The Wrathful Mountains

by Lana Axe

  His eyes danced with delight. The two shared a bond that went far beyond the surface. No cosmetic changes could ever change such deep affection.

  “This is the kindest thing you could have given me, and I will treasure it.” Kaiya couldn’t resist an attempt at seeing inside his mind. Not enough to reveal his secrets, but only to glimpse his heart. Though her skill was slight, and his elven mind was well-shielded, she felt a deep sense of love. To her relief, it did not speak of longing or yearning for something more. Galen expected no more from their relationship than what it currently was, and Kaiya found herself at ease.

  Disconnecting herself from his mind, she smiled at her friend. Here stood her soul mate, the one who would stand at her side until all things came to an end. The two understood each other in a way that was almost impossible. Whether in this realm or the next, the two would remain together for all time.

  A gentle wind made its way through the window and danced upon her skin. Caressing her with its gentle hand, it blessed her with its warmth. Squeezing the stone in her hand, she felt it alive with magical energy—a kiss from the wind to seal the elven magic inside it.

  “Were you able to learn any more about the Gawr?” Galen asked.

  “Yes,” Kaiya said, coming back to reality. “I saw the destruction the Gawr can cause, and I saw the Ancients repairing the damage. Apparently it’s a cycle, one that has gone on for millennia.”

  “Did you find a way control it?” Galen asked.

  “I think so,” Kaiya replied. “The Ancients visited the Ulihi. I saw it in my vision.” To Tashi, she said, “Your people were tasked with keeping the Gawr under control. It was a High Priestess I saw learning from the Ancients.”

  “This knowledge wasn’t passed to me,” Tashi said. Searching her mind, she wondered if her mother had been aware of this when she served as High Priestess. If so, she never acted upon it in Tashi’s lifetime. “I must make this right.”

  “You will,” Kaiya said. Of that she had no doubt. Reaching for a quill on the table before her, Kaiya drew out the runes she had seen the Ancients scrawl in the dirt. “Do you recognize these?”

  Tashi shook her head.

  “I do,” Galen said. “They translate to silence, stillness, and rest.”

  “These runes are the key to keeping the Gawr sealed away,” Kaiya said. “It must not be allowed to awaken fully. Once it is back asleep, it will stop sending its rock creatures, and the world will be safe.”

  “Won’t it wake again at some point?” Galen asked. “No offense, Tashi, but your people are few, and you said no children have survived infancy. The Ulihi can’t be expected to fulfill this obligation for eternity.”

  “We will survive,” Tashi stated firmly. “Neglecting this duty could explain why our gods abandoned us. Once it is complete, our children might survive.” For the first time since Annin’s death, Tashi felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe this was why the gods ignored her prayers. “Let me come with you,” she said to Kaiya. “Whatever you need, I will do it.” This could be her chance to atone for her sin. She woke this creature, and now she would send it back to its rest. With luck, it would please the gods and bring the Ulihi back in their favor. Afterward, her people could punish her as they saw fit, likely banning her from the village. As long as her sister’s child was safe, then her own fate was irrelevant.

  “You may come,” Kaiya replied. “I doubt the journey will be easy. We must travel light and leave as soon as possible.” Narrowing her eyes at Galen, she asked, “I don’t suppose you could save me a trip and carve these runes with enough power to bind the Gawr, could you?”

  Galen shook his head. “I wish I could,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s far beyond my skill. Even Trin, with his lifetime of experience, doesn’t have the power to do something like that.” The Ancients had crafted the runes that would subdue the Gawr, and Galen couldn’t begin to compare with their power.

  “It was worth a try,” Kaiya replied with a shrug. She wondered briefly if the elves of the isles, the ones who worked with Dwarf’s Heart, might have such skill. Finding out, however, would take far too long, and time was not on her side. The Gawr’s power grew daily.

  “I’d like to come along as well,” the elf announced. Wishing he could justify the desire, he found no good reason for offering his presence.

  “You must stay behind,” Kaiya insisted. “If we fail, you can reach out to the Westerling Elves. Perhaps they can succeed if we don’t.”

  Despite his desire to protest, Galen knew the journey would be dangerous, and Kaiya would need all her skills focused on completing the task. The last thing she needed was him getting hurt and needing rescue. He had no skills for battle, and his knowledge of the mountains was limited. He would only slow her down. Nodding, he replied, “I will do that. Make sure you come back in one piece.”

  “That’s the plan,” Kaiya said, a half-smile appearing on her face. Taking a piece of parchment, she drew a crude map of the areas she had seen in her vision. “Any of these look familiar?” she asked Tashi.

  Studying the map a moment, Tashi began to recognize the area. “Yes,” she said. “I know of the paths.” Handing the map back to Kaiya, she added, “I admit that I’ve never stood upon those peaks. I can find the path for us, but I can’t say what lies at the end of it.”

  “Luckily I’ve seen what awaits us,” Kaiya said. “Stones containing the runes we require were placed there by the Ancients.” The rune stones had to still be there. If they had been destroyed, there was no hope left. She could only trust that the Ulihi had simply forgotten their duty, rather than being forced to abandon it because the runes were no longer available.

  “What do we do with the stones?” Tashi asked.

  “I will call upon lightning to reignite the runes,” the sorceress explained. “Lightning is the world’s own energy, and it will rekindle the magic that has faded.”

  “Then I don’t understand how a High Priestess was charged with this task,” Tashi replied. “We have no true magic to do as you say.”

  “I believe you once did,” Kaiya replied. “And you will again.” The face of Tashi’s niece flashed in her mind. “Or at least some of you will.”

  “Annin’s daughter,” Tashi whispered. The sorceress’s face revealed everything. “She will have the power to do this.”

  Kaiya gave a single nod as Tashi closed her eyes to process the information. A mixture of pride and sorrow swept over her. Pride in the child who would become what she could not, but sorrow that Annin had not lived to see it. “Magic will return to the Ulihi,” she said. “How was it lost? And who was the last to have it?”

  “I can’t answer that,” Kaiya replied. “The wind did not reveal those events to me.”

  “I don’t suppose it matters now,” Tashi said. “The future is what matters. We will set this right.”

  “Be careful, both of you,” Galen said. As soon as he spoke the words, he felt foolish, but it was all he could think to say.

  “We will,” Kaiya promised. “And you be on your guard as well. This camp isn’t entirely safe.”

  Chapter 15

  Turning their backs to the mining camp, Kaiya and Tashi began their ascent in search of the first rune stone. A light dusting of snow fell from the sky, soft crystals of ice plinking against the rocky terrain. Kaiya shook her head as she compared her own booted feet to Tashi’s bare skin. The two had grown up in the same region under quite different circumstances. It was amazing how the pair could be so different. Even with magic, Kaiya had no desire to walk barefoot through the high elevations. The mere thought sent a shiver through her body.

  Seeing her companion’s shiver, Tashi tried to reassure her. “The snow will pass soon.” Tilting her head skyward, she counted the fast-moving clouds. “No more than fifteen minutes,” she said.

  Kaiya nodded, content with the estimation, though she wasn’t feeling much of the cold. In truth, the only thing she felt was worry that she would not achieve her goal in time.
If the Gawr awoke fully, it would take far more power than she possessed to lock him back in his dungeon.

  Moving along a high ridge, they reached an iron bridge that would carry them away from the mining camp and into the mountain wilderness. Kaiya hesitated only a moment to glance back toward the city, where life went on as usual. Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the bridge, a rusty groan releasing itself from the rarely used crossing. A deep chasm lay below them, descending into depths unknown. Paying the drop no heed, the sorceress pressed on, the priestess following close behind.

  Safely across the bridge, Kaiya planted her feet firmly in the soft snow. Before she could take another step, the mountain roared to life. A low rumbling, followed by the clanging of boulders echoed across the chasm, the ground quaking in response. Knocked off-balance, Kaiya rolled toward the bridge, slamming her back against the iron rails. Scrambling to her feet, the sound of grinding echoed in her ears. She gritted her teeth against the noise and looked back in time to see the end of the bridge give way.

  Tashi grasped at the rails, the bridge teetering precariously. In an instant, it swung free, the continual shaking of the mountain loosening the iron pegs where the bridge was secured. Without thinking, she leapt, hoping desperately to make it to the other side. She failed. Her body hit hard against the edge, her fingers grasping at the edge of the gap.

  An unexpected calm settled over the priestess, her fingers freezing in the snow. Looking into the chasm’s depths, she felt at peace. Would the fall kill her instantly? Or would she linger, injured, until she finally succumbed? In this moment, the answer mattered not. How easily she could release her grip and make her way back to the arms of her beloved sister. None would mourn her loss. The strength in her hands weakening, and the weight of her body growing heavier, she chose the easiest route—down.

  Steadying herself on her knees, Kaiya cursed the incessant shaking. It made concentration extremely difficult. Still, the wind was beside her. The sorceress called it to herself, channeling it through her heart, her eyes flashing silver. The wind obeyed, gusting toward the falling priestess as her hands lost their grip on the ledge. Her focus held firmly upon the spell, Kaiya manipulated the wind, working against the pull of gravity. With a flick of her wrist, she righted the priestess, and guided her upward to solid ground.

  Her mind reeling from the fall and sudden rescue, Tashi shook her head to clear it. Kaiya slumped, burying both hands and knees in the snow. Fighting the pull of the world’s depths had been no small feat. She would need time to recover, and she welcomed the wind as it comforted her.

  Finally, the quaking ceased, the crash of falling rock no longer pounding in their ears. Tashi pulled herself up on her elbows and dared to look down into the gap. Not yet, Annin, she thought. Rising to her feet, she moved to the sorceress’s side and gently laid a hand on her back. “Are you all right?” she asked.

  Kaiya gave a quick nod. “I’ll be fine. I just need a few minutes.” The wind still swirled around her, quickening her absorption of its power. Its sense of urgency matched her own. “Were you injured?”

  “I am fine,” Tashi replied, then added, “thanks to you.”

  Knowing the avalanche would have affected the camp, Tashi climbed higher on the ridge. Squinting her eyes to the distance, she could see the city had been hit hard. Houses had collapsed, and mounds of snow and rock lay piled against what was once a row of shops. Small figures ran in all directions, likely hurrying to aid those who had been injured.

  Slowly ascending to Tashi’s position, Kaiya also looked upon the destruction. Closing her eyes to the scene, she hung her head in an attempt to hide her tears.

  “Should we go back?” Tashi asked. “They might need your help.”

  Her heart yearned to return. Was Galen injured? And what if the miners were trapped in a cave-in? Magic might be the only way to free them. But the wind whispered a warning, and Kaiya knew the path she must take. “The best help I can give them is to stop the Gawr,” she said. “The attacks will only increase if we don’t go now.” Putting distance between herself and the camp should draw the Gawr’s attention away from the innocent. It was her the Gawr wanted, and she would go to it.

  “It fears you,” Tashi said. “That’s why it attacks the city. It hopes to stop you.” This was not about her. She woke the Gawr, but Kaiya could force it back to its prison. She was a great threat to the dead god, and Tashi would protect her with her life.

  “We have to keep moving,” Kaiya replied.

  Though concealed beneath layers of avalanche, and the natural decay of time, Tashi easily picked out the pathway once followed by her predecessors. The route was in her blood, a homing instinct to a place she had never visited. How she knew the way, she couldn’t explain. Perhaps the spirits of her ancestors revealed the path, guiding her feet along their journey.

  “We have to climb here,” Tashi said, her eyes scanning the cliffside for a way up.

  “There,” Kaiya said, using magic to illuminate a worn iron ring, the first of many. The Ulihi had installed a series of thick metal loops to ease their passage to the rune stone. Kaiya couldn’t be more grateful. She was no skilled climber, and without the handholds, she would have to resort to magic to make her way upward. The strain on her stores could leave her vulnerable, and there was little chance she wouldn’t encounter some resistance. Saving her magic was vital. Though the wind would replenish her, it would take time that she might not have.

  Grabbing hold of the loops, Tashi easily pulled herself to the top of the cliff and knelt down to assist Kaiya with her climb. The dwarf made her way up with ease, surprising the priestess. “You’re more nimble than you look,” she said, smiling. Dwarves were more likely to force change on the mountain than take it as it was. She was pleased that Kaiya had not resorted to magic to make the climb.

  As she pulled herself up, Kaiya spotted movement from the corner of her eye. “Look,” she whispered, pointing to the right.

  Tashi’s mouth fell open, her eyes wide with wonder. “A snow cat,” she said.

  Only steps away from their position, a large white cat with gray and black spots paused to observe the newcomers, its green eyes flashing in the dull light. Staying only a moment, it cared not for the intruders. Powerful muscles rippled as it turned its gaze elsewhere, trotting away to places unknown. Kaiya and Tashi marveled at its grace as it disappeared among the gray and white backdrop.

  “They are extremely rare now,” Tashi said, a hint of regret in her voice. Like her own people, these cats had lost much of their territory to dwarven development.

  Reaching out, Kaiya attempted to glimpse the cat’s mind. There was no malice within it, nor did it feel an urgent need to feed or protect its territory. She let out the breath she’d been holding, content that the snow cat wouldn’t be lying in wait for them. To her delight, the cat left tracks, revealing a familiar pathway. This was the area she had seen in her vision. The rune stone had to be nearby.

  “It’s near,” she announced. A slight tingle danced on the end of her nose, alerting her to the presence of magic.

  Tashi’s eyes drank in the area. Yes, this had to be it. Something told her she was in the right place. But where was the rune stone? Shouldn’t it have a place of honor here among the endless sea of stone? Frantically she paced every corner of the small plateau, hoping to find what she sought. Had the ancestors steered her wrong as a punishment? Or was she wrong that they were guiding her? Perhaps that was something she wanted to believe, and they hadn’t truly lent their aid. Her hopes sinking, she thought, I’ve managed to fool myself, and I’ve brought Kaiya to the wrong place.

  Carefully choosing her steps, the sorceress followed the magic emanating from the mountain. Stopping before an arched rock formation, she said, “It’s buried.” Brushing the snow away with her hands, she uncovered a pair of narrow stone doors concealed within the rocks. A thin layer of ice covered the structure, giving it the appearance of a natural formation. This place, however, had b
een created with care, the work of the Ancients.

  Among the ice she found a handle and tugged it. The door protested, but finally opened, revealing a descending stairway. “I have to go down,” she said.

  Standing at the entrance, Tashi asked, “Can’t you cast the lightning from here? You could strike the ground.” Wouldn’t that be enough power to hit the rune stone beneath them? The forbidding darkness before her sent a chill through her body. Had her ancestors truly visited such a place? The odor of mold and dust found its way into her nostrils, adding to her apprehension.

  “It’s too deep for the magic to reach,” Kaiya replied, a tiny flicker of light dancing on her hand. The staircase turned several times below her, leading deep into the earth. The spell could not be performed from the surface. Sensing Tashi’s fear, she said, “You can keep watch over the entrance.”

  Straightening her back, Tashi replied, “There could be danger down there. I will go below with you.” Every fiber of her being implored her to wait at the top, but she could not. If the sorceress was going below, Tashi would follow and protect her from harm at all costs. No other could activate the rune stones should tragedy befall the sorceress.

  With her mind fixated on the sky above, Kaiya called forth the lightning. Above her the clouds gathered, darkening to summon their power. A surge of energy unleashed, the heat crackling through the cold mountain air. The sorceress channeled the blast, sparks dancing over her unmoving form. A burst of light erupted in her right hand, spinning and swirling above her palm.

  When Kaiya attacked the stone beast in Tashi’s village, the priestess had witnessed firsthand the power the sorceress could wield. But seeing the magic fluttering in her hand, Tashi was amazed. Nature itself had come to answer this dwarf’s call, obeying her desire to harness its power. This was not the tricks employed by her own profession. This was true magic. Feeling its power so near her, she felt humbled. No need for the gods; elemental magic would save her people. Suppressing a smile, she thought, The dead god should fear this one.