by Tara West
“Perhaps he stole it. My mists revealed to me that he gave the stone to a pretty witch named Dianna.”
His cheeks colored such a deep purple, she thought he might explode, like Eris’s volcano. “I knew he wasn’t to be trusted.” He kicked the furs off his body, revealing two skeletal legs. “And Ura was foolish enough to fall in love with him.”
Her brows rose. “Ura?”
He paled.
This girl Ura meant something to Bane. Perhaps Markus, too, for she’d sent her pixies to retrieve the boy hunter, and they’d come back empty-handed. Markus had most likely returned to the Ice People, especially if he had inherited his father’s penchant for passion. Her eyes shut as she remembered the feel of Rowlen’s thick fingers running through her hair.
She struggled to push thoughts of Rowlen out of her mind.
Once she’d regained her composure, she continued. “Indeed, he is not to be trusted. He was a cruel hunter, who brought the curse of the ice dragon upon his people. I’m not surprised to learn he stole your people’s warming stone.” She paused, gnawing her lower lip while eyeing Bane through slitted lids. “My mists no longer reveal him to me. I believe he’s back with your people, no doubt to steal the rest of the stones.”
Bane shot to his knees, thrusting a fist in the air. “That land-dwelling son of a gnull!”
Her heart leapt with joy. She’d found his weakness, and she’d use it against him to get the information she needed. “If I could but find him, I’d punish him for his crimes.”
He gave her a dumbstruck look. “But what would you do to the Ice People?”
She dropped her voice to a sultry whisper. “What would you have me do to them, Bane?”
“Nothing.” He arched back, a look of terror flashing in his eyes. “They simply want to live their lives in peace.”
“And that is what I want for them.” She forced herself not to blink as she looked directly into his eyes. “What I want for all my people. But how can they know peace when such a wolf lives among them, preying on their generosity and then stealing their sacred stones when their backs are turned? If you help me find Markus, perhaps the Ice People will welcome you back once we expose the boy hunter’s thieving ways.” She inwardly smiled as her beautiful lie easily slid off her tongue.
The look of mistrust in Bane’s eyes filled her chest with dread, then ire. He pulled back his narrow shoulders, his attempt at bravery belied by his trembling limbs. “My grandfather told me the Ice People have been hiding from you for 300 years. That you sent your dragon to destroy our people after a great plague had killed half the village, and they were too sick and weak to hold a festival in your honor.”
She remembered all too well how the people of the fallen town once known as Shadolan, named for the Ice Mountain’s shadow that permanently shrouded the town in gloom, had used the excuse of the plague and failed to honor her. ’Twas their own fault. Madhea had sent the plague to them once she realized they were harboring the enemy.
“Is that what your grandfather told you?” She twisted the hem of her gown, focusing on the soft silk and trying to repress the rage that threatened to split her skull in two.
He eagerly nodded like an obedient pup. “And his grandfather told him. The story has been passed down for generations.”
“Did your grandfather also mention how the plague came to their village?” She fought to keep ire from her voice but ’twas no use. Slivers of ice sliced the air between them. “That they’d opened up their homes to Eris’s soldiers, my sworn enemies, after they were bribed with palma fruits and gold? Eris’s soldiers also brought them ill health and bad omens. Still, I was able to forgive them their treachery, but my Elementals overruled me and sent my ice dragon to mete out punishment.” She paused, watching his eyes narrow, then widen, as her lie sank in. “That was 300 years ago. My Elementals are now locked away. They can no longer hurt the Ice People, and I do not believe in harboring old grudges.” She ended with a smile, pleased with herself for her mastery of deception. Bane gaped at her, hanging on her words like an ice climber dangling from a ledge. Surely, he’d fallen for her ruse.
His mouth snapped shut. “How can I believe you?”
Curse the stupid slog! “Why would I lie?” She forced another smile so wide, her facial muscles ached. “What could I possibly gain from a village of blue people and their old stones? A better question you should be asking yourself is how can your people trust Markus, a cruel hunter who’s used your sanctuary to evade justice while stealing from those who risked their lives to help him?” She leaned into him, so close her whisper was hardly more than a cool breath in his ear. “What I can’t understand is why they have outed you, Bane, when they should have outed the deceptive land dweller.” She lazily dragged her fingers down his thigh.
The blue man’s narrow features screwed up tight, like the gnarled wood of a frosted tree. “He has them fooled.”
She tossed a braid over her shoulder with a laugh. “Of course he has. So what are you going to do about it?”
THOUGH THE DWARF BEDS were warm and soft, Dianna had had anything but a peaceful slumber, for she’d dreamt of her mother. Not the sweet soul who’d raised her, but the malevolent bitch who threatened all of humanity. Madhea’s cackling laughter echoed off the stone walls while she hovered over six sobbing women, trapped in a familiar-looking circle.
She had woken with a start, perspiration on her face and lungs heaving. Had it been merely a nightmare, or had Madhea truly trapped the Elementals, her own children, in a heptacircle?
“Cousins,” she whispered, rubbing the stones in her vest. “I had a nightmare.”
What was it? Sindri’s familiar voice echoed in her skull.
“Madhea trapped her Elementals in a heptacircle.” She was unable to keep the fear out of her voice. The dream had felt so real.
I would not put it past your mother to do such a thing, Sindri replied.
All three stones buzzed in Dianna’s pocket. Were her cousins conferring? She prayed they could come up with a solution. Though she did not know the Elementals, they were still her sisters. From what her brother Markus had told her, they were kind, unlike Madhea, and their primary focus had been to prevent Madhea from unleashing her wrath on the world. If they’d been imprisoned, who would stop the evil goddess from destroying all of humanity?
“What do I do?”
There is nothing you can do for now, came Nerephine’s stoic reply. A battle with Madhea would put the Ice People at risk.
She bit down on her knuckles, stifling a sob, for dawn had not yet broken, and Mari was still sleeping in the cot beside her. “But my sisters will die.”
Whose lives are more valuable? Aletha asked. Thousands of innocent mortals or six Elemental witches who’ve failed for centuries to contain their mother’s wrath?
Though she was right, her cousin’s honesty pierced Dianna’s heart like a thousand serpent stings. “They will die by the time I am ready to battle Madhea.”
Then let us hope it was just a nightmare, Sindri whispered, or that your mother has a change of heart before then.
But she feared this had been no ordinary nightmare, and she knew to the marrow of her bones her mother had no heart.
DIANNA COULD HAVE WASHED her face a thousand times, and it wouldn’t have erased the memories of her nightmare. She submerged her face in the bowl of water, hoping to push dark thoughts to the back of her mind. She straightened with a gasp, staring at a pair of haunted eyes in the looking glass’s reflection. Despite yesternight’s hearty supper, she looked gaunt, her eyes hollow.
When the bathing room door creaked open, she forced a smile as Sofla and Sogred entered, the candlelight flickering across their smiling faces.
“We are here to see you off.” Though Sogred’s spine was not as bent as Zier’s, the dwarf mother reminded Dianna too much of the trader, only with a sleeping infant rather than a pack of goods strapped to her back.
Dianna reached for a cloth to dry her face
. “Shall I finish up first?” For she still needed to clean her teeth.
Sofla twisted her fingers together, sharing a wary look with her sister. “Actually, we were wondering if we could trouble you for a few moments before you go.”
She set the cloth down and leaned against the dresser, giving them her full attention. “Of course.”
Another look was shared before Sofla cleared her throat. “There are some who say we are witches.”
Dianna arched a brow, completely taken by surprise at Sofla’s admission. She had believed herself to be the only witch who lived beneath Madhea’s Ice Mountain. There was the old prophet, Dafuar, but Dianna wasn’t sure what powers he had left, for he acted more like a madman than a witch.
Sogred added, “We never let the rumor spread beyond our families, for our villagers would’ve been forced to sacrifice us to Madhea.”
She nodded her understanding. Her family, too, had had to conceal Dianna’s magical gifts, for Madhea wanted no witches challenging her authority and would strike down entire families if they were found to have been harboring one. Dafuar was the exception. Dianna’s father once told her the villagers had offered him as a sacrifice, decades ago, but Madhea had flown down and spared his life. Why he’d been spared, she had no idea.
Because Madhea was hoping he’d lead her to the stones, Sindri answered.
That made sense, though she doubted the stones would’ve worked for Madhea if she’d found them.
We’d rather be cast to the Elements than obey your mother, Neriphene said, but she still wanted us, if for no other reason than to prevent other witches from finding us and challenging her rule.
Too late, Dianna thought wryly, turning her attention back to the twins.
Sofla splayed her hands. “But we have only minor gifts compared to you.”
“We are empaths.” Sogred placed a hand on her heart.
“Empaths?” She had heard of them. They had the ability to see into souls, and some could even predict the future. She suspected Dafuar was an empath, for there were days she thought he was looking into her soul when he turned his milky gaze on her.
Sofla frowned and took her hand. “We sensed a great chasm in your soul yesternight at the mention of your mother.”
“And who could blame you after all you’ve been through?” There was no masking the pity in Sogred’s voice.
“Our mother is also an empath,” Sofla said. “She taught us a blessing that we would like to do on you.”
“A blessing?” She shifted from one foot to the other, warily eyeing the dwarf sisters. She did not believe in blessings, not since the tragic death of her foster parents, and not since discovering her real mother was a cursed bitch. If the Elements had truly wished to bless humanity, they wouldn’t have created Eris and Madhea.
Sogred clasped her hands together, starbursts in her mossy eyes. “The mother’s blessing, since we know your own probably never blessed you, as ours did.”
Dianna flinched. “I was raised by a wonderful mother. I’m sure she did the blessing.”
Sofla leaned forward, patting Dianna’s arm as if she was comforting a child. “But did she have magic? The blessing is stronger if it comes from a witch.”
“No, she did not have magic.” Her heart ached as she recalled her mother’s sweet smile, the same gentle smile Des had. What her mother lacked in magic, she’d made up for with a love for her children that knew no bounds.
“Like we said, our magic isn’t much, but we would like to try it.” Sogred slipped the babe off her back, laying the pack on a nearby cot while the infant slept like a caterpillar wrapped in a cocoon. “We think it will help ease your heart.”
Sofla eagerly nodded. “And it may just bring you good luck on your journey.”
“All right.” She shrugged. “If you think it will work.” After all, who was she to turn away luck? She needed it if she was to battle a goddess, not that she expected the spell to work. Still, mayhap there was a slim chance it would.
She cringed when Sofla grabbed her hand, surprised by the smaller woman’s strong grip as she pulled Dianna to her knees. She slipped a necklace around Dianna’s neck. The sisters laid their hands on her head, humming softly before their melodious words flowed, making her flesh tingle with a strange yet familiar feeling.
“Elements of land and sea,
Hear this mother’s plea.
Bless this child’s mind
With wisdom, strength, and sight.
Bless this child’s heart
With laughter, love, and light.
“Elements of spirit and sky,
Here this mother’s cry.
If she wanders from me,
Or should she slip from my arms,
Shield her with my love,
That none may do her harm.”
She felt odd when they pulled away, like the world had tipped and then righted itself. She looked at her arms, which tingled as if thousands of tiny mites were burrowing beneath her skin. The tingling spread outward, replaced with a soothing warmth, as if she’d just downed several gulps of the dwarves’ special brew.
Sofla clasped her hands. “Well, how do you feel?”
She looked at one hand, then the other, turning her palms over to examine fingers which felt detached from the rest of her body. The feeling, though unusual, wasn’t bad. In fact, it was oddly pleasant, infusing her with a combination of tranquility and energy, so much energy, she was eager to scale Ice Mountain.
“Strangely at peace,” she breathed, amazed how it felt as if someone else was speaking for her. She clutched the emblem hanging around her neck, a seven-pointed star. It was silver on a leather cord, and so beautiful it sparkled like frost under moonlight.
“We’re so glad,” they said in unison, their warm, sweet smiles reminding Dianna of her departed foster mother.
“Thank you.” She jumped to her feet, taking them both in strong hugs. “Thank you so much.”
“It is our honor,” they squeaked.
As they held onto each other, the ache in her heart subsided. Her origins were something she couldn’t change or control, and ’twas her destiny that mattered.
THE DWARVES WHO’D GATHERED to say goodbye to Dianna’s party complained that the morning was unusually cool. Dianna, who was impervious to the Elements, enjoyed the feel of the brisk ocean air. More so, she loved the pungent smell of the seaweed that washed up on the shore. Simeon didn’t appear as impressed. Though he was wrapped in warm furs given to him by the dwarves, he shivered beside her, shielding his eyes from the sun that peeked over the horizon. ’Twas then Dianna knew she would certainly have to leave the sand dweller in Aloa-Shay, for the climate would only get colder the farther they ascended the mountain.
Dianna thought the entire kingdom of Aya-Shay had gathered on the beach to see them off. Well, the entire kingdom minus King Furbald and his giant son, Borg. She wasn’t too disappointed by the king’s absence, though. The little sovereign made her uncomfortable with his condescending looks and words, and she especially hated the way he treated poor Borg. She felt relief, rather than the bitter sting of rejection, when he refused to make an appearance.
The dragons had already gone into the forest, where they were to stay until the party left Aloa-Shay. That had been Ryne’s idea. Curse him for his common sense. He had said the dragons would frighten the villagers, who would most likely fill their wings full of arrows. So it was to be Dianna, Alec, Des, Simeon, Ryne, and Mari the first leg of the trip. Dianna feared Mari and Des would slow them down, but she had little choice but to follow them. She would have preferred them to have remained at the hold, but Mari had to return to her crippled cousin Tung, who’d been left all alone after Eris’s soldiers had taken Mari and her father hostage. Dianna prayed Tung had survived their absence. She did not wish to deliver her brothers to a gruesome scene.
“This is taking too long,” Ryne grumbled, the usual scowl marring his features.
“I know,” she said with a sigh
.
Simeon chuckled. It seemed the more Ryne grumbled, the more Simeon laughed. She couldn’t wait to leave Simeon in Aloa-Shay, for this foolish rivalry was driving her mad.
Though she hated to agree with Ryne, she wished her brothers would make haste in their goodbyes with the giant, Gorpat. Dianna kept her distance, for the giant was crying so profusely, long bands of snot hung from her nose like twin pendulums. She cringed when one band broke, splattering close to Des’s feet. Fortunately the boy had quick reflexes and jumped out of the way. She gasped when Des tripped over his dog, Brendle, then smiled when Alec caught him before he landed on his arse. Alec was a fine brother to Des. She knew he would be well cared for when she left them together.
She had to blink hard when she saw a tall contraption wobbling toward them. The creature was Zier, laden with pots, pans, and other goods that stretched far above his head, as if he moved his own personal mountain. The pack was so heavy, his footprints in the sand were deep indentations that immediately filled with water. He had donned a new leather vest, his hair was freshly washed and combed, and his crimson beard had been neatly trimmed. Wherever he was headed, he seemed determined to make a good impression.
The dwarf came to a halt in front of her, his goods jangling for a few heartbeats. “I hope you don’t mind if I accompany you on your journey.”
She stepped away from a bear trap dangling precariously at the top of the heap. “You want to come with us?”
He nodded ever so slightly, but enough to set off the clanking and rattling of pots and pans. He looked at Ryne. “If you think the Ice People will be up for trade.”
Ryne eyed the trader with a smirk. “I’m sure they will welcome many of your tools, but it’s a dangerous journey.”
“I’m aware, lad.” Zier stuck a thumb in his chest. “You think this old trader hasn’t seen his share of danger?”
“And you are a skilled climber?” Ryne asked.