The Wrathful Mountains (10 page)

Standing next to
the cliff, Galen saw an easy solution. “I’ll go up first and pull you,” he
said. The cliff was only two feet above his head. Once he reached the top, he
would still have enough leverage to pull the dwarf, provided he was able to
stand on the lowest ledge.

Grasping the
uppermost handhold, the elf easily pulled himself to the top. Kneeling down, he
extended an arm to his companions below. Kaiya and Tashi moved in to brace
Raad, easing him onto the lower footholds. Holding his breath, Raad grasped the
elf’s arm while the women pushed from below. Before he could panic, he was back
on solid ground. He nodded his thanks to the elf.

Galen offered a
hand to the ladies as well, pulling each of them to the safety of the plateau.
Satisfied with a job well done, he readjusted his pack and dusted the snow from
his knees.

“Pretty handy to
have someone like you around,” Raad said, grinning.

“Glad I could
help,” the elf replied.

From this vantage
point, the travelers could clearly make out the ocean in the distance. Lit by moonlight,
its shining surface sparkled before them. Massive blocks of ice moved up and
down as if they drew breath, rocked by the rolling waves beneath them. Birds
called in the distance, singing a tribute to the night sky.

“The breathing
ice,” Tashi said. “Ulihi hunters sometimes travel here to hunt seals, though
not as much as when I was a child. Goats are more plentiful and closer to
home.”

“The view alone is
worth the travel,” Galen said, his eyes filled with wonder.

Strange sounds in
the distance drew their attention away from the sea, their ears straining to
make out the noise.

“Voices,” Tashi
whispered, wondering who might be near.

“Echoes,” Raad corrected.
“That’ll be the miners.”

Sure enough, the
mining camp became visible as they moved atop the next hill. Ahead of them in
the darkness, lanterns shone, and dark figures moved about.

“Home sweet home,”
the miner said, relieved to be back.

“No,” Kaiya said.
“That’s no mining camp.”

“O
f course it’s
a mining camp,” Raad countered. “This is where we’ve been trying to get to.”

Kaiya gaped as she
looked ahead at the camp before her. “This is a city,” she said. The camp
stretched on for miles, going far beyond her line of sight. Far larger than the
village near her farm, this was the largest mining operation she had ever seen.

Its existence gave
credence to Tashi’s words about dwarves encroaching on her tribal lands. All
the remaining Ulihi could fit easily into a quarter of this city. The priestess
had accused the dwarves of greed, and judging by the size of this encampment,
the statement seemed to ring true. At least in this instance, it looked as if
they’d taken more than they needed. Every home was constructed of wood and
stone, not the temporary tent dwellings that normally went along with mining
life. Clearly the dwarves planned to stay permanently, which meant more
settlements popping up between here and Kaiya’s village weren’t out of the
question. Shortening supply lines would save them money, and that could spell
trouble for the Ulihi. They might soon be losing more hunting ground.

“We might as well
get settled,” Raad said. “Foreman Daro always goes to bed early, so you won’t be
meeting with him tonight. He’ll be up at dawn, though, so you won’t have to
wait much longer.”

Kaiya sighed and
ground her teeth. She was anxious to find out exactly why Daro had summoned
her. There was more to the story than Raad had revealed, and she was impatient
to learn the missing parts. “Maybe I should wake him,” she said. “He did ask
you to fetch me.”

“Let the man rest,”
Raad said, waving a dismissive hand. “We can enjoy ourselves at one of the
taverns.”

“One of?” Galen
asked.

“We have six,” Raad
replied, grinning.

Tashi shook her
head. “Why do you need so many?”

“We’ve got a large
operation going on here, in case you hadn’t noticed,” he replied. “There’s lots
of mouths to feed and water.”

Uninterested in
revelry, Kaiya asked, “Does this place have an inn?”

“Nope,” Raad
replied, “but you can have a spot in the bunkhouse. It’s meant for temporary
workers, but it’s empty this time of year. You’ll have a little privacy.”

Resigning herself
to an uncomfortable night, Kaiya said, “Lead the way.”

Motioning for the
others to follow, Raad led them into the mining camp. They passed by two
taverns, filled to the brim with sloshed miners. The ones who were still partly
sober took notice of the travelers, mainly Tashi and Galen. They stood out in
this place, even in the dark.

Emboldened by a few
drinks, one man stepped in Tashi’s path and placed a hand on her beaded collar.
“What have we got here?” he asked, his gaze tracing the lines of her figure.

“This is the woman
who will break your hand if you don’t keep it off her,” Tashi warned, her
features stern.

The dwarf withdrew
his hand and wiped it against his chest. “Fiery, aren’t you,” he commented.

“Get back to your
drink,” Raad demanded, stepping between Tashi and the dwarf.

The man peered
around Raad, considering whether he wanted to obey. One look at Kaiya, and he
decided he’d best go back inside. Without another word, he disappeared into the
tavern crowd.

“What did you do to
him?” Raad asked.

“Not a thing,”
Kaiya replied, a crooked smile on her lips. A flash of silver in her eyes was
all it had taken to scare the inebriated miner. Dwarves rarely encountered any
sort of magic, so having it stand in front of them could be rather
intimidating.

As they continued
through the city, Kaiya made note of a small school. “There are children here?”
she asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Raad
replied. Seeing her confusion, he added, “You can’t expect men to live way up
here without bringing their families along.”

Raising a family
this far from dwarf civilization seemed strange to her. Shrugging it off, she
decided it was no stranger than her own upbringing. Never having fit in with
the other children, she had chosen to separate herself from them. At least
these kids had each other.

Crossing a narrow
alleyway, Kaiya glimpsed the movement of a cat, its eyes shining in the dim
light. The back of her throat tingled, a salty taste filling her mouth. Tilting
her head, she sniffed at the wind.

“Barracks are to
your left,” Raad announced, pointing. “Door’s unlocked, so help yourself.”

“There’s magic
here,” the sorceress announced, her head lifted high. “This way,” she said,
following the scent.

The others
followed, curious to discover the source. Drawing more energy into Tashi’s
staff, Kaiya illuminated the darkness surrounding them. She moved away from the
city, where no lamps were burning.

“Where are you
going?” Raad wondered. Traveling outside the camp at night was unsafe, but
there was little chance he could change the sorceress’s mind. Especially with
only one usable arm, he couldn’t hope to force her back toward safety. “There
are wild beasts in these mountains, you know,” he said, attempting to warn her.

Not listening,
Kaiya continued to follow the scent burning in her nostrils. “Here,” she said,
stopping near a pile of rubble. It stretched on for several feet, loose rocks
combined with packed ice. A faint trail remained visible where the stones had
slid to their current position.

“What happened
here?” Tashi asked. Placing her foot against the fallen stones, a shiver ran
through her body. Was this the magic Kaiya spoke of?

Kneeling on tired
knees, Kaiya ran her fingers over the rubble, a silver light trailing behind
them. “These are the remains of an avalanche,” she announced. A nearly
undetectable energy remained, causing her fingers to tingle.

“So what?” Raad
asked. “This part didn’t do any damage. It’s the debris closer to the mine that
caused the most harm.”

“I understand
that,” she replied, her patience wearing thin. “This may have done no damage,
but there is magic behind it.”

“What does that
mean?” Tashi wondered. “Is that the cause of any avalanche?” This discovery had
her questioning what she had believed was a natural occurrence.

Lowering herself,
Kaiya laid her head sideways upon the rocks, the searing cold finding its way
through her cheek and into her throat. Behind it was a distinct presence—unseen,
unheard. A sensation of falling through the earth flashed in her mind,
prompting her to pull away from the rocks. Sitting up with a jolt, she said,
“This was not the work of nature. Not at all.”

The fine hairs on
the back of Tashi’s neck stood up, a shiver racing along her spine.
What
have I done?
From the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a shadow move.
When none of the others acknowledged it, she questioned whether it was her
imagination.

“Who caused it,
then?” Galen asked. Only an earth mage of incredible power could summon an
avalanche. Unless there were darker forces at work—ancient ones.

Tashi looked away,
avoiding eye contact with any of her companions. Kaiya made note of her action
but did not draw attention to it. Her revelation had clearly unnerved the
priestess.

She knows more
than she’s saying,
Kaiya suspected.
But
how is that possible?
Tashi had no magical talents, Kaiya was certain of
it. This work was far too complicated for a mere mortal. What Kaiya sensed in
the rubble was a force unknown, one of tremendous strength. This was only the
beginning of what it could do.

“There is great
danger here,” the sorceress said. “This avalanche was intentional, and the
being who caused it is angry.” To Raad, she asked, “Is there any plan in place
for evacuation of the camps?”

He stammered over
his words. “You’ll have to speak to the foreman about that,” he finally managed
to say. Mines normally had an emergency evacuation plan for the miners, but for
a camp this size full of women and children, he wasn’t sure.

Looking back to the
rocks, she said, “Maybe it won’t come to that.” There was still more to
investigate, and she had yet to set foot inside the mine. Her vision showed her
deep within the mountain as well as at its summit. “Tashi, do your people have
any tales of magical beings who can cause rockslides or earthquakes?”

The priestess
searched her memory but found nothing. “I have not heard such a tale,” she
replied. Glancing up toward the stars, she said, “The mountain is angry.”
Feeling smaller than ever before, she wanted to run into the night and hide
herself. Eyes stared through her in the darkness—knowing eyes.

“Who angered it?”
Galen asked.

Tashi looked away,
her fingers trembling as she crossed her arms and squeezed them to her body.
She couldn’t tell them the truth. What would they do if they knew she had awakened
this evil?

“If it gets angrier
and the tremors get worse, then all dwarven lands might be in danger,” Galen
pointed out. “It could even reach the Vale.” Nestled at the base of the
Wrathful Mountains, the home of his people could be the next victim of
rockslides, should this being decide to intensify its attacks.

“It’s the miners’
fault,” Tashi spat, attempting to assuage her guilt. “They dug too deep and
angered the mountain’s heart.” It was as good an explanation as any. With no
magic of her own, how could she have summoned this evil?
I don’t have that
power
, she tried to convince herself. Though she wanted to believe that,
she could not. She had seen the shadows and felt the dark presence. She was to
blame.

“Now hold on
there,” Raad said, waving his finger. “You can’t blame us for this.”

“It isn’t the
mountain that’s angry,” Kaiya said. Her tone softened as she observed the
priestess’s discomfort. “It’s something else, maybe something that’s a part of
the mountain itself.” She couldn’t be sure at this point. For one brief
instant, she sensed the presence again, but it disappeared too quickly for any
spell to take effect. Whatever it was, it was nearer now than before.

Rubbing her eyes, Kaiya
tried to shake off her fatigue. “I guess it’s time we get some sleep,” she
said, her mind too clouded to concentrate.

“Time for some
ale,” Raad replied. “You up for a trip to the tavern, Mr. Elf?”

“Sounds great,”
Galen replied.

“I’ll come as
well,” Kaiya said, to the surprise of her male companions. “I’ll never get to
sleep without a drink.”

“I thought you were against drinking,” Raad said.

“I’m not against it,” she corrected him. “What I’m
against is drinking to the point of acting like an idiot, and I don’t think one
should drink at every opportunity. I just need enough to help me get a little
sleep tonight.” Without it, she feared her mind would never stop pondering over
the magic in the rubble. She needed rest if she was going to function the next
day.

“Come along then,” the miner said cheerfully. “You
too?” he asked Tashi.

“No,” she replied. “I’d like to sleep now.”

“Suit yourself,” he
said.

Her head held low,
Tashi made her way down the path to the barracks Raad had pointed out. No one
was inside, only silence. Choosing a bed near the wall, she climbed into it and
drew the blankets up to her chin.

Since the death of
her sister, she had not slept through a night. Her sleep was constantly
disrupted by visions and strange noises, and the memory of death. A wave of
pain traveled through her body, every muscle screaming with fatigue. She wished
she’d thought to bring a sleep tonic. This strange place would offer little
rest.

Nearly drifting off
to sleep, the sound of an infant crying startled her back awake. Looking around
the unfamiliar room, she reminded herself that her niece was not here. She was in
the care of the doula, and she was safe. Tashi had to believe the girl was all
right. But she had left her behind, so how could she be sure? The thought
weighed heavily on her mind.

Closing her eyes,
she lay back and steadied her breathing. H
er sister’s face gazed down at
her from somewhere high above. Tashi could see the outline of a scowl on the
young woman’s lips. “Are you angry with me?” she whispered to the darkness.

The vision said nothing.

“You are ashamed of me for running away,” Tashi
said, sobbing. “I could not stay. It was too dangerous for our people.”

Her sister remained silent.

“I might do some good here,” Tashi said, hoping to
convince her. “Maybe this sorceress can find a way to save our children and
ensure our future.”

Annin’s visage faded away, leaving Tashi alone in
the dark. “Sister!” she cried, her arms reaching out. No one was there to take
them. Heartbroken, she buried her face in her pillow and wept.

* * * * *

A hush fell over the tavern patrons as the unusual guests entered. Two dwarves
followed by an elf proceeded to the bar, their footsteps the only sound to be
heard. No one in the room, save Kaiya and Raad, had ever laid eyes on an elf.
Not a single man here had traveled beyond the mountains.