“I knew it,” Ritsuko muttered.
The air was cold enough that he could see his breath, defying the rain lashing his face. Snow wouldn’t be any better, and ice would be disastrous. So Mikani hoped the temperatures didn’t drop further. His horse seemed nervous as it trod along the rocky path. Now and then, its hooves slipped on the slick stones, and he tried not to think about the drop on the left side. The path was too narrow for two horses to ride abreast; he shuddered to imagine what would happen if someone came riding down.
“We should find shelter,” Hu yelled.
Good luck with that, mate.
Mikani didn’t need to check the map to know they had several hours before they crested the mountain and a bit longer to reach the first hamlet, which at first had simply been a way station for travelers. It was a small village by any standards, but if they had clean beds and hot coffee—Hells and Winter, I’ll even drink herbal tea—he’d be happy. The rock wall offered no solution either, no ready cave where they could wait out the weather. At least it’s a windbreak. But the wind was sweeping in all directions, likely driven by maddened elementals.
“Can you do anything about this?” He raised his voice to carry back to Saskia.
“I tried. They’re not listening.”
As if she’d agitated the storm spirits further, lightning split the sky, limning the mountain in stark white light—and in that split second, Mikani almost saw the faces in the mist. Almost. The alien presence left a chill in his bones, and he locked down his gift tighter, not wanting to feel whatever drove the creatures to boom thunder all around them like a warning.
“Dismount! I’d rather not have one of us tumble over if we lose a horse in this mess.” The going will be much slower, but a damned bit safer. Or as safe as we can be when we have the skies themselves against us.
“Hug the wall, watch your step. If the horse rears or bucks, let it go.” Mikani waited for them all to grab their steed’s reins before starting up the narrow trail once more. Water ran down the path and off the rock wall as the storm raged. Mikani felt as if he were crossing an endless stream, the constant wash of muddy water and pebbles numbing his feet after fifteen minutes. Every now and then, the edge crumbled under the constant flow.
His lashes were damp, nearly frozen, so at first, he thought he was hallucinating, as something whipped by, striking the edge of the cliff and tumbling over. But the second time, he was sure when the rock slammed down only half a foot in front of his terrified horse. The roan surprised him by stilling on the path instead of screaming or rearing. It might’ve been skittish to start, but the horse had good nerve when it came down to it. Mikani craned his neck, worried about the stability of the stones above.
The weight of the water might be too much—
Only it wasn’t a natural rockslide they had to worry about. He had been picturing the lot of them swept off the side under a deluge of shale, but instead, he saw three hulking figures atop the shelf, some one hundred feet above them. Hells and Winter. Are those golems? From that distance, he couldn’t make out the faint glow of the runes normally used to control the massive stone constructs. Someone’s trying to stop us . . . or they’ve gone rogue like the fire and air elementals. Either way, they each grabbed another rock—a boulder by human standards—and were about to drop it atop their party.
“Move!” he shouted.
The reins felt slick and cold in his hands, but the horse came when he pulled. He didn’t dare run, much as he wanted to. His heart beat so hard it almost hurt as he raced as quickly as he dared along the slick, precarious ledge. Mikani hated being so far away from Ritsuko, but there was little he could do about it right now.
Impact. The huge rock slammed into the ground behind him, creating a minor rockslide. Bits of the path crumbled away, tumbling down the mountain in a shiver of wind and rain. He couldn’t even hear when it reached the bottom. Someone cried out as another rock hit. More tremors. A horse whinnied in terror, the high-pitched tone unmistakable.
What the hells is going on back there?
Though it might not be wise, he had to check. Mikani peered over his shoulder and found that they’d lost one of those horses, Saskia’s white. She was directly behind him, clinging to the rock wall. Her face was greenish pale.
“The boulder . . .” she said helplessly.
He knew what’d happened, then. “Come on. Quickly. We’ll have to make do.”
Mikani set the pace as quick as he dared. He wished he could reassure Saskia and check on Ritsuko, but this wasn’t the place. If they didn’t get off this ledge, they’d all end up like the horse. A third stone crashed behind Ritsuko mere seconds after she moved, and it opened a ten-foot gap in the path between her and the doctor.
“I can jump it,” Hu said, but Mikani sensed he was none too sure.
He heard Ritsuko say, “It might be easier on your horse?”
“Too wet,” Saskia shouted.
“Then how the devil are we getting the horse across?” his partner asked.
Above, the elementals or golems—whatever the hell they were—searched for stones suitable for smashing humans. Urgency gnawed at him like an itch he couldn’t scratch. The path was too narrow, the edges already crumbling; if he tried to press past the others to try to help Hu, chances were that they’d all end up tumbling off the edge of the cliff.
Bloody hell, maybe I can draw them off, at least. He drew his gun and shot at the rampaging elementals. Saskia let out a surprised yelp.
“Over here, you mud-gobbling bastards! Over here!” Mikani shouted.
He fired once more, and a low, rumbling groan, the grind of rock against stone, filled the air. The next boulder hit a couple of feet above him in a shattering cloud of rock shrapnel. Damn, that worked. Now what? He pressed forward, hating his own helplessness, but he could only try harder to draw their ire. Mikani beckoned to Saskia. Best to give Hu as much room as we can. To his relief, two of the hulks on the ledge above kept pace with him and Saskia, leaving only one to rip out chunks of rock from the cliff to throw after them.
So long as they’re tracking us, they’ll leave Ritsuko and Hu alone.
He glanced back in time to see Ritsuko calling the black horse like someone else would a dog. The animal raised its head up and down, seeming puzzled, since it didn’t have a rider controlling it. Then she got an apple out of her bag and the horse took off. Bronze gods, she’ll be trampled. But he couldn’t stop what was already in motion. The animal’s hooves slid on the wet rock, but Ritsuko dove against the wall, so the horse skidded past her. It teetered near the edge, right behind her own mount, which thankfully had a placid nature. Her hands trembled as she gave the black the treat and patted its rump.
Mikani kept moving, and above, he heard the thunderous footsteps of the golems giving chase. As long as we don’t stop, it’ll be all right. He’d tell himself that anyway. Saskia stayed right behind his horse, more obviously frightened than he’d ever seen her. There was no point in worrying about what would happen when they got higher on the mountain, where they might run into these creatures up close. Not sure that’s a fight we can win.
With any luck, they could outrun them.
Another glance over his shoulder showed Hu backing up to make a running leap. If anyone else had been stranded on that side, he had his doubts they could’ve crossed the gap but Hu landed almost where he needed to be. Damn. The big man’s heels dug into the crumbling rocks near the edge, and he tipped backward.
Ritsuko grabbed him, her other hand on the horse’s tail, and by some miracle, the black helped, towing them both forward. Hu fell on top of her as the golem dropped another stone.
CHAPTER 15
THE EARTH BENEATH RITSUKO’S FEET TREMBLED, THEN crumbled away. Hu tried to shield Ritsuko from the rocks raining down as they dropped; above, the horses followed Mikani and Miss Braelan. Wind whipped her cheeks as she plummeted, and she couldn’t get her breath. There was only air beneath her, and falling, falling. She couldn’t even scream.
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Just as well, the wind was knocked out of her when she landed. Hu thumped down nearby, and the stone that had landed on him sailed down past the secondary ledge, all the way to the bottom of the cliff. She lay for a few seconds, unable to believe she wasn’t dead. Of the rogue golems, there was no sign.
They’re probably chasing the other two.
With a soft groan, she sat up. Her entire body felt bruised, but she seemed reasonably sound. The doctor didn’t stir. Considering he’d had a huge rock dropped on him, then fallen off a ledge, that wasn’t surprising, but if he was seriously injured, Ritsuko had no idea how she could move him. To make matters worse, all their supplies were with the horses.
She gazed upward and could only see a curtain of water, darkness, crumbling stones, and an endless river of mud. Impossible to tell how far we fell. Using the rough edges of the rock, she hauled to her feet, and shouted, “Mikani!” But the wind swooped her voice away and gave back only the roar of the storm. There were no lights visible above, and she quelled rising fear that tasted like bile in her throat. Focus. Stay calm. The ledge they’d landed on was more of a rocky outcropping, but it did wend some distance around the mountain. She peered downward, finding only a dead drop to the darkness below.
Stay calm.
“Irahi?” Heart in her throat, she felt for a pulse.
There, strong and solid. The knot on the back of his head, however, explained why he was unconscious. Not knowing what else to do, she sat beside him for several minutes, whispering his name. She feared the creatures might hear and double back to renew the attack.
At length, he stirred, peering up with dark, bleary eyes. “Celeste? What happened?”
“We’re in a bit of a predicament, I’m afraid.”
With her help, he sat up, though the movement hurt him. His muffled curse sounded almost like Mikani. “Think I broke some ribs.”
“What can I do?” she asked.
“If I had the supplies, I’d wrap and tape them. Since I don’t . . . I bear it.” The doctor tried to smile. “If you’d be so kind as to lend me your shoulder, I think I can stand.”
But he was gray-faced and shaky when she got him on his feet. “I’m so sorry you were hurt protecting me.”
“My dear lady, I fell on you. I should be apologizing.”
“You also kept me from being killed by a giant rock.” Ritsuko had no doubt that she would’ve fared much worse if the projectile had landed directly on her.
“I’m delighted to be of service.” But the pleasantry came through gritted teeth.
“We’ll move slow,” she said. “Put your arm around me if you need to.”
“Though you’re kind to offer, there’s no room. Don’t worry, I can keep up.”
Together, they stumbled forward, perhaps twenty feet, and the weather cleared. The pouring rain tapered, then stopped entirely. It wasn’t normal to fall and leave a storm’s radius. Though Miss Braelan had said the torrent wasn’t natural, this proved that this whole region was spooky and dreadful. Nothing had been right since the Gull passed the Seven Sisters. But foreboding, no matter how strong, didn’t change her orders.
“Shaping up to be a fair night,” Irahi said, sounding breathless.
While she pretended to accept his good nature, Ritsuko couldn’t stop checking on him over her shoulder. She wondered if Mikani and Miss Braelan had escaped the elementals, if they were safe. But she couldn’t let that concern interfere with their progress, so she fixed her mind on traversing the ledge. Here, there were no signs of life, no heather or gorse. And perhaps a hundred feet, as the ledge wrapped around the mountain, the news got worse. To continue, they had to climb down a nearly vertical incline with few handholds. She got vertigo just looking at it.
“Perhaps we should rest,” she said.
Irahi shook his head. “We should continue on until nightfall. Get as far as we can.”
He knew as well as she did that without adequate supplies, they might not fare well. The plan had been for them to cross this mountain and reach the first hamlet. Ritsuko didn’t see that happening, but with the doctor hurt and no food or water, they couldn’t afford to dawdle. As if he’d guessed her thoughts, his expression became stoic.
“I’ll go first. If I slip, I doubt you could catch me.”
“I did once before,” she said.
“You had help, Celeste.”
That much was true, and the black horse was nowhere to be found. It was cowardly, but she closed her eyes, not wanting to watch. But she heard his scrambling descent and round curses when the motion pained his ribs. It was a relief to hear him panting nearby. She glanced down and found him standing solidly on the ledge below.
“Come on. I’ll catch you.”
He was definitely bigger, and probably stronger, but she wished desperately that it was Mikani waiting for her down below. If her partner said that, she’d launch herself without a second thought. She didn’t know Irahi as well, and it took all of her courage to clamber over and let gravity carry her. The rock was smooth enough that her boots had no purchase, so her body slammed into his. Pain made him swear, but he didn’t even budge.
“There we are.” He lifted her and spun so she was in front of him on the other side. “Carry on with the trail blazing.”
“You should probably conserve your strength,” she protested.
Irahi only smiled.
There were a few more similar jogs until they reached a lower path that seemed more suitable for humans, less for mountain goats. By Irahi’s gray face and the sweat pouring off him despite the chill mountain air, she guessed he was hurting like hell. She didn’t know what to do about it, however. Every time she expressed concern, he waved and mumbled a vague assurance, validating the truism that doctors made the worst patients.
It was nearly dark when she heard the faint whisper of water. Since her throat was burning, she quickened her pace. And when they rounded the curve, she spied a trickle coming down the side of the mountain. There were gentle inlets cut into the stone, so she guessed this was the regular runoff channel, either from the recent storm or from a stream higher up. She stifled a whoop of triumph; they could make it to the village without food.
Too thirsty to worry about manners, she put her mouth on the stone and let the liquid run into her mouth. It tasted sharply of minerals, but nothing in the flavor made her think it was tainted. Then Ritsuko shifted back so Irahi could drink his fill. Since he was bigger, it took considerably longer, then he set each cheek in the flow, cooling his face.
“I’ve a flask in my pocket. I knew liquor wouldn’t help our situation, but . . .” Irahi delved into his torn jacket, produced the container, and dumped the alcohol. Then with some effort, he filled it with water.
“If we’re careful, that should last us.”
Irahi nodded tiredly. “Let’s go, love. We can put a little more distance behind us before we lose the light entirely.”
Ritsuko didn’t know how she felt about the endearment. He was exhausted and hurt, so perhaps it was just one of those things. In the end, she let it go as it wasn’t the time to ask. So she just nodded and set off.
Night fell quickly on the mountain, and the temperature dropped accordingly. Soon, not even the moon and stars gave enough light to make her feel confident about where she was leading them. Her progress had slowed to a near crawl by this point anyway.
Ritsuko sighed. “I think we have to stop here.”
“Agreed. It’s too risky to press on. One misstep will send us plummeting.”
She gave a wry smile, knowing he couldn’t see it. “Thanks for that mental image.”
“Are you afraid of heights?” he asked kindly.
“A little, before. More now.”
“I suppose falling off a mountain will have that effect.” His wry tone surprised a laugh out of her.
She wished they had . . . anything to help with the chill, but there were no blankets or bedrolls. No warm supper. It would be impossible to build a fi
re here, anyway. With a faint sigh, she slid down against the rock face. Ritsuko had no idea how she would sleep, but even if she didn’t, rest would help, provided she didn’t freeze in the night.
“Don’t take this as an improper advance, Celeste, but I think if we’re to survive, we need to pool our resources.” The doctor opened his arms, and a shiver went through her.
It was too much intimacy, too fast, but practicality wouldn’t permit her to demur. “Let me know if I hurt you.”
At first it was dreadfully uncomfortable. She thought about how she’d climbed into Mikani’s lap after she killed her first man, how good and natural it felt. By contrast, she felt nearly smothered by the weight of Irahi’s arms. Yet the warmth was heavenly. She was afraid to move, however, worried about jabbing him.
“Relax,” he whispered. “We’re going to be all right.”
And she wished with all her heart that she believed him.
• • •
MIKANI GRABBED SASKIA by the waist, forcibly yanking her back from the disintegrating edge of the mountain path. The woman in his arms struggled and kicked at him, swearing as he hauled her back. The path behind them disintegrated in a flurry of mud and splintering rock. He glanced back once, but the darkness had swallowed Ritsuko and Hu, and no amount of shouting roused a response.
Another boulder slammed down.
If we stop, we fall, too.
He staggered in the cascading mud and stinging rain as Saskia’s struggles finally wound down to wracking sobs and halfhearted kicks. Ritsuko. Celeste, why did I bring you here? Please . . . But he couldn’t even concentrate to shape a prayer with the golems attacking. If we don’t draw them away, they’ll finish the others.
Lead them away. Keep moving. We’ll come back for you, partner.
The golems kept pace as long as they could, hurling rocks that were driven astray by the wind, but soon, they ran out of higher ground, and Mikani dragged Saskia onward with all of his strength. The storm let him pretend that it was only rain dripping down his face and clouding his sight. He carried her along the winding trail and into a narrow pass. Boulders flew past him and shattered, peppering them with flying shards of stone and rock; none came so close as the one that had taken Hu and Ritsuko, but he could not stop moving yet. He scrambled and stumbled on, his limbs on fire, until somewhere far behind him he finally heard the elementals rage as they lost their prey.
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