"King Hrathis, Sire, you go with them to the hills. It is not safe to go back to Gudred, not now anyway. The giants will keep you and Timothy safe until it is time. In your condition, even with Timothy's help, you will have a hard time making it back alone, and we cannot afford to lose you during our dangerous journey to Dunandor."
"So that's where you're going then?” Hrathis asked, scratching his chin. Timothy hung his head and nervously bit at his fingernails. “Yes, I agree it's definitely not the best time for me to act on impulse. I will do what you wish and await your sign in the land of the giants."
"It is for the best, Sire, and thank you,” Tristandor said, bowing his head slightly. “Which leaves the rest of us—Farrin, Aeligon, Pux, Ithyllna, Foran, Lynais, my son, and myself—to go on to Salanthanon and Lunathar. Once there, we will hold council with the wizards to find the best course of action when we learn what is going on there."
"What about me?” The voice screeched from above, echoing throughout the narrow passageway they were standing in.
They all ducked and drew their weapons, but Aerinas suddenly cried out. “No! Don't be afraid. I know who it is; it's Wesnoc."
The roc swooped down from the sky and landed on the rocks beside the party. “I would hope you haven't forgotten about me already. I will be of great use to you."
"Your wings create the most bitterly cold wind. Curse you!” Farrin complained as his beard frosted up with ice.
"I do apologize, but alas I am unable to shirk the very fuel for my flight,” Wesnoc mocked. “I'm sure you'll understand, Farrin.” Farrin grumbled, but was too cold to bark further protests.
Tristandor suddenly had an idea. “Wesnoc, you can carry how many on your back?"
"In this weather? Not even one."
"Not even one? Why not?"
"The cold is bitter enough down here. What would happen if I were to strap one of you on my back and fly to an altitude high enough to be safe? The rider would be subjected to constant, cold winds and we would have a frozen elf when the trip was through. I'm sorry, Tristandor, I wouldn't recommend flying anything but cargo in this weather, and cargo not subject to freezing solid."
"Blast this weather,” the Elf-Lord huffed, frustrated. “We were one season too late, and now we must suffer these mountains and their peculiar perils. Very well then, we're wasting time standing here debating further. We all know who's coming and who's going. I suggest we get moving, or else these mountains will swallow us all whole.” He turned to Wesnoc. “We'll meet you in the land of Salanthanon then. You keep a watch for hazards on the ground ahead of us."
Wesnoc hopped over a few rocks, then took flight. “I'll start now. Listen for my call, then look to the sky. I'll be nearby at all times."
Farrin said farewell to his giants and gave them instructions on what to do once they were within the borders of the tribal lands. The king and Timothy went with them. They parted ways; one party headed west toward the home of the giants, while the other turned north toward Salanthanon. The sun had just peeked above the horizon in the east, which warmed their faces—a welcome touch.
Aerinas watched the giants hustle their way through the rocks, then turned to face the formidable journey through the Farrin Mountains. He looked at the exit from the catacombs—now sealed—and shuddered when he thought about seeing Aeligon the way he had. No one knew about it because only Aeligon held the answers to what the mirror fragment had done to him. But Aerinas wanted to know; he needed to know. Instinct told him: whatever Aeligon had seen had to do with what was happening in Vaaluna. Maybe it involved the Planes they'd so briefly discussed. Was something being hidden from him again? Aerinas’ paranoia goaded him to suspect the wizard of hiding the whole truth from him. Maybe it had to do with his father. Aerinas barely had any knowledge of the Great War of Calaridis and what really had happened between Aeligon and Tristandor. He hated feeling like a pawn every day, being shifted and strategically placed in a never-ending game between power-hungry forces in the midst of a great battle.
And then there were the slew of questions about his magical abilities. Why hadn't Tristandor told him anything of them during the long and boring years spent in Mynandrias, before he went to El-Caras and met Aeligon? Surely Tristandor couldn't have known that Aerinas would've disobeyed and traveled to Merchindale alone, but to not tell him about his potential abilities was more angering. It appeared as though Tristandor never wanted him to know anything about himself, or his own heritage. Aerinas so desperately wanted to break free from this responsibility, to break the bond between father and son, and to learn for himself the truth behind the lies. But, he knew he had to wait for the answers. Besides Ithyllna watching his every move, Tristandor was with them. It was all too clear to Aerinas: Tristandor only came on this journey so he could keep a close eye on him, making sure he didn't mess up again like he did at El-Caras. Aerinas had to keep his temper under control if he was to ever learn what was happening. Additionally, the magic he'd experienced twice thus far scared him. The power made him feel invulnerable—yes—but, the rush was intense, sometimes too intense. He saw himself doing things he normally wouldn't have done, envisioned striking out at his father. It took all the willpower he had to keep from entertaining the thoughts any further. He was changing, and it frightened him.
"Aerinas.” The voice was Foran's. “Are you coming with us or what?"
Aerinas hadn't realized it, but he was still standing in the same spot he was when the company split trails. The giants, the king, and Timothy had vanished into the rocks. It was quiet, almost too quiet. The mountain weather changed abruptly, and they had to take advantage of the few breaks granted them. “Yes, I'm coming.” He placed his thoughts aside for the time being, joined Foran at the rear of the party, and they began winding their way along the narrow trail.
"We have to stick together,” echoed Tristandor's voice from the front. He led the way, with Farrin aiding Aeligon close behind. Farrin knew the trail better than anyone and guided them along. Ithyllna and Lynais formed the company's center.
Over the next few hours, barely a word was uttered amongst the group. Farrin's mountains weren't noted for their safe travel—not just from creature infestation, but also natural dangers. The arm of mountains they were traveling in was formed from volcanic activity in the northwest, which spread the range east, dividing the land into two distinctly different regions. Salanthanon lay to the north, Fornidain to the south, making the mountains a popular pass between the two lands. To ensure their safety from one of the dangers—creature ambushes—the elves paired up. One would look left, the other right. Aerinas and Foran had the difficult job of not only covering those directions, but also checking the rear so they weren't flanked.
The winter brought with it shorter days in addition to its cold winds and snowy drifts. The latter actually helped, enabling them to see long distances because of the ground's whiteness, even further than the elves’ eyes would normally allow, spotting both creatures and cover. The shorter days lent a disadvantage because it grew dark much earlier than in the summer months. Having two members of the party who could use magic was a welcome advantage. Aeligon, on a good day and with proper ingredients, could cast his Shield Net spell to keep unwelcome wolves and other naturally occurring pests out of their camp. If his strength was weak, Pux would conjure a Bogon sentry to scare off would-be attackers. But then Pux would have to be kept awake at all times to control the beast, or else it would wander off into the hills, eventually falling off a cliff or meeting some other doom. Magic of that sort came with its drawbacks, so everyone participated in keeping Aeligon's strength up during the day so he would have enough energy to cast more practical magic.
For the next several days they kept on the move without a hitch. A sprained ankle, chapped cheeks, and cold feet were the only maladies they faced. Once Farrin indicated they'd reached the halfway point, however, complications arose.
With the afternoon sun shining brightly on the fourth day, they were maki
ng good progress along the path and had begun to feel more at ease about holding small conversations to pass the time. Aerinas and Foran were talking casually about home when suddenly some rocks broke free from atop a steep slope off to their left side—Aerinas’ side. As they slid down toward them, Aerinas quickly sprang back, pulling Foran with him. He shouted to Ithyllna and Lynais, who dove forward just in time.
Just before the rockslide crashed down on the path, dividing the party in two, the boulders froze in midair. Aerinas, still anticipating the impact, unshielded his face and looked at the strange phenomenon. All of them did. The rocks and boulders were still spinning, but remained hovering. Aerinas quickly stood up and looked ahead at Tristandor and Aeligon.
"Don't move!” Aeligon ordered. “I suspect we're not alone here. Everyone move back against the wall. Aerinas, Foran, don't come any closer."
Aerinas pulled Foran up and increased the distance between the floating boulders and themselves. Aerinas quickly scanned the surroundings. He couldn't see anyone or anything. They drew their swords. Aerinas noticed the path had widened significantly where they were now. Ithyllna drew her twin blades, Lynais drew his sword, magic flared up in Aeligon's hand, and Farrin pulled his double-sided battleaxe from under his fur tunic. Each waited nervously for the inevitable. A threat born of unnatural magic was about to test them.
Suddenly, the rocks started to move and shift about in the air, swirling around each other, finally colliding to form patterns. The ominous shape was the most feared creature of the mountains: a stone golem. Stone golems had to be formed using an external magic source, so Aeligon knew there had to be someone casting nearby. He wondered why he hadn't sensed who or what it was, but it didn't matter anymore; the golem was upon them.
The golem, completely formed, moved into position to assault, what it thought was, the weaker of the two groups. It slammed its stone legs into the ground, shaking more debris loose from the surrounding outcroppings, and moved toward Aerinas and Foran. Standing much taller than they, Aerinas assumed the golem was beyond their skills to defeat. All they could do was turn and run into the crags and narrow pathways along the road to try to limit the creature's options. It worked. Frustrated, the golem gave up trying to pursue the slippery elves and turned to face the other half of the party.
In a mere three steps, it was on top of them. The look on the golem's face was the most disturbing Farrin had ever seen. “There's no life in its eyes, Tristandor. It's just starin’ at us blankly.” The beast raised its boulder fists above them, but Tristandor raised his hand faster and shouted, “Taipona druis listna!!” Two orbs of red energy rushed from his palm, each hurtling at one of the golem's fists. They knocked the boulders off course, sending them smashing into the rock of the mountain and away from their intended targets. Undaunted, the golem began raising its hands for another attack.
Bounding through the narrow passageways, Aerinas and Foran made quick time flanking the golem. Both of the elves had heeded Aeligon's warning, and Aerinas himself had read enough history to know golems had to have someone controlling them, sort of like the Bogon creature Pux would sometimes summon to protect them at night. Golems were rogue slave creatures, summoned, controlled, and subsequently destroyed by the hand of their master. Destroy the master and you destroy the golem, Aerinas recalled reading. Nothing else would work, and time was running out for the others.
"Foran, we must find whoever's casting, and we need to do it now,” Aerinas informed him.
Foran was panicking. “But, Aeligon acted surprised, almost caught off guard that a golem would be the creature attacking us. Wouldn't he have sensed the magic being cast, or the spellcaster nearby, if it was magical?"
Aerinas shrugged. “It matters not. The golem is here, and neither Aeligon nor my father will be able to stop it. All their magic can do is slow it down. We must find who's doing this.” He pointed to the highest outcroppings of rock in the surrounding area. “Make for those—you on one, me on the other. Our eyes will reveal to us who is out there. Go!"
Without hesitation, both of them leapt up and across the broken landscape. Cuts and bruises formed on their bodies, but they kept clawing their way to the top. Aerinas readied his sword, for he also knew the spellcaster would need to have a line of sight to the golem to control it; he could probably spot whomever or whatever it was the moment he reached the high vantage point.
It didn't take long for the two to reach their respective outcroppings. Though the winter wind was bitterly cold and harsh up there, the intense rush of anxiety and excitement kept them warm. They shielded themselves from the wind as best they could and scoured the land quickly for any sign of a caster in relation to the golem. That's when Foran spotted it.
The golem clearly had the upper hand, yet all kinds and colors of magic were being unleashed upon it, from what he could see. But there, about a hundred yards away, near the top of another outcropping abutting one of the narrow passageways, was a creature with its hand extended toward the golem. Foran shouted to Aerinas and tried pointing, but the wind carried the signals away quickly. Since they'd chosen the wrong tactic, Foran realized they had to cover more than twice the distance to get to the caster. He wasted no time.
Foran leapt down from his perch and slid the rest of the way down on the heels of his feet to the ground below. Drawing his sword, he raced along, what he hoped was, the shortest path to the creature without being seen by it, or the golem. He couldn't waste any precious seconds.
Aerinas watched his friend jump down from the outcropping and disappear. Instantly, he believed Foran had caught a glimpse of the spellcaster, but could do little about it now. He turned and started jumping rocks until he was looking down at the golem from above. Its back was turned to him. He could hear the hissing of magic being cast against its stone body and heard it roar in threat, not pain. It could feel no pain. It was made of stones from the mountain and would never be affected physically or emotionally—the perfect weapon. He watched in horror and wondered why his magic wasn't reacting the same way it did before.
Foran crossed the road where the golem was still assaulting the others. He kept his bearings based on the physical layout of the terrain there, which he quickly memorized once his feet hit the ground on the other side. He'd learned this from hunting in the woods with his father back in Mynandrias. “Once your arrow leaves your bow, watch for two things before you move a muscle: the killing shot and where it runs to. Memorize every tree, every rock, and every thicket. Take a mental picture of it, then move to recover your prize.” Hearing his father's words echo inside his head made him think of home in that moment. Though it saddened him, he was grateful for his father's teachings. I just hope they paid off, he thought to himself. He slowed his pace; he was within range of the spellcaster.
He approached the overhanging rock formation, while his eyes were furiously gathering information. His ears, though nearly frostbitten due to the wind, were attuned to every sound close to him.
Then, he heard it. A chuckle, a laugh. Huh? What was so amusing to this thing? Slowly, Foran crept around the backside of the boulder and saw it. Clinging to the side of the rock, just in the shade of an overhang, was the strangest creature he'd ever seen. It didn't look like anything he could have imagined. It was small, plump, and had ears sticking out from the side of its head nearly six inches on either side. Long bunched strands of hair, resembling vines more than hair, grew from its misshaped head. It looks like a goblin, he thought, but it's the strangest goblin I've ever seen. It hung from the underside of the overhang with its fingernails, which looked like daggers. One hand was extended toward the golem, twitching and shifting it around, commanding its creation.
Foran froze. He didn't know what to do. He could throw a rock at the creature, but that would only anger it if he missed. He didn't know any magic, but this creature obviously did—magic always beat out no magic, and he was too far out of range to make a calculated direct attack. He had to act fast, so he took the best gamble he c
ould. Picking up a large stone nearby, he hurled it hard toward the creature. The gamble paid off. The rock struck the creature on the wrist of the hand clasping the overhang, causing it to fall. It shrieked loudly as it fell.
Aeligon and Tristandor were exhausted from all the defensive magic casting. One more blow from the golem on their shields, and they would be crushed to death. Farrin's axe blows and Ithyllna's knife slashes did nothing to thwart the onslaught. When the fists were raised above the golem's head for one final strike, it crumbled to the ground in a heap of debris and dust. The shield was lowered immediately; the strength of both Tristandor and the wizard failed. Ithyllna and Farrin panted, the sweat on their faces turned from dust to mud. Even Pux was without his usual lighthearted banter. Everyone was fatigued beyond their normal capacities and collapsed on the road. Another sustained attack would destroy them, and they were afraid.
Foran watched the small creature fall hard to the ground. It quickly sprang to its feet, mumbled something indiscernible and shrieked again when Foran ran toward it. Like a cat, it jumped to the nearest rock formation. Foran shouted up at it.
"Come down here at once! I have not had my chance to ring your neck.” The creature appeared so harmless that it nearly made the elf chuckle aloud, but its eerie expression was like nothing he'd ever seen before.
"Hollen soya trimuna,” the creature shouted back, menacingly.
Foran nearly expected to be hit with some spell, but to his surprise, the creature didn't cast one. Instead, it smiled at him and made a motion with its hand in the air. Foran gasped. A door swung open in the middle of the air, revealing a world of swirling blue light beyond. The creature waved to the elf, stepped inside, and was gone. The door closed, and the space where it had been a moment before was restored.
"An invisible door?” Foran asked out loud, shocked still at what had just happened. “I must get back to the others."
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