by Sam Bowring
‘And if the blue-haired man wants anything, I’m paying!’
Merriment erupted again.
‘Excuse me,’ came a voice beside Bel. It was a short, lean man wearing brown trousers and a leather vest, with a certain gnarled quality about him.
‘Yes?’ said Bel.
‘If I may say so, it’s a relief to see that you actually exist. I wonder if you’d join me at my table? I’m Gellan.’
•
‘You would have passed woods on your way here,’ said Gellan. ‘Further in, they meet the foothills and the mountains proper. It was there, in a cliff face, that I found the cave the little girl spoke of. There were no signs of habitation, but I suppose a burned-up skeleton isn’t going to fix himself tea very often.’ He smiled faintly, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
Bel found himself liking the man. It was odd to see a mage out of robes, but he supposed trekking through woods required hardier wear.
‘I did find traces of shadow magic, however, seeped into the walls,’ Gellan continued. ‘I don’t know how long whatever it was – let’s call it Fazel for the sake of brevity and hope – lived out there, but maybe for some time. There was also a trail of shadow magic leading away, much fainter and tricky to follow.’
Bel nodded. ‘Fahren mentioned you were an excellent tracker.’
‘Modesty prevents me from agreeing,’ said Gellan, ‘though I would if I could. I followed the trail for a time, up into the mountains, before I lost it. If Fazel wants to hide, the Heights are a perfect place. The lower reaches are heavily wooded, and hardly anyone ventures up to the peaks – not only are they barren, but spiny trolls live there.’
There was an uproar at the bar as M’Meska tipped two glasses of bloodfire simultaneously down her throat, then belched loudly.
‘Gluttonous lizard,’ laughed Jaya.
‘Can you find the trail again?’ asked Hiza, bringing attention back to the table.
‘Do foxes have whiskers?’ said Gellan. ‘If Fazel’s still up there, we’ll find him.’
‘Excellent,’ said Bel. ‘We leave at first light.’
‘And now that that’s settled,’ said Hiza, rising, ‘I for one do not intend to let the Saurian have all the fun.’
Along the Ridge
Along the Ridge
Along the Ridge
Gellan led the way through prickly woods at the base of the cliff, retracing his own trail from days before. Bel followed closely, with Jaya and Hiza behind him, and M’Meska bringing up the rear, an arrow notched ready in her bow. They hadn’t brought the horses but carried their packs with them, for who knew if they would return to Cadmir. Bel found himself instinctively watching the trees for signs of huggers, even though there were none in these parts. The wood itself was certainly different from Drel Forest – wetter and quieter, for a start.
They didn’t tarry long at the cave, for there was precious little to see. Instead Gellan led them to a steep, mossy slope, from beyond which came the sound of gushing water. Gellan moved lightly upwards, the others clambering after with more difficulty. Eventually they reached the top, suffering only a few slimy scrapes. They found themselves on a rocky ridge overlooking a crevasse through which a river ran some twenty paces below.
‘This is as far as I came the last time,’ Gellan said. ‘The trail faded out a little further along.’
‘So what do we do?’ asked Hiza.
‘I can sense if shadow creatures are near,’ said Gellan, eyes shifting. ‘There is nothing yet . . . but this ridge is the natural path through this part of the mountains. I say we simply continue.’
‘Sounds like a plan, of sorts,’ said Bel. ‘Lead on.’
For the rest of the day they travelled the ridge, climbing higher into the mountains. The ridge became wide enough to support trees and bushes, and the terrain across the gap was the same. They were not so much journeying into the peaks themselves but along a sort of belt part of the way up. Far above the vegetation died out, and the orange tips of the peaks showed through. Here, between the mountains, the sun disappeared long before the day’s end, and twilight seemed to come early. As it grew darker, Gellan stopped.
‘I think it best we camp here,’ he said. ‘Not much light left in the day – could be dangerous to continue.’
It was too damp for a fire, yet the air was warm enough to be comfortable. They ate dinner from their supplies, and M’Meska moaned that they hadn’t thought to bring any bloodfire with them. Bel offered to take first watch and, as the others hunkered down to sleep, Gellan sat beside him.
‘You know,’ he said, ‘something troubles me.’
‘Hmm?’
‘Well,’ said Gellan, ‘what are we actually going to do if we find this creature, and it is indeed Fazel?’
Bel frowned. ‘I’m not sure.’
‘Fahren would be a fool to send you on this mission without a potent mage to back you up, nor has he done so. Nevertheless, it isn’t lightly that I’d choose to face Fazel, even if he’s become nothing more than walking charcoal. Added to which, you don’t want him simply destroyed, but subdued.’
‘Yes, I must question him.’
‘Which,’ said Gellan, ‘is even more difficult. At any rate, if you have some kind of plan, I’d appreciate knowing what it is.’
Bel thought hard about that – did he have a plan? Beside his own brazen confidence?
‘A while back,’ he said, ‘I was in a scrap with many huggers. Something strange happened to me. I began to . . . well, see . . . the pattern of the fight. I could sense the path I needed to tread in order to win.’
‘How astounding,’ said Gellan, seeming genuinely impressed.
‘It has happened once again since, but unfortunately the way to win that fight . . . came at too high a cost.’
‘I see.’
‘I guess,’ said Bel, ‘I’m hoping something like that might happen. But I have not really been tested in a magical battle before.’
‘That’s comforting.’
‘If not, I am not without my native skill,’ said Bel, even though he was a little concerned. In Drel, lost in his meditative bloodlust, he had danced through countless hugger attacks, but spells would be harder to avoid; not all of them could simply be ducked. Also, Iassia had been there, steering huggers away from him and encouraging attacks on his comrades instead. How he hated that bird – he wanted badly to believe that he would have survived Drel without Iassia’s ‘help’, but there was no way to be sure.
‘In that hugger fight,’ he continued, ‘I became very . . . directed. I was not really aware of the soldiers who were with me, and as a result I paid no mind as they were slaughtered. So if you see that happening, I want you to protect the others first, and not worry about me.’
Gellan nodded slowly.
‘Look,’ Bel said, ‘who says Fazel will even attack us? If he’s hiding, he might have broken the Shadowdreamer’s hold on him.’
‘Hmm,’ said Gellan. ‘Possibly.’
‘And there are more of us than there is of him.’
‘So the plan is really to wait and see what happens?’
Bel frowned. ‘I do not see what other plan we could have, without knowing more.’
‘All right, Blade Bel. Let’s just hope this fate of yours can carry us all safely through. Now if you’ll excuse me, I had better try to get some sleep.’
•
The next morning everyone woke up damp, but the sun soon warmed them through. Gellan disappeared briefly, returning with bunches of green stalks which he claimed were edible. As Bel chewed on the fibrous stuff, he wandered to the edge of the crevasse. The river gushed past about thirty paces beneath, and across the gap the other side of the ridge grew thick with moss, ferns and creepers. A green-furred rabbit appeared from behind a rock and began nibbling on vegetation.
‘Gold piece for your thoughts?’
This from Jaya, who’d joined him with a stalk dangling from her lips.
‘Just wondering if we
’re on the right track,’ said Bel. ‘Or if we’ve come to this strange, remote part of the world for no reason at all.’
‘Always a possibility, I guess,’ said Jaya, shrugging.
‘Mmm. Yes. Now, pay up.’
‘Left my money in my satchel,’ said Jaya, in a tone that implied that was much too far away.
The rabbit stopped its munching and stood up straight on its hind legs, watching them. Suddenly, it bounded away between ferns. An orb of fire hurtled after it to burst across its rump, sending it flaming off course and leaving it black and smouldering. They turned to see Gellan with his hand outstretched.
‘What did you do that for?’ said Jaya.
Gellan lowered his hand. ‘Fazel can commune with animals,’ he said. ‘Best not to take any risks.’
‘You could have left enough to make a meal of,’ said Bel begrudgingly.
‘That one wouldn’t have made good eating,’ said Gellan, and winked. ‘It wasn’t ripe yet.’
‘Anyway,’ groaned Jaya, ‘who needs rabbit when there are watery weeds to chew on?’
‘Come on,’ said Gellan. ‘We should get moving.’
On they went, slowly enough for Gellan to send his senses questing far ahead. Towards midday the rock they travelled over grew hot where it wasn’t covered in moss. All kept a close lookout, but there was no sign of life beyond insects chirping. They stepped around a bend and saw a large boulder blocking the path, leaving only a narrow ledge to skirt around, a couple of handspans wide.
‘Ah,’ said Gellan. ‘This might be tricky.’ He glanced to the opposite ridge – the gap between was some five paces wide. ‘I could float us all to the other side,’ he mused. ‘But such an exerted use of magic would shine like a beacon to any shadow mage nearby. Either that or we take our chances making our way around the boulder.’
He glanced at Bel for an answer. Bel was pleased that he did, for while he did not bandy around many orders, it was good that everyone remembered who the leader of this expedition was.
‘We’ll hug the boulder,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t look like it goes very far.’
‘Aye,’ said Gellan, with a distant look in his eye. ‘We will have to.’
‘What do you mean?’
Gellan moved into the shadow of the boulder, and cocked his head as if listening to something only he could hear. He held a finger to his lips, and the others crept in after him.
‘There’s something on the other side,’ he whispered. ‘Of the shadow.’
Tense looks flitted across the party’s faces.
‘Will he know we’re here?’ said Bel.
‘Doubtful,’ said Gellan. ‘I’ve been holding my magic very closely to me.’ He frowned, concentrating. ‘He’s still some distance away. But it’s lucky I didn’t try to float us.’
‘So,’ said Bel, trying to sound certain, ‘we’ll traverse the ledge as planned.’
Gellan reached out to touch one of the creepers that ran across the boulder’s surface. ‘Quite strong,’ he muttered. ‘Not to be relied on fully, but we should be all right. Try to find handholds in the rock. I’ll go first. Everyone ready?’
The others gave wide-eyed nods, except Bel.
‘Bel?’ said Gellan.
‘I should go first,’ said Bel. A leader would go first, wouldn’t he? That was, in fact, the very definition.
‘If you do,’ said Gellan, ‘you’ll be vulnerable without magical protection. If I go, I can protect everyone who follows in case we are spotted.’
Bel felt this commonsense prickle him but nodded. ‘Very well,’ he said.
‘All right then – let’s go.’
Taking hold of the side of the boulder, Gellan edged out onto the ledge. Like everything here, it was slightly damp, and his fingers curled carefully to find nodes and notches in the rock. A moment later, he disappeared.
‘I’ll go next,’ said Bel. He embraced the boulder and shuffled out onto the narrow slice of rock. Beneath him, the sound of the river seemed to grow in intensity. Coming around the first jut of stone, he saw Gellan two paces ahead, moving steadily and surely. A tingle shot through him, like a milder version of what he felt in a fight – or maybe that was just what everyone felt when they were in danger? He glanced back and saw Hiza following with an anxious expression on his face. Despite the situation, Bel found himself grinning, and Hiza forced a grin in return.
‘Nice day for it,’ Hiza grunted.
‘Aye,’ said Bel.
Gellan reached the other side, where he dropped down behind some bushes then turned to watch over those who followed. Bel heard Hiza’s feet scuffle and looked back again to see his friend with a white face, bits of rock crumbling from his clenched grip. They bounced away into the river, sending up foam flares. Hiza scrabbled for a new grip, and his fingers seized the creeper vine. As it took his weight there was a series of crisp snapping sounds, of rootlets tearing free of the boulder’s surface. Hiza scrabbled swiftly, flinging out a hand to grasp a more stable outcropping of rock.
‘All right?’ whispered Bel.
‘Got it,’ puffed Hiza.
Jaya appeared behind him, working her way around with dextrous grace.
Bel turned to concentrate on his last pace. Gellan was waiting to help him, and ahead the ridge ran sunny and open. Bel felt extremely exposed. If Fazel was watching, he’d have a clear shot at them in this assailable position. Gritting his teeth, he made some fast little sidesteps and finally cleared the boulder, Gellan catching his arm to steady him.
‘Get down,’ breathed Gellan, and they crouched as they waited.
Hiza followed closely, still white but visibly relieved to be on firm ground again. ‘Let’s not go back that way,’ he said.
Jaya moved nimbly off the ledge, not bothering to take Gellan’s offered hand – she hadn’t even broken a sweat. ‘This has nothing on running across tiles three storeys up in the driving rain,’ she whispered in Bel’s ear.
‘Dastardly thief,’ he replied softly, more in acknowledgement than humour, for he was distracted, scanning the ridge ahead.
Last came M’Meska. In a way, the Saurian was better equipped than the rest of them to manoeuvre in such a fashion, for her knees bent backwards and thus did not butt against the boulder as she moved around it. Her claws, however, did not seem to grip the hard surface as readily as hands. Her tail was an extra weight behind her, and as it began to swing more and more wildly, it became apparent that she was having trouble balancing. She gave a grunt and clutched the rock, frozen in place.
‘Come on, M’Meska,’ Hiza whispered. ‘You’re almost there.’
‘Damn rocks and damn wet and damn blue-haired men,’ she spat.
With a start, she realised that the ledge was beginning to give way beneath her. She shifted her feet but still clung to the same place as stones rained down. Her claw slid free and scraped loudly along the rock, and she grabbed at the vine already loosened by Hiza. It gave way with a jerk and then caught again somehow, leaving her leaning out over the drop. Her waving tail made her sway back and forth, pulling on the vine even more. The snap of the creeper had a sound like finality, and its green length turned loose in her grip. M’Meska gave a croak and toppled backwards off the ledge.
Gellan shot out a hand. M’Meska froze in the air, her yellow eyes blank with fear, and Gellan made a further motion as if beckoning her to him. The Saurian floated over, banging her knees on the cliff edge less than gently, and sprawled at their feet. Hiza crouched to put a hand on her.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked.
‘Sssh!’ said Gellan, peering through the bushes. ‘That use of magic will not go unnoticed.’
‘What do you sense?’ said Bel.
Gellan blinked and then said, ‘Get down!’
All were momentarily blinded as light issued out from Gellan, creating a protective ward around them. The next moment, blue energy was breaking against it, melting the bushes that stood outside its perimeter. Gellan grunted, withstanding the a
ssault for all of them. As the bushes dripped away, Bel searched the ridge ahead for signs of their attacker. On the opposite side, across the gap, he caught the movement of someone disappearing around a bend.
‘He flees,’ said Gellan.
‘After him!’ shouted Bel.
He took off down the ridge, leaving Gellan’s ward and ignoring the call to wait. He rounded the bend and saw, some way ahead on the opposite ridge, a fast-moving figure in a green cloak seeming to glide along between the rocks and plants. Without thinking, Bel hurled his sword so that it spun horizontally, blade flashing in the sun. Over an almost impossible distance, the butt of the blade cracked the figure on the back of the head and sent it forward to the ground.
‘Stay behind me!’ he heard Gellan shout to the others, and felt a whoosh of heated air as a fireball rushed past him.
On the ground the figure rolled, and a blackened skeletal hand shot up. Shadows curled outwards and the fireball slammed into them, fading away quickly against the shadow mage’s defence. As the figure leaped spryly to its feet, both hands came forth issuing twin bolts of energy, one towards Gellan and the other at Bel.
Bel dived behind rocks, where stone splinters blasted the back of his neck. He saw the other attack crash against Gellan’s light, which the mage carried along with him and the others like a wavering bubble. M’Meska flinched, then bounded away from Gellan and his protective glow, leaping on her powerful hind legs across the gap to the other side. She landed with an arrow ready in her bow.
‘Come back!’ shouted Gellan. ‘I can’t protect you from afar!’ He ran with Hiza and Jaya at his heels, blocking bolts that the fast-fleeing figure flung, almost casually, over its shoulder.
Ignoring Gellan’s warning, M’Meska bounded onwards, sending arrows ahead of her. Bel sprang to his feet and followed on his side of the crevasse, just a little ahead of Gellan and the others, feeling naked without his sword. Several of M’Meska’s arrows caught in the figure’s shadow ward as if it was thick tar, then flipped around and flew back towards her.
‘Watch out!’ called Bel. M’Meska made an almighty jump to land behind a tree, as arrows peppered the other side of the trunk. More fireballs issued from Gellan and the figure stumbled under the barrage but managed to stay on its feet.