The Wrathful Mountains (9 page)

Looking into the
distance, Kaiya could not resist a brief pause to admire the view. A gentle mist
settled throughout the mountains on her right, as they spread endlessly into
the shadows. A land wholly unspoiled by the touch of the dwarves, her heart
yearned to explore it. This, however, was not the time. Her vision played over
in her mind, telling her that there were other sights still to be seen.

“I think it’s
getting colder,” Galen commented, pulling his cloak nearer his skin. He glanced
skyward, puzzled at the drop in temperature. This should have been the warmest
time of day, especially judging by the thin layer of melting ice atop the
snowfall.

Grabbing Tashi’s
arm, Kaiya stopped her from going any farther. She held up a hand for the
others to stop as well before turning her ear to the wind, a voice wafting
clearly toward her.

“Something is out there,”
she said.

“Y
ou see
something?” Raad asked, squinting his eyes and craning his neck. Whatever Kaiya
was seeing, the miner was not.

“I didn’t see it,”
the sorceress replied. “I felt it.” Tuning her mind to the snow-covered path
before them, she searched for whatever was watching. This was entirely
different from the presence she had sensed before. This creature was also angry,
but it was far less powerful.

“There!” Galen
shouted, pointing toward the tree line. Outlined against the green boughs and
powdery snow, the shape of a face came into view, its dark hair and eyes
unmistakable against the backdrop.

“I don’t see
anything,” Tashi said, still straining to see.

“I thought I did,
but it’s gone,” Raad said.

“Not gone,” Kaiya
said. “She’s moving closer.” The presence was distinctly female, both angry and
woeful.
Who are you?
she projected with her mind.

No answer.

Trying again, the
sorceress sent her message along the wind.
Who are you? How did you come to
this pass? Do you need help?

Silence.

“I see her!” Tashi
shouted, pointing to a new location. The eyes stared out at the travelers, a
hint of longing written within them.

Shutting her eyes,
Kaiya waited, her ears hearing nothing but the wind. Finally, a voice drifted
softly along an icy breeze.

Who am I? One
who is lost. You are the help I seek.

Kaiya’s eyes shot
open, the woman’s words echoing in her ears. There was malice behind them, her
true intent uncertain.

“She’s moving
toward us,” Galen said.

Looking straight
ahead, the image of a woman in a flowing white robe appeared before them. She
floated above the snow, no visible feet touching the ground. Her body was
transparent, her form barely discernable in the distance. Softly, slowly, she
moved toward the travelers.

“A yukona,” Tashi
said, her voice cracking.

“Explain,” Kaiya
replied, keeping her eyes focused on the apparition.

“She is an ancient
spirit,” the priestess said. “The soul of one who died in this pass in a
snowstorm or avalanche, and she has remained trapped.”

“What does she
want?” Galen asked, fearing the answer.

“A host,” Tashi
replied. “She craves a mortal body that she might walk the earth once more.”

“Well, she can’t
have mine,” Raad said, readying himself for a fight.

“I doubt she’d want
it,” Galen replied. “She probably wants Kaiya or Tashi.”

“Male or female
doesn’t matter to her,” Tashi explained. “She is angry, and she will kill to
get what her heart desires.”

“Do you know how to
stop her?” Kaiya asked, fearing the answer.

“She can’t be
stopped,” Tashi replied. “We must outrun her.”

At those words the
group proceeded forward at a brisk pace, but they did not run. The yukona’s
movements were too unpredictable, and running could easily land them straight
in her clutches.

Fewer than a
hundred feet ahead, Tashi, who was in the lead, slammed into an unseen barrier,
landing hard on her back. Kaiya helped her to her feet and placed a palm
against the invisible wall.

“She’s erected some
kind of shield,” she announced. “We’ll have to find a way around it.”

The group spread
out, each of them running their hands along the barrier, searching for an
opening.

“Over here,” Raad
called.

The others joined
him, still guiding themselves with their hands. The wall was now on both sides
of them, a narrow hallway of magical barriers forcing them toward the trees.

“She’s funneling
us,” Kaiya muttered, her displeasure obvious.

The path grew
narrower, forcing them into single file. Kaiya took the lead, her eyes glowing
with silver magic. A piercing shriek sliced through their ears, their hands
instinctively reaching up to cover them.

Anger rose in the
sorceress, the magical barrier preventing her full contact with the wind.
Summoning her magical stores, she turned her palms outward, blasting energy at
the barrier. She could sense it weakening, the air surrounding it forcing the
walls outward. Another blast collapsed the shield, silver sparks raining where
the barrier had stood.

An ethereal face
appeared before Tashi, close enough she could have reached up and touched it.
In an instant, it disappeared, leaving no clue as to where it might have gone.

“Run!” the
priestess shouted.

This time, the
others obeyed. Dashing away from the trees, they ran for the center of the gap.
If the yukona wanted them near the trees, they would stay as far from them as
possible. Running through the clearing, all eyes ahead, they attempted to
outrun their hidden enemy. Raad lagged behind the others, but the touch of an
unseen hand on his shoulder prompted him to quicken his pace.

A second mournful wail
cut through the frigid air with a force great enough to knock the travelers off
their feet. The yukona hadn’t finished with these invaders. She needed one of
them to stay behind, to give her what she craved.

Kaiya rolled to her
feet, her hands lit with silver sparks. Summoning the wind, she allowed her
mind to travel on it, searching for the apparition. A single strand of dark
hair revealed itself, floating only a few feet above Tashi.

“Stay down!” the
sorceress shouted.

Tashi obeyed,
laying low to the ground. Kaiya unleashed an energy blast over the priestess’s
head, hitting the yukona in her midsection. The specter flew backward, doubling
over in surprise. Regaining her senses, her eyes flashed with anger. With blind
fury, she flew at the sorceress, her clawed fingers aimed for the kill.

Wasting no time,
Kaiya raised her hands to the sky, her hair swirling on an upward draft. The whirling
air intensified, lifting her feet slightly off the ground. Redirecting the
wind, she launched it forward, catching the yukona midair. The creature lurched
sideways, desperately clawing at the air, but to no avail.

Her eyes flashing
silver, Kaiya sent the cyclone along with the specter hurtling toward the
trees, rattling the boughs and forcing them aside. A shriek sounded in the
distance as the yukona was carried farther and farther away, fading into a
distant memory.

“Let’s get out of
here,” Kaiya said, dropping her hands to her sides.

“Will she come
after us?” Galen asked as the group started to run.

“I don’t want to
find out,” Raad answered.

In the distance,
Kaiya could still sense the yukona. She was angry and bitter, but she was not
in pursuit. The sorceress did not know whether such a creature could be
physically injured, but it didn’t matter. If she and her friends made it away
from the woods, they would likely be safe. The yukona was best left to her own
misery.

Ignoring their
rumbling stomachs and aching feet, the four of them moved on, hoping to put a
great distance between themselves and the apparition. It was hours before they
decided to pause for a rest and have a few bites to eat. The sun was already
moving behind the mountain, and the light was beginning to fade.

Passing around what
was left of her food, Kaiya urged her companions to eat quickly. “We need to
reach the mines by nightfall.”

“It might be best
to make camp here,” Raad suggested. “The sun disappears early up here.”

It was sound
advice, but Kaiya had had enough. And she wouldn’t risk the return of the
yukona. “It isn’t safe here,” she said. “We can’t stay.”

Not up for an
argument, Raad nodded. “How much farther, do you think?”

“We will arrive
tonight,” Tashi said, “but not before dark.”

“Then let’s get
moving,” the miner replied.

As they returned to
their feet, the ground trembled beneath them. The sound was quiet at first, but
crescendoed into a thundering roar.

“Another quake?”
Raad asked.

Tashi shook her
head. “Avalanche!” she cried, staring upward. Snow slid along the steep
embankment to their left. “Take cover!”

Their best bet for
cover was a series of large boulders, which they quickly darted behind. The
falling ice and snow crashed around them, losing speed as it crossed the gap
and slid out of sight over the edge. Kaiya risked moving from safety to observe
the peak.

“It’s finished,”
she announced. “We can consider ourselves lucky.”

“But what caused
it?” Galen asked. “Will it happen again?” There might not always be a boulder
to hide behind if they continued their climb.

“That is nature,”
Tashi said. “It happens often.” She could not remember how many hundreds of
avalanches she had witnessed in her lifetime. One of her duties as High
Priestess was to ensure her village was protected from such things. It did not
require spells or incantations, or even the blessing of the gods. It was a
matter of simple geography, knowing the lay of the land.

“Kaiya?” Galen
asked, awaiting confirmation.

“I sense no magic
involved,” Kaiya stated, easing the elf’s tension. “Let’s keep going.”

Racing the setting
sun, they pressed on at a fast pace. Landmarks became scarce, the landscape
becoming barren, save for the ever-present rocks and snow. Luckily the surface
was relatively smooth, allowing them to move faster than expected.

When the sun
finally moved behind the mountain, only a pinkish glow remained to light the
way. Raad grumbled, “I hope one of you can see in the dark.”

“Lend me your
staff,” Kaiya said to Tashi.

Tashi handed it
over, one eyebrow raised high. The dwarf must be tiring if she needed a stick
to lean on.

Waving a hand over
the top of the staff, a silver-pink glow came over the ornamental goat skull.
Lifting it high, she said, “This will light the way.”

“How?” Tashi asked,
not understanding what she had witnessed. “How are you doing that?”

“I’m pulling the
leftover light from the sunset and channeling it into the staff,” the sorceress
explained. “When the sun is gone, I’ll use the moon’s light. Don’t worry, it
won’t actually burn the staff.” It was a simple spell that Kaiya used often for
a variety of different purposes. Pulling light and heat were one of the first
lessons a sorceress learned when she began her studies. For anyone magically
inclined, it came easiest of any spell.

“Amazing,” Tashi
commented, still marveling at the light emitted by her own staff. “May I?” she
asked, reaching for it.

“Of course,” Kaiya
said, passing it back to her.

Tashi inspected the
glowing skull, its eyes projecting the path ahead. “Can you teach me?” she
wondered.

“I’m not sure,”
Kaiya answered. She could perceive no magic in Tashi, but that didn’t mean it
was impossible. However, Kaiya had never tried to teach someone a spell,
whether they were born with magic or not. Without formal training herself, she
had never encountered other students. She simply didn’t know if someone born
without magic could ever be able to channel it.

Galen saved her the
trouble. “This type of spell uses inborn magic,” he explained. “Those who can
cast it usually figure it out early on, sometimes to their surprise.”

“What do you mean?”
Tashi asked.

“Take me, for
example. All elves can cast a few spells, this one included. But I am no
sorcerer, and I have no talent for magic. That doesn’t mean I can’t learn, but
someone who is trained can perform far-more-intense spells.”

“Does that mean I
can or I can’t learn?” Tashi didn’t understand the elf’s meaning.

“You’d have to be
tested,” he replied. “But if you have no natural ability, you’ll probably never
learn elemental magic. If you weren’t born with a magical store, you can’t grow
one.” He paused a moment. “Though I have read of creatures such as dragons
imbuing their powers upon others. Maybe it’s not impossible. And, of course,
there are other forms of magic that don’t require a magical store. Those spells
require intense training.”

Never having
encountered a dragon, Tashi knew receiving its blessing was an impossibility
for her. She hadn’t shown any special abilities as a child, so it was unlikely
she could learn Kaiya’s style of magic. The elements would no more obey her
than the gods. It was another shortcoming, but one she could live with. She was
no better or worse than she had been. In Kaiya she had found a magical ally,
and that would have to be enough.

Raising the staff
high, Tashi lit the way ahead. “We are close,” she announced. Straight ahead
was a cliffside, blocking their path to the mines. Pausing before it, she said,
“Now we climb.”

“With one arm?”
Raad asked. The cliff was not terribly high, but in his injured state, it would
be impossible for him to climb it. There were four handholds he would need to
grasp as he ascended, and letting go of one to grasp the next would mean
plummeting back to the bottom.