Fractured Everest Box Set

by D. H. Dunn

  She pulled herself up, feeling the tower sway backwards as she did so. She could only stay up here for a few seconds. Looking down she saw Lhamu’s glowing head crystal first, then the girl’s face, serious and determined. Nima reached down, widening her stance to steady herself as she pulled the girl up on the wobbling space.

  She gripped Lhamu’s hand tightly.

  “Get ready to jump!” she said. “Toward the river!”

  The Umbuk River raged alongside them as the massive form of Terminus closed directly ahead. This tower was about to fall, Nima could tell just as sure if it were back in the Khumbu. She just needed to wait one more second to let the Dragon get close enough and hopefully the stone structure would fall right on it.

  She could see the twin heads of Terminus bearing down, stretching on its long necks, four red eyes bearing down on her. Each step shook the tower further.

  She counted down in her head, wishing she had said more to Drew, just in case.

  The twin maws of the beast opened, Nima staring down a pair of dark tunnels leading into the Dragon’s interior.

  “Now!” She pulled Lhamu to her right, angling for the river. Her feet left the tower’s stone surface, her altitude dropping immediately. There was no way to look begin her, but she heard the structure collapsing and a satisfying set of painful roars from Terminus assured her that her plan had worked.

  The raging waters came at her at tremendous speed, Nima only having a second to pull a gulp of air into her lungs and close her eyes before the cold water pulled her under.

  Her brother Pasang had loved to swim and would jump into the small local river every chance he got. To Nima, the water always made her feel bulky and uncomfortable, like a rock stumbling along, being taken where the water wanted her to go.

  The Umbuk was taking her, but there was nothing stumbling about the strength of its current. She wobbled and bounced around in the icy water, trying to get some traction with her arms but the river’s turgid flow kept twisting her. She was tired, her arms and legs felt like stones attached to her body.

  Nima felt the fear build slowly inside her. Could it be that after all her adventures and risks, that this was it?

  Had she finally taken the one leap that was too far, as her brother had warned her, jumping past where neither her luck nor even Chomolungma could reach her?

  Then a firm, webbed hand gripped on to hers. A powerful force tugged her against the current, yanking her up above the surface of the water. Nima’s eyes stayed shut as she pulled air into her lungs in huge gulps. By the time she became aware that she was not going to die, she was already on the river’s shore.

  She opened her eyes, the weight of her cold, wet clothes like boulders on her chest. Through blurred vision she saw Lhamu kneeling over her, concern and worry clear on the girl’s face. Nima forced a slight smile onto her lips and saw Lhamu mirror the gesture.

  “Glad you can swim,” Nima croaked. She knew there was more to be worried about, but she was out of energy and out of ideas. Even moving was a struggle.

  “Glad you can climb,” Lhamu laughed. “I was worried that-”

  “Nima!” A familiar voice rang out, Nima propping herself up on one elbow to see Merin running toward her. Trillip was close behind, past him she could see the tents and yurts that comprised Rogek Shad. Crowds of people still scattered around, some of them looking aged or sick. Merin’s body blocked Nima’s view as she knelt to embrace her.

  Nima put a weak hand around the woman.

  “So brave,” Merin said. “So brave. Kad would be proud of you.”

  “Look!” A panicked cry came from out of Nima’s sight. Trillip’s voice. Merin moved and stood, horror building on her face. The ground trembled; she heard the impact of massive feet onto the river. She turned knowing what she would see.

  Terminus marched toward them, walking through the Umbuk as if its mighty current was meaningless. One head glared straight in her direction, the other head shook back and forth, several wounds visible on its face. The collapsing building had done more to Terminus that she could have hoped.

  It would heal the damage in time, of course, but by then it would be too late for them. One Dragon’s head would be enough. Terminus marched forward, increasing its speed, eyes now fixed on Lhamu as it roared.

  Fire struck the beast from the direction of the bridge, a direct shot into the Dragon’s eyes that left Terminus shaking its head in pain.

  Nima turned along with the rest of the crowd to see Kater standing on the shattered remains of the stone structure, launching a second arc of fire.

  “You!” Terminus said, voice booming from the uninjured head as it turned away from Nima and Lhamu and twisted back toward the bridge. “I thought I ended you, Manad Vhan!”

  “I am not ended so easily!” Kater yelled back. Nima could hear the breaks in his voice, could see the trembling in his form. The old man’s will had gotten Kater up out of that building, put him back on the bridge to face the Dragon again. Kater looked too weak to stand, yet he summoned more fire from his hands all the same.

  Terminus was nearly upon the bridge, now moving even faster than he had charged against Nima. Flames licked from wounds along its neck and chest, there were burn and scorch marks all over the beast, yet it kept coming.

  Kater ceased his fire, throwing both his hands in the air as he raised his crimson energy around him. Terminus brought both of his huge clawed talons down against the shield, roaring as it shattered. The old man stumbled and shuddered from the impact.

  Nima watched as Terminus’ remaining good head swooped down, jaws open wide. Kater turned to run, but was engulfed by the massive maw and swallowed in a single action.

  “Kater!” Nima yelled. She was standing now, though she did not recall getting up.

  There was a low rumbling, laughter coming from the heads of both Dragons, a deep mirthful sound that vibrated in Nima’s bones. Terminus then turned from the bridge, heading back to them, eyes again fixed on Lhamu and Nima. Merin and Trillip stood beside them. Behind her, she could hear the Rakhum running, fleeing for whatever safety they could find.

  “He is no more!” Terminus said, pushing through the water and placing one enormous foot onto the shore of the river. “He is no more, just as you will be no more, girl. Insignificant, all of you. Rakhum, Manad Vhan, Caenolan, Yeti. It matters not who stands against me. I am Terminus and I am. . .”

  Nima and Lhamu stared back at Terminus, who had frozen mid-word. The long neck of the remaining functional head swung lower, the creature taking a second slow step out of the water. The head’s mouth opened, and a glob of gelatinous blood fell out, maintaining a round shape until it landed with a splat on the grass by the river.

  There was a tearing sound, the front of Terminus’ torso beginning to split. Nima gasped as she saw the Dragon’s scales and skin expand and separate, red shimmering energy visible inside the widening crack. The great Dragon’s mouth opened again, releasing a gasp of air that sounded like a growing whistle.

  Instincts taking over she blocked her eyes with her arms as the front half of Terminus expanded, then exploded with a titanic thunder. Nima was knocked off her feet by the force of the Dragon shattering, landing on the grass with a grunt next to Merin and Lhamu.

  Shaking her dazed head, she looked up to see the front torso of Terminus had been completely split apart, the necks laying limp on the ground, one head completely separated from the body.

  Merin was on her feet in an instant, shouting. Nima was still shaking her head, every bone in her body rattled by the force of the detonation. Her mind struggled to accept the grisly sight in front of her.

  Was it over? How? What had happened?

  “Anyone who can! Get over there, grab a section of that thing and get it as far from here as possible! Keep all the pieces separate!”

  She was glad Merin was knowledgeable enough to know what to do, to keep the horrible beast from reforming.

  Nima was focused on movement she saw in t
he thick river grasses just in front of the Dragon. The tall green strands moved back and forth for a moment, and then a figure emerged.

  Kater managed to get to one knee and with one trembling hand pulled the Helm from his head, tossing it weakly to the ground.

  Nima ran forward and gasped, recoiling at the sight. His face was horribly injured, he looked to Nima like a melted candle. One arm was gone, the other was just a tangle of flesh. His mouth moved wordlessly, his remaining eye staring back at her. He pointed at Nima with his one good hand, then collapsed back onto the grass.

  Around her she could hear Merin and Trillip still collecting whatever Rakhum were brave enough to gather tools, preparing to tear the great Dragon apart.

  Nima knelt down next to him, Kater’s wheezing voice just barely audible over the river.

  “Nima?” His lone eye twisted toward her. “Drag. Dra?” He couldn’t finish the word, a mixture of vomit and blood leaking out from between his lips.

  “You did it Kater,” she said. “Terminus is dead. You beat it.” She felt strange, looking down at this burned and shredded husk, a body barely recognizable as the man who had brought her and her friends so much pain. This wasn’t like Val or Tanira or even Ama. There was a feeling building inside Nima, but she did not know what to call.

  A small, weak smile formed around his wiry beard. His trembling hand reached to find hers, squeezing with feeble strength. He looked at her with his one eye, jaw setting.

  “Make sure,” he wheezed. “Important, make sure.” He coughed again, spittle flying into the air.

  “I know,” Nima replied. “Merin is separating the Dragon. We’ll make sure. We won’t let Terminus form again.”

  With an effort, he exhaled a frustrated sigh and shook his head. His skin had gone bone white.

  “No,” he said staring up at her. Blood trickled from his mouth. His words came between deep, heaving gasps, his will forcing each syllable from his body.

  “Fool girl. Tell people. Make sure to tell people. Make sure they all know. It was me.”

  Kater’s eye lost its focus on her, and slowly rolled back in his head. Introduced to her first by Wanda as an explorer, later revealed to her as an immortal tyrant by Kaditula. Now after thousands of years he was gone.

  Now Nima would be writing the end of his story. Like her mother, like Tanira and Val and Kad, he had reached the end and left Nima to go on. How many deaths would it take? How many more people would she see die?

  She stayed transfixed on his dying expression, even as next to her Lhamu cried and pointed to the sky. Even as she heard the leathery sound of Dragon wings and three new dark shadows passed over her.

  Even as everyone else began to scream.

  Chapter 31

  Drew thought he had gotten used to travel with the Speaker, but as he materialized in the center of Rogek Shad, he immediately doubled over, gasping for breath. Every limb and muscle in his body felt dead, even being exhausted seemed exhausting. Hands on his knees, he forced his head up to look around the square.

  Nima ran over to him, Lhamu following her along with Merin. The Thread and the other Dragons continued to circle the area, the long, blue form of the Thread sweeping down in low arcs over the city, as if it were looking for something.

  He glanced at Upala, who knelt beside him. He and the Speaker had taken the time to bandage her, but she did not look well. After her time under the snow, the last thing he had wanted her to do was teleport with him and the Speaker, but she had insisted. Now her face carried a bluish tint to it as she gulped air into her lungs.

  Near the entrance to the bridge, Drew was shocked to see the huge body of Terminus, again dismembered and separated. Rakhum were pulling the various components of the beast apart, working under Trillip’s instruction.

  Like in the fields, there were bodies everywhere. Rakhum men and women, farmers, traders and soldiers. Their unmoving forms littered the ground, corpses strewn like leaves in the fall.

  Or lifejackets, floating empty and useless in the water of the Indian Ocean. Just as then, there was no victory possible here. The cost was too high.

  On its side near the bridge, he saw Kater’s helm, discarded and forgotten. Not far from it he caught sight of a grisly pile of flesh, a few scraps of the old man’s red cloak intermixed.

  “Son of a bitch. You did it,” he muttered. Drew was surprised to feel a twinge of regret at Kater’s death. Kater had much to answer for, but there was much he could have done if differently minded.

  He accepted Nima’s embrace, trying not to laugh at the impossibility of her still being alive. Her hug was a little too tight around his injury, but he endured it. It was good just to have her here. Nima moved on to Upala, while Merin came alongside him. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days, but Drew supposed he couldn’t recall when he had last either.

  “Drew,” Merin said. “It is good you are well.” She cast her eyes upward at the Thread and the other Dragons, which were circling at ever-lower altitudes. “Though I wonder how long any of us will be.”

  She wasn’t wrong. Drew didn’t think the whole of them could take on even one more Dragon, let alone three.

  “Merin,” Drew whispered. “Start getting everyone out of here. I don’t think the Thread is here for you, for the Rakhum.”

  “And after you fall?” Merin asked with a wry smile.

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he said with a chuckle. In this crazy journey, he had met no one else who shared his taste for gallows humor. It was easy to see what Kad had loved in her. “Do what you can.”

  Merin ran off, just as Lhamu cried out. Her head crystal blazed brightly as she pointed to the smoke-filled sky. There was a gasp from the crowd as the Thread landed with a flourish on the bridge. It placed one of its lavender-scaled talons on either side of the structure, barring the path to Nalam Wast. It stared at them past the remains of Terminus.

  The other two Dragons descended slowly and took their places behind him. One was long and thin, similar to the Thread, but seemed to be made of a dark mist. It was like looking at a shadow, a shadow made of liquid smoke and given a Dragon’s form. Next to it, the other beast was more standard looking, more what Drew would have thought a Dragon would look like. It had a large, wide body with red scales and long wings, the claws at the end of each of the Dragon’s feet were enormous, outsized in proportion to the rest of its body and looked capable of doing a lot of damage.

  Drew was about to ask Upala if she knew whom these newcomers were when the Thread spoke.

  “I trusted the Manad Vhan!” the Thread’s voice boomed through the buildings and tents.

  He stared at the group of them. Drew, Nima, Upala, Lhamu, and the Speaker were exposed and alone in the city’s courtyard. He was glad Merin and Trillip had succeeded in dispersing the crowd.

  The Thread peered down at Upala, its eyes narrowing.

  “I believed Orami and Feram when they told me this was the best path. Where, in the end has it led us, Manad Vhan? To our deaths. Terminus, the Voice, the Weight. The Worm now lost, possibly dying. Losses that cannot be replaced.”

  Upala walked forward. Heavily bandaged and limping, she still projected confidence as she strode in front of the rest of them. Her voice was clear, with the hint of music Drew found so enchanting.

  “There is no need for violence,” she said. “There is an opportunity here for-”

  “There is no more opportunity!” The Thread’s thundered as he interrupted her, his voice carrying much more anger than it displayed in the Vault of Terminus. “If my brothers and sisters cannot be replaced, they can be avenged. Terminus was right! It was my mistake, my weakness that allowed all this to happen. Manad Vhan, Rakhum - a pestilence both! My tolerance and empathy for them a disease! No more, I will allow no more of my kind to fall! I see now, that you all are nothing but a threat to us!”

  Drew’s heart lurched as the Thread took a menacing step forward, his eyes blazing with anger and loss.

  �
��No! No more killing!” Nima shouted as she ran toward the bridge.

  Drew cursed himself for being caught off-guard, he should have been ready for this. He was a few steps behind when he saw her scoop up Kater’s Helm, still moving as she held it over her head. He caught up with her just in time to grab her arm.

  “Let go!” she said. “I cannot let this happen. I will use this thing to fix everything.”

  “Nima, using the Helm killed Tanira. I can’t let you do this!”

  “Then trust me, and do it with me.” She looked at him.

  It was only for the blink of an eye, the beat of a heart, but he saw that look in her eye. The look he had seen when she first fished him out of the crevasse, the one he saw many times in the Khumbu.

  The one he trusted, with all of his being.

  He let go of her arm, and simply held her hand.

  “I’m on your rope, little sister.”

  He watched as she pulled the Helm over her head with her free hand as the Thread charged at them. Whatever might happen next, if Nima was willing to jump into the abyss, he’d jump with her.

  The world seemed to freeze as Nima put on the hat. For a moment, she looked through its eye slots, noticing how hot and odd-smelling the inside of it was. Outside she could see the Thread’s wings stopped in mid-flap, the great beast still standing astride the bridge, with the city of Nalam Wast behind it.

  Then her vision went white, phasing away in stages, as if someone was erasing the world in front of her. In its place a new scene appeared, one that made no sense to her, yet she immediately recognized.

  The world became Everest.

  The mountain was more than in front of her, it seemed to be all around her. She saw it not with her eyes, but with her mind, she felt she could hear and taste the great peak as much as see it. It was unmistakably the mountain she had climbed, not any alternate version like the ones here or on Sirapothi.

  Yet this mountain differed as well, as all of its sides and features were made of clear crystal, like a mountain of glass looking back at her and reflecting all of her thoughts into images on its sides. The others were here too, she could sense them. Drew and the Thread were part of the crystal, a great peak of gems with thousands of facets and cracks. A fractured Everest.