The Mountains Rise

by Michael G. Manning

  Many of them were backing away now, frightened by the oddity of the invisible shield and disturbed by the apparent torture of one of their own. Most of them still weren’t sure what had happened, but fear was contagious.

  “Don’t even think of running!” shouted Daniel, sending a surge of power into the line that he had drawn around the town. He gave that shield a hazy red color as well, to help them understand the situation they were in. “If I have to chase you bastards down, I might get angry,” he warned them. “Then I’d be tempted to do something rash.”

  Just leave, you can set fire to the town and watch them burn inside it, said the darkness at the center of his soul.

  “That would be too easy,” he said aloud, and then he raised his voice, shouting to make himself heard. “Which one of you organized this!?”

  His only answer was another swing of the axe handle as Mr. Wheeler attempted to dash his brains out. Responding almost reflexively, Daniel contracted his shield and created a blade of force around his right arm, lashing outward with it, sending the axe handle and the lower half of the man’s right arm flying off to one side.

  The man screamed and fell to his knees, his left hand futilely trying to stanch the blood pumping from the stump of his arm. Expanding his personal shield again, Daniel kicked his latest antagonist in the head, sending him reeling onto the ground. Then he paused to seal the skin and blood vessels, making sure he wouldn’t continue to hemorrhage.

  “I wouldn’t want your death on my head, now would I? Fool,” said Daniel, and then he burned the word ‘fool’ into the man’s forehead. “I do want you to remember this.”

  People were scattering now, running for the edge of town, for their homes, for anything they thought might give them safety.

  Using his power recklessly, Daniel began to move the air, whipping it up into a fierce gale and sending it circling around the outer part of the crowd. Gouging at the earth with his mind, he added dirt and rocks, making the howling wind even more dangerous. Those who attempted to run were badly hurt as sand tore at their skin and rocks began to pelt them at ever more dangerous speeds.

  The small mob was trapped now, locked within a cyclone of seemingly demonic wind with a man who was clearly possessed. Daniel smiled and contracted his personal shield. When it was close to his skin he added flames to the outside, making it appear as though he were burning, but unharmed. These flames were purely illusory, but the charred words on Billy Hedger and John Wheeler’s forehead’s were all the proof the onlookers needed.

  Some of them had fallen to their knees, praying to the forest gods to save them, which only made Daniel laugh. If they realized the irony of that, he thought. “Which ones helped beat Alan Tennick?”

  Men and women cowered, children cried, but no one spoke.

  “You’d best give me some names. If I have to guess, I’ll just kill everyone and be done with it,” he said, shouting to be heard above the wind.

  One of the women, Fiona Brown, pointed at Larry Banks, “It was him, he started it.”

  “Thank you, Fiona,” said Daniel.

  “You treacherous sow!” shouted Larry. “I just went along with ‘em. It was Tom’s idea.” He pointed at Tom Hayes who was standing with his wife, Alice clutching onto him nearby.

  A chorus of shouts and denunciations went up after that, but sorting through the chaos, Daniel got a hazy picture of who had been involved in his father’s beating. It soon appeared that the principle antagonists had been Larry Banks, Tom Hayes, Aston Hayes and John Wheeler. All of those made sense to him, except for Mr. Wheeler, who had no reason to hate him that he could think of.

  Some people just like hurting others, he thought to himself.

  Daniel shouted for the crowd to be silent, and after a minute, they were. “Alright, I’ve made up my mind,” he told them. “Bring Larry, Tom, and Aston over here to me.”

  “What about John?” cried Larry Banks in a plaintive voice.

  Daniel laughed at him, “I think he’s already paid his due.” John Wheeler had passed out anyway, weak from loss of blood.

  The crowd pushed and shoved Larry forward, but Tom Hayes and his son Aston stepped up on their own. Alice Hayes was crying in the background, begging Daniel not to hurt her husband and son. Exerting his will, Daniel opened the ground beneath each of the men’s feet, causing them to sink several feet. He closed it on their legs just above the knees, trapping them in place.

  He addressed Tom first, “I’ll give you a choice Tom, since you were man enough to step up. Is it to be you, or your son?”

  “What?” asked Tom in a tremulous voice.

  “You or Aston. I’ll punish one of you and let the other go. You decide,” he explained staring at the man with the heartless gaze he had learned at Thillmarius’ cruel hands.

  “What will you do?”

  Daniel began chuckling, giving the sort of laugh that normally one hears when two friends are talking, laughing over some harmless joke. “I’m not telling you that, Tom. I might cut off an arm, like I did with John over there. Or I might kill one of you. Whatever it is, you can bet it will be painful, I’ll make sure of that.”

  The man began crying, but he managed to choke out the words, “Damn your eyes, take me then. Don’t hurt my boy.”

  Daniel nodded, approving of his choice. At least he’s man enough to protect his family. He had already decided to let him live, but he had plenty of options.

  “No, wait!” Aston Hayes blurted out. “I was the one who jumped in with Larry. My dad only came to try and drag me out.”

  “I didn’t think you had it in you, Aston,” said Daniel. “You were an asshole growing up, but I guess maybe anyone can learn from their mistakes.” Erecting a shield around the two of them, he shoved his old rival to the ground. “Out of respect I’ll leave you whole, but this will hurt like nothing you’ve ever felt before.”

  He put his hands together and drew them apart, creating the red whip that he had learned from watching the wardens. It was something he had been on the receiving end of many times; a weapon that inflicted terrible agony but left its victim unmarked and unharmed—physically at least.

  Aston’s eyes grew round, and he began to shake. Daniel began to lay into him with the whip and his screams were terrifying to hear. He howled piteously, begging for forgiveness. Judging by his own past experience, Daniel knew he probably felt as though the flesh was being stripped from his bones, bit by bit. The dark smell of shit and fresh urine filled the air as Aston lost control of his bladder and bowels. Tom Aston cried along with his son, begging Daniel to have mercy on his son the entire time.

  Daniel ignored him.

  After a period of some ten minutes, Daniel relented. Aston was still conscious, though his face was covered with tears, snot, and mucus. Drool ran freely from his mouth. Turning to Larry Banks, Daniel discovered that the man had already pissed himself.

  “You’re a fine sight to see, Larry,” noted Daniel.

  “Please,” begged the older man. “I’ll give you anything. I never should have hurt your Dad. I’m sorry, please, I don’t deserve this.”

  “Don’t deserve it?” said Daniel questioningly. “Of all those I’ve hurt today, you deserve it most of all. In fact, you’re probably the only one I’m going to enjoy punishing.”

  “I wasn’t thinking clear, you killed my boy and Emily too,” blurted out Larry. “Anyone would ha’ done the same in my place.”

  “I did kill Ronnie,” said Daniel, leaning in close to stare into the man’s eyes. “But he was an evil bastard. I caught him in the middle of trying to rape someone, and his buddies had already nearly killed Seth Tolburn. He deserved what he got.”

  Unable to restrain himself any longer Daniel gave Larry two hard strokes with the whip, relishing the sound of his screams. “And Emily!” he shouted. “I can’t believe you dare mention her name to me! She told me about how much you ‘loved’ her. You sick son of a bitch.”

  More howls came as he laid into the he
lpless man again. “If she killed herself, it was to escape you!”

  “I never touched her!” cried Larry, leaning back and then forward, doing all he could to avoid the cruel touch of the whip.

  “Don’t lie you monster, or I won’t stop ‘til you’re dead,” said Daniel coldly. He intended to kill Banks anyway, but he preferred to leave the man with hope until the very end. Emily had never told him directly what her father had done, but Daniel had a pretty good imagination, and he knew she hated the old man fiercely. Whatever it had been was probably pretty terrible. Ronnie had probably turned out bad for similar reasons.

  Pain, abuse, hatred, torture—these things foster and nurture evil, he thought. They’ll ruin the heart and darken the soul. It may be too late for me, but at least I can make sure this sick bastard never hurts another.

  He knew that he had become the very evil that he sought to punish, but he no longer believed in hope. Daniel had given himself over. He tortured the man, even as he screamed and begged, confessing his crimes against his family and crying for mercy.

  Daniel was so caught up in his frenzy that he almost failed to notice the small form running toward him. At the last moment his mind alerted him, and he twisted, throwing up a secondary shield which caused his attacker to rebound. Blades of force appeared around his arms instinctively, and he swept one down to cut the offender in two. Daniel’s brain registered what he was seeing almost too late, and he froze before making contact, the blade around his right arm bare inches from the small girl’s face.

  Blue eyes stared up at him, framed by wild dark hair. The girl had his eyes, though something in her features reminded him of Emily. Her face was red and dirty, streaked with tears. She had been screaming something, and belatedly his mind recalled the sounds and translated them. “Don’t hurt my pawpaw!” were the words she had hollered as she charged.

  This must be Haley, Daniel realized, Emily’s daughter.

  “Please,” begged Larry Banks, “Listen to her!”

  Daniel turned to the older man, even more furious at the thought that the man who had ruined two children already was now raising his child. “You think I should spare your life?”

  “Yes, please,” said Larry. “I’m all she has now.”

  “I’ll give you a choice then,” said Daniel coldly. “Your life or the child’s, choose one and I’ll spare the other.”

  Larry Banks stared at him, wide eyes filled with tears while snot clung to his beard. The offer stunned him at first, and he looked back and forth between his granddaughter and the man who had fathered her. Then his face twisted into a hateful expression, “Kill the girl then! I’d rather live than raise your accursed spawn!”

  Haley’s face was a picture of surprise. The girl registered her grandfather’s words, but she couldn’t reconcile them with her image of him. She looked up at Daniel, fear touching her face in place of the protective fury that had been there before.

  Looking down, Daniel felt remorse as the terror in her eyes finally reached his darkened heart. “Don’t worry, child. I won’t hurt you,” he whispered. Addressing Larry, he decided to finish his business, “Very well, Larry Banks. I’ll take this child in place of your life. Tell the people here what you’ve decided so no one questions it later.”

  “She’s yours! I don’t want anything more to do with the bitch!” screamed Larry, in a voice that mixed relief and shame. “Take her!”

  Daniel stood straight, backed up a step, and took the girl’s hand in his own. She tried to pull away from him, but he held her hand tightly. Looking around, he saw that the entire town was watching with faces shrouded by resentment, fear, and loathing. Fear seemed to be the predominant emotion at the moment, though.

  Raising his voice he spoke to the assembled townsfolk, “My name is Tyrion Illeniel. I was raised Daniel Tennick, but I’ve given up that name. My last words to you are a warning! If any harm falls on the heads of those who were my family, there will be a reckoning. If any harm comes to Seth Tolburn or his wife Kate, there will be a reckoning. If any harm comes to their children or any others they care for, whether man or beast, there will be a reckoning!”

  He stared at them, watching their faces before adding, “Do you understand me?!”

  People nodded fearfully, but Alice Hayes spoke up, “What if someone else hurts one of them?” She glanced around, as if uncertain everyone in the crowd would pay heed to Daniel’s warning.

  Tyrion looked down the street toward the house that belonged to Larry Banks. With a smile he held out his fist and sent a flaming sphere of incandescent fire at it. Seconds later the building was engulfed in flames. The people gasped and cried out in panic, but Daniel shouted them down. “If anything befalls them, I will come back and burn every living soul in this town. I don’t give a damn for justice or fairness. So, I suggest you all keep an eye on your neighbors.”

  The flames had begun to spread, but Tyrion tamped them out with his aythar before the rest of the town caught fire. “I will be returning to the deep woods, and I won’t be back for many years, but when I do, I will be prepared to exact revenge for any wrong done to those I have named.”

  Pulling at Haley’s hand, he began to walk, moving in Alice Hayes direction. Everyone in that direction moved away, but he pointed at Alice, “I’ll be looking for a delivery of lumber to my parent’s house tomorrow morning.”

  “How much?” she asked meekly.

  “All of it,” he declared. “And from now on, anything they request, you will provide, whether they’ve got credit or goods to trade or not.”

  She knelt in the dirt, “Yes, Lord.”

  Tyrion kept moving, tugging at the girl’s hand, dragging her along with him.

  “Let me go!” she cried, desperate to escape him when they got to the edge of town.

  Bending over, Tyrion caught her around the waist and picked her up, carrying her against his side while she kicked and fought. “You should relax, Haley. Things will be better where I’m taking you. That man didn’t deserve to raise another child.”

  The words didn’t register on the girl, though, and she began to weep, crying and begging him as he continued onward.

  She can hate me if she wants, he thought as he carried her. In fact, it’s probably better for her if she does.

  Chapter 41

  Everyone was inside when Daniel finally got back to Seth and Kate’s home. Alan was conscious and Helen was there, fussing over him. Seth had gone to fetch her after he had left.

  They all looked up expectantly when he entered the front door. Haley had gone silent during the last part of his walk, so there was no noise to alert them before he came in.

  His mother was coming out of the bedroom and was the first to react. “Daniel!” she said, as if his name was enough to convey her question and worries.

  He nodded in her direction before glancing at Kate and Seth. He was uncomfortable meeting their eyes. “My name is Tyrion now,” he told her.

  “What did you do?” asked Kate, her question serving dual purpose as an accusation.

  Staring at the floor, he answered, “I made sure they’d never threaten any of you again.”

  “What did you call yourself?” asked his mother.

  “Tyrion,” he repeated. “Tyrion Illeniel. It’s the name they gave me and the only one that matters anymore.”

  Helen was confused, “I don’t understand. What kind of name is that? You aren’t making sense, Daniel.”

  “It’s a slave’s name, Mother,” he replied harshly, “and it’s mine. It’s the only thing I truly own now.”

  “A slave?”

  Seth had moved slowly across the room, approaching with some caution. “What’s that under your arm, Daniel?”

  Tyrion looked down in surprise. The girl had gone limp during his trip back, too tired to fight any more. His arm and shoulder were numb, and his back had developed a dull ache, but he had been ignoring the discomfort in such a thorough manner, that he had forgotten its source. “Oh,” he resp
onded dully, lifting her with his other arm and holding her out. “This is Haley Banks.”

  “I recognize her,” said Seth soothingly. “Is it alright if I take her?” He was leaning in with his hands up.

  “Yeah,” said Tyrion.

  “Why do you have her, Daniel?” asked his mother, somewhat insistent now.

  “Tyrion,” he replied, giving her a harsh glare. “I don’t answer to the other name anymore.”

  Helen flinched at his tone. In the twenty-one years since she had given birth to her son he had never spoken to her in such a voice, not even during his difficult teenage years. She didn’t know how to react to the bitter man standing before her now.

  Kate put a hand on Helen’s back as a gesture of support. “What happened? Why do you want us to call you by a different name?”

  He turned away, moving back through the doorway. “I don’t deserve the old one anymore.”

  Catherine Sayer was no timid flower, and his attitude had roused her anger. “Don’t think you can just walk out that door, Daniel Tennick!” she growled behind him. “I want to know what happened.”

  Even though his back was turned, Tyrion could see their actions clearly with his magesight. Kate started forward, and her husband gestured silently for her to stop, urging caution. She ignored him.

  Seth always had more sense than either of us, he thought silently.

  Her hand caught the back of his shirt, and he suppressed the urge to take her in his arms. “Talk to me,” she said.

  “I cut John Wheeler’s arm off. I branded him and Billy Hedger before torturing Aston Hayes and Larry Banks in the middle of the street. Then I threatened to burn everyone alive if they ever crossed you or my family again, and I made my point by burning down Mr. Banks’ house,” said Tyrion coldly, rattling off his crimes in a nonchalant manner. “Now, let go of my shirt.”