I sighed and sat, leaning against my bag, taking in how the light from the torch flickered across the wall. The only sound was my own breathing and the torch crackling and popping every few minutes. A knot of fear began to ball up in the center of my chest as my mind started to creep into unpleasant territory. I pushed the fear down before it took over, knowing if it did I would run screaming into the darkness, never to be seen again. The flickering of the torch was mesmerizing against the backdrop of the cave and eventually it helped me drift off into a restless sleep. The sliding echo of a rock falling startled me awake, and I shivered, straining my ears to make out any other sounds. Everything was dead silent, and I groggily pushed myself up from my bag, peeking into the main entrance to the cave system. Shadows danced from the torch and all the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. My imagination took over, playing through my mind of what or who could be in the cave system waiting for me to fall asleep again. I grumbled under my breath and grabbed my bag, throwing it over my shoulders once more. Snagging the torch from its roost, I decided to continue on. Unknowing to how much sleep I had actually gotten, I estimated from the graininess every time my eyelids scraped across my eyeballs when I blinked that it hadn’t been much. Unfortunately for me, I failed at keeping my fear at bay and my mind was wide-awake. I was not falling back to sleep anytime soon. Trudging along and glancing back occasionally, it made me feel mildly better that nothing had jumped out of the darkness to eat or torture me. My mind was just playing tricks on me. Eventually cold pockets in the cave picked up in frequency, alerting me to the closeness of my destination. Taking a break to eat, I decided now would be a good time to pull out the extra layers, hat, and gloves from my bag. Of the few things I remembered, beside the territorial mountain elves and elusive Goliath packs that roamed the pass, was if you weren’t careful, you could freeze to death even in the high summer. The pass was viscously cold no matter what time of the year it was. Here was hoping I calculated correctly and wouldn’t freeze to death on a mountaintop. Soon, I adjusted the tie to my extra cloak to be snug at the throat and waist, and pulled up the hood as a cold wind howled at the mouth of the cave exit. It whipped around the cloak, trying to pull me outside into the layer of snow already forming on the ground in front of me. Gritting my teeth, I trudged out of the cave, dousing the light from the torch in a snowdrift before returning it to the cave mouth, leaving it in place for the next traveler. Looking to the sky to make sure I was still on schedule, I was able to place the sun’s location briefly before the clouds rolled in. Glancing back at the cave, a shiver of fear rolled down my spine before I stepped out into the Midnight Pass.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Darkness rolled in some time ago, and I looked up, admiring how vivid the stars were in this moment. The wind and snow stopped howling once darkness fell and that was a deciding factor in my choice to keep moving forward into the night. The stars and moon were more than adequate to light my way while I searched for shelter. Looking around the sheer cliff faces for anything at all, the fear in my chest I had yet to shake reared its ugly head once more. Taking a deep breath, I dug into the side pocket of my bag for the map. Unrolling it, I held the map up so the moon and starlight could reflect off it. Hoping it would be enough light to read the map and pinpoint my location, I had it when a sudden gust of wind tore the map out of my hands.
“Shit!” I ran off after the map as fast as I could in ankle-deep snow. The echo of my shout bounced along the cliff faces, and a low rumble emanated from high up. My shoulders tensed and my heart stopped as I skidded to a halt and looked over my shoulder in the direction of the noise. Panic crested through my chest, and I took off sprinting, this time all but flying over the top of the snow, map forgotten to the recesses of my mind. Behind me, the rumble sounded again, louder this time, as snow began to slip from the sides of the cliff faces. I didn’t dare look back knowing it would cost precious seconds as I rounded a sharp bend, snow licking at my heels. That was when I felt it. A loud pop radiated up my leg as my ankle, the one I had sprained less than a week ago, decided to give out. My leg twisted just as my body pitched forward and snow engulfed me.
MY EYES SNAPPED OPEN as pressure built up around me, suffocating panic setting in. Shivering, I tried to move, not understanding why my entire body felt like it was wrapped up way too tight in a cold blanket. My ears picked up the soft sliding of snow above me and memory came rushing back. I lost all sense and started screaming, trying to move what snow I could to dig my way out. What felt like hours, when reality dictated it was more likely only seconds, I finally thrust my hand into nothingness above my head. Luck must have been flying free by my side as I dragged myself up, head and chest finally emerging from the avalanche I’d triggered. Sucking in ragged breaths of cold mountain air, tears streamed down my face, freezing in place. I leaned forward, resting the upper half of my body and face onto the smooth undisturbed snow. I struggled against the need to close my eyes as shiver after shiver raked at my body.
I failed.
It was the sound of crunching snow, as if something were walking in my direction, prompted me to reopen my eyes and lift my head up. A fine mist had settled, infiltrating the moonlit night, and I could barely see my own hands in front of me. Trying to move my frozen limbs, a sob escaped the second I realized I was going to die. My death though was going to be a tossup between freezing to death or by the hands of the Goliath who’d just stepped out of the mist. Strength surged up through my body from fear, and I attempted one last time to pull myself out from the snow. I was not about to go head on with a Goliath with only half my body. An uncontrolled giggle rose out of me as I struggled, moving nowhere. My giggle made the Goliath stop and tilt its head, as though amused at my plight. Shifting the snow more, I succeeded in packing my bottom half even more tightly within my snow cocoon. Fatigue wrapped around my body, and I tried gripping at the snow in front of me.
A grunt echoed through the mist as the Goliath cleared the distance between us in three long strides and reached down. Grabbing the back of my cloak, it plucked me out of the snow in one swift tug and swung me up. All the air in my lungs rushed out of my stomach as it met with a very large Goliath shoulder.
Kicking my numb legs and letting out a slurred string of curses got me nowhere as the ground passed by and I stared at the back of the Goliath’s legs moving swiftly through the snow into the mist. Seconds flew by and the Goliath shifted, wrapping its other arm around my legs, making my eyes pop back open as I was launched backward through the air. A scream tore from my throat, echoing across cave walls before I landed into a pile of very soft, warm furs. Blinking a couple of times to let my eyes adjust to the dimly lit surroundings, silence accumulated once more, and the Goliath marched over to a cutout in a stone wall. I was in a cave. Actually, cave would be a long stretch as this was more like a one room cavern with a Goliath-sized opening to the mountain pass. Steam sizzled, and I jumped as a pop and crack emanated from the area the Goliath was standing in. It took my brain a second to register the noise but when it did, I attempted to launch myself up and make a run for it. It was the sound of a fire being stoked, and I was not about to become Goliath lunch. My body was sluggish in its response, and once again I found myself falling into the large pile of furs. Making a second attempt at getting up, terror seized my heart as the Goliath appeared in front of me, frown crossing its face.
“I don’t taste good!” I yelled.
I’ll admit, yelling that I didn’t taste good wasn’t one of my finest moments. The sound of rocks grinding together emanated from the Goliath’s chest, and I sunk back into the furs as it squatted down to face height. Thrusting a large looking mug toward me, the Goliath spoke. “Drink.”
Its voice came out graveled, deep and rough, as one would imagine a rock would sound like if it suddenly came to life. Reaching out slowly, I tried to wrap a gloved hand around the mug. My lips turned down in confusion as my fingers refused to bend. The Goliath noticed my issue and reached out, forcing my fingers aroun
d the cup. I let out a hiss as pain radiated up my arms. The Goliath released the mug and we both watched it fall, hitting the ground with a clang and rolling away. It, or now that I had an up close and personal look at the Goliaths face, I would say she, looked at my hands with extreme interest.
“Whoops.” My voice held no emotion, sounding as numb as my body felt. The Goliath locked eyes with me and a rough snort escaped through her nose. Grabbing my hands roughly, she stripped off my wet and frozen gloves before reaching a large arm around my shoulder and wrapping the furs tightly around my body. She yanked off my wet boots before tucking my feet into the furs. She stood stiffly before pacing around the cavern, picking up the mug and going back over to the hole in the wall. She shuffled side to side, the smell of meat starting to permeate the air, and I watched her, picking up a slight limp in her gait. Filing that away in the back of my mind for later, pain radiated through my body as my limbs started to regain warmth and feeling. The sudden spasm in my arms pushed a small cry from my lips and the Goliath turned, watching me, perplexed, as I tried to hold my breath against the pain. Failing, a sob escaped my throat as pain radiated up my legs. The Goliath limped over with a plate of steaming meat and put it to the side. Grabbing at my hands through the furs, I let out a pained growl as the extra pressure from her hand felt like fire upon mine. “Pain good.” There was a light tilt to her voice under the prominent graveled sounds. She pointed at the tears leaking down my face. “Wet...” She frowned and squinted before she pointed at my face again. “Weak...wet. Weak.”
I managed to roll my eyes at her words before shooting pain doubled me over. The Goliath made the snorting sound again before gripping my hands harder, her one hand wrapped around my two and the other balanced on her large knee as she continued to squat in front of me.
Shifting my eyes down to my hands then back up, I locked eyes with the Goliath. Well, this was awkward. I had no idea how Goliath culture worked, but even I felt like this was odd. Not one to let an opportunity like this slip through my grasp, no matter how awkward it was, my eyes roamed over the massive face in front of me, studying the female Goliath’s features. Her face structure was strong, and her flesh looked like it was forged from the gray mountain stones themselves. Icy blue eyes stared back at me and she smiled, teeth large and blunt but her lips were plumper than I would have imagined for a Goliath. Dark purple-black hair was pulled back in three tight half braids, ending at the back of her neck, allowing the rest of her hair to fall in waves around her shoulders and back. She was stocky and I knew from the way she carried herself she was packing a lot of strength and muscle. If I remembered properly from my ride to the cave on her shoulder, she was at least seven feet tall, maybe even taller. Goliaths were supposed to run in packs, and physical strength was their greatest pride. Why was she here alone? Did the limp have anything to do with it. As the shooting pain in my body started to subside to a dull ache in my joints, the Goliath rocked backward, allowing her hand to slide away from mine. She sat cross-legged in front of me and reached over, offering the plate of meat to me. I reached out slowly to keep the furs from slipping off and snagged the smallest piece available. She was still staring at me. I cleared my throat awkwardly and murmured a thank you before holding up the meat and looking at it.
She smiled, grabbing a thicker slice for herself and tore at it with her teeth. I nibbled on mine slowly at first before picking up speed. It was without seasoning, but right now it tasted like the best meal of my life. Scarfing down the rest of the meat in my hands, I was reaching for another piece when a small burp escaped. My cheeks flushed and I readied an apology when the Goliath smiled and let out a loud belch of her own. “Good, yes?”
I laughed. “Yes, it’s good. Really good.”
The echo of my laugh reverberated off the cavern walls, and the weight of uncertainty between the Goliath and I started to ease. Realization hit me hard, and I wanted to slap myself. I was being beyond rude. The being before me not only rescued me from certain death, but fed me and tried to make me comfortable, and what did I do? I let my ignorance dictate my behavior toward her outward appearance and insinuated she ate people with my first outburst. Reaching out I tapped the Goliath on her knee and introduced myself. “My name is Maribella Soma.”
She grunted in acknowledgement before returning to her food. I shrugged and continued forward with my introduction. “I’m traveling to the Mountain Dragon Stronghold.”
Waiting for any type of reply, minutes trickled by as the sounds of the Goliath eating filled the cavern. After a few minutes of silence, I concluded our conversation was over. That, or this particular Goliath only knew a few words in common tongue. Shifting slightly, I tried to ignore how my eyes stung from exhaustion, and I was having trouble keeping them open now that my body had warmed up.
“More?”
The Goliath’s question startled me back to consciousness, and I shook my head groggily. “No, thank you.”
She nodded in acknowledgment and stood, taking the empty plate away.
My head nodded from exhaustion, and I took a surprised sharp intake of breath when the Goliath kneeled in front of me once more. She was holding the mug she had rescued from the ground.
Reaching for it now that my hands were working properly, I tried to take the mug from her, but she held onto it.
My heart skipped a beat, and I froze like a rabbit as her eyes caught mine. “Uthal Longleaper,” she murmured before releasing the mug.
My hands gripped the mug, and I mentally chastised myself, realizing in the moment why it was taking so long for her to form sentences. The Midnight Mountains were dangerous and the pass even more so, which meant her contact with people outside of a Goliath pack would be limited to say the least. She wasn’t used to talking to anyone.
Uthal’s face scrunched up in concentration but she continued, words slow and broken, “No more Longleaper.” She pointed to her leg with the limp. “Bad, weak.”
She turned, back bunching up under her furs as she crossed her arms and gazed out of the mouth of her cavern. I stayed silent allowing Uthal to compile her thoughts and sipped carefully at the hot liquid in the mug. It was tasteless except for the hint of dried lemon bits floating around in the water.
“Leave pack, home, wander till death.”
I choked on the hot water and Uthal turned to look at me. Unable to help myself I broke my silence. “But you’re young and still strong.”
She shook her head. “Young yes.” Then gripped her leg. “No use, broken. No help pack.”
I frowned at her words. “You broke your leg and felt you were no longer a use to your pack?”
Uthal nodded. “Pack strong, Uthal weak. Uthal leave. Die.”
I shook my head in disbelief and slammed the mug down. “But why? Why not heal and get better? How long have you been gone? Why not go back?”
Uthal spoke again, faster this time, and in a harsh, gravely language I could only assume was her native tongue. Waving my hand in a frantic manner, I interrupted her tirade of words. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you are saying.”
A look of pure frustration crossed Uthal’s face and she strode over to me, squatting down and producing a piece of charcoal. She drew a shape on the ground, and I frowned as she pointed to it, then the cavern. “Save.”
My breath caught as I recognized the symbol. “The Rovers saved you?” I all but shouted.
Uthal nodded and then frowned, shaking her head. “No. Uthal help. Uthal save.”
It took a second, and I was hesitant to ask. “You saved a Rover?”
Uthal gave me a big grin. “Yes. Uthal save. Rover help Uthal heal. Learn Rover way. Rover teach common words. He leave after... Uthal stay.”
“Why did you stay?”
Uthal frowned and shook her head. “Uthal stay... Pass... Mountain’s home. Pack here.”
My brows furrowed. “But your pack didn’t want you anymore.”
Uthal hit her massive fist into her hand and growled. “U
thal heal. Go back to pack better.”
“Yet you are still here...” I didn’t finish my sentence, afraid I might upset the huge Goliath more.
She shook her head and looked down at her hands. “Pack no want Uthal.”
My heart just about cracked open, and I reached out to grab one of her massive hands. “Good. They don’t deserve you and your kindness.”
Uthal stared at my hand gripping hers and grunted. “Kindness...not... Pack need warrior, not kindness.”
I swear I heard a waver under the gravel in her voice. “That is absolute Dragon shit, Uthal. You can be a warrior, you can be strong, you can be kind, you can be all of those things.”
Uthal snorted and met my eyes, a hesitant smile sliding across her lips.
I smiled back. “I’m a Rover. Well... not anymore, but I used to be.”
She frowned and motioned around the cavern. “Why here?”
My harsh chuckle bubbled up, echoing around us. “That Uthal is a very, very long story.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
My temper snapped, and I grabbed the flat metal thing from the witch’s counter and threw it with all my might out the kitchen window. It flew into the wood line but the satisfying crunch of something breaking didn’t emanate from the woods. Instead I watched in horror as the thick mist carried it back to the house and gently placed it on the windowsill. My frustrated scream made the witch look at me from across the clearing where she was currently chasing Amelia around. My afore mentioned lady in waiting in training was no more and was now the gatekeeper’s host; and for some reason she was riding a huge black hound around like a small pony. I threw my hands up in disbelief, not understanding what was happening in front of my eyes.
Uthal gently patted my shoulder, waking me from my dream. Rubbing at my eyes, I groaned and blinked, looking up into the Goliath’s face.
The Rover Princess Page 16