Both he and Spyra relaxed as the Rogue emerged from the rocks.
‘Morning Donalt.’
Dorian was surprised at how genuinely pleased he was to see Donalt, but the smile he wore when first seeing him was discarded when he saw the look on the Rogues face.
‘Mate.’ Donalt said, moving quickly to his blanket and snatching it up. ‘We really need to get moving.’
He blew on the blanket and said the magic name. The thick length of Yak hair returned to its previous small size.
‘What’s the matter? Have you seen something?’ Dorian asked.
‘Yeah, I’ve seen something. A lot of somethings. Orcs. Hundreds of em.’
‘It was Orcs then?’
‘It looked like a warband. They’re all tooled up, but they didn’t appear to have packs or supply animals.’
‘Running?’ Dorian asked.
‘Yup. Like there was a pie waiting for em at the end of it.’
Dorian extended his hand and Donalt came forwards and aided in pulling the Ranger to his feet.
‘If they don’t have packs they are moving for speed and they have a destination in mind. They aren’t some roving clan.’
Donalt nodded. ‘They had animals with them too.’
‘Wolves?’ Dorian asked.
‘Bigger.’
‘Dire Wolves?’ Dorian said.
Donalt only raised his eyebrows.
‘Bigger?’
‘Oh yeah.’ Donalt said, ‘Enormous.’
‘Oh my God. Wargs.’ Dorian said.
‘I’ve never seen one for real before.’ Donalt said. ‘Just drawings. Some of them were as tall as a horse, but you can’t trust drawings, can you?’
‘Certainly not yours.’ Dorian replied, and continued before Donalt could protest. ‘I’m going to guess they were headed the same way we are going.’
‘Yeah, just as if they had a badly drawn map.’ Donalt replied.
GOD MAGIC
The snowline Daisy had seen ahead was almost exactly that when she reached it. A line. While the frost and chill had increased as they neared the mountains snow didn’t appear to have fallen in front of that very particular line. Daisy thought it was as though it was held back by and invisible field.
‘Perhaps it is.’ She thought.
‘Hey Wizard.’ She shouted to Corbett, and then pointed at the snow ahead. ‘Is this magic?’
Corbett trod gloomily forwards, he was starting to feel the cold despite the warming tingle of the Cleric’s protective spell coating him.
‘I suppose. Sort of.’ He said.
‘Sort of?’ Daisy asked.
‘Well, it’s Gods isn’t it? They don’t really do magic like we do. It’s like pointing at an ocean and saying, ‘Is this water? Of course its water. But it’s a lot more than that, its vast and…’
‘Alright, so its magic then.’ Daisy interrupted.
Corbett tutted. ‘Very well, yes, its magic. But its Magic with a capital M.’
Felicity stepped up to them, then Valeran and finally Andreton who guided Francis, joining them at the snowline
‘The whole place is believed to have be put here by a God called Apollo.’ Corbett said, determined to have his magical knowledge heard.
‘Ah yes. Apollo. A God of wisdom.’ Valeran said, as though recalling an old friend. ‘My, he hasn’t been seen in a long time. I understand he has followers in a few other dimensions but not enough to bring him back to the big leagues. Shame. He very well spoken of in the heavens.’
Felicity crossed over the line, her booted foot sank up to four inches in the crisp, white bed of compacted snow.
She looked back at each of them, then brought her other foot across. She didn’t stop, instead she began to trudge forwards, bending slightly. The wind pushed strands of her hair about her face and whipped snow up and around her black attire and soon she began to fade.
The others realised that beyond the line there was snowfall unseen to them from this side.
‘Magic viz ze capital M.’ Andreton said.
He grunted approvingly, then marched forwards across the line with Francis ambling behind him.
‘Well. Here we go.’ Valeran said.
Corbett watched as the Cleric stepped over, and as his other foot brought the Healer’s whole body into the snow-realm he felt the protective spell around him suddenly dissipate.
‘Oh shit!’ He exclaimed as the cold bit into his bony frame.
He quickly stepped across and into the snow and relaxed a little as the warm fuzz of the Cleric’s spell surrounded him once more. Daisy followed, but not until she took look behind for any sign of Donalt or Dorian. There was nothing. And now she was stood within a blizzard, the shadow of Corbett being swallowed by it already. She marched quickly to catch up and this time when she looked back there was only snowfall, swirling and with no apparent direction in mind.
‘Gather up!’ Felicity called to them. ‘We will have to walk on and hope that this subsides soon.’
Daisy increased her pace to get back to the front with the Sorceress. She passed Corbett, who was muttering to himself once again, and then past the huge bulk of Francis, who appeared completely at ease as she lumbered along with Andreton at her side. It was strange seeing the Warrior’s almost naked physique in this chaos of cold, but she doubted he was be bothered by it even without the Cleric’s spell protecting him as it was the rest of the party.
Valeran trudged on in front of Andreton and he smiled at her as she passed by.
‘This is all a bit shit isn’t it dear.’ He called to her as she approached Felicity.
She didn’t reply but in principle she considered the Cleric to be absolutely correct. As she drew up to Felicity, she saw that the Sorceress had her map out and was staring at it intently as she walked.
‘We’re never going to see the landmarks in this weather.’ Daisy said and saw that she startled Felicity a little.
‘We’ll be fine. I know where we are going.’ Felicity replied quickly, as though to mask her surprise.
‘I know you know where we are going, but how can we tell how to get where we are going?’ Daisy said with as much lightness of tone as she could muster.
The sweet and friendly demeanour Felicity had been using until the Troll attack appeared to have been wholly discarded and Daisy decided to be cautious with her questioning. Falling out with a dark-magic user in the middle of a snow storm didn’t strike her as a good idea.
‘We walk straight. The Gate isn’t far according to the map. Just a mile into the snowline.’
‘How do we know that though. That we are walking straight? I don’t think that even Dorian would be able to determine his path in a storm like this.’
As Daisy spoke the wind seemed to crank up a notch and the cold work hard against the Clerics spell.
‘We don’t need Dorian.’ Felicity snapped. ‘Look, just keep moving. Keep the others moving. Corbett is likely to just wander off. He’s too busy talking to those Demons in head.’
At this Felicity increased her pace indicating that the conversation was over. Daisy allowed her to make the distance she required and breathed heavily with frustration. She had forgotten that Corbett had mentioned having Demons, and now she thought about it, his frequent mutterings and mumbles made more sense. He wasn’t mad or just slagging people off under his breath, although she had no doubt that he did that quite often, he was probably keeping the Demons locked away.
She didn’t know much about Demonic Infestation in magic users, but she had been told that if ever the affected wizard or other channeller of the Essence allowed one to escape their mind the Demon would be revealed in its true form. Something huge and awful and utterly evil, devouring the magic user and any others in its sight. It was probably best to leave Corbett to his mutterings.
‘Kezra!’ Corbett hissed. ‘Fucks sake.’
He listened to his mind for the opening of synaptic doors or dimensional doorways tucked away in his Essence charged brain. Th
ere was nothing.
‘Carl! Where are you? How long does it take to investigate a bloody Demon’s name?’
He turned his whole focus into himself and flitted through the enormous inner space of his consciousness. He saw no Demons. Only his own smothered thoughts of regret, self-loathing and disappointment in it all.
‘Unbelievable. I’m possessed by the two laziest Demons ever.’
He then detected the faintest vibration in the space between the particles in his thoughts. He paused his moaning.
‘Carl?’ He said.
‘Not Carl.’ He thought.
He could tell the difference between the two when they entered his consciousness. Carl gave off an aura a deep and rich light, like a very dark purple shimmer but that was felt, rather than seen. Kezra on the other hand, twinkled. Her aura was almost golden, a little like sparks flying up from a log fire and they prickled against his brain like pleasant pins and needles.
Kezra was coming. And she sparkled.
‘Jeremy!’ She shouted. As she always did.
‘Kezra. Where the bloody hell is Carl?’
‘Oooooh. It’s snowing!’ Kezra squeaked excitedly. ‘Your beard will get all icy!’
She giggled.
‘It won’t get icy. I’m protected by the Clerics shield.’
He felt Kezra retreat a little at the mention of Valeran.
‘Oh, for Daive’s sake. Don’t worry. He’s not doing exorcisms. He’s too busy fawning over the women. Daft old git.’
‘Where are you going?’ Kezra asked.
‘You know where we’re going. It’s another quest.’
‘This isn’t the way to the Quests though. Is it?’
Corbett felt Kezra peering through his eyes, trying to extend her power through them to get a better look, but this was impossible. Locked in his mind she couldn’t exert any Demonic influence or energy at all.
‘This is a new way, apparently. The Rogue had some map and the bitch queen now has it, or a copy of it or… I don’t know. Either way we are headed to some location where there’s supposed to be a Gate that no one’s seen.’
‘Ah, the little man. He’s lovely. Black isn’t an easy colour to pull off when you’re short. So sweet.’
Corbett shook his head.
‘Look. Have you seen or heard from Carl? Or do you at least know anything about the Demon I asked about.’
‘What Demon?’ Kezra asked. ‘Oh! Do we have another Demon coming? How exciting!’
‘No… no Kez. By the Gods, don’t you two ever talk to each other? I asked him to find out about Demon named Moloch.’
‘Hmm.’ Kezra said. ‘That’s a very common name.’
Corbett sighed. ‘Yes, I believe it is. That’s what Carl said.’
‘Unless you mean Moloch the Ice Demon of course.’
Corbett stopped.
‘What?’
‘Unless your Demon is one of the Princes of Hell, Moloch the Ice Demon. He’s one of the originals. Very popular with Orcs and Kobolds and those… things that live under bridges.’
‘Trolls.’ Corbett said, sounding distant.
‘That’s them!’ Kezra squeaked again. ‘They’re funny.’
Corbett looked about him, at the bulk of Francis becoming hidden by the icy snow flurry whirling, blowing and dancing about them, at the thick carpet of icy snow under his feet and the
general prevalence of what could only be described as ICE all around him.
‘Shit.’ He said.
***
Donalt looked back to Dorian as he nimbly cleared a jagged gap running through the floor. The Ranger couldn’t keep pace with him now that the ice had become far more prevalent across every surface and they were losing time. The Orc band had moved far into the distance. A line of snow, which was strangely exact and even upon the floor, and running up the side of the mountain looming on the east side, appeared to swallow them up. Donalt had seen them cross it, and then they were gone.
He stopped and waited and as he did so Spyra suddenly appeared at his feet and weaved in and out at his shins. The animal never failed to spook him, but it was at least growing on him. It hadn’t torn his face off and that had to be a good sign.
It took Dorian over five minutes to finally reach him.
‘Hai Ranger.’ Donalt said, he tried to sound calm, but Dorian easily detected the frustration in his voice.
‘Hai Rogue.’ Dorian replied. ‘I’m sorry. Even with the potion I’m struggling to cross this damn ground.’
‘I know.’ Donalt replied. ‘Listen. And before you question my eyesight compared with yours, which I know is as sharp as your friends up there.’
Dorian looked up and saw Scout circling them.
‘The war band we are following just…’ Donalt narrowed his eyes. ‘Have you ever come this way before or heard of a party taking this route into the mountains.’
‘No. Never.’ Dorian admitted.
‘Hmm.’ Donalt shook his head. ‘See, the fella who gave me that map told me that it was made by people who had been that way.’
‘You think he lied?’
‘I really don’t know. I don’t believe he would.’ Donalt looked down and Spyra, the Blink-Dog looked up and at him and licked a pink tongue along his furred snout. ‘We have a code.’
Dorian nodded. ‘But perhaps while not lying he wasn’t wholly truthful?’
‘Aye.’ Donalt said. ‘And here’s the thing. I swear. May Daive lift that bloody rock if I’m wrong, but I just saw that entire warband vanish when they crossed that line of snow ahead.’
‘Vanish?’ Dorian said.
‘More like… faded. As though they had just walked into a cloud.’
Dorian looked ahead. The line was clear, a very definite line separating the rocks from at least four or five inches of compacted snow. Beyond it were the mountains and hills of rock. The sun always seemed distant here, but it illuminated the desolate landscape well enough.
‘Magic?’ He said.
‘I can’t think of any other explanation.’ Donalt replied. ‘And strong stuff at that. Look at the how far that line is drawn across the land.’
‘God Magic.’ Dorian said.
‘I don’t think Corbett could pull it off, that’s for sure.’
‘What do you want to do?’ Dorian asked. ‘I’ll tell you now, I’ll not leave them. I can’t.’
‘I know, I know. You’re a hero mate. Probably was once an orphaned prince who was raised as a stable boy, or you’re a king in exile waiting for some broken sword to be fixed, or you’re the adventuring son of a noble family, or some other such bollocks we’ve all heard a thousand times.’
Dorian said nothing. Delivering a silence and absence of expression that made Donalt pause in what had been a light-hearted statement.
‘Anyway, I can’t just leave Andreton. He’s a fucking liability but he’s saved my skin more times than I can count. Mind you he’s dropped me in shit up to my elbows enough times as well.’
Donalt snorted, somehow managing to see the funny side of these occasions.
‘We go on.’ Dorian said.
‘Yeah, we go on. But we need to go on faster mate.’
‘I’ll take a stronger draft of the Bazzle.’ Dorian said. ‘It will put aside the pain as I cross this godforsaken land.’
‘Can you handle it? I mean that much? You’ve had a fair old fill of that stuff.’
Dorian reached into his pouch. ‘I’ll be fine. We will get to that snowline and see what’s beyond it.’
‘Orcs mate. That’s what’s beyond it. And fucking big wolves.’
‘And your friend.’ Dorian said. He handed his flask to Donalt, who took it and held steady as the Ranger opened up the wrap of Bazzle powder. The contents were then emptied into the flask.
‘That’s a lot of Bazzle fella. You’re going to be off your tits.’ Donalt warned.
‘I’ll temper it with Jubbal and some Hotroot. It should reduce the euphoric effect.’
‘Seems a shame to be honest.’ Donalt said.
Dorian smiled. ‘Time and place Donalt. Time and place.’
Once the wrap was emptied Dorian reached into the pouch again and took out another wrap. He poured half the contents into the flask, made to put it away, and then decided to add it all.
He took the flask from Donalt and swirled the contents around.
‘Listen. Could I take a swig of that? I’m fucking freezing and I don’t think it’s going to get any warmer.’
Dorian nodded and handed the flask back. ‘Be my guest. But go very steady.’
Donalt raised the flask to his lips and took a small amount of the potion into his mouth. It was cold and sweet. He swallowed and a moment later the cold left his bones as though it had been chased away by fiery marrow.
‘All good?’ Dorian asked.
‘I feel like dancing.’ Donalt replied.
‘Yep. All is good.’ Dorian said, and then drank down the whole of the flask. ‘We had better start now.’ He said after allowing the last drops to fall into his mouth.
They began again, once more Donalt pressed ahead but this time Dorian skipped across the gaps and high boulders with greater confidence and ease. Donalt occasionally danced a little.
At Last…The Plot
Corbett ran over the thickening snow as fast as his legs could take him.
‘Hai! Ladies! Ladies!’ He called. ‘Wait!’
He sped past Andreton and Francis and almost tumbled into Valeran.
‘I say, steady on.’ The Cleric shouted after him as the Wizard scrambled on
‘Fuck off.’ Corbett shouted without slowing. ‘Ladies! For Daive’s sake, hold up.’
Daisy and Felicity stopped and turned, watching Corbett came pelting towards them.
‘What is it Wizard?’ Felicity asked sharply.
‘Are you OK Corbett?’ Daisy asked as he skidded to a halt in front of them.
‘Demon.’ He said, breathing heavily. He then jabbed a finger at Felicity. ‘She…’
Rocks Fall Everyone Dies Page 24