Fire Within: Book Two of Fire and Stone (Stories of Fire and Stone 2) (21 page)

“Esset!” she shouted, taking her spear up in one hand and trying to determine where the threat was coming from. Esset jolted awake, but he wasn’t as good at coming to full awareness instantly. He was disoriented for a few moments as he sat up and tried to look around. The second spell hit him before he fully realized they were under attack. He fell over rigid for a second, but in the next instant a hundred tiny flames lit the air around him. An orange nimbus glowed around him and when his eyes opened, they were filled with molten fire.

Esset stood, and the fires around him grew. He spoke, but his voice was a snap of fire; a summoned wolf answered his call anyways. He had become like his summons, with a fury of molten fire barely held in check by skin that was slowly darkening to an ashy black and cracking with the glow of heat behind it.

The wolf tore off into the darkness, and in moments two of its kin raced behind it. A spike of ice caught the first square in the skull and it exploded into sparks and ash; the second two reached their quarry, only to be thwarted by a mage-shield. A man, their attacker, stood within, fear written across his face as he realized that he’d bitten off more than he could chew. He wore mage-robes of the style worn by Moloch’s subordinates.

The spell binding Toman was released, leaving him panting for breath before sitting up and trying to see what he’d missed. Tseka was gone, but all he could do was stare at Esset in horror, hoping his brother could come back from this. When Toman finally managed to tear his eyes away from his brother, he saw the mage’s livery illuminated by the wolves’ fire and knew the time for stealth was over; there had been no point in it to begin with. There was no hiding from Moloch.

The mage flung a bolt of mage-energy at Esset, but a summon appeared in front of the bolt before it could reach him—the summon was destroyed before its shape could even be identified, but it protected Esset nonetheless. A second later, fire sprang up all around the mage, a howling vortex of flames that battered at the magical protection until it shattered. There was time for a scream from the mage, but no more before the fire devoured him and then howled into the sky, a towering pillar of intense light no doubt visible even from the distant mountain tops.

Shadows leapt outwards and everything was cast with a ghoulish glow, illuminating two figures several paces from the pillar. Tseka had engaged a second mage in battle, and she was only barely keeping ahead of the mage through sheer speed and canniness. The mage fired bolts of magic at her that she kept dodging, but Tseka couldn’t get a solid attack in either—as soon as she got close, the mage would throw up a temporary shield and block the blow. The mage was all too aware that his comrade had just died; he kept glancing over his shoulder in Toman and Esset’s direction. Toman was just about to help when the pillar of fire went out, plunging them all into darkness again.

Toman’s night vision was destroyed—all he could see was an imprint of the fire pillar on his retinas. Then he heard a cry—a male cry; Tseka had gotten the better of the mage.

“Surrender, now!” he heard Tseka demand.

“Tseka, no!” Toman shouted; these were Moloch’s men. They wouldn’t surrender—couldn’t—for they knew what would be waiting for them when Moloch inevitably got his hands on them. The mage would pretend to surrender, and Tseka would let her guard down, and then she’d be dead, because the mage would cross her immediately. Toman’s mind scrambled, then locked on Tseka’s spear—there was a chance that it was one he’d touched in the armory, and if it was, he already had his magic in it. He didn’t need to see it. There!

Tseka’s spear suddenly had a mind of its own—Tseka stood over the mage, pressing the point against his throat, when it jerked forward of its own accord and finished the mage off. The mage spluttered once and died, leaving Tseka standing over him, shocked. She pulled the spear back; it had resumed being an inanimate object upon killing the mage, as per Toman’s instructions.

“Tseka!” Toman called again—he was trying to make his way to his brother to see what had become of him, but he wanted to know if he’d been in time to save Tseka. He prayed to the Light that they were both okay.

Esset was lying face-down in the dirt when Toman reached him. Toman reached out to roll him onto his side but yanked his hand back at the extreme heat emanating from his brother. He reached out with his metal hand instead, knowing it and his Animator’s gloves couldn’t be damaged. His sleeves would get a little crispy, but that was a small price to pay for getting Esset into a position where he could breathe.

Esset woke coughing after only a minute or so. None of them could see it in the dark, but his skin was slowly returning to its usual color and texture—the fire within had vanished first, but he had ash in his nose and throat that immediately got him coughing. By the time he managed to sit up, he was cool enough to touch, too, so Toman put a supporting hand on his shoulder.

“Sounds like everyone’s hale enough. I did a sweep of the area and those seem to be the only two out there for now. That was an impressive light show,” Tseka said when she showed up.

“Thanks,” Esset replied, then began coughing again. Toman got him a water skin and Esset didn’t need urging to wash the ash of out his mouth. He spat the first mouthful out after swishing it around, but swallowed the second and third.

“Well, I guess it’s fine if I use my magic. Those were Moloch’s men,” Toman said. They were just lucky they hadn’t gone to fetch Moloch instead of trying to capture them on their own. Hopefully they hadn’t notified Moloch that they’d been found, though—that was Toman’s main concern for the moment.

“We’d better go. I’ll make us some flyers,” Toman said.

“No, mine are faster,” Esset interjected.

“But mine are safer. You have to remain alert to steer your birds. Everyone—myself included—can get some rest if I fly us,” Toman argued, but Esset was adamant.

“Look,” Esset said. “There’s no point in stealth anymore. After that light show, Moloch will know a fire summoner is involved, and he obviously can track us somehow already. I can take us a while further, and when I need to rest, you can step in.”

Toman hesitated, unsure his brother was up to it, but he finally shrugged.

“Okay, but you’re eating something first,” Toman said. The moon had barely moved in the sky before they were airborne again.

They used the fiery birds until they started flying off course—Esset’s fatigued mind couldn’t keep controlling them, even now that they were more obedient. They landed briefly and Toman bent his own skills to creating them mounts to carry them until Esset had had a chance to rest; then they swapped back to the faster summons again.

They crossed into territory that Toman was unfamiliar with, but Esset kept their course confidently set. They flew over a range of mountains before Esset suddenly set the birds to circling. Esset studied the ground below, a crease forming between his eyes as they circled lower.

“What’s—” Toman cut himself off when Esset’s eyes suddenly flared with a brilliant yellow-white light. Abruptly both fiery birds turned and set off in one direction. Disorientation swept over Toman and Tseka as a protective magic tried to keep them from going or even seeing that direction. For a moment, it felt like the world was trying to tear itself apart; then everything snapped into place and the landscape beneath them changed drastically.

All three of them shielded their eyes against the glare, even Esset, whose eyes returned to normal. Pale crystals glittered beneath them. Great shards with varying tints jutted up from the ground. There were plants, after a fashion, ensconced within the great gems. But most impressively, there were great mountains that seemed to be made of solid crystal. One stood out among the rest; it seemed to have been sculpted from obsidian. It cast a great shadow among the pale, translucent crystals that formed the rest of the landscape.

“Bizarre,” Toman murmured, awed. It was beautiful, in a way, but bizarre was definitely the first word that came to mind. Then he took in the scope of the place; the crystal landscape stretched to the horizon. Toman looked back over his shoulder and saw an abrupt line where the crystal landscape ended and the normal landscape began. There was a slight shimmer in the air at the borderline. Then Toman looked to his right and left; to his right there seemed to be no end to the strange crystals, but to the left he could see the outlines of normal mountains in the distance. That was when it struck him how powerful the magic must be to hide a place this size. He felt cowed, but hopeful too. Surely, with all this power, the Ashiier would be capable of helping Esset.

Esset slowed the birds and steered them towards the obsidian mountain. As they neared, there was a clear opening near the bottom, next to a large cluster of ochre-tinted crystals. Esset waited until they’d all dismounted from the birds before banishing them. They all stretched as they gazed around at their unbelievable surroundings. Soon they gathered at the cave mouth, but once they’d taken two steps inside, it was clear that there wasn’t actually an entrance there; a wall of smooth, solid stone barred the way.

“Are you sure this is it?” Toman asked, placing his hand against the cool black stone.

“This is where the phoenix’s directions end. She got us through the barrier, so I suppose we just wait for the Ashiier to come to us from here,” Esset replied, going back to stand in the sunlight and look out at the alien landscape.

“What do we know about these Ashiier?” Tseka asked, tapping her spearbutt against the ground impatiently.

“Not much,” Esset confessed. “They’re powerful and reclusive. The phoenix said they were probably the only ones that could help me. Honestly, she didn’t tell me much else. I don’t even know what they look like. Other than the directions here, all I have is a phrase to tell them—‘We come with the phoenix’s blessing.’ Hopefully that’s enough.”

*It is indeed,* a voice said in their heads. They all looked around for the source of the voice, then staggered back when a cluster of ochre-tinted crystals began to move.

As it turned out, the crystals were a living creature, not just rocks. The mound shifted and rose up until it took the form of a giant crystal bear, with only its dark eyes looking organic. Its “skin” was rough with crystals. Smaller faceted gems dotted its hide, interrupted by larger crystals that jutted up in bunches along its back and at its joints. It was huge—Toman had no doubt that if it so desired, it could kill them each with one swat. Fortunately, it didn’t seem inclined to do that.

After rising up on its hind legs and towering over them for a moment—Tseka recoiled a bit and readied her spear, just in case—it dropped back down to all fours and then sat down. Tseka relaxed, putting her spear straight up again. The crystal bear still looked formidable, but not hostile.

*The blessing of the phoenix is a rare honor indeed. She does not care for many,* the bear “said.” Its mouth didn’t move, but its voice resonated in their heads. It was musical, like the sound a fine glass goblet made when a wet finger was run along its rim, only deeper.

“Thank you,” Esset said, looking a little stunned. Then he remembered his manners and introduced his group.

“I’m Summoner Jonathan Esset. This is my brother, Animator Toman Atrix-Iiren, and the Nadra Warrior Tseka,” Esset said, gesturing to each of them in turn.

*It is a pleasure to meet some people from the outside world,* the crystal bear responded. *And yes, I am one of the Ashiier.*

Toman blinked—he hadn’t asked the question aloud, after all.

*We also have some psychic abilities,* the Ashiier added. *But worry not, you have nothing to fear if the phoenix has already deemed you worthy of our blessing. We can only help from here.*

Toman and Esset exchanged surprised glances. Toman recovered first and opened his mouth to address the crystal bear. Then he paused when he realized he hadn’t given them his name yet.

*My name is Orvanis,* the Ashiier said. *I am simply the guardian of the door. Come, I will take you within to those with whom you will wish to speak.* The crystal bear stepped forward, and when he moved, they could hear the soft scraping of the well-worn crystals around his joints as they rubbed against each other. His footfalls were surprisingly soft, however. The obsidian barrier over the entrance bowed inwards and then gently split as if it were a gossamer curtain being pushed aside instead of a solid rock wall. Esset looked at it with particular curiosity as they passed through; the entryway closed behind them, sealing them in.

Orvanis led them down a smooth black hallway that seemed to be faintly luminescent, for they could see their way just fine without any light source in evidence. The interior of the obsidian mountain smelled surprisingly good, not really cave-like at all. It had a cool scent, like mineral-rich water with a slight tang like metal, and a warmer, welcoming hint of earthiness, but most strongly like something akin to nutmeg or cinnamon. Toman wondered at the scent, but didn’t ask. He did, however, wonder how much of their thoughts Orvanis was listening to—was it like ambient noise to him, or did he have to consciously listen in? Was he listening all the time, or selectively? Regardless of the answer, Orvanis didn’t chime in to answer these unspoken questions this time, much to Toman’s relief. Even if they didn’t have anything to worry about, Toman still felt uneasy about the whole mind-reading thing.