Fractured Everest Box Set
Page 99
Nima pulled her mask off as she heard the clink of Lhamu unclipping her rope from her belt, the girl’s boots crunching in the icy snow as she came to stand beside her.
“I don’t. . . I don’t understand,” Lhamu said, her own mask now in her hand. “I thought-”
Nima felt like she had been kicked in the stomach, all the energy she had gained during her sprint up to this ledge now washed out of her. She had been sure there would be some exciting something here. Something to lead her on, something to give her a new hill to climb. A new spark.
She turned back, looking out over the star-filled sky. Below in the darkness was the same Nepal she had lived in all her life, the Nepal she had returned to after her adventures. A Nepal that was part of a world with metal wars and atom bombs, a world of money and the people who wanted it. A world where the questions were getting less interesting. A world with no Dragons, no magic.
She sighed. Their job was done, they had completed their task. There was nothing left to do but descend the mountain and try to decide what was next.
She picked up one foot, then heard a sound behind her. A crack, faint but clear, like ice breaking.
She whirled as the colors began to show from behind the wall of ice, a myriad of red and blues, greens and yellows. There was a second crack, and a third. Small trickles of water now ran down the rapidly disintegrating, frozen surface, revealing an oval of mist, a swirling rainbow of color.
”A portal?” Lhamu gasped. ”Where does it go?”
Nima nodded, a grin forming on her face so fierce it almost hurt. A portal! Somehow here on Annapurna, a portal!
She had no idea where it might lead, but she knew what was on the other side. Magic. Surprises. The impossible. The colors she’d been missing from her life this past year. She looked over at Lhamu, who grinned back at her, the rainbow of lights from the portal reflecting on her face.
“Should we?” Lhamu asked, her body visibly tensing with the same excitement as Nima. “Can we?”
Nima laughed, the sound bouncing off the side of the mountain. Even Drew might have questioned this decision, but fate had provided her with the one companion who wanted to make this leap of faith as much as she did.
Nima slapped Lhamu on the shoulder. “Why wouldn’t we, little sister?”
Together they walked toward the shimmering oval of light, little arcs of colored lightning dancing around its edges. Its misty interior gave no hints to where it might lead. Revealing none of its secrets.
Perfect.
She ran now, her boots pounding onto the mountain’s surface. The portal was only a few steps away, Lhamu matching her stride.
Nima pushed her boot into the snow before tensing for her leap, knowing it was likely the last time her body would ever touch the Earth. She left the ground as she jumped for the portal, Lhamu right beside her. In front of her was the swirling colored mist and on the other side would be the unknown.
Mystery and adventure.
Nima grinned, her heart singing as she passed through the magical gateway, knowing at last she was finally home.
Also by D.H Dunn
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About the Author
I’m a former sailor in the U.S. Navy and spent many years in various civilian technical jobs. That work has taken me all over the country and all over the world, allowing me to lead more than a few fantasy adventures myself. A companion with me through all those journeys was my desire to write, and now I have the opportunity to let those dreams out of the bottle and into the world.
My stories fall into the category of fantasy adventure, with a side of epic, thriller, and maybe a little character drama as well. Everything you will read from me are stories I wanted to read too - that’s what got me working on these projects in the first place.
If you’d like to learn more about me, you can visit me at www.dhdunn.com. You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
I hope to see you there and thank you very much for your interest in my writing.