The Wrathful Mountains (14 page)

Before her eyes flashed a series of images: three
distinct locations high in the mountains. Again and again, the images repeated
themselves, the runes flashing before her upon a sea of red. “Dwarf’s Heart,”
Kaiya whispered to the wind. Closing her eyes, she sucked air deep into her
lungs. “Now I understand.”

R
ubbing her
eyes, Kaiya studied the scene before her. No more visions—she saw only the
landscape as it had been when she sat down. Hope entered her heart, a feeling
of peace she had not expected. The wind had revealed its full knowledge of the
Gawr, and the method for besting it. Using the same technique the Ancients
taught the Ulihi, Kaiya could set this right.

Taking one step
forward, she stumbled, the earth beneath her giving way. Grasping at the edge
of the sinkhole, she summoned the wind to lift her over the side. Rocks slid
away beneath her fingers, but she did not lose her grip. The wind obeyed,
lightening her load and allowing her to lift herself out.

A searing heat rose
through her body, the red eyes of the Gawr upon her. It knew what the wind
knew, and it would use any means to stop Kaiya. The wind tousled her violet
locks as she projected with her mind,
I’m coming for you.
Swallowing her
fear, she summoned the wind to shield her. The Gawr must not follow her steps.
She would never make it up the mountainside if it did. Rock slides and tremors
would make the journey impossible.

But how much power
did the Gawr truly have? After all, it was not fully awake. The process to
restrain it took time, and Kaiya hoped she would have enough. If it was beyond
the Ancients to defeat this creature, it was surely beyond her. Only the power
of the runes would send this monster to its rest.

Carefully making
her way back to the village, Kaiya kept her focus on her feet. With the wind as
her companion, she monitored the ground, looking for the first sign of an
attack. The Gawr would not feel her footsteps, but it knew where she would go.
There was no time to lose. She must act before it could.

The camp was
bustling with activity, men and loaded wagons heading in all directions. She
stopped a passing child to ask, “Have you seen the elf and the Ulihi woman?” It
was all the description necessary.

“Sure have!” the
boy replied. “They’re over by the Dwarf’s Heart cutters.”

“And where is that
exactly?” she asked.

“Head down this
path,” the boy said, pointing ahead. “Go to the end, and make a right. It’s the
third shop on your right.” He beamed with pride, happy to be of help.

“Thanks,” Kaiya
said. She hurried along the road, dodging a cartload of linens and earning a
few choice words from its driver. Paying him no heed, she continued following
the boy’s directions. To her delight, she could clearly see Tashi, seated on a
low wooden stool.

The priestess stood
at the dwarf’s approach. “Did you learn anything?” she asked.

“I did,” Kaiya
replied. “Where is Galen?”

“Raad brought us
here so the elf could work with the gem cutters,” Tashi said. “He’s in the
workshop.” Motioning for Kaiya to follow, she pulled open the door.

Several work
stations awaited inside, manned by busy dwarves scrutinizing the gems before
them. Each man held a magnifying glass, his face pressed close to the unrefined
mineral.

“I guess this is
where they prepare the Dwarf’s Heart before sending it to the elves,” Kaiya
commented.

“Your elf friend
says these red rocks hold magical powers,” Tashi replied. “He was excited to
come here.”

“Why didn’t you
come inside with him?” Kaiya wondered.

“I prefer not to be
confined with so many…people,” she said.

“You mean dwarves?”
the sorceress asked with a smile.

Tashi did not
reply. She did not wish to offend Kaiya, whose company she found pleasant. But
a room full of dwarf men, all obsessed with shiny trinkets, was not somewhere
she wanted to be for long. Besides, she had no interest in the gemstones.
Having no practical use, they were of no value to the Ulihi.

A loud gasp from
Kaiya stopped Tashi in her tracks, her hand gripping tightly to her staff.
“What is it?” she asked.

Clapping her hands
over her mouth, Kaiya slowly approached one of the work stations. Behind the
table, Galen gave a cheerful wave.

“Your hair,” Kaiya
said, her hands slowly sliding from her lips. “What? Who?”
Her words
tripped over her tongue and landed hard against the back of her teeth.

“I’m going for a
new look,” Galen replied, running his fingers through his dark hair. What had
once cascaded down his back, landing at his waist, was now cropped close to his
scalp. “Do you like it?”

Still stuttering,
she replied, “It’s certainly different.”

“That’s just the
look I was going for,” he replied cheerfully. “Come and see what else I’ve
done.”

Still staring at
his hair, she approached the work table and observed his hands. He clutched a
small bit of stone in one hand, the other covered in dirt from his work. When
he held the item up for her to observe, her mouth dropped open. Inlaid within
the stone was a rune, fashioned in the same blood red color she had seen in her
vision. Magic gleamed on the rune’s surface.

“It’s the symbol
for air,” he said, passing her the stone. “I made it for you.”

The rune stone
tingled in her hand, its magic warming her fingers. At a loss for words, she
held the stone toward the light to observe it better.

“I made it from one
of the spent stones of the rock beast,” Galen explained. “The inlay is Dwarf’s
Heart.” Dusting his hands and wiping them on his pants, he added, “Its magic
will give you strength, should you ever go where the wind can’t watch over
you.”

Kaiya felt a lump
rise in her throat. Not only had a great deal of effort gone into this gift, a
great deal of coin had too. Dwarf’s Heart was not easily purchased by any but
the wealthiest of nobles.
Immediately, she knew the real reason he had
cut his hair. He traded it to Daro, who believed in its magical properties. It
was the only way Galen could afford the painite. “Thank you,” she managed to
say, clutching the gift in her hand.

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you,” the elf
said.

Her eyes wet, Kaiya could only nod. His words were
absolutely true. He would do anything she asked. That included waiting in the
background while she decided whether she wanted to continue their relationship.
It would be easier to be selfish if he wasn’t so understanding. Be that as it
may, Kaiya was a student of the wind. She loved Galen, but she wasn’t certain
it was the same love he felt for her. Would he be content to remain friends for
centuries, never expecting more? Or would he eventually decide she wasn’t worth
his affections and leave her to pursue a new love? Only time would tell, but
his loyal nature and cheerful outlook on life would likely stop him from ever
turning his back on her.

Gently stroking the side of his face, she sniffled
twice before saying, “Your new look is wonderful.”

His eyes danced with delight. The two shared a
bond that went far beyond the surface. No cosmetic changes could ever change
such deep affection.

“This is the kindest thing you could have given
me, and I will treasure it.” Kaiya couldn’t resist an attempt at seeing inside
his mind. Not enough to reveal his secrets, but only to glimpse his heart.
Though her skill was slight, and his elven mind was well-shielded, she felt a
deep sense of love. To her relief, it did not speak of longing or yearning for
something more. Galen expected no more from their relationship than what it
currently was, and Kaiya found herself at ease.

Disconnecting herself from his mind, she smiled at
her friend. Here stood her soul mate, the one who would stand at her side until
all things came to an end. The two understood each other in a way that was
almost impossible. Whether in this realm or the next, the two would remain
together for all time.

A gentle wind made its way through the window and
danced upon her skin. Caressing her with its gentle hand, it blessed her with
its warmth. Squeezing the stone in her hand, she felt it alive with magical
energy—a kiss from the wind to seal the elven magic inside it.

“Were you able to learn any more about the Gawr?”
Galen asked.

“Yes,” Kaiya said, coming back to reality. “I saw
the destruction the Gawr can cause, and I saw the Ancients repairing the
damage. Apparently it’s a cycle, one that has gone on for millennia.”

“Did you find a way control it?” Galen asked.

“I think so,” Kaiya
replied. “The Ancients visited the Ulihi. I saw it in my vision.” To Tashi, she
said, “Your people were tasked with keeping the Gawr under control. It was a
High Priestess I saw learning from the Ancients.”

“This knowledge wasn’t passed to me,” Tashi said.
Searching her mind, she wondered if her mother had been aware of this when she
served as High Priestess. If so, she never acted upon it in Tashi’s lifetime.
“I must make this right.”

“You will,” Kaiya said. Of that she had no doubt.
Reaching for a quill on the table before her, Kaiya drew out the runes she had
seen the Ancients scrawl in the dirt. “Do you recognize these?”

Tashi shook her head.

“I do,” Galen said. “They translate to silence,
stillness, and rest.”

“These runes are
the key to keeping the Gawr sealed away,” Kaiya said. “It must not be
allowed
to awaken fully. Once it is back asleep, it will stop sending its rock
creatures, and the world will be safe.”

“Won’t it wake again at some point?” Galen asked.
“No offense, Tashi, but your people are few, and you said no children have
survived infancy. The Ulihi can’t be expected to fulfill this obligation for
eternity.”

“We will survive,” Tashi stated firmly.
“Neglecting this duty could explain why our gods abandoned us. Once it is
complete, our children might survive.” For the first time since Annin’s death,
Tashi felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe this was why the gods ignored her prayers.
“Let me come with you,” she said to Kaiya. “Whatever you need, I will do it.”
This could be her chance to atone for her sin. She woke this creature, and now
she would send it back to its rest. With luck, it would please the gods and
bring the Ulihi back in their favor. Afterward, her people could punish her as
they saw fit, likely banning her from the village. As long as her sister’s
child was safe, then her own fate was irrelevant.

“You may come,” Kaiya replied. “I doubt the
journey will be easy. We must travel light and leave as soon as possible.”
Narrowing her eyes at Galen, she asked, “I don’t suppose you could save me a
trip and carve these runes with enough power to bind the Gawr, could you?”

Galen shook his
head. “I wish I could,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s far beyond my skill. Even
Trin, with his lifetime of experience, doesn’t have the power to do something
like that.” The Ancients had crafted the runes that would subdue the Gawr, and
Galen couldn’t begin to compare with their power.

“It was worth a
try,” Kaiya replied with a shrug. She wondered briefly if the elves of the
isles, the ones who worked with Dwarf’s Heart, might have such skill. Finding
out, however, would take far too long, and time was not on her side. The Gawr’s
power grew daily.

“I’d like to come along as well,” the elf
announced. Wishing he could justify the desire, he found no good reason for
offering his presence.

“You must stay behind,” Kaiya insisted. “If we
fail, you can reach out to the Westerling Elves. Perhaps they can succeed if we
don’t.”

Despite his desire to protest, Galen knew the
journey would be dangerous, and Kaiya would need all her skills focused on
completing the task. The last thing she needed was him getting hurt and needing
rescue. He had no skills for battle, and his knowledge of the mountains was
limited. He would only slow her down. Nodding, he replied, “I will do that.
Make sure you come back in one piece.”

“That’s the plan,” Kaiya said, a half-smile
appearing on her face. Taking a piece of parchment, she drew a crude map of the
areas she had seen in her vision. “Any of these look familiar?” she asked
Tashi.

Studying the map a moment, Tashi began to
recognize the area. “Yes,” she said. “I know of the paths.” Handing the map
back to Kaiya, she added, “I admit that I’ve never stood upon those peaks. I
can find the path for us, but I can’t say what lies at the end of it.”

“Luckily I’ve seen what awaits us,” Kaiya said. “Stones
containing the runes we require were placed there by the Ancients.” The rune
stones had to still be there. If they had been destroyed, there was no hope
left. She could only trust that the Ulihi had simply forgotten their duty, rather
than being forced to abandon it because the runes were no longer available.

“What do we do with the stones?” Tashi asked.

“I will call upon lightning to reignite the
runes,” the sorceress explained. “Lightning is the world’s own energy, and it
will rekindle the magic that has faded.”

“Then I don’t understand how a High Priestess was
charged with this task,” Tashi replied. “We have no true magic to do as you
say.”

“I believe you once did,” Kaiya replied. “And you
will again.” The face of Tashi’s niece flashed in her mind. “Or at least some
of you will.”

“Annin’s daughter,” Tashi whispered. The
sorceress’s face revealed everything. “She will have the power to do this.”

Kaiya gave a single nod as Tashi closed her eyes
to process the information. A mixture of pride and sorrow swept over her. Pride
in the child who would become what she could not, but sorrow that Annin had not
lived to see it. “Magic will return to the Ulihi,” she said. “How was it lost?
And who was the last to have it?”