Fractured Everest Box Set

by D. H. Dunn

  “Val!” Nima yelled in jubilation, so loud she expected the child to stir, though it did not. Val looked up, his expression shifting from sadness to delight to amazement.

  “Nima!” he called back, struggling against the ropes.

  Nima felt a huge pressure release at the sight of Val’s smile, a weight lifting off her heart. He was alive, and he was safe!

  She just had to get him and the baby out of here before the building came down around them.

  “Nima! I thought you might be dead and now I find you here to rescue me! And you have the Scrye!”

  Nima gently placed the child on the floor and began to work on the ropes. Another tremor ripped through the room, causing a small portion of the window opposite them to crumble away.

  “No, I thought they might be keeping the Scrye here too, but all I found was this child.” The knots were stubborn, but she was making progress.

  “That is the Scrye!” Val shouted, joy in his voice. “You have restored it to us!”

  Nima looked back at Val, for a heartbeat all thoughts of the peril all around them falling aside.

  The baby was the Scrye?

  It didn’t make any sense, but right now there was no time to figure it out.

  Gritting her teeth, Nima pushed through the last knot. The vine-like ropes fell free, and Val sprang to his feet. Nima scooped up the still-sleeping child, the crystal on her head gleaming. She handed the infant to Val, who accepted her while Nima started pulling the ropes from the floor.

  “I don’t understand,” she said as another tremble running through the building. “But you can explain it to me later. Quick--help me tie the baby to my back. We’re going to need to get out of here.” She looked over at the window, dawn nearly complete. Would Tanira still be waiting on the beach?

  Val began strapping the child to Nima’s back, running the ropes around Nima’s midsection and then over her shoulders. Val performed the action quickly, as if he had experience doing so. Within moments, the baby was attached to her back like a pack. She headed for the window, Val grabbing her arm and pulling it.

  “Nima, the stairs are--”

  “Val this building isn’t going to hold. We need to get out of here.” She grabbed another section of the rope. Odds are it wouldn’t be long enough, but she decided she’d rather take her chances with a climb. “I’m not getting crushed in that stairwell and neither are you. Tie the end of this off to the door.”

  Nima ran to the window, nearly losing her footing. There was a constant tremor now, and by the window she could hear the yelling and hissing of the Thartark below. Out on the water she could see several ships already leaving the harbor, more being loaded by the pier.

  A quick glance at the beach showed it empty, but she couldn’t afford to look longer.

  Grabbing the other end of the rope, she gave it one pull to test the strength of Val’s knot. It held. With the child on her back, she leaped out the window and began to belay down the side of the shaking stone tower, Val following right after her.

  Their descent was not the smoothest Nima had ever worked through, the shaking building reminding her of a moving ice pillar from back in the Khumbu Icefall on Everest.

  She breathed a sigh of relief when her feet touched the hot rock at the bottom, Val dropping with a slight thud when she moved out of the way.

  A glance over her shoulder showed the child still asleep, almost as if a magical enchantment had come over it. Another tremor ripped through the area, small pieces of the tower falling around them.

  Nima had been concerned about Thartark resistance on the ground, but the city was nearly deserted. Taking Val’s hand, she ran toward the beach Tanira had told her of, ignoring the harbor. The sun floated slightly above the water, bathing the island in beams of warm light that would be relaxing in other conditions. The shaking of the island continued to escalate, the small mountain above them shedding dirt and debris like melting snow.

  The roughly constructed streets of carved stone gave way to a beach of tiny rocks and pebbles. Nima could smell the sea, hear the pound of the surf mixing with the rumble of the unhappy ground beneath her. Above them the sky had darkened, clouds now obscuring the sun.

  “How is the baby?” she yelled, Val slightly behind her but still holding her hand.

  “The Scrye is fine. It will never awaken, it is the Scrye!”

  “Yeah, great!” Nima yelled, her calves crying out at her from running up and down dunes. Her eyes cast in desperation up and down the beach.

  “I can’t wait to hear all about it!” Where was Tanira? Where was the boat? Had she led them through all of this only to die on the shore?

  Up on the mountain, there was a deafening crack as a huge slab of rock gave way and slid into a small mass of trees.

  Cresting one more dune, a tiny wooden boat appeared on the beach as if summoned, wedged into the sand. A boat, but no Tanira.

  Feeling renewed energy, Nima pushed through the damp sands towards the tiny craft, coming upon it just as she could feel the spray of the ocean.

  She looked back toward the Thartark city and saw almost nothing, nothing but crushed stone and unrecognizable structures. The tower Val and the child had been held in was gone.

  She gave a momentary thought to all the caves, all the dwellings and Thartark that must have lived there. Will they all have time to flee the island? Couldn’t Tanira have warned them if she knew this would happen?

  The boat was small, little more than a two-man rowing craft. Indeed, peering inside she could see two oars had been left there. Had Tanira left this for me? Or had she never made it to the sea?

  “Nima!” Val yelled over the thunders of the earth. He was already pushing the boat into the water, shoving her toward it. “We have to go!”

  Shaking her head against the growing storm of questions in her mind, Nima leaped into the boat as Val continued pushing it into the water. She quickly unlashed the baby from her back, cradling it in her arms. She felt the urge to comfort the child, even as she slept peacefully, the light from her gem growing ever brighter.

  Val jumped into the boat next to her, grabbing an oar and paddling against the raging tide as the first crack of lightning crossed the sky above them.

  In Nima’s arms, the Scrye opened her eyes and began to cry.

  Chapter 20

  Immobilized on a raised dais and surrounded by chanting Yeti, Upala wondered if this was what justice felt like.

  For thousands of years she and her brother had lived a consequence free life, walking among the Rakhum and Yeti as if the world merely existed as resources for their disparate manias. Nothing in the valley could hurt them, could hold them accountable for their actions. She had nothing to fear.

  Nothing except for the claws she would see each night as she slept, rending her parents to pieces before her eyes.

  Yet now, finally, there was accountability.

  The cave they Yeti had taken her to was damp with both humidity and anger. She had been brought to a chamber not far from the entrance, a wide circular room filled with dozens of the hulking creatures.

  They had not spoken to her during their journey, but she had heard the low chanting of the assembled gathering before they had even entered the cave. It was a deep, guttural language, their rhythmic utterance filled with deserved animosity.

  Pushing through their white fur and growing out of their shoulders and backs, their lighted colored crystals pulsed in time with their chanting, adding to her sense of guilt.

  Those crystals were the source of their animosity towards her. She had harvested them for years, taking bodies from their sacred burial grounds as if she were pulling crops from a field. Only these mysterious magical growths could open the ancient portals she had discovered, and only the portals could get her away from the dragons.

  Only her needs had mattered.

  She had offered no resistance as the two Yeti led her through the chanting crowd and onto the raised dais. She stood as they gathered crimson
crystals from their comrades, placing them at her feet. She did not know what they had planned, but she was committed to offering no resistance.

  Respect began to tinge her remorse as she saw the chanting’s effect, a wall of red glass slowly forming at her feet and working its way up her body.

  An asan rashi!

  An ancient Manad Vhan defense, one of last resort that she had used to protect herself from Kater during his last attack on her Upper Library. Within its confines, she had been immobilized and trapped deep in the Under. If Drew and his friends had not freed her, she would likely still be there today.

  That the Yeti possessed the lore to create one was astonishing, and called into question much she had assumed about the creatures. They were far more advanced than she had given them credit, and that was true of the Rakhum as well.

  While she and her brother had looked past these other creatures of the world, they had been improving themselves. Her arrogance and obsession had prevented her from seeing it.

  Perhaps if we had worked with them more? Where would they be if they approached the denizens of this valley as equals, instead of resources. Perhaps the Dragons might already be defeated, or a means to permanently prevent their return found.

  Yet she and Kater had not done that, and now it was too late.

  The paralysis ran ahead of the crystalline wall that had begun to encase her. The clear red substance had only reached her knees, but already she could feel the numbness tingling up to her ribcage.

  Yet she knew her mind would never rest, her vision would never cease. Forever more now she would be a witness, a silent sentinel watching over the Yeti she had once taken advantage of.

  They were gathered by the dozens, still chanting in unison as the crystal around her grew higher. Each of the massive creature’s eyes were trained solely on her, their expression inscrutable.

  Shadows began to form at the rear of the chamber, coalescing into two figures approaching. The throng of Yeti were facing her, all chanting along as their strange, arcane magic drove the asan rashi higher. None of them turned to see the pair of newcomers arrive at the rear of the room.

  Upala’s eyes grew wide with surprise and horror at the sight of Merin and Sinar as they snuck into the darkened shadows at the back of the crowd, her stare the only movement still permitted her.

  No! Her mind screamed at them, her throat burned to speak. What are you doing here?

  This was where she should be, where she deserved to be. For her brother’s crimes as well as her own. It was just and fair, and her sacrifice would keep the Rakhum safe, keep Drew safe.

  Where was Drew?

  Fear trickled in to her rivers of emotions as she realized Drew was not with them. If Merin was here, why were Drew and Trillip not with them?

  Why would they send Sinar? Why was he here at all?

  The pair kept to the shadows at the rear of the chamber, Upala able to see them whispering but could not hear them over the thrumming of the Yeti’s chant. The conversation became more animated, Merin shaking her head and angrily pointing a finger in Sinar’s massive chest.

  The big Manad Vhan smiled, his toothy grin visible in the low light. He stood, pushing Merin down with one beefy arm.

  Though she could barely produce it herself, she had seen Kater’s fire on many occasions. The heated energy would project out of her brother’s hands in short bursts, producing projectiles he would hurl at his opponents.

  Sinar’s fire was nothing like that.

  With an audible pop, gouts of flame simply streamed unending from his hands, as if Sinar were connected to some bottomless source of fuel. It flowed out of him like a wave, a wall of fire that crashed against the nearest Yeti. These first victims were reduced to ashes before they were even aware Sinar was there, bones and crystals falling to the rocky floor of the cave and clattering there.

  The smell reached Upala almost immediately, the burning of flesh and fur forming a stench that would have made her retch, had the magic of the asan rashi not already frozen her stomach’s muscles.

  Horrified, she watched as Sinar walked slowly toward her, his pace slow and calm, as the jets of fire raged all around him.

  Even the Yeti that managed to move had little chance of escape. Sinar’s inferno was too hot and too fast, many of them screaming in pain as their fur caught on fire simply from the heat of the air around them.

  Frozen as she was, her eyes began to blur with tears at the sight of the dying creatures as one after another was immolated. Rather than running to escape, she saw lavender flashes of energy as more Yeti transported themselves in from other portions of the cave. Roaring, the newcomers bravely charged Sinar in defense of their burning comrades.

  Not one reached him, each one quickly reduced to piles of blackened fur and ash.

  Her mind screamed in rage that this would be the legacy of her people, that these proud creatures might fall simply because of her presence here.

  Drawing upon magical essences from deep within herself, Upala pushed against the walls of the asan rashi with her shield energy, feeling the resistance of the crystal struggling against her efforts. The Yeti had copied the ancient Manad Vhan magics somehow, but they did not understand its inner workings as she did.

  It was impervious, but only from the outside. The spell had not been designed with the idea that the person inside might try to break free.

  She could feel fractures forming throughout the structure, the sound of tiny cracks barely audible among the screams of the Yeti and the sound of Sinar’s conflagration.

  She would be free, yet it was clear she would not be free soon enough. Only a few Yeti still remained, struggling to launch themselves at Sinar, who had positioned himself at the center of the room, facing Upala.

  Flame still streaming from his hands, he offered her a friendly wave as he cut down another of the doomed defenders.

  The air of the chamber was thick with smoke, a gray haze that rolled across the ceiling of the cave.

  Through that mist, a new figure emerged from the rear of the cavern. Upala gasped in horror at the sight of Merin angrily charging at the raving Manad Vhan, a scream of rage upon her face.

  Sinar didn’t see her yet, but once he did she would be burned to a cinder, leaving her children alone and orphaned.

  Her minds eye brought her a memory that was ever-present in her dark dreams, the sight of her mother and father ripped to shreds in front of her eyes. Growing up alone, with only her brother’s anger and her own fear to keep her company.

  No! I will not allow this! I cannot!

  Every bone in her body vibrated with the force of her passion, Upala forcing a powerful wave of shield energy against the prison of the asan rashi, drawing from every moment of pain and fear she had ever known in her long life.

  The crystal burst into fragments from the power of her onslaught, her scream filling the air as she regained the use of her body.

  She cast her hand forward in a blur, encasing Merin in a sphere of protective crimson energy just as the woman collided with Sinar’s huge form.

  The massive Manad Vhan looked up in surprise, first at Merin, then at her. Keeping the smile on his face, he directed his fire towards Merin, the last Yeti in the chamber a smoldering heap at his feet.

  Merin recoiled, but Upala’s shield kept her safe, the magical flames rolling off it like water. It was already a strain, Upala could feel the muscles of her neck beginning to tighten as she reinforced her energy against the relentless fiery attack.

  “Compassion?” Sinar’s tone was amused. “That is not what I expected from you, Upala.”

  “I will not let you hurt her.” She was surprised at the anger and strength in her voice. He was terrifying, more powerful than Kater had ever been. Yet she meant every word. Somehow. “You will not hurt her, or anyone else.”

  “Really?” Sinar turned fully towards Merin, bringing the flames from his other hands upon the shield. Upala’s knees nearly buckled at the increased resistance, but she p
ushed on.

  “You seem quite tired, my dear.”

  She studied him through the low light of the cave, the smoking bodies of the fallen Yeti flickering at the corners of her eyes. Though the intensity of the flames he sent at Merin was undiminished, he was sweating, breathing heavily.

  “You are fatigued as well,” Upala said. “Which of us will give out first, I wonder?”

  “Observant.” Sinar laughed. “If you could do more than protect with your abilities, I might be concerned. Like your brother, I can do both.”

  Keeping his attack on Merin active, he began to walk slowly throughout the chamber. As the strain of keeping her shield on Merin kept her immobile, she watched as he knelt and sifted through the piles of Yeti remains.

  “Why Sinar? Why this horrible slaughter?”

  With one hand pointed at Merin, he poked through the remains with the other.

  “Should I feel remorse, Upala? In a short time, I will finally pass beyond and into the realm of death. What does it matter what I do?”

  Pulling his hand from the pile of bones and ash, he held up several colored crystals, allowing them to glint in the light.

  “Also, these,” he said, placing the handful in a pouch at his belt. “I have portals to open, perhaps many. Thanks to your research I knew where to find the creatures that carried these, the keys to my journey.”

  He smiled at her, as if he were picking flowers.

  Her legs trembled with the effort of keeping the shield up. Inside the crimson sphere, Merin pounded against the walls.

  “Sinar,” she called to him over the noise of his fire. “These poor creatures! There were other ways! I could have-“

  “Harder ways,” Sinar said, turning his back to her. He began to walk towards the rear of the chamber where he and Merin had entered. “Ways that would take longer. Even my patience is not infinite.”

  One hand kept the jets of flame pouring at Merin’s position, the fire only dropping as Sinar finally disappeared into the stony passageway beyond the chamber.