapers,” Norbu said. "Sornam and I will also make the climb.”

Perenenda nodded. "Be careful Sornam."

"I think I should go too," Rollo said.

"Will your men follow my Captain's command?"

"They won’t."

"Then you aren’t going anywhere," Perenenda said. "If you were to die, your soldiers are worthless to me if they will not take my command. You may cross if they clear the way. Xaykansam of my sworn riders, create a perimeter and guard our company."

"And as for me?" Kamfongil asked.

"You will stay with me," Perenenda said. "When the passageway is open, you will be the first to enter. Live up to your namesake and give glory to your Butchers."

Perenenda watched the nine scale the mountain, and it was as swift as Dao had described. Each pole hooked and unhooked to each other. One climber would find sure footing and aid one another until they all ascended the mountain. Soon they disappeared and the wait began.

An hour had passed and Perenenda grew impatient. "Timlan," she called. He trotted forth. "Is that a new coat?”

“I left my own coat back in Lanfrydhall,” he said. “When Menquist sent me and Sornam to Neredun I had packed my coat but Sornam said it was foolish, that even the winter nights in the south are warmer than the summer days of the Scales. I know how cold the north will be, my lady, so the Earl’s men offered me a coat.”

“We’re close to your home.”

Timlan nodded. “I can’t believe I’ve come full circle. I expected to stay in Lanfrydhall for a while, not be sent on such an adventure.”

“Have you dealt with this Baron Visant before?”

“You know, when I left the Scales with my friend Kidu and Menquist, we were made prisoners by his son Pidric, but they called him Captain Petey,” Timlan said, thumbing through pages of his journal for notes. “Kidu saved us all. Even captured Captain Petey and we sailed all the way to Lanfrydhall to hand him over.”

“Whenever we have a moment's rest I see you are either writing in your journal or reading that black book,” she said. “What are you looking for in that black book?"

"Answers maybe," Timlan answered, pulling the black book from his satchel. "This is the Book of the Five, and I'm trying to find out what all of this means. It gets pretty deep, into things like why we breathe, live, suffer. I’m just looking for easier answers, like why done things are supposed to matter, but why others don’t. I've read these pages over and over but it seems it's the words that aren't here that need to tell me the story."

"If it tells you the meaning of life, let me know what it says," she said. “I’ll see if it matches what my teacher, the Lady Namsuren, once told me.”

“What did she tell you?”

She smiled. “I don’t even know if we’ll get past today, and if we’re successful, if we’ll get past the next. I am in no position to talk about the meaning of life.”

She looked at him. He was slumped over with rounded shoulders, the black book resting on his lap, closed.

“I’ll tell you someday, I promise.”

Timlan seemed to perk up. “Would you like to read the Book of Five sometime, my lady?"

"I may. Most Neredunians do not read," she answered. "Our elders pass through our history and teachings through our stories and songs. Very few possess such knowledge and wisdom to teach the elders. These few are our Song Lords."

"Sarengerel, he is such a lord?" Timlan asked. "But he is so young."

"Yes, he is only twenty-five but has the wisdom of men four times his age," she said. "He was a student of the Herald, you know. In fact, we both were.”

“Seems like Menquist has been everywhere.”

“I’m learning that now,” she said. “For us, he was just there to teach us. Both Menquist and Sarengerel's mother both taught us both how to read. I learned much from Menquist when he stayed with us for entire summers until the floods subsided, but when I had my first blood my father forbade me from leaving the palace and I never spoke to Menquist again. Still, Sarengerel and his mother, the Lady Namsuren of whom I spoke, would visit and give me lessons when they could. My father didn't like him being near me, so he sent Sarengerel to crusades as far away from me as he could. It didn't change how much he loved me. His mother died soon after."

Kamfongil approached Perenenda. "Your grace, I fear the Reapers may not return. We have all marked our bodies and are ready to have our stories told to the Field God. With your leave, my Butchers will charge through the passing and find whatever end we meet."

A rustle came from the tunnel. Archers nocked their arrows and swords were unsheathed. Dao emerged without her armor and with blood smeared on her chin.

"The passage is clear," she said. "The path to Grastenport is open."

"You have my leave," Perenenda told Kamfongil.