Fractured Everest Box Set

by D. H. Dunn

  “If we die tomorrow,” Nima said, smiling. “We’ll be glad we laughed today.” Her phrase was as true now as when she had first said it to Wanda, what seemed like lifetimes ago. They had no plan and very little chance of succeeding, yet as friends they would brave the mountain of their future together and let Chomolungma decide their fate.

  Chapter 26

  Nima gulped in a huge helping of air as the Speaker materialized with her under one massive arm and Drew under the other, placing them in the shadows of an alley in Nalam Wast, not far from the bridge between the two communities. As it had been before, the city once under Kater’s control seemed deserted, but they could hear the sounds of the crowd on the Rogek Shad side.

  Next to her, Drew was down on one knee, trying to regain his breath. For a westerner, Nima and Pasang had always been impressed with how Drew handled the lower oxygen of Nepal, but it wasn’t the same as being Sherpa. She knew he would be all right in a moment.

  Something damp brushed against her arm. She looked down to see she was in contact with the Speaker’s fur.

  “You’re bleeding.”

  Nima looked up at the Speaker, the Yeti staring up the side of Ish Rav Partha where Upala and Lhamu waited for his return.

  “We are all bleeding, Arrived,” he said. “It is not a mortal wound, and the pain is manageable. I shall return as soon as I can with the Foretold and the Sentenced.”

  Drew nodded, slapping the Yeti’s big furry leg with his hand. Nima supposed that was intended to convey thanks, though she doubted the Speaker understood. The Yeti gave no attention to the gesture, vanishing in a cloud of purple mist.

  “Stay here and catch your breath, Drew. I’m going to go see what’s going on.”

  An unexpected advantage of travel by Yeti was that Drew couldn’t speak, so he couldn’t tell her to stop. Nima ran down the alley, peeking around the side of one of the buildings, where she caught a good view of the bridge.

  Terminus stood in the river on the far side of the bridge, the deep water only coming to the dark Dragon’s knees as it rushed around him. Overflow from the river started to lap up against the stone walls on either side, as the current sloshed around its enormous form. Nima could see two other Dragons on the bridge, the Thread and the Voice. There was no sign of the Worm, though she supposed it could be underground.

  There was a huge crowd gathered on the far side of the bridge, Nima guessed there were hundreds of people there in Rogek Shad, forming a big circle around the entrance. Kater stood toward the center, almost in the same place as Drew had been when he was attacked.

  The Thread was still as a statue as he stood on the span of the bridge behind Kater with his head down. The Voice twitched its neck and moved its wings frequently, much more so than Nima had seen it do when Tanira wore the Helm. The embedded crystals also glowed brightly when Tanira had worn it, where they were fairly dim now.

  “Rakhums! People of Nalam Wast and Rogek Shad. I am among you again!” Kater spread his arms out wide, the frayed edges of his red robes blowing in the slight breeze.

  “Oh brother,” Drew said in Nima’s ear. She had not heard him sneak up behind her. “The old bastard has got to be loving this.”

  Kater paced the center of the bridge, keeping his hands wide as he addressed the gathered crowd. Nima wondered how much choice that crowd had in assembling.

  “I have returned to you in this hour, as I have always told you I would. A hero, a conqueror of these demons of the air who would devour you.” Kater paused, Nima thinking he was probably waiting for cheers. She was sure the only reason anyone listened was because they were afraid of the Dragons.

  “Today will be the first day in a new dawn, no more a split community! Reunification! A shared existence of Rakhum under my guidance and protection. Now all shall be Nalam Wast!”

  “But first, we must dispose of those who would stand against me. I asked you all, when I came on the back of the great Dragon Terminus himself - who among you would not swear fealty to me. Sadly, some of you resisted. But I shall not punish those who resisted me. I expect they will learn their error in time. I will only punish those first two to come forward. Bring out your prisoners!”

  Nima watched two large men wade through the crowd, each bearing one smaller struggling person. She could not yet see through the crowd the prisoner’s faces, but she had a bad feeling about who they would be.

  “How can he already have people working for him? Don’t they hate him?”

  Drew sighed. “Didn’t Shamsher hate Jang? When people are afraid, they will do a lot to protect themselves.”

  The two men pulled their charges out from the crowd, Nima seeing the faces she was worried they would be. Merin and Trillip.

  “Do not bow down to this man,” Merin was yelling. “He is no god!” Standing unsteadily next to her, Trillip stared defiantly at Kater through a mask of bandages.

  Nima was already moving, turning back down the alley to find the best path to the bridge.

  “Examples only!” Kater yelled, his voice bouncing off the empty buildings of Nalam Wast. “These two stand in the way of the future, the way of a unified Rakhum society! I beg of you to remember this day. As the sun sets over the mountain, and sets upon the insurrection of these two, it will rise tomorrow on a . . . a new tomorrow for you all!”

  “I guess Kater didn’t have all of that speech worked out,” Drew said from behind her.

  She could hear the worry in Drew’s voice despite his joke. He labored behind her as they ran down the side streets. She now wished the Speaker had placed them closer.

  “Take the prisoner!” Nima heard Kater say. His voice was much louder, they were getting close. She ran between the buildings, headed toward the bridge as one empty gray structure after another blurred by her. They likely had no real chance to save their friends, but it didn’t matter, they weren’t going to watch them die.

  She cleared the last building, turning the corner and began running up the long slope of the bridge. Her breath came to her in deep gasps now, exhaustion finally threatening to set in.

  She could just make out the red-robed form of Kater, Trillip and Merin at the center of the bridge with the two guards. The Thread and Voice had moved to the Rogek Shad side of the bridge, Nima could only see the tops of their heads. Terminus loomed above them all, twin heads looking down.

  “Dragon!” Kater said, pointing at Terminus while Merin struggled against the two men holding her. “Consume them!”

  One of Terminus’s two necks bent down the level of the bridge, the enormous head arcing past Merin and coming to rest so it looked down at Kater. Its voice was deep and filled with something Nima had not expected. Amusement.

  “No,” Terminus said. “I think not.”

  Nima froze, the back of her neck suddenly turning to ice. Drew stopped right behind her.

  “Do as I command!” Kater said, pointing in Terminus’ direction. In front of him, Merin laughed while the two men held her arms.

  “You, command me?” The slight hint of mirth came into Terminus’s thunderous voice. “The Rakhum girl was stronger than you. Resisting you was hardly an effort. Yet I hoped it would be a worthwhile diversion to see the desires of your heart, Manad Vhan. You disappoint me.”

  “Oh, shit,” Drew said from behind Nima.

  Kater leaned forward, appearing to try and will his control onto Terminus. The light from his Helm was as dim as before, nowhere near as bright as it had been when Tanira had worn it.

  “Subjects,” Terminus said. “Consume them. All of them.”

  Chapter 27

  Drew pushed a frustrated sigh past his teeth. Predictably, Kater had taken a bad situation and made it worse. Just as predictably, the old bastard wasn’t about to take the problem lying down.

  No sooner did Terminus order his subjects to attack the Rakhum but Kater launched a barrage of fire at Terminus, actually managing to drive the massive Dragon back.

  It was only for a moment, Drew was sure, bu
t it gave them an opening. Merin and Trillip, seeing their opportunity had run across the bridge through the scattering crowd to join Drew and Nima.

  Drew gaped for a moment as Terminus grasped at Kater with his claws, but the Manad Vhan was able to bring up his shield in time.

  He pulled himself away from the spectacle. The Voice was already swooping down toward the streets of Rogek Shad, while a fresh crater in the ground was the only evidence of the Worm he could see. The Thread as well had vanished.

  Nima, Merin, and Trillip had gathered around him. He didn’t wait for anyone to ask him what to do this time. Drew accepted these were his moments, where the quick decisions needed to be made. He just wished the Speaker would hurry up and get back here with Upala.

  “Look, Kater’s got a better chance against that monster than any of us would. He’s at least keeping him busy. Merin, Trillip - we’ve got to get your people to safety. Is there anywhere you can lead them?”

  “Either Nalam Wast or back to the Yeti caves.” Merin whirled around, a large crash coming behind them where Terminus had thrown the shield ball that contained Kater. Drew held his breath for a moment, only to see flame jet out from the rubble. Despite all the tension, he laughed. Kater was still kicking.

  “Yeti caves it is, I would say,” Trillip said. “But I do not know if they will accept us.”

  “We will convince them,” Merin said, giving Trillip a pat on the shoulder. “I think they like me.”

  “Fair enough.” Trillip began running towards Nalam Wast, Merin right behind him.

  “We will round up all we can and send them to the caves!” He yelled back to Drew.

  Drew watched Merin and Trillip head away from the bridge and into Nalam Wast. He recalled Trillip’s gully shortcut across the river and nodded. Better than crossing the bridge.

  There was another loud crash of stone and fire which covered the sound of the Speaker appearing in front of them with Upala and Lhamu. The young Caenolan girl immediately ran to Nima, while Upala took a moment to collect her breath.

  “Drew,” Upala said, gasping. “What. What has. . .” she trailed off, looking behind her at the scene by the bridge. “Oh.”

  “Right,” Drew said. “Look I know you’re exhausted, but you’re the least hurt of any of us. You and I have got to get over to Rogek Shad and try to deal with the Voice. Speaker, I know we’ve asked a lot of you but can you get us over there?”

  Drew’s injury on his side chose that moment to flare up, but he bit his lip and kept the pain inside.

  Not now, dammit.

  The Speaker nodded once. “When I am expended, I will let you know.”

  “Drew,” Nima said. “What about us? Me and Lhamu?”

  “She can talk telepathically to the Speaker, so try and keep an eye on Kater and the big guy there.” Drew knelt next to Nima, tapping her upper chest with his finger. “An eye on him, little sister. Stay out of harm’s way.”

  “Of course I will,” she said with a smile. She was pulling away. Drew was sure her mind was already ten steps away from here, jumping without looking like always.

  Not this time.

  With gentle pressure, he held on to her shoulders.

  “No,” Drew said, shaking his head. His eyes threatened to water over as he looked down at her.

  “Not so fast. Take this seriously, Nima. You could die here, you know? And I …” his voice choked up. He took another breath, trying to put images of Dragons out of his mind. “I need you to be alive. You understand me?”

  He watched her face, unsure of how she would react. Her grin never wavered, but he saw tears in her eyes to match his own. She threw her arms around him, the tightest hug she had ever given him.

  Her whispered words were almost too quiet for him to hear.

  “I’ll do my best, Drew.” Her lips pressed against his cheek. “I love you.”

  She released him and took Lhamu’s hand, the pair of them running off down the alley toward the direction of the battle between Kater and Terminus.

  “You sure?” Upala said, still gulping air. “You sure sending them. Is a good idea?”

  “No,” Drew said, fear running through him like a virus, “But we could use the view of what’s going on there. Plus keeping Nima out of trouble wouldn’t be possible anyway. I’ll just pray she keeps herself in one piece.”

  He stood, giving Upala a quick embrace. She groaned, giving voice to all the aches and pains she had gained.

  “I feel about the same,” he said. “I’ve got a hundred massages waiting for you when this is over.”

  She gave him a quick kiss, a brief second of electricity.

  “I will hold you to that, Drew Adley.”

  Drew turned back toward the Speaker. The Yeti appeared slightly fatigued, which to Drew meant he was likely exhausted. They all needed more time, but this was all the time they could take.

  “Ok, we are ready if you are.”

  As the big, furry arms of the Yeti wrapped around them, Drew held his breath. He knew the next sight he would see would be combat with the Voice. He could only hope to be ready, and tried not to think about all the people who depended on him.

  When the world flashed back into focus, the first thing Upala saw was blood. She dropped to the ground, her chest heaving for air from the strange effects of Yeti teleportation. With her hands and knees in the dirt, she scanned the scene of torn tents, smashed wooden poles, and too many body parts.

  How many people had died here? Five? Ten? It was horrific, bile rising in her throat at the sheer injustice of it all. All of this, because of her and her brother.

  A fierce, angry cry rang through the air, letting her know the Voice was close. She got to one knee, looking around to get her bearings. They were on the outskirts of Rogek Shad, a large field built right on the edge of the great mountain, where the pollen kites were often tied off to take advantage of the winds. The field should be filled with dozens of tents and yurts, hundreds of farmers.

  Now it looked like a warzone, a maelstrom of unmoving bodies and shattered homes, with the whirling, screeching golden form of the Voice at its center. It tore through a small, wooden structure, perhaps a former windmill, attacking it as if it were the Dragon’s prey. It moved more like weather than a beast, spinning and thrashing in a dervish of claws and occasional fire.

  “Good lord,” Drew said, next to her. “What the hell could we do against that?”

  The exhausted Speaker sat behind him, the first time she had even seen the beast sit.

  All around them, Rakhum scattered and ran. Some ran toward the center of Rogek Shad, others toward the open plains. A few even ran toward the foothills of Ish Rav Partha, the great mountain rising strikingly right above them.

  She looked up at the snowy face of the mountain, huge fields of fresh, white powder from the previous day’s storms.

  “Drew,” she called quickly. “Nima told me you can detect snowfalls. Like when the snowslicks happened to us.”

  Drew shrugged his shoulders.

  “Avalanches? Yeah, I guess.” He followed her gaze, then looked down the mountain. He saw what she did, the beast would be right in the path.

  “Can you keep that thing here?” he asked.

  She was already walking toward the Voice. It was here, tearing through the small, wooden building. Where would it go next? Could we follow it again?

  They had to strike now, finish this now.

  She reached inside herself, tapping what remained of her energy. Her guilt sparked a new passion within her.

  These were her people, all around her. Rakhums of both cities, now fleeing in terror. With her brother’s help, she had put them in this position.

  It was time for someone to take responsibility. She would deliver them from this, or die trying.

  “I can keep the Voice here,” she said. “I will. Just get up there, if the Speaker can take you. Bring the mountain down on this thing. I will trap it here inside my shield, then drop it right before the snow hits.
If we are lucky, it will be buried.”

  “What about you?” Drew asked, concern all over his brow.

  She had not thought that far, but perhaps something would come to her. In case it did not, she threw her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately.

  “I will think of something.”

  “Make sure you do,” he said. He smiled at her, a false gesture to hide the worry. “We’ve got plans, remember.”

  “Yes,” she said. “We do indeed. Now get moving!” She turned him around, giving him a smack on his backside and pushing him toward the Speaker.

  The big Yeti was already standing, though he was a bit hunched. Upala guessed he had overheard their plan, and like the others, he was digging inside him to find more energy.

  She turned around in time to see the Voice shatter the remains of the windmill, flipping and arching on its back as it rolled through the wooden debris. She heard the slight pop of the Speaker’s porting magic as he and Drew disappeared.

  Upala ran toward the golden Dragon, yelling at it with all her might. She wished she could call fire into her hands as Kater and Drew seemed to be able to do at this altitude, but her shield would have to do.

  She closed the distance between herself and the beast, its golden head now turning in her direction. She would find a way, she told herself. For all she had failed to do for the Rakhum in the past, Upala would find a way to keep this creature from hurting anyone else, even if the last person it killed was her.

  “Kater’s losing.”

  Lhamu’s voice came from Nima’s right, where they were huddled behind the small stone wall, the battle between the Dragon and the Manad Vhan having ripped through Nalam Wast and now back to the bridge where it began. Between the blasts of fire from Kater, the roars from Terminus and the booming sounds of destruction all around them, the river’s noise had been all but drowned out.

  Lhamu was right. Nima had been amazed at how well Kater had been able to fight off the huge Dragon, driving the beast backward with repeated strikes with his fire, seeming to know the best places to hurt Terminus.