by Franc Ingram
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With all the Heirs and every other important player present, Tycho was able to finish his debriefing. "There's no way to tell if Ivar or the scattered remnant of the Elevated made it up to Mount Elmire already," Tycho explained, standing in front of the white sheets, various images playing out unnoticed behind him. "But we did find a Gaeth ship on the frozen shore of the tundra, so we know Emmaray made it. Yeti activity in the area has skyrocketed since we've been here."
Tycho angled himself so he could point to the screen and still keep an eye on his audience. "We can see the work they're doing to clear the entrance that Daycia bombed months ago." He pointed to an image showing two dozen yetis hauling rocks out of the mouth of a cave. "Though our scouts have shown that they have at least four other entrances to their network of caves, and given the information Leith gleaned from multiple yeti minds, we know there are hundreds of yetis inside and they've gathered enough food and weapons to keep an army three times their size supplied for several months."
Leith had been dreading this part of the conversation. In Evermore he'd been able to get some practice controlling yetis with so many of them captured. In the process he'd learned snatches of information about Mount Elmire that he readily shared. The problem was most of that information was a month out of date and skewed by the yetis’ own experiences.
If they went in expecting one thing based on this information and got trapped because of it, Leith would carry the guilt of that mistake forever. Its one of the reasons he'd insisted on leading the first group in. The other Heirs knew his mind was made up so they voiced no objections, but he could feel their apprehension like needles pressing into the back of his neck.
"Be sure it dangerous in there," Leith reminded them.
Tycho nodded his agreement "That's why we’ll wait until midday. That's typically the least active part of the day for the yetis and despite the presence of the Elevated and Emmaray, the yetis are still our biggest problem."
After his time in Gaeth Leith wanted to object but he understood it was a numbers game. No matter how powerful the others were, the yetis had the biggest advantage with how many there were.
"Teams are set," Tycho explained, "supplies ready. All that's left to do is eat well and get a good night's rest, for tomorrow we fight."
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Emmaray stood over Cornelius' lifeless form wondering how things had come down to this. She'd fled her own precious island in shame. The humiliation of it was excruciating. She had loyal Elevated left, but they were so few compared to the thousands she had commanded. She'd lost her son in a battle he never should have been in. Now she had to say goodbye to the only man she ever could have claimed to love. The height of that love ended centuries ago but the tendrils of it still snaked around her heart.
What was she now left with? Ivar. Unruly yetis. A mountain weapons factory. Those were the worst consolation prizes she could ever imagine. Then there was the cold. The oppressive, permeating, cold. No matter how hard she worked to keep her little room warm the cold always found a way to creep in.
Two weeks on a boat, a four-day trek across land, and two days stuck in the middle of an icy wasteland and Emmaray was ready to return to Gaeth with her head down and face the humiliating consequences of her defeat. She couldn't take the cold much longer. It was driving her mad.
Someone cleared their throat behind her. Emmaray didn't need to turn to know it was Ivar. The smell of old furs and bitter sweat clung to the warlord everywhere he went. Emmaray didn't know how Cornelius managed to work with the man for so long. Something about Ivar… more like everything about him, made Emmaray want to choke the life out of him.
"What?" she snapped, wanting nothing more than a few minutes to herself.
"The Heirs are all in Solon by now. Scouts saw Lysander's boat docking earlier today. They are sure to head this way soon. What are we going to do?"
"Do you realize how scared and pathetic you sound?" Emmaray asked not really expecting a reply. "We have an army of yetis to throw at them and the advantage of the labyrinth of tunnels in this mountain fortress. If they want to come to us to get slaughtered, then let them. Saves us a trip."
"Cornelius had the same confidence that he could defeat them and look what it got him."
Emmaray exploded, throwing a fireball at where she suspected Ivar's head was. The warlord ducked in time. The fiery missile hit the door brace beside him, melting the ice and sending bits of rock tumbling to the ground.
"Go find some hole to cower in if you can't take the fighting. Just quit bothering me."
"You’re worse than him,” Ivar growled “I should have cut my losses in Caledonia. Why did I follow Cornelius’ plan instead of trusting my own? Now, look what it’s cost me? This reckless need to destroy you ultras have, is going to tear this whole world apart."
"Go!" Emmaray screamed.
Ivar turned and left in a hurry, leaving Emmaray to listen to the weak echoes of her own voice bouncing off the icy walls. Even to her own ears she sounded desperate and on the edge of insanity. It was the bleak cold, and it was invading her mind.
Emmaray turned back to Cornelius, cupping his cheek in her hand. "Why would you leave me like this? We had an agreement. I gave you what you asked for. You promised to conquer the world for me. I hate it when people don't live up to their end."
Cornelius face caught fire, his short blue fur lighting up with ease. The flames sped down his neck and chest, reaching his legs. The crackle and hiss of the flames reminded Emmaray of home, the one place she longed to be so desperately that tears fell down her face.
She sat down beside Cornelius as he burned and for the first time since stepping off the boat into Arismas she felt warm. After she rested she would burn her enemies to the ground.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: MOUNT ELMIRE
Leith could feel the yetis, like worms crawling all over his skin, but instead, they were wiggling along the connected tunnels underneath the mountain. There were too many of them to get a good count. He could tell the difference between those that could talk and the instinct-driven yetis. The refined yetis were hard to get a read on. The increased intelligence pushed them away from being animal and closer to being human and Leith knew any control he would exert over them wouldn't hold long.
The more he opened his mind up to the minds of the yetis, the less sure he became of the plan. It all hinged on him being able to hold them as he had briefly in Evermore. Never had he done something like that on such a massive scale.
"Stop worrying about it," Oleana insisted. "We can do this."
Leith dared a half smile. Oleana wasn't one for useless praise. If she said something could be done it was because she believed it. She was risking just as much, if not more, on the plan as he was. She'd insisted on being at his side for the whole thing. Leith needed her there. The resolved, sober, strong Oleana was a force for good that couldn’t be matched.
Looking at her, Oleana gave off an air of confidence that was surprising given how much she'd overcome recently. She'd cut her once mangled hair down to almost nothing, accentuating the ovoid shape of her face and the fierceness of her brown eyes. She wore a lighter version of the dragon scale armor that was missing the full chest and arm pieces, and had a protective vest and an armguard for one arm instead. The other arm had Lorn's latest invention on it; a shield woven into a sleeve that was fitted over Oleana's stump. There were thick leather straps up her arm to keep it in place, and provided extra protection. Oleana could still fight two-handed.
"If not work out, not my fault. Just following orders boss," Leith joked.
"And if you keep following them we'll get through this in one piece." She raised her stump. "Well close enough anyway."
The cave entrance was less than twenty feet in front of them and Leith could feel the yetis lurking inside, hovering in the shadows waiting to pounce on them. Leith looked around at the men and women he would be leading into danger. Mason was on his ride side. The rest of the group wa
s a mixture of Rangers from Arismas and Caledon. Some of the faces Leith recognized, others he had never fought with before. They trusted him to bring them through alive and he wasn't going to disappoint.
"Call it Mason," Leith urged.
It would be up to Mason to direct the fighting while Leith and Oleana spent their concentration on reeling in the yetis. It was a risky maneuver but Leith trusted Mason to get the timing right.
"Ready?" Mason asked the group.
"Ready," they replied in unison.
Nervous tendrils snaked up Leith's spine and it was hard for him to keep his breathing steady. His heart thudded against his chest and sweat beaded up, covering his skin. Leith always got pre-battle jitters. Fighting was something he hoped never to get used to. Oleana leaned against him until their shoulders were pressed tight together. The warmth of her was steadying. The even rise and fall of her chest pushed away Leith's fears. The tingle of electricity that passed between them energized him.
"Forward," Mason yelled, and they ran.
The cave was dim, sucking up all the light inches from the opening. Leith felt the yetis around him, but his eyes refused to adjust fast enough to do him any good. The yetis were on them in an angry wave.
The first yeti swiped at his face forcing Leith to dodge to the side far enough that he temporarily lost sight of Oleana. He jabbed his dagger up into the creature's middle. He felt his blade slide under the rib cage. Leith twisted the blade before yanking it back out. The warm blue blood spilled over his fingers as the creature crumbled to the ground.
Leith had to wipe his hand on his pants leg while he stepped over the creature to look for Oleana. She was wrapped up in her own fight. She'd somehow leveraged herself up onto the back of her yeti and using her legs to keep her steady, brought her sai and shield down into the yeti's neck. The creature gurgled and sputtered. It took a shaky step forward before crumpling to the ground.
Leith didn't wait to be engaged again. He grabbed Oleana by her good arm and pulled her forward, further into the cave. What they needed to do wouldn't be as effective so far out from the heart of the mountain fortress.
Leith remembered Daycia's description of the place from her time inside. Their entry point was different from hers, but he knew the relative location of the spot he wanted so he ran. At the back of the cave, he had the choice of three tunnels. He chose the middle one without hesitation because it was larger, and the ground was more worn down. They used it the most, so it had to lead to somewhere important.
"Duck," Oleana cried. And he did.
Yeti claws dragged against the ice wall just to the right of his face. Before Leith could defend himself, Oleana was on it. She dropped to the floor and kicked the yeti's knees out. The beast fell backward, and Leith plunged his dagger into its chest. The beast reached for him, scraping along the armor on his arms. Oleana knocked her sai against the side of its head with a bone cracking, dull thud, and the yeti fell still.
The high-pitched screeches of metal against claws reverberated against the rough walls behind them and the grating noise of yeti claws scraping against rough stone headed toward them from the other direction. Leith went to yank his dagger free, but it was snagged on something and he had to let it go, pulling another off his vest.
"If we get slaughtered before we get there all of this is for nothing," Oleana pointed out.
Leith looked around. There was another fork in the tunnels up ahead. "I know a shortcut."
Oleana stood, brushing snowy ice crystals off her legs. "You've never been here before how could you possibly?"
Leith started forward and Oleana followed shaking her head and giving him a narrow look. She was right, he wasn't sure his route would be shorter, but he knew directions and the branching tunnel would surely lead back to the main room he needed to get into. It was smaller so less traveled, less chance of them running into trouble.
"Leith," someone yelled from behind them.
It was Mason, trailing two other Caledonian Rangers.
"Hurry up, Oleana urged, "before we're surrounded."
Leith didn't slow. He trusted Mason to catch up. The branching tunnel was impossibly dark. Leith had to keep one hand on the wall to make sure he wasn't going to run into some random rock outcropping. The walls were rockier and less covered with ice. It was also too narrow for him and Oleana to walk side by side. He took point, leading the way.
With sight out of the equation, Leith strained to listen for any yetis or other enemy sounds but all he could hear was the sounds of the footfalls behind him. He didn't sense any yetis, but they were the only dangers lurking in the mountain. Failsea and Gaeth troops had retreated to Elmire. They could have been coming right at him and he wouldn't know. Still he ran because there was nothing left to do.
The tunnel had a slight curve to it which only enhanced Leith's belief that it would lead him to exactly where he needed to be. Half-way along the curve Leith started to feel a tingling up his spine. The feeling intensified until his body felt like it was covered in thousands of fire ants nibbling at his flesh. His increase in power had the unfortunate consequence of giving him a more aggressive predator warning signal. It would take him some time to get used to. He knew a large group of yetis were up ahead.
Oleana grabbed him, forcing him to slow down. Mason bumped into her from behind. Ahead there was a sliver of light that spoke of an unseen opening. Leith wanted to rush through it but Oleana held him firm.
"Mason," she whispered. "We're about to run into a room full of yetis so prepare yourself."
"We should go first," Mason insisted. "Better to keep them at bay while you do what you need to."
Leith didn't like it. He didn't want to put the Rangers into that kind of danger. It would take him a few minutes to get a hold of what he needed and execute his stage of the plan.
"Two minutes," Oleana said. "Two minutes is all we need. Stay alive for that long and we can do the rest."
"Got it." Mason squeezed past Leith. Then two more unseen people. "On three. One. Two. Three."
Leith ran toward the light. When he crossed over into the open room, he slid on the icy floor, coming to a halt against a Ranger's back. The light was blinding, and the rank odor of yetis permeated the room.
It took a moment for the yetis to realize they were being attacked. They backed away from the shouts Mason and the others let out as they ran, giving the group time to race into the middle of the room before the yetis pushed back.
It was Oleana's turn to grab Leith. She wrapped her shield arm around Leith’s free arm, pulling him away from Mason and the Rangers. "There's the one we want," she said pointing to a yeti toward the back of the pack scrambling to pass some of the dropped weapons to his comrades.
The yeti didn't look like anything special. His white-blue fur was thick and coarse. His snout long, his teeth sharp. He had to be at least six and a half feet tall, with a thick build. Leith hesitated to fight him, but he could feel the intelligence roaming around behind the blue on blue eyes.
Leith adjusted his gait to run on the slippery floor. He dodged a couple wild swings in the melee, preferring not to get caught up in fights when he had a target in sight. His target seemed to prefer staying out of the fighting and to direct it from the back. That was fine with Leith. That way there was less worry of the yeti getting killed before they could do what they needed to.
Before he could get to the yeti Leith was tripped up by a tumbling tangle of yeti and Ranger as they struggled for top position. Leith couldn't just pass by without doing anything. He struggled free of Oleana's grip, landing a swift kick to the yeti's head as it rolled past. That left him open to a surprisingly quick backhanded swipe that landed him on the ground.
"Quit playing around," Oleana griped as she yanked him up.
The yeti’s hit burned down his side from shoulder to hip. He had to breathe through it letting Oleana pull him along. The yeti in question was easy to back up against a wall. Oleana was on one side and Leith on the other.
The yeti looked surprised to see them coming up against him. "Come to die," it growled, and Leith laughed. Oleana was right. He was the one they needed.
Leith tightened his grip on his daggers. He needed the yeti alive, so he had to be careful. The countdown in his head gave him less than half a minute. He didn't have time to even glance back to see how the Rangers were doing.
Oleana moved in first. The yeti swiped at her, trying to take her head off. Oleana easily twisted out the yeti's reach. She used the side of the sai to slap the yeti across the face, leaving a cut along its cheek. The beast snarled at her, bearing fangs long enough to be her fingers. All its anger was focused on her. It charged Oleana, pinning her against the wall, its hands strangling the life out of her.
Leith came up behind the beast. He used the wall to spring off and get high on the creature, wrapping his arms around its neck.
Angry, the yeti dug its claws into Leith's back trying to pry him off. Leith screamed but he didn't let go. Oleana used her shield to bash away at the yeti's open chest until it doubled over letting go of Leith. When it swung wild at Oleana, who hid behind the protection of her metal and wood shield, Leith could focus on taking the yeti down.
He used his dagger to nick the yeti’s neck and then his own palm. He pressed his open wound against the bleeding yeti. The exchange between them was instant. Leith downloaded a piece of his mind into the yeti's. He had enough control to silence all the fighting. The yeti crumbled to his knees.
Oleana got in close, nicking her own palm and then the other side of the yeti's neck. It was disorienting sharing three minds. There was no way to separate who was who. Leith felt like he was both yeti and Oleana all at once. He pushed passed the burning desire to rip and tear and fight. His anger burned like a star in the night sky, trying to burn a hole in his brain.