The Wrathful Mountains (18 page)

“No,” Daro replied.
“You did what you could. There weren’t enough perfect gems there to work with.
It was better to try the flawed ones than nothing at all.”

Nodding slowly,
Galen said, “I suppose you’re right.” He had used every speck of painite in the
workshop, no matter how small. Those who received the flawless gems would
recover. The others might not be so lucky. His mind turned to Kaiya and the
rune stone he’d given her. “The gems I bought for Kaiya, were they flawless?”

“Of course,” Daro
replied. “That was a good trade. You won’t get any tricks out of me. Elf hair
of that quality was worth the finest painite I could find.”

Galen took solace
in those words. At the very least, Kaiya’s rune stone should function properly.
That was assuming he had crafted it correctly. The painite was difficult to
work with, and that had been his first attempt.

“What happens if we
take the working trinkets from the dwarves who are starting to recover?” Daro
asked. “We could use them for the ones who haven’t woke yet.”

“That’s a brilliant
idea,” Galen said, wondering why he hadn’t thought of it. Even if the patients
weren’t fully recovered, they were better off than many others who were still
lying unconscious. Maybe the runes could not heal them, but it could help them
on their way.

The two busied
themselves swapping out enchanted items and inspecting them for their quality.
By the time they had revisited all three hospitals, most of the patients were
beginning to recover. All still had a long road ahead of them, but the Dwarf’s
Heart had worked its magic. No more lives would be lost.

“Now, can you carve
us something that will prevent more rockslides?” Daro asked.

“I wish I could,”
Galen replied.

“Then maybe you can
make us men strong enough to hold back the mountain when it starts crashing
down again.” Daro knew the comment was silly. If the elf had that kind of
power, they wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.

Galen’s only
response was to look at the dwarf and sigh. “I have a lot more studying to do,”
he said. “I wish there were books here, old ones.”

“You’ll have to
travel to the king’s library,” Daro said. “The Royal University is the only
place in all the mountains where you can study any subject besides metallurgy.
We don’t have many scholars around here, in case you couldn’t tell.” He smiled
at the elf, hoping to ease his burden. “You’ve already done a lot for us, and
your friend is out there trying to fix the rest.”

“I’d like to see
that library,” Galen said. If Kaiya was successful, he just might get the
chance. Dwarf’s Heart had magical properties, and it was likely the Enlightened
Elves knew what they were. He would need to travel to their islands as well,
once his studies among the dwarves were finished. Bringing this knowledge to
the world would be his life’s work.

Runes held more
power than anyone had imagined. More than enchantments for weapons and tools,
they had the potential to make the world whole again. It was a lesson the
Ancients had tried to teach their descendants when they used runes to subdue
the Gawr. Too many centuries had passed, and too much had been forgotten, but the
mountain itself remembered.

K
aiya remained
still, holding her body as close to the cliff as she could. For what seemed an
eternity, massive quantities of snow and ice continued to rain down. She hoped
the overhang was strong enough to withstand the barrage. Otherwise, she too
might find herself buried alive.

Finally the
rumbling stopped, as did the sliding snow. Scrambling back up the cliff, Kaiya
found herself knee-deep in white, surprisingly less than she had expected. The
momentum of the avalanche had forced most of the bulk over the edge, leaving
the area traversable.

Somewhere beneath
the ice lay Tashi, and Kaiya would not leave her behind. A flash of silver
swirled in her eyes, sparks appearing in her upturned palms. Reaching out for
the priestess’s mind, she located her missing companion. Targeting the snow
that concealed her, she unleashed the heat in her hands. Layer by layer the
snow melted away, revealing a beaded headdress.

Ceasing her spell,
Kaiya dropped to her knees and brushed the snow away. It was Tashi, and she was
in one piece. Placing her head to her chest, she heard the sound of a beating
heart. Cradling her companion in her arms, she forced the heat from the air and
channeled it through Tashi’s body.

A surge of warmth
came over the priestess, her muscles aching as they thawed. Her eyes opened to
see a mass of purple hair swirling on the wind. She pulled herself away from
the sorceress. “I am alive,” she said, stunned.

“Yes, you are,”
Kaiya replied.

“You came back for
me,” the priestess said. She was insignificant. Only Kaiya’s journey mattered.
“Why did you not go on?”

“Because I had to
find you,” Kaiya answered, confused. Why shouldn’t she return for her companion
and guide? The two had developed a friendship, at least she felt they had. “I
couldn’t live with myself if I left a friend behind.”

“What if I had been
dead?” Tashi wondered.

“You weren’t,”
Kaiya replied. “Can you walk?”

Tashi nodded.
Taking in her surroundings, she said, “We’ve lost the path.” All around her was
buried in a fresh layer of snow. One area looked identical to the next.

“We need to descend
a bit,” Kaiya said. “After that, I’ll have to rely on the wind to point us in
the right direction.” The wind had given her the vision of the locations she
was to visit, so it had to know the quickest way to get there. “Hold onto my
arm,” she said.

Silver magic
engulfed the women as they stood side by side. “We have to step over the edge,”
Kaiya said. “Hang onto me, and don’t be frightened.”

To her surprise,
Tashi felt no fear. Together the pair stepped off the cliff’s edge, and should
have plummeted to their demise. But an invisible force guided their descent,
cradling them as they flew.
This must be what it feels like to ride upon the
clouds,
Tashi thought.

Twenty or thirty
minutes passed, Tashi could not be sure. Still they floated along, drifting eastward.
The landscape before her became familiar, and she knew the rune stone drew
near. Finally, the wind placed the women gently on the ground, both needing a
moment to regain their balance.

“Could you have
used this magic to take us to the summit?” Tashi wondered. It had taken some
time to travel on foot, time that could have been saved had they used the wind
for travel.

“Working against
gravity takes a lot more power than working with it,” Kaiya replied. “So the
short answer is no.” Even a mistress of air had her limits.

“I see the path,”
Tashi said, inclining her head. “It might take two days, maybe more, to reach
the rune stone.”

“That will give me
time to recover,” Kaiya said. The Gawr was angry, and it wasn’t going down
without a fight. If her stores were replenished by then, she might stand a
chance against her foe.

A slow march lay
ahead of them, with piles of debris—both small and large—hindering their
progress. Neither complained, but both longed to find the third rune stone and
complete their mission. Every obstacle felt like a nail through Kaiya’s body,
but she gritted her teeth and pressed on. The journey would not break her.

With the wind at
their backs, they followed the path, straying at times to avoid debris. Tashi
mourned the loss of a copse of evergreens, hundred-year-old trees flattened by
the Gawr’s wrath. These trees provided homes for birds and furred creatures,
and had earned the respect of her people. The Gawr had no right to harm them.

Nearly three days
passed before the travelers came within sight of their destination. Neither had
slept more than an hour at a time, instead choosing to use small bursts of
magic to revitalize them. It was a small price to pay, and the wind graciously
stayed by Kaiya’s side, feeding her the power she needed to continue.

Cautiously
following the path to the rune stone, the priestess could smell danger. “It’s
guarded,” she said, barring Kaiya’s path.

Kaiya already knew.
She sensed the magic of the stone, as well as the presence of creatures
conjured by dark magic. A tingle ran through her body, and she shuddered,
knowing a fight lay ahead. “How many do you see?” she asked.

“Many,” Tashi
replied. “They have the shrine surrounded. At least five of them, creatures of
stone.” Barely able to believe her eyes, she looked upon the beasts. Two stood
on four legs, one on three, and a biped stood guard at the end of the path.
Another sat low to the ground, with what appeared to be several appendages
along each side of its elongated torso. “I will distract them,” she offered.
“When they come for me, you can call down the lightning.”

Kaiya admired her
friend’s bravery. “It’s far too dangerous,” she said. Besides, the beasts were
looking for a sorceress. Tashi wouldn’t fool them for long. The Gawr would know
who the real threat was, and it would direct its minions to Kaiya. “Try to stay
behind me, and watch out for any flying debris,” she warned.

Turning her palms
upward, she reached into the power of the wind. Sparks flew from her fingertips
as she loosed a blast of energy toward the rock beasts. The counterforce of the
blast unsteadied her, but she fought it, remaining on her feet. A flash of
silver in her eyes, she watched as the spell flew forward.

No effect.

The wave passed
over the creatures with a blurring of the light, but it did not faze them.
Still as statues, they remained unharmed. Kaiya looked at her hands, wondering
if she’d made a mistake. Shaking the thought away, she tried again, this time
calling to the skies. The clouds rushed together, darkening and flashing with
power. Two bolts of lightning, one immediately following the other, landed in
the midst of the stone beasts. Snow and rubble freed by the blast pelted the
beasts, but still they remained unmoving, their cold demeanor unshaken.

“They’ve grown
stronger,” Tashi whispered. “You have to get near the rune stone. Let me help
you.”

Taking in a deep
breath, Kaiya reluctantly agreed. If the rune were activated, the Gawr might
begin to weaken, as would his creations. “This will protect you,” she said.
Summoning her power, she cast a shield of silver to protect her friend from
harm. It was only a temporary measure, and it could be broken, but it was the
best protection she could offer.

“I’ll get their
attention while you make it to the rune stone,” Tashi said. Looking toward her
enemy, she saw her own fear. A shudder raced through her body, but she forced
it away.
I must do this,
she told herself, the face of Annin’s child
coming to the front of her mind. The child’s future was at stake.

Moving in a wide
arc, Tashi ran toward the beasts, nearing each one before pulling away. The
magic of her shield caught their attention, drawing them away from their fixed
positions. Their movements clumsy, Tashi felt a surge of confidence. She was
nimble and quick. These lumbering hulks could not catch her.

Weaving between the
legs of the tall biped, she darted off to the left. Its arm came down far too
late—she had already made it to safety. Somersaulting beneath a quadruped, she
drew it away from the rune stone. With an exhilarated leap, she landed on the
back of the centipede creature, its torso twisting violently in an attempt to
shake her off. The quadruped in pursuit tripped on one of the centipede’s legs,
but Tashi hurried on, sprinting to a safe distance. Behind her she heard a
crash as the beasts fell, entangled.

Tashi continued her
flight, a proud smile on her face. All of the beasts were in pursuit, save the
two who still struggled to right themselves. From the corner of her eye, she
glimpsed her companion dashing toward the rune stone, sparks flying from her
fingertips.

The presence of
strong magic forced the rock beasts away from their prey, their new target identified.
Tashi shouted and threw herself among them, hoping to draw their attention, but
to no avail. Bound for the sorceress, the creatures had no further interest in
Tashi.

Ignoring everything
but the rune stone, Kaiya approached the pillar. A single chipped stone stood
perched at the top of an obelisk. Its position was impossible, held in place by
an unseen force. There was no time to investigate. Unleashing the magic in her
hands, Kaiya slammed the rune with a blast of lightning, its deep-red center
erupting in a firestorm. A flame of red light burst from the stone, two lines
forming in the direction of the other runes. For miles it stretched, connecting
the three points of power. Red fire pulsated along each beam of light, the sorceress’s
bones rattling in response. Ancient magic had been unleashed, and it buried itself
inside her soul.

Sprinting toward
her was Tashi, her shield entirely depleted. She quickly caught her breath and shouted,
“We’re trapped!” The beasts had them surrounded.

“No,” Kaiya
replied, anger flashing in her eyes. Planting her feet firmly in the snow, she
focused her mind to the red lights extending from the rune. Summoning her
magic, her eyes flashed red.

The stone beasts, oblivious
to the danger, continued their approach. As they closed in, Kaiya unleashed her
fury. Blasting energy into the lights, she tapped into the magic of the
Ancients. A massive explosion threw her backward.

In a flash of red,
the rock beasts were struck. Bursting on impact, their forms shattered sending
fragments of stone raining down on the sorceress. Her skin stung from repeated
impacts as the rubble continued to rain. Shielding her eyes, she scanned the
area for Tashi, who had been tossed in the opposite direction.

Kaiya scrambled
toward the rune to find Tashi already back on her feet. A deep groaning sound
echoed in their ears, the two women clutching each other as they stared
straight ahead. The wind swirled before them, gaining speed and lifting the
shattered pieces of the stone beasts into the air. Kaiya did not understand.
How could the Gawr manipulate the wind? Why would it obey? The answers would
have to wait.

Faster and faster
the cyclone swirled, smashing stones against the mountainside and reducing them
to dust. The pair dropped to their knees to avoid being crushed.

“Can you stop it?”
Tashi shouted.

In her mind Kaya
pleaded with the wind. Holding her palms outward, she demanded the cyclone
stop. It did not. A flash of silver projected from her eyes, the veins in her
head throbbing. Pulling deep into her magical stores, she forced the wind to
obey. The cyclone continued to whirl, but it held its distance, moving away
from the crouched pair.

A warm trickle of
blood slid from Kaiya’s nose, making its way to her lips. Pain reverberated
through her body, her heart pounding in her chest. Feeling as if her lungs
would burst, the sorceress began to cough. “I can’t hold it,” she choked out.

Seeing her friend’s
distress, Tashi yanked the sorceress to safety behind the pillar where the rune
stone still burned brightly. Unhindered, the cyclone renewed its fury, striking
the pillar and pounding it with stones.

“What if the pillar
is destroyed?” Tashi shouted over the roar of the wind.

Leaning on one elbow,
Kaiya lifted her hand. This had to end, one way or another. She did not know if
the pillar could survive the barrage; it was up to her to protect it. With her
remaining magic, she forced the air around her into an oval-shaped shield. It
glowed with a dim silver light, her stores draining fast. With barely enough
strength left to stand, she allowed her companion to pull her to her feet.

Tashi’s dark eyes
looked into Kaiya’s, both knowing what they had to do. With a single nod, the
priestess stepped within the shield and pulled her companion close. In a quick
motion, she forced them both into the path of the Ancient magic.

Red and silver
sparks exploded in all directions, the two women flying over the edge of the
plateau and tumbling down the mountainside. The cyclone was hit in a massive
explosion, sending out a shower of blood-red dust that stained the snow for a
mile in all directions. The rune stone remained unharmed.

Groaning in pain,
Kaiya could barely move. Every muscle and bone ached, the absolute exhaustion
of her ordeal crashing down on her.