The Wrathful Mountains (2 page)

Somewhere deep in the mountain, an ancient mind
began to stir.

H
igh in the
mountains, Kaiya stood with her eyes tightly shut, her arms outstretched.
Silver magic danced upon the palms of her hands, while her violet locks swayed
with the breeze. This was one of a choice few places where the dwarf woman
could find peace and meditate with the wind as her guide.

The silence of the
mountain caressed her, her skin tingling in response. Magic washed over her,
the element of air surrounding her body and filling her lungs. The soft
fragrance of mountain pine wafted to her nostrils, reminding her she was at
home. Here in the Wrathful Mountains was where she belonged.

Kaiya’s mind
drifted from village to village, from lower in the mountains to the king’s
throne farther north, and on to the very summit. Snow blanketed the farthest reaches,
concealing a mind that she had not sensed before. Curious, she focused her
magic to investigate it, but the presence was fleeting, disappearing into the
depths. Whatever it was, it had no desire to communicate with the sorceress.

Opening her gray eyes,
Kaiya witnessed the setting of the sun. A twinge of fear ran down her spine.
Something was hiding its thoughts from her. Something didn’t want to be seen.
Standing tall, the sorceress showed no sign of her anxiety. What did this
creature have to hide? Did it simply desire privacy, or did it fear her?
Do
not provoke me,
she projected with her mind. Whatever it was, it needed to
know that she would stand to protect her people, and she was not to be crossed.

Wrapping herself in
her woolen cloak, she turned her thoughts to the impending darkness. The first
stars appeared in the sky, the sun’s orange fire disappearing on the horizon.
Perfecting her circular arrangement of stones, she closed her eyes and focused
her magic to the south wind. Pulling its heat through her body, she placed a
hand upon the stones, spreading silver magic across their surfaces. A fire
roared to life—yellow at first, then deepening to red.

Hours of meditation
left Kaiya unable to sleep. She lay back, looking up at the stars. Silver
windows into the past shone down upon her, their secrets stretching back to
eternity. What had their eyes seen? Reaching out with her magic, the sorceress
attempted to find out. No matter how hard she tried, they remained elusive,
refusing to allow her entrance into their consciousness. They held fast to the
void, defying all worldly magic.
Someday…
she thought to herself.

This wasn’t the
first time Kaiya had attempted magic beyond her abilities. Growing up with no
magical being to guide her forced her to push her own limits. There was no one
to tell her she couldn’t.

Dwarves were not
known for their magical talents. With the rare exception of metalsmiths who
could carve the ancient runes, no dwarf practiced any sort of magic. Kaiya was
born different. She had a natural affinity for the element of air, and it had
shaped her entire life.

For many years,
Kaiya was an outcast among her kind. They thought of her as a witch, one who
would cast evil magic upon them should they allow her to live among them.
Unconcerned, Kaiya had pursued her magical studies on her own, learning from
the wind itself. She was content to live with her parents in their country home,
tending to the sheep and playing with her dogs.

The thought of her
beloved mother and father brought a tear to her eye, as did the thought of the
dogs she loved as her own children. All would perish in time, but Kaiya would
remain. Her magic was a gift, one that imbued her with the power of the
Ancients, blessing her with the gift of long life. She would live thousands of
years, until she chose to leave this world. Assuming, of course, she was not
killed by some other means. Disease and age could not harm her, and mundane
weapons were no match for her skills, even if she were attacked while sleeping.
Only magic posed any sort of threat, but there was little of that to encounter in
the mountains. At least that’s what she’d come to believe.

Kaiya had grown complacent
over the years. She practiced her skills daily, always eager to learn new
spells and perfect the ones she already knew. But there were no troubles in her
homeland that required her special attentions. For that, she would have to
travel the world, an ambition she held onto for another day. Until her parents
were gone, she had no desire to leave the mountains. Unless, of course, she was
summoned. Her elven friends in the Vale below might require her assistance, and
she would go happily. But beyond that, she hoped not to travel away from the
mountains. There would be many years ahead and plenty of time to see the world.
For now, she was content staying close to home.

Over the years,
most dwarves had come to look on Kaiya with respect. Some still had their
reservations, but she had proved herself helpful on many occasions. Her magic
could help bring much-needed rain for their crops, and she had been of great
assistance when a magical plague descended on a nearby village. Word had spread
of her talents, and she’d even had the pleasure of an audience with the king.
Not that Kaiya cared much for royalty. Politics didn’t interest her in the
slightest, and she had no desire to join the ruling family.

As the moon made
its path across the sky, sleep still eluded the sorceress. She could not forget
about the presence she sensed in the mountain, a nagging feeling ever creeping
into her mind. Refusing to stand back up and try reaching out to it, she forced
herself to remain on the ground.
I have to get at least a few hours’ sleep
,
she told herself. Drawing energy from the air, she channeled her magic
throughout her body, encasing herself in a soft, white glow. Within minutes the
glow subsided, and the sorceress fell asleep.

A hazy vision of
her parents’ farm played out before her eyes. Two of her brothers tended the
flock, having returned home to aid their ailing father. Kaiya watched idly from
her seat beneath an oak tree, leaning against its wide trunk. Lazily she turned
a sphere of silver magic over in her fingers, its light dancing upon her skin.
Turning her gaze toward the mountain’s summit, she glimpsed a darkened figure,
its arms spread wide to the sky. As she pondered who this person might be, it
sank back into the depths, disappearing within the rocks.

Before her eyes,
the farmhouse disappeared, and she found herself standing high in the
mountains, her feet buried deep in snow. A wild wind blew around her, but it
carried no snowflakes nor the frigid chill of a mountain winter. Instead, tiny
pebbles drifted on the breeze, pelting her face and forcing her to shield her
eyes. Again a dark figure appeared in the distance, but as she stepped forward
to approach it, it sank into the stone.

Kaiya looked up to
the stars, but there was only darkness. A layer of dust and clouds hid the
light of the heavens from her view, and she strained her eyes to see past it.
Reaching out with magic, she felt only emptiness, and a chill ran through her
body. The ground beneath her feet groaned, a rumble becoming louder and more
intense as it continued. Without warning, the ground gave way, a deep chasm opening
in the mountain.

Down she fell,
grasping desperately at the edge of the rift. It was a futile effort. Her
fingers found only loose rock, and she slid, her breath stolen away in a single
gasp. Instinctively she called upon the wind, attempting to bend it to her
will. But she found nothing. There was no wind, only stillness.

A sense of panic
overcame the dwarf woman, her mind racing with spells she could not cast. How
could this happen? How could her magic fail her? She should be floating upward on
the air, not plunging deep inside the earth.

Crying out, Kaiya
tried to call upon the air, but her voice would not project. Instead, she heard
nothing but the beating of her own heart, thumping wildly as she continued to
fall. Dizziness came over her, the air escaping her lungs. All around her was
darkness, the mountain itself closing in on her. Bracing herself for what she
might see, she turned her eyes downward to peer into the abyss. Below was only
more darkness.

Never one to give
up, the sorceress continued to call upon her magic. Perhaps she could force the
air into this forbidden space. Pulling at the magic stored inside her, she felt
herself weakening, as if something were draining her powers, feasting on her
life force. Steeling her mind, she refused to be prey to the unseen entity.
There had to be a way out of this.

As she fell deeper
into the crevice, the rumbling grew louder. The walls trembled, shaking loose
bits of rock and dust that coated her face. Clawing at her face to wipe the
dirt away, she felt herself suffocating, buried alive within the rubble. Yet
still she continued to fall.

Flailing
desperately and nearing unconsciousness, Kaiya’s eyes spotted a tiny glint of
light. It took on a familiar shape, but she could not put a name to it. Forcing
herself to stay awake, she stared at the light as it came closer. It shone brighter
but still eluded her. If only she could grasp it, perhaps she would be saved.
Struggling to lift her arm, Kaiya found it far too heavy. Her arm had become a
part of the rock, and it would not obey her command. She stared at the light as
her eyes slid shut, her final sight that of its fading silver glow.

Bolting upright,
Kaiya woke from her dream and stared into the fire. Looking up to the sky, she
stared upon the same stars she had seen before falling asleep. The ground
beneath her trembled, and she braced herself, fearing the opening of the chasm
she had envisioned. Fortunately, no such event occurred. The trembling
subsided, and all was quiet once more.

Disturbed by her
dream, Kaiya hugged her knees to her chest. She stared into the darkness,
wondering what it could mean. Perhaps it was simply a product of her lack of
sleep, but it left her with a feeling that it was much more. A soft breeze
caressed her cheek, reminding her of its presence.
It was a message,
she
decided.

It was still an
hour before dawn, but Kaiya couldn’t wait. She extinguished the fire and took
one last look at the stars before heading back down the hill. Her mind
whirling, she marched toward home. Within an hour, she stood upon the hill
beside her family’s farm. The home where she had grown up quietly awaited her
arrival, smoke already drifting from the chimney. Kaiya’s own house stood a few
hundred yards behind it, her refuge from the world. The small cottage had been
lovingly built by her father nearly five years ago, after he decided she would
never choose a husband.

With a soft sigh,
Kaiya proceeded to her parents’ home and peeked inside the door. Her mother,
Kassie, busied herself in the kitchen despite the early hour. To Kaiya’s
surprise, her father, Darvil, sat in his favorite chair, a blanket over his lap.
Though he had grown thin and pale over the past two years, Kaiya still wasn’t
used to him not being able to work. Normally, he would already be out in the
fields, tending to the sheep. But the farm had proved too much for him in his
failing health. Swallowing the sharp pain that came into her throat, Kaiya
moved to her father’s side.

“How are you
feeling?” she asked.

“Never better,” he
replied, grinning.

She leaned in to
hug him, noticing more white lines in his thick, red beard. “I love you, Papa,”
she whispered before letting go. It seemed she couldn’t tell him those words enough
lately.

Kassie appeared in
the doorway, her gray hair pulled back into a neat bun. Holding a steaming bowl
of porridge in her hands, she asked, “Are you hungry, dear?”

Kaiya shook her
head and watched as her mother delivered the bowl to her father. “Careful, it’s
hot,” she said at the same time as her mother.

Darvil rolled his
eyes. “You two look alike, and now you sound alike,” he said, a playful tone to
his voice.

“What brings you
here so early?” Kassie asked, taking a seat. She patted the cushion next to
her, inviting her daughter to sit.

Kaiya remained
standing. “There’s trouble,” she began. “I don’t know what it is, but something
is happening.”

“Is it to do with
the tremors?” Kassie asked.

Surprised by the
response, Kaiya paused a moment. Her mother had always been intuitive, knowing
what Kaiya was up to sometimes before she was aware herself. The two had always
been close, but sometimes Kassie’s perceptions were eerily correct. “Yes,”
Kaiya finally replied. “I also had a disturbing dream, a gift from the wind.”

“Sounds like a gift
worth returning,” Darvil commented. “Why is it always your job to fix
everything?”

“Because my sweet
girl is special,” Kassie answered, her eyes twinkling.

“If I didn’t help
when it was needed, I wouldn’t be your daughter,” Kaiya said. Her father was a
kind-hearted man, always willing to lend a hand to the other farmers when they
needed it. The lesson hadn’t been lost on his only daughter. “I might have to
go away for a few days,” she continued. “I have to figure out what’s going on.”
If her dream was correct, she might have to travel high into the mountains.
“Will you take care of my dogs while I’m away?” she asked.

“Of course,” her
mother replied.

Leaning in, Kaiya
kissed both her parents before heading out. In the fields, she spotted her two
eldest brothers. They had arrived last year to tend the farm in their father’s
stead. Kaiya loved the farm, but she was no farmer. Her knowledge of
agriculture was lacking, but she was able to shift the winds favorably to bring
the rains as needed. It was the least she could do.