by Duncan Pile
“Don’t be so bloomin’ cheerful!” Baard mumbled grumpily.
“Zaric’s right,” Zlekic said. “We’ve come this way once before in safer times, and even then it was a hard land. There’s no point pretending otherwise.” Baard grunted, but kept his thoughts to himself.
“Come on,” Voltan said. “Let’s eat and rest up a bit.” Everyone put their packs and weapons aside and soon enough they were all munching on the flatbread and cured meat they’d taken from Ironhall. “So where do we go from here Zaric?” Voltan asked.
“We have to cross the next valley and then we climb again, all the way up to Bandit Pass. There used to be a trappers’ community there, but I doubt it’s still populated with the Ogre Nation so close. After the pass is the Thundering Gorge, where we plan to lose the Darkman. We should be there within two days.”
“Good,” Voltan said. “There’s still no sign of the demon on our trail. If we make good time we can cross the gorge without having to face it.”
Gaspi went cold to the core at the mention of the Darkman. What with the dangers of Ironhall, and the reunion with Emmy, he’d not had much time to think about it until they’d started to climb the pass. The long, lonely hours in the canyon, however, had given him plenty of opportunity to think about what was chasing them. It wasn’t hard to imagine the demon reaching the bottom of the canyon and starting up after them, hard on their heels with murder in its heart. It was specifically his murder it had in mind, and that gave him extra reason to be fearful. It wasn’t as if he’d never faced a demon before. He’d destroyed Bale-beasts and a Snatcher, but the Darkman was supposed to be much more powerful than either of those, and they’d been dangerous enough opponents in their own right! Reaching into his pocket, Gaspi slipped his fingers around the pouch containing the chimera. If they got cornered, at least he had this in reserve, a potent weapon that might even best the Darkman. Letting go of the chimera, he resolved to stop thinking about the demon. Voltan had the right of it. If it came, it came, and they’d just have to deal with it as best they could. Hopefully, if they made quick enough time, they wouldn’t have to find out how well they measured up.
Twenty-four
The journey into the valley looked short enough until they started down the slope, and then the scale of things became clear. What had looked like rocks were in fact giant boulders, much further away than Gaspi had imagined. The group naturally spread out on the long descent, and he took the opportunity to draw alongside Heath.
“Gaspi,” the druid said in acknowledgement.
“How’re you doing Heath?”
Heath glanced at him knowingly. “Worried about me are you?”
Gaspi didn’t see any point beating about the bush. “Er, yeah. Is everything okay?”
Heath didn’t respond immediately, but Gaspi didn’t push it. The druid would talk if he wanted to. Heath sighed. “No, everything is not okay,” he said. “But there is nothing to be done about that. I don’t like being away from my home, I don’t like being away from the elemental I am bonded to, I don’t like being around forceful magic, I detest violence, and I don’t like being around people all the time. But this is where the spirits want me, so this is where I am.”
“I’m sorry Heath,” Gaspi said. His heart went out to the druid. It was just as he suspected – Heath was completely out of his element.
“Don’t be sorry,” Heath responded. “Being happy is not all that matters. I live to serve, and this is my service. I do not regret it.” Gaspi absorbed that. “Thank you for looking out for me Gaspi, but if I am in need of your help, I will let you know.”
“Okay Heath,” Gaspi responded, recognising a dismissal when he heard one. He dropped back and joined Emmy, knowing he’d done what he could, but frustrated he couldn’t do more. Whether Heath wanted him to or not, he was going to keep a close eye the druid from now on.
It took most of the day to reach the valley floor – a broad expanse littered with shattered stone from the slopes above. Among the smaller rockfalls were towering monoliths of stone, looming above their heads and casting them into cool shadow as they passed. Gaspi kept his shield firmly in place! The wind had dropped now they were off the peaks, but above them it still tore violently at the exposed mountainsides, and it wasn’t hard to imagine it ripping another slab of rock from a peak above and flinging it down on their heads. In truth, Gaspi didn’t know what would happen if one of those huge boulders dropped on them. Would his shield hold against such force? He hoped they didn’t have to find out!
It seemed they were all feeling vulnerable in the valley bottom, half the party glancing nervously upwards at any given time. They made quick time across the rocky expanse, and when they reached the other side, Voltan insisted they make some headway up the slope before stopping for the night. Even though they were exhausted, no-one wanted to stay near the field of fallen rocks, and started up towards the next pass without complaint.
The path was steep and perilous, strewn with rocks they could easily turn their ankles on. Voltan made them walk until it was too dark to carry on safely, and then called it a day. They made another cold camp on the path, huddled into a sheltered corner of the path. The ground was softer this time, and there was even wood for a fire, but no-one argued that they should light one – not even Baard. Gaspi supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. Baard loved his food, his beer and his sleep, but he was also a seasoned warrior. When it was required of him, the battle-hardened campaigner won out in him. The giant understood all too well that they were soon to pass into ogre territory, and even before they got there the mountains were not safe places, populated by Gaaks and other wild creatures that would scent hot food from miles away.
Lydia groaned loudly as she stretched her legs out on the ground, distracting Gaspi from his thoughts. She looked exhausted, dark bags showing under her eyes. Emmy seemed fresher, but Gaspi could tell from the sag of her shoulders that she was giving all she could. They all were, of course, but Emmy and Lydia were the least prepared for this kind of exertion among the group, and despite the toll it must be taking, neither of them uttered a word of complaint. He reached out and took Emmy’s hand, squeezing it appreciatively. She leant over and kissed him on the cheek in return. He smiled and repositioned himself, but as he did so, his right knee gave a particularly nasty twinge. He bent it carefully and hissed as sharp pain lanced through it once more. It was the descent that had done it, his knees jarring with every footstep.
“Your legs hurt Gasp?” she asked.
“Just a bit!” he said.
“Do you want Lilly to help?” she asked sweetly, playing with his fingers.
“Yes please!” he said.
“Lilly,” she called. The elemental lifted her otter-like head and looked at Emmy questioningly. To Gaspi’s eyes, the water spirit looked tired too. He certainly knew Loreill felt the same. Neither spirit could transform in this barren environment without causing themselves unbearable pain, so they had to travel in their harnesses which, although better than having to scurry along the ground, were hardly comfortable. Each harness was lined with a blanket for extra padding, but the spirits still ended the day cramped, and weary from all the jostling. Of all the spirits, Lilly was the least suited to this terrain. Her webbed feet would get torn up on the hard stone of the paths they travelled, and besides, otters are only really mobile in water. Loreill could manage better, but his little ferret legs had to work too hard to carry him over any great distance, so both of them were pretty much permanently in their harnesses while the group travelled.
“She looks tired Emmy,” he said. “Maybe it’s not such a good idea.” But Lilly had already risen to her feet. She flopped over Emmy’s legs and rested her forefeet on his knee. Emmy started to mutter quietly to herself, and a gentle swell of elemental power flowed into him, easing and then banishing his aches altogether. The flow of power stopped and Lilly blinked at him with her big, blue eyes before pulling back her feet and curling up in Emmy’s lap.
&nb
sp; “Thanks Lilly,” Gaspi said. She made a quiet trilling noise from her comfortable position, but otherwise didn’t move. “No wonder you look fresher than Lydia,” he said to Emmy. During the day, Emmy had clearly struggled with the physical rigour of the climb, but that evening she looked more rested.
Emmy blushed. “I don’t think I could do this without Lilly’s help. I’m just so exhausted by the end of the day.”
“I’m not having a go,” Gaspi said. “If you need it, you need it.”
“I wanted to help everyone else tonight too, but Lilly’s pretty worn out now. She needs to transform or her strength will run out.”
“She shouldn’t have used her powers on me then!” Gaspi said. “I’d have walked the pain off tomorrow.”
Emmy shrugged. “It was her choice.”
“What about Lydia?” Gaspi whispered. “She looks pretty run down.”
“Lilly’s not happy with her for ignoring the fire spirit,” Emmy whispered back.
Gaspi glanced over at Lydia, who was preoccupied with Taurnil, curled up against his side and talking quietly in his ear. The fire spirit sat at her feet, immobile as a cat in front of the hearth, its coal-bright eyes glowing in the darkness. Struck once again by its persistence, Gaspi felt concern stirring in his breast once again. The elemental clearly wanted to bond with her, but Lydia was holding out with equal tenacity. Reflecting on the lessons he’d learned from Heath, he couldn’t help thinking that Lydia was making a mistake - one that might have unforeseen consequences! The spirits saw things on a much grander scale than they did, their decisions steered by ancient and mysterious wisdom. If there was one thing Gaspi was sure of, it was that they should listen to the elementals! And yet here was the fire spirit making its intentions very clear, and Lydia refusing to yield to its will. In that moment he decided to speak with her about it. He didn’t relish the idea of challenging the feisty gypsy girl, but something had to be said, and time was not on their side.
“I’ll give her my cloak tonight,” Emmy said. It took Gaspi a moment to realise what she was talking about. Emmy wasn’t thinking about the will of the elementals, or the dangers of Lydia’s refusal to bond with the fire-spirit. She was just concerned for her friend. Giving Lydia the cloak would give her a good night’s sleep. If Lilly wouldn’t heal Lydia’s physical hurts, sleeping through the night was the second best option.
“Good idea,” he said. “Just curl up with me tonight and we’ll keep each other warm.” Emmy leant over and kissed him on the cheek. “Maybe I’ll let her keep the cloak then,” she said, pulling it from around her shoulders and leaning over to tap Lydia on the arm.
…
The next day they rose quickly and were climbing again as soon as possible. It was tough going, but Voltan kept them moving apace, keen to keep as much distance as possible between them and the Darkman. The air spirit kept watch, circling the valley behind them, and Talmo scouted ahead.
They climbed throughout the day, tackling the steep slope in front of them with dogged determination. Conversation was non-existent, the energy to talk leeched away by the bleak terrain, physical exhaustion and an encroaching sense of danger. The ogres were before them and the Darkman behind, and in-between was nothing but scouring wind and barren rock. They travelled on in near silence, their scuffling footsteps the only sound to punctuate the moan of the wind. It was hard on all of them, but some were better equipped to handle it than others. Taurnil didn’t visibly flag and neither did Voltan, but by far the best off were Zlekic, Zaric, Sabu and Talmo, who were clearly in much better shape than anyone else. Baard was finding it harder to drag his enormous frame up the mountain, his chest wheezing like a giant set of bellows, but he didn’t lag behind. Gaspi was struggling much more than Baard. His legs felt like jelly, his throat was raw, and every breath was accompanied by a sharp pain in his lungs. Even worse off were Lydia and Emmy. The constant climbing was clearly having a devastating effect on them, body and mind. It all finally got too much for Emmy, who peeled off from Gaspi’s side and fell to her knees, throwing up by the side of the trail.
“Voltan!” Gaspi yelled. The Warrior Mage called a halt and the group took a much needed break. “Zlekic, bring Lilly,” he said. Zlekic came over and knelt down so that Lilly could be taken from the harness. Gaspi lifted her out and placed her on the ground by Emmy’s side. The spirit waddled the last few steps and rested her head on Emmy’s arm. Gaspi felt elemental magic tugging at him, so he knelt besides the spirit, placing his hands on Emmy. Magical speech bubbled up through his mouth, and he yielded to the gentle burbling chant of elemental magic. As unknown syllables flowed from his lips, light emanated from the spirit and from beneath his hands, glowing warmly around them as Emmy was restored. Gaspi felt it too, passing through him and refreshing him with its flow. When the burbling speech died away the glow faded too, and Lilly sank to the ground, looking very tired. Gaspi picked her up and held her to his chest for a moment, appreciative of her efforts to keep Emmy strong.
“Take care of her,” he said as he passed her back to Zlekic, who nodded gravely, understanding the importance of the charge. “I think we need to slow the pace,” Gaspi said to Voltan.
“The Darkman is closing on us every moment,” the warrior mage said warily.
“I know, but we can’t carry on like this. Emmy’s okay right now, but Lilly is running out of strength and can’t keep restoring her like this. If we carry on at this pace, Emmy will just collapse again in a couple of hours, maybe sooner. And besides, I’m not far from doing the same.”
“Neither am I,” Lydia said. Gaspi glanced at her in surprise. Lydia was usually too proud to admit weakness, but then maybe she was trying to protect Emmy.
Voltan looked up the trail and scratched his chin. “Zaric, how’re we doing for time?”
“We just need to reach Bandit Pass by nightfall,” Zaric said, “and it looks like we’ll do that with time to spare. We’ve probably got three hours more hard climbing, four if we slow it down.”
“Okay, let’s take it a bit easier then,” Voltan said.
“Once we get through the pass, we can stick to the upper passes all the way to Thundering Gorge, so no more climbing for a while,” Zaric added. “Just a few hours walk tomorrow, and then we’ll be safe from the Darkman.”
“For a while,” Gaspi said.
“Yes, for a while,” Zaric repeated.
Twenty-five
They set off again after a short break, climbing the slope at a gentler pace than before. It was still brutally steep but, with more regular breaks, everyone was able to keep up. They drew near to the pass by late afternoon, a narrow V-shaped gap between two tall peaks.
“I hope…there are…still people there,” Emea said between laboured breaths.
“Be careful what you wish for,” Zaric said. “The last time we came through here, Bandit Pass was not too friendly a place.”
“How so?” Sabu asked.
“Let’s just say that they were suspicious of outsiders,” Zaric said with a shrug. “We weren’t even welcome to eat at the inn.”
“What’s the point in havin’ one then?” Baard said.
“For drinking,” Zaric answered.
“Fair point,” Baard said.
“We should scout it out before going up there,” Taurnil said.
“Agreed, but we can go a bit further yet,” Zaric responded. “The town is built on the far side of the pass, and there’s a switch-back in the trail just below it, so we can get within a few hundred yards without being seen.”
“That’ll work,” Voltan said, and they set off on the last stage of the climb. A short while later they reached the switch-back Zaric had described and Voltan called a stop. They gathered in a huddle as the warrior mage whispered orders, but when he told Talmo to go ahead and scout the pass, Gaspi contradicted him:
“I’ll do it,” he said.
Voltan looked at him askance.
“Er, Gasp,” Taurnil said slowly, but then Gaspi withdr
ew the pouch containing the Wizard’s Eye, loosened the drawstring and tipped the enchanted glass sphere into his palm.
“Of course!” Voltan said. “I should have thought of using the Eye. Looks like you’re the scout.” Gaspi grinned. He’d been wanting to try the Wizard’s Eye out for ages, but the opportunity had never presented itself. “So get on with it,” Voltan said.
Gaspi dropped his pack to the ground and sat down with his legs crossed for stability. He closed his eyes and channelled power into the artefact in his hand, willing himself to see through the lens it provided. At first nothing happened, but then he felt a shift inside him, a quiet rushing sensation behind his eyes. Cautiously he opened them, to find he was gazing out at everyone’s kneecaps! He was seeing from within the Wizard’s Eye itself!
“Er…I can see out of the Eye!” he said.
“What, from down here?” Taurnil asked, waving a hand in front of the Eye, his palm passing right in front of Gaspi’s vision, making him flinch.
“Yes, but try not to poke me in the eye!”
“It’s not your eye, it’s the Wizard’s Eye!” Taurnil said smugly.
“What use is this?” Gaspi asked, ignoring Taurnil. “How am I meant to scout?”
“Try moving around,” Zaric suggested helpfully. Gaspi frowned. How was he supposed to do that? It wasn’t as if the Eye had arms and legs. The Eye wasn’t meant to move anyway. It gave you the ability to scry – which meant his sight should just…move! As soon as he had that thought he was moving, gliding forwards towards Voltan’s legs.
Stop! he thought to himself, and immediately did so. He revolved back around so he was looking back at his body, and giggled self-consciously at the strange sight – a sight that got even stranger when he watched his mouth open and close as he chuckled. It was a jarring sensation – he was hearing from his own ears, but he could see himself from several feet away.