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REBECCA SAT BY THE fire, staring blindly into its warm depths. The fight hadn't lasted much longer, the remaining Shadows being swept away by the purifying flames she had wielded. Despite how briefly those fires had burned, there had been nothing left of Celia but ash drifting in the wind. The Shadows had consumed her completely in the moments before the fires had destroyed them in turn. She shivered at the memory, wrapping her arms tighter around her own shoulders. Even though she had despised the woman’s religion, Rebecca knew Celia hadn't deserved to die that way. She wondered if Celia would return as a Shadow herself, or if what essence of her that had been left over by the Shadows had been lost with them.
She was still so deep in thought that she flinched when William sat beside her, the jolt of the log beneath her bringing back awareness of her surroundings.
"Now you know." her father said heavily. "I'd hoped you would never see it happen."
Rebecca shuddered and looked away from him, not needing him to say anything further. What vague words he had spoken about people falling to the darkness fell far short of the reality.
"Why did she run to them?" she asked softly.
William sighed, his shoulders drooping.
"My guess? The demons infected her somehow, warped her mind." he said sourly. "She ran from us to the first thing that felt like them."
Rebecca looked up to stare at him in dumbfounded shock.
"But we were saving her!" she burst out. "Couldn't she feel how evil they were?"
William laid a heavy hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. Even though he wasn’t surprised at her reaction, he hid his own disappointment at what had happened, grudgingly admitting that it had likely been inevitable.
"Likely not.” he told her. “As far as she knew, we were in league with the One God's demons ourselves."
Rebecca stared at him in disbelief, her eyes wide.
"But..."
His frown silenced her as effectively as his growling voice.
"We manipulated the very elements of the world right in front of her." William overrode her. "What does the One God Church have to say about that?"
Rebecca scowled but subsided, turning away. Even without William's stories and warnings she knew what the priests had to say. The very vocal preachers standing on the street corners of the city she had grown up in had harangued the indifferent crowds from sun up to sun down. They saw the New World as a blighted nest of heathens and unbelievers, all being inexorably drawn down to hell. At the top of their list of unredeemable sinners were those who wielded power over the elements. She grimaced when she remembered what the preachers had almost screamed about them.
"Anyone that uses the power of the elements must have stolen and subverted the laws of nature." she muttered. "As only the One True God has the right to them."
William nodded, a wry smile creasing his face.
"As far as the One God followers understand, we are heathens and usurpers of the One God's power. An abomination."
The sound of Daniel chuckling made Rebecca look up at him as he approached, Katherine walking beside him.
"If I'm an abomination, at least I'm in good company." Daniel said lightly. "My father never had much time for the One God even though he wasn't of the blood."
William's eyebrow rose slightly at Daniel's admission. Daniel hadn't told them much about his life though Rebecca suspected that Katherine knew more about him than she let on. William obviously hadn't felt the need to pry, the fact that Daniel was tied to an Air elemental enough for her father to accept him and Rebecca had followed his lead.
"You came by your inheritance through your mother then?" William now asked.
Daniel nodded, sitting down on Rebecca's other side.
"She was bonded with a water elemental."
William chuckled, glancing sideways at Rebecca.
"It would seem that things are slowly changing." he told her. "Perhaps the elementals are understanding that even half bloods are worthy of their attention."
"We always thought half bloods were worthy." Varya interjected. "There once were so many full bloods that we could pick and choose our host."
Varya's reply made Rebecca smile faintly. She vaguely wondered if she would have been chosen if there had been more full blooded Ancients available. Almost immediately she pushed the thought aside, not wanting to know. The musical sound of Varya chuckling sounded in her head even before the thought had a chance to fade.
"You are special. Of the Blood and not but with a fire from your mother that is impossible to ignore. You would have been chosen."
Rebecca woke the next morning with the cold touch of snowflakes settling on her face as the first light of dawn stole across the mountains. The fire had burned away to faint embers during the night and she rolled in her blankets, reluctant to leave the meagre warmth they provided. When another snowflake landed in her ear she growled softly and sat up. Reaching for the closest pile of sticks, she irritably threw a handful on the embers and kindled them with a thought.
"Good morning to you too." William muttered at the clatter of sticks from under his blankets. "It's still dark so we have at least an hour of sleep left."
"It's snowing." Rebecca told him irritably. "I would still be asleep if it wasn't."
William's reply was a soft chuckle from under the blankets.
"Be glad it's only snow." Katherine murmured from beyond him. "The clouds were ready to drop sleet on us but I managed to convince the elements not to. The clouds are heavy and snow was their compromise."
Rebecca groaned and burrowed deeper into her blankets. The prospect of getting out of her warm cocoon of blankets didn't appeal to her and she flipped them up over her ears, settling into what comfort she could find on the hard ground. Closing her eyes again, she muttered to William and Katherine.
"Fine. Wake me up when breakfast is ready."
The smell of frying bread woke her the second time and she peered over the edge of her blankets at William as he crouched next to the fire.
"Breakfast is nearly ready." he told her without looking up. "It's not much but it's hot."
Sitting up and letting the blanket slide from her shoulders, Rebecca shivered as the cold air flooded over her and quickly drew the blanket back up. Looking around at the clearing, she noticed the dusting of snow that had fallen overnight. Shuffling closer to the fire, she stretched her hands out to its welcome warmth.
"We need to stop somewhere to get more supplies." William growled. "I'd hoped to be over the mountains before now but I think we will have to go back down further if we are to find enough to continue our journey."
"We could always go hunting." Daniel suggested from beyond the fire, sitting up and yawning. "Between the four of us I'm sure we can catch something."
William grunted noncommittally and returned his attention to the frying bread. Daniel pushed his blankets aside and stood, his breath puffing out in little clouds as he crossed to crouch beside the fire and hold his hands out to the warmth.
"What does the wind say?" William asked, turning his attention to Daniel. "Can we get across the mountains?"
The younger man closed his eyes, his head tilting to the side as he listened to the breeze. They waited for almost a minute before he frowned and shook his head.
"Other than their whispers of fat deer, I hear nothing but bad news." he told them unhappily. "The wind has passed a message far along the mountains and many voices tell me of Shadows. Darkness and fear haunt the roads and paths for many miles."
William growled wordlessly, turning away and shaking his head in disgust.
"They will block our path at every pass." he muttered. "They wish to delay us until it is too late."
Rebecca shivered as a cold breeze swirled around her, brushing icy fingers along her cheek.
"There is a path." it whispered to her. "Follow the road south to where men gather. He cannot be trusted but he will lead you."
She frowned at the voice and looked at Daniel questioningly. His blank look told her that he had heard nothing.
"We need to go south." she said hesitantly. "There is a place men gather where we will find a guide."
Her announcement drew a confused glance from Daniel but William nodded slowly, a frown of concentration creasing his face. Rebecca cast another glance at Daniel, surprised that the wind had chosen her to pass the message on to rather than him.
"A place where men gather." William mused softly. "An inn perhaps?"
When he looked at her, Rebecca shrugged.
"That's all I heard. Follow the road south and we'll find a guide." She hesitated again then added the warning from the Air elemental. "We can't trust him but he will guide us."
William held her gaze for a moment longer then nodded.
"Even in winter there are those who cross the borders." he said thoughtfully. "Perhaps there are other, less well known paths across the mountains."
Sighing, he lifted his pan from the fire and slid the flat and slightly burned rounds of bread onto a plate.
"It is some distance to the next town and there are other passes between here and there." he said grimly. "We may get lucky, so we'll try them along the way."
Daniel looked doubtful but held his tongue, raising an eyebrow to Rebecca over William's bowed head. She shrugged and accepted the plate William held out to her. Without looking up, William flattened another ball of dough into the frying pan and muttered.
"If someone will wake Katherine we can have breakfast. The sooner we move on, the sooner we can find out what the elements mean."
Two weeks riding saw them try three more blocked passes before William conceded defeat and brought them back down from the mountains and into a valley swept by cold rain and erratic gusty winds. Hunched down into her wet cloak, Rebecca scowled up at the low dark clouds with disgust. The weather had turned with the first dusting of snow that she had woken to the morning after fighting off the demon, the snow giving way first to sleet and then almost continuous cold rain that had made the journey through the mountains miserable. She had needed Varya's help to kindle their fire at their last camp, the wet wood slow to catch and reluctant to burn when it did. A whisper on the wind made her cock her head and listen, straining to hear it over the blustery conditions.
"We aren't far." she finally called to William, a note of relief in her voice. "The inn is a mile away."
William nodded, raising a hand to point away in the distance through the late afternoon gloom.
"I saw a light ahead." he called back. "We'll have a roof over our heads for the night at least."
Despite the weather, the inn wasn't as crowded as William feared. Only two of the eight tables in the tap room were occupied, the few people inside clustered around the tables closest to the fire. Several men looked up at their entry, their scowls at the cold wind that they brought in with them fleeting as their momentary interest quickly returned to the tankards in front of them. One man held his attention on them longer than the others, a faint smile appearing as his eyes fell on Rebecca. Seeing his gaze lingering on her, Rebecca drew the hood tighter around her face and lowered her head. William led them to a table in a corner away from the fire, keeping their distance from the gathering there. Sitting down, he sighed and shook his head.
"This is getting tedious." he muttered. "We've spent the last two weeks trying to find a way to cross that damned range. I should be able to find a route without trouble but something is blocking me."
Though they all knew what was stopping them, they didn't dare say it out loud now they were in company and Katherine reached out to squeeze William's arm reassuringly.
"We'll make it across." she assured him. "There will be a pass we can get through."
Daniel nodded agreement.
"I hear whispers now and then. The passes are open."
William growled under his breath.
"Not to us. The Darkness is making sure of that."
Rebecca gently held up her hand as the soft whisper of footsteps caught her ear. William looked over her shoulder and frowned, casting her a warning glance.
"You wouldn't happen to be looking for a way over the mountains by chance?" a loud voice asked behind Rebecca, the words heavily accented and fuzzy around the edges.
William nodded at the question. The bench suddenly rocked under her and Rebecca looked across at the man who had smiled at her from the fire, frowning sourly as he smiled broadly at her again. His dark hair was oiled flat against his skull, his pale complexion stained red from too much ale.
"Excuse me Miss." he said pleasantly. "You don't object to my sitting here?"
Rebecca glanced at William questioningly. He hesitated but gave her a minute shake of his head.
"No sir." she muttered.
The stranger's smile widened and he turned his attention to William.
"The mountains are difficult this time of year." he said conversationally. "Some rivers are high and many paths are cut off by bad weather. Valleys that lead upward are treacherous."
William scowled at the man's easy statement. They had already discovered as much for themselves and being reminded of it after only just coming in from the cold was irritating for all of them.
"There are ways across." William growled defensively.
The man nodded, unruffled by William's terse reply.
"Of course there are."
He leaned back and opened his arms wide letting his eyes wander from William to Daniel and on to Katherine and finally Rebecca, where they lingered a moment longer.
"As a trader I would be more than happy to lead you across, for a price."
Letting his arms drop, his hand brushed casually down Rebecca's back.
"Do not trust him."
Her elemental's warning after days of silence made Rebecca flinch and William raised an eyebrow questioningly at her. When she gave him a faint shake of her head, William frowned and looked at the trader.
"What is your price?" he asked guardedly.
The trader shrugged nonchalantly.
"Company for the journey would suffice , for now." he answered. His eyes dipped to the grip of the revolver just visible at William's belt and he raised a dark eyebrow. "And perhaps the guarantee of your protection should the need arise."
Rebecca could see the indecision in her fathers eyes, sure that the warning she had passed on from the wind was now playing through his mind. Eventually he gave a short nod and the trader chuckled and held out his hand.
"My name is Terullo Esava and I shall be your guide."
Esava leaned back after shaking William's hand, his broad smile seeming to be a permanent fixture on his face.
"Are you a God fearing man?" he asked.
William frowned at Esava and shook his head. Rebecca almost laughed at the question, managing to temper her incredulous response to a faint smile so she wouldn't insult the trader.
"Across the sea the One God church has not accrued as much power and devotion as here." William finally answered. "Not everyone is a follower."
Esava scowled and leaned forward, setting his elbows on the table to fix William with a hard stare.
"Pack of heathens, not following the true path." he spat. "Tell me you're not one of them."
William shrugged, matching Esava's fierce stare with his own bland look.
"We've come across the sea in search of faith." he said evasively.
Esava's face brightened, his scowl melting into another broad smile as he held his arms wide.
"Then you have come to the right place." he cried effusively. "This country is steeped in faith, the land littered with some of the oldest temples dedicated to the One True God. There is no better place to find true faith."
Turning on the bench to signal across the drab room to the bar, he held up three fingers and pointed to William and Daniel before looking at William and continuing earnestly.
"There is a good reason the One God is worthy of our reverence. When our glorious ancestors first began worshipping Him they were sent a sign of His power. The pagan 'gods' tried to crush one of our temples in their spite. A champion, only a boy, stepped forward and with the power of the One God coursing through his veins, destroyed them. Their battle was said to be extraordinary, the hill upon which the temple sat was rent asunder, every tree toppled and the very earth scorched to its bare bones."
A barmaid hurried across the room, bowing her head demurely as she set three tankards of ale on the table. Pushing a tankard toward William and another to Daniel, Esava took a mouthful of ale and set the tankard aside. The sour look Katherine cast at the trader for being excluded went unnoticed by Esava and Rebecca risked a furtive glance around at the men seated nearby. To her surprise Rebecca saw the faces of each man showed they were enraptured by the story. Esava noticed her looking around and glanced around himself, smiling when he noticed his unexpected audience. Their attention made him straighten and puff out his chest with self importance as he continued his story with a loud voice.
"The pagan filth were cast down but as you all know, no man can hope to bear the raw power of God unscathed. The pagan filth was defeated and the boy had done his job. The Merciful God took him into his bosom in reward for his unwavering faith."
A round of applause greeted the end of his tale and Esava turned to William with a smirk.
"Do you think those pagan 'gods' in your country could compare with the shining glory of our One God?"
William glanced at Katherine with a faint smile.
"No." he admitted frankly. "There would be no comparison."
Varya chuckled softly in Rebecca's mind.
"There is no comparison." she murmured. "For there is nothing to compare us to. He chooses his words wisely."
Rebecca dipped her head to let her hair fall over her face, not wanting Esava to see her grinning uncontrollably as he drew deeply from his tankard. Wiping his mouth on his sleeve, he continued blithely.
"Of course there is no comparison. The One God shines brightly as a beacon of hope and righteousness in the darkness of this world. His might and wisdom protect and guide us along the true path to salvation for only in His Word is the Truth found."
Esava turned to Rebecca and laid a hand on her shoulder. The touch made her skin crawl and she fought to keep from shrugging it away in disgust.
"You should think very carefully about joining us." Esava suggested, his lip curling up as he surveyed her. "The One God has a special place for women."
Even though she wanted to recoil from both his touch and his suggestion, Rebecca was careful to keep a neutral face as she replied.
"I don't believe that is up to me, Mister Esava." Her eyes strayed to William, seeing him nod minutely. "I believe that my father should be the one to decide."
Esava scowled and his hand slid away, trailing into a caress down her back and coming to rest on her hip. He smiled at William broadly.
"What do you say sir? Join our faith?"
William's face had hardened and he answered in a flat voice.
"We'll travel as far as the other side of the mountains before I make my decision."
Esava nodded amicably and drained his tankard.
"Of course. By then you will see that it will be to your benefit to join our faith."
His hand dropped away as he stood. Bowing to William and Daniel, he smiled cheerfully and stepped back from the table.
"Make sure you get plenty of sleep tonight if you wish to join my caravan. We shall be riding out with the dawn."
"I don't like him." Rebecca snapped the moment she walked through the door to their room. "More to the point, I don't trust him."
William sighed at her declaration, closing the door and crossing the room to sit on the edge of the bed.
"I agree." he said heavily. "Unfortunately I think he actually does know how to get across the mountains. We need his help. As the elementals said, we would find our guide at an inn."
Rebecca scowled and looked away, crossing her arms over her chest in frustration.
"Can't we just tunnel under them?" she suddenly snapped. "With your..."
Katherine slapped a hand over her mouth, unceremoniously stopping her. When Rebecca glared at her and tried to shake her off, she jerked her head at the door.
"Watch what you say." she whispered harshly. "You never know who is listening."
Rebecca's eyes flickered toward the door and after a moment she jerked her head in a nod. Katherine released her and joined William on the bed, glancing at Daniel questioningly. A faint eddy of air swirled against Rebecca's ankles and Daniel shook his head.
"There is no one out there." he murmured.
"Then why can't we tunnel?" Rebecca snapped. "I don't want to travel with him."
Katherine shook her head in exasperation at her stubbornness. William laid a hand on her arm, patting it once when she looked at him.
"We can't tunnel under the mountains." he said firmly, turning his gaze to his daughter. "It would be an abuse of our power and the elementals will not accept such an excessive use of their essence."
"For what is coming the Earth could be persuaded to make the path easier." her elemental whispered. "But he is right. Moving mountains is too much."
Rebecca growled softly in frustration and scowled at William.
"So we follow him up to some pass that apparently only he knows and then...?"
William nodded slowly.
"We will need to leave him behind." he said heavily. "He could be a useful guide for our journey but with all his talk of the One God, I'd much rather leave him as soon as possible once we are over the mountains."
"I'd rather leave him dead in a ravine." Rebecca muttered softly.
William and Katherine looked at her questioningly and she realised they hadn't heard her clearly. Only Daniel smiled in amusement. Rebecca waved their looks away impatiently.
"So I suppose we have no choice but to follow him." she said unhappily.
"Actually, I think he might know far more than even he suspects." Daniel said.
William, Katherine and Rebecca looked at Daniel in surprise and he reddened under their combined gaze.
"Didn't you pay attention to the story he told?" he asked. "A temple spared from utter destruction, a boy of the One God church battling heathens?"
Rebecca shrugged. "I only noticed where his hands were going." she snapped. "I wasn't listening to his story."
"Andras." Katherine suddenly said. "He was telling the story of Andras."
"Twisted to suit their view." William growled, looking at Daniel shrewdly. "Perhaps this trader isn't a complete waste after all."
Daniel shrugged, looking a little embarrassed at having brought their attention to such an important detail. "He might know which temple we are looking for." he suggested. "Do you think he would tell us if we told him we were interested in seeing it?"
William nodded without hesitation. "I wouldn't be surprised if he did considering how fanatic he sounded while telling the story. He'd probably lead us right to it given half a chance, especially if he believed it would help us join their ridiculous religion."
Rebecca snorted in disgust and looked away. "He would take us there if I batted my eyes and fawned over him." she muttered peevishly. "I can still feel the touch of his hands."
Katherine chuckled sourly.
"At least he gave you the time of day." she pointed out. "He wouldn't even look at me."
Rebecca rounded on her angrily, her face flushed. "Would you prefer to have those slimy hands all over you?" she shot back. "I'll gladly change places with you."
Katherine held her hands up defensively, shaking her head quickly. "No thank you." she answered quickly. "I would have shot him already if I was in your place."
Rebecca subsided, her hand unconsciously falling to the revolver holstered at her hip. "Believe me. I was tempted."
When neither Katherine nor Rebecca spoke again, William sighed and stood.
"I may not like the man and I have my doubts about how useful he will be but I had better inform him that we will be joining his caravan in the morning."
Despite her late protests and an early morning argument, William had his way and just after dawn Rebecca found herself riding behind him in company with Esava and several other traders. Joining a well travelled road a mile from the village, Esava led them east along it for nearly three hours while the sun broke through the thinning clouds and crept above the horizon, staining the snow capped mountains red and gold. As they rode Rebecca scowled as she noticed Esava glancing back along the line every few minutes to where she swayed in the saddle. After his tenth look back at her, Rebecca gave William a final frustrated glare and resigned herself to being gawked at and the prospect of a very long journey in the traders company.
The sun was high in the sky when Esava stopped at the head of the caravan and turned his horse to face them.
"This is where we will leave the road." he called, pointing at a faint track running toward the mountains. "I apologise that it will not be an easy path but I assure you that it will get us to the other side without fail."
William eyed the path critically, following it until it disappeared in the distance.
"Doesn't look much like a path." he muttered to himself.
Rebecca looked at the track, dismayed to see it was little more than a narrow strip of overgrown dirt. Turning her gaze to Esava, she shuddered when she saw he was smiling broadly at her.
"This is the path we must take and I shall guide you truly. The Great and Merciful God has cast me in your path to show you safely to the end of your journey."
His leering face was blocked from her sight as William's horse shifted, her father calling out doubtfully, his head turned up to the mountains ahead.
"There doesn't look to be a pass up there."
Rebecca had to agree, letting her eyes wander up the steep slopes that dipped down into the narrow twisting valley before them. Esava chuckled, waving airily up at the heights.
"Fear not Mister Hargreaves." the trader assured him. "The way may be difficult but truthfully the pass rests above a deep canyon at the end of this valley. Once we have climbed the far end we shall be on the shoulders of these giants and on our way to the other side."
William finally shrugged and turned to face Katherine, one eyebrow raised questioningly. Rebecca caught a brief glimpse of Esava, his narrow face twisted into a scowl at William's doubt.
"Ask any of my brothers here, Mister Hargreaves." he cajoled. "They have followed this path with me many times over the years and can tell you the truth of it. The pass rests above us, waiting for you to have the courage to follow the path up to it."
"Courage?" Varya hissed furiously in Rebecca's head. "The heretic knows nothing of courage."
Rebecca silently agreed, feeling her own anger merging with Varya's. Taking a deep breath, she pushed her irritation aside.
"It has nothing to do with courage." William shot back sourly without looking away from Katherine. "I am merely pointing out that from our vantage point here, there does not look to be a way up."
Katherine let her gaze drift to Esava briefly before she nodded to William once. He turned to the trader with a faint mocking smile.
"However, if you insist there is a way, by all means lead us up there."
Esava led them up the valley, the faint trail winding back and forward across the stream that burbled quietly in its bed. The stream was clear and cold but so late in the season it was little more than ankle deep. Esava stopped them in the early afternoon on a wide plateau dotted with solitary pines and lush grass, looking back down the trail from the height they had gained while the caravan halted around him.
"We rest." he eventually called. "Half an hour for the horses to graze and drink, then we move on."
He cast Rebecca a broad smile as she passed him.
"It is a beautiful place here." he told her earnestly. "The view is remarkable and there is a waterfall not far away where the water is so sweet and clean that God himself assuredly had a hand in crafting it."
The corner of Katherine's mouth ticked up briefly at Esava's description and she muttered under her breath to William.
"The water is sweet and clean because it's a glacial spring."
William glanced at her questioningly and she shrugged.
"I can feel it calling to me." she murmured.
Esava turned at their soft voices, a scowl of disgust twisting his face though he didn't hear what Katherine had said.
"Does this meet your satisfaction?" he asked William mockingly. "Or does your woman find fault?"
William's face became a blank mask as he stared at Esava. Rebecca froze at the flat tone of his voice as he answered, her hand mirroring William's and drifting to the grip of her revolver.
"It has nothing to do with her satisfaction. If you must know, she only passed on her agreement with your assessment of the beauty of this place."
The tension in the air between Esava and William made Rebecca nervous and her fingers wrapped firmly around the warm wooden grip.
"Careful."
Rebecca looked around at the soft voice of the breeze in her ear. Daniel shook his head gently when her searching gaze fell on him.
"We are outnumbered and still need to cross the mountains." the breeze whispered, passing along Daniel's message.
Rebecca sighed and let her hand fall into her lap, still close to her revolvers but ready. She let her gaze sweep past Daniel to the rest of the caravan, taking in the grim reality of their situation. Several of the closest men had moved their hands to their weapons, their eyes firmly on William where he sat comfortably in his saddle. Esava's face was a deep red, a vein standing out prominently on his forehead as he stared at William. For a long moment Rebecca wondered if the trader would be stupid enough to escalate the fight. The moment passed when Esava blew out a loud bark of laughter and turned to his men.
"We will rest tonight halfway to the top and then go over the pass tomorrow." Esava declared, casting a sideways glance at Rebecca and Katherine. "The path beyond is much easier, much less wearisome."
His attention turned fully to William again with a generous smile. "There is a village at the foot of the pass where we can rest in comfort. Perhaps there we can come to an agreement on where you stand in regards to joining with the One God."
William's face remained carefully blank when he replied, his voice neutral.
"Perhaps. We've a long way to go yet."
Esava nodded shortly, the smile on his face not fading. While he kept up a cheerful facade, Rebecca could see the tension settle in his shoulders at William’s continued indifference to his efforts to convert them. Giving William a shallow ingratiating bow, Esava forced his answer through a stiff jaw.
"Then it would be my honour to accompany you on your path to enlightenment."
William grunted in reply, his hand slipping from his revolver to the reins in his lap. "Let us rest the horses then. We've got the rest of the afternoon to make more ground."
The caravan halted for the night at the top of the canyon Esava had described earlier in the day. The valley had climbed all afternoon, finally pinching out as the sides closed in around them to form the gorge. Esava had led them deeper into the gorge, following the path that more and more often disappeared into the stream that splashed noisily in its bed. The laden pack horses struggled up the stream as it ran down the gorge in a series of cascades that grew higher as they climbed. By late afternoon they had been reduced to leading the animals up the stream on foot, their boots soaked and feet cold by the time they had left the dwindling creek behind. Esava cajoled and encouraged them all the way until they stood on a plateau above the valley, the pass now barely visible through the dying light in the distance above them.
"We camp here tonight." he called, reining in his horse and turning to look back along the line of the caravan. "Tomorrow we shall cross the pass and head down the other side."
Rebecca looked up at the dark bulk of the mountain rising above them, a sigh of relief escaping her at the thought of finally crossing the mountains. The feeling that they were running out of time was still gnawing at her, making her anxious to be moving on but the thought of putting this barrier behind her eased her worries at least a little. Esava smiled widely to her as she rode slowly past him.
"We shall be blessed with clear skies tonight and the stars shall shine brightly. God will indeed smile down on us from his place amongst them."
Rebecca didn't look down at him, keeping her gaze pointed to the peaks and the sky beyond. Already a dusting of faint stars were beginning to appear in the darkening sky and she grudgingly admitted that perhaps he was right in that the view of the heavens would be spectacular. The cool, clear air held no taint of smoke or cloud to obscure the stars. Esava's gaze lingered on her in passing until Daniel cut between them, blocking the trader's view.
"Settle yourselves for the evening." Esava called after her. "There will be cold rations passed out shortly and a fire will be lit to keep us warm."
William led them a little way past where the caravan was dismounting, choosing a flat spot almost fifty yards beyond them. Sliding from the saddle, Rebecca groaned at the ache in her thighs from both riding and scrambling up the steep slope.
"We'll be over the pass tomorrow." Katherine said to her reassuringly, leading her horse along to stand beside her. "After that we just need to find a good time to leave the caravan and be on our way."
"But when will that be?" Rebecca asked softly, casting a glance back toward where Esava was directing the rest of the caravan. "He gives me the creeps."
Katherine chuckled humourlessly. "I don't like him either but until we can make our escape, we're going to be stuck with him guiding us."
Rebecca idly stroked her horse's sweaty neck, breathing in the smell of dusty and wet horse hair. The horse leaned into the stroke, and Rebecca smiled despite how she felt. "I'm afraid of him." she muttered reluctantly. "I don't know if I can pretend to be someone I'm not much longer."
Turning to look at Katherine, she frowned. "The way he keeps looking at me, how he is always talking to me. What if he..."
Katherine laid her hand on Rebecca's arm, gently gripping it.
"Don't even think that." she whispered earnestly. "Your father will kill him if he even tries."
Rebecca sighed and looked away. "That's something else I am afraid of." she admitted. "Today when we stopped for lunch, I'm sure William would have killed him if they had been alone."
Katherine sighed and nodded in unhappy agreement. "The One God followers do not know when to stop. They will press their views beyond what any man can stand. William has the world of patience that only a long life can bring but I fear Trader Esava will soon find the end of it. You and I can only hope to stop William from doing something foolish that might get us all killed."
Rebecca snorted softly. She silently wondered whether it would be William or herself who would do something stupid first.
It didn't take them long to set up their own camp away from the rest of the caravan and Rebecca was thankful when someone other than Esava brought them a small sack with their evenings rations. A glance in his direction showed that the trader was watching her with bright eyes, his smile widening when he caught Rebecca looking at him. She shuddered and hunched deeper into her cloak, pulling the hood up over her head to hide from him. William laid a hand on her shoulder as he passed her a hunk of cheese and hard bread.
"Don't give him the satisfaction of seeing that he is getting to you." he muttered softly. "If he thinks he's making you uncomfortable, he will continue to do it."
Rebecca scowled at William, her fingers tightening on the plain fare.
"Easy for you to say. He's not likely to try doing anything to you."
William frowned but nodded understandingly. "Women are possessions." he agreed. "There for the taking."
Biting into the tough bread, Rebecca tore a piece off and chewed unenthusiastically. It was plain and unappetising fare but she knew that it was made to last long journeys while providing something to fill the stomach.
"I'm not a bloody possession." she mumbled in disgust around her mouthful of bread. "And he'll find that out if he tries to 'take' me anywhere."
William sighed and sat beside her.
"Don't do anything stupid." he reminded her. "We only need him for a day or two more. After that we can make our own way without him."
Rebecca shrugged. "That's what Katherine said." she told him unhappily, wilfully neglecting to mention that Katherine had been talking about him. "But I'm the one that's going to have to put up with his constant attention and wandering hands for another day or two."
William patted her on the shoulder and stood. "Just a couple more days." he promised.
After the last of the daylight had faded into night, the others rolled themselves into their blankets and soon fell to sleep. Rebecca lay awake, listening to their soft snores, frowning as sleep eluded her. After an hour, she folded back her blankets and walked away toward the top of the pass in the distance. She stopped thirty yards from where the others slept and sat down, crossing her legs and tilting her head back to stare upward. The stars shone brightly above her, chips of diamond twinkling in the inky darkness around them. Looking up at them, she wondered how much further they had to go. The soft sounds of the others sleeping nearby comforted her and she smiled to herself at Daniel's snoring.
Her study of the stars was interrupted by a faint footstep behind her and she half turned toward it.
"Easy girl. Settle yourself down again. No need to wake the others."
She tensed at the voice, frowning as she recognised it.
"What can I do for you Mister Esava?" she asked through clenched teeth. "Did I wake you?"
The trader dropped onto the ground beside her, his shoulder roughly bumping into hers.
"Not at all, girl. I've been waiting for some peace and quiet so I could have a word with you."
Remembering the lecture William had given her, she forced a smile to her face despite the darkness.
"Of course Mister Esava. What can I do for you?"
His arm snaked out to wrap around her waist, drawing her closer to him.
"Now Mister Hargreaves there has said he's your father and the four of you are a family. But I've got my doubts about that."
His breath tickled her ear and she grimaced at the touch.
"I'm sorry to say that you are wrong Mister Esava. He is telling the truth that he is my father."
Esava’s arm tightened, crushing her against him. Dropping his face close to hers, he growled in her ear.
"Don't give me the run around girl. I know you're nothing but his property. Now admit it and I'll see that the One God will free you from his perverted touch."
He turned away and snarled in disgust.
"Two wives? What man needs two wives?"
Shrugging his arm off with difficulty, she reached for the revolver at her waist. Before she could draw it his hand circled hers and he twisted her wrist back until she dropped it back into its holster. Despite his strong grip and the pain it caused, she gritted her teeth and refused to cry out and give him the satisfaction of seeing that he was hurting her.
"Don't play games with me whore!" he hissed under his breath. "You'll fuck him but turn your nose up at me?"
"Burn him to ash." her elemental hissed dangerously. "Destroy him for his arrogance."
Her anger flashed briefly, overriding her control and Esava hissed in pain, snatching his hand back. With her hand free, Rebecca scooped up the revolver and retreated.
"You...?" he gasped in dismayed confusion.
"I am not a common whore." she snarled.
The revolver barked once, the muzzle flash lighting up the look of bewildered surprise on his face. The bullet snapped his head backward, his greasy hair flying around in a dark shroud as he toppled backward onto the hard packed soil. Cries of alarm as people woke covered the echo of the report and she swore softly, wiping the spray of blood from her face. Looking back at the tumult behind her, she shook her head.
"William is going to kill me."
Being younger and quicker on his feet, Daniel was the first at her side, gently easing the revolver from her hand and reholstering it.
"What happened?" he hissed urgently. "I'll lie for you but I need to know what the story is."
She shook her head irritably. Daniel’s concerned offer grated against her nerves, her stubbornly independent pride not wanting to accept his offered protection.
"You don't need to lie." she snapped. "He tried to force himself on me."
Daniel subsided, staring down at the dead trader.
"I never liked him." he muttered under his breath.
Rebecca sighed in relief at hearing her own thoughts spoken aloud. Her anger eased at his easy acceptance of her rebuke.
"That makes two of us." she told him.
They were interrupted by William and Katherine joining them, both reaching out to take Rebecca away from the body.
"What the hells were you thinking?" William growled. "Killing a man isn't keeping your head down."
Tearing her arm from his grasp, she whirled around to glare at him as her anger flared again.
"That animal thought he could steal me for his own." she snapped at them. "Does the One God think a man forcing himself on a woman is acceptable?"
William glanced over his shoulder at the sound of hurried approaching footsteps, grimacing as he turned back to her.
"It doesn't but there are grey areas that some people like to exploit." he hurriedly whispered to her as Esava’s caravan team approached. "Rape can be forgiven if the man agrees to marry his victim."
He stopped and turned to the dozen men that had accompanied Esava, putting himself between them and Rebecca and carefully raising his hands away from his revolvers.
"Gentlemen. I invoke fathers rights."
The men paused, their eyes drawn to Esava's body and back to William. Esava's team leader scowled, his hand resting on the revolver by his side.
"Fathers rights?" he growled. "You saying the boss was trying something funny with the girl?"
William nodded. "The Good Book decries rape as a sin worthy of death."
He swept a hand toward Rebecca, the motion drawing the men's attention to her.
"My daughter sought only to defend her honour from his unwanted advances and so called me to her aid."
The team leader spat in disgust, his lip curling up as he stared at her.
"Boss wouldn't have been stupid enough to try something like that." he snapped. "She murdered him."
Rebecca scowled at him, her hands falling to caress her revolvers. William's lie to protect her was unexpected but she appreciated it.
"Perhaps the time is past to hide." her elemental whispered hopefully.
She shook her head, opening her mouth to argue. William glanced at her and gave her a curt shake of his head, silently reminding her that her place in the Old World depended on him.
"My daughter does not lie." he snapped in reply. "And I'll take any man that suggests she does."
The caravan team stiffened at his abrupt answer, hands falling to weapons. Rebecca's hands tightened on the grips of her revolvers, her thumbs already putting pressure on the hammers. Daniel's sleepy voice broke their attention with an urgent question.
"Is it tornado season?"
Daniel's odd question was met with bewildered silence. A distant roar filled the void left by the sudden end of the argument and several of the caravan team paled in realisation.
"Vantul." one man whispered fearfully, his eyes wide and staring up the slope.
The team leader glared at William briefly but turned on his heels and strode quickly away, already shouting at his men.
"Pack your blankets and secure your loads! We need to find shelter down the mountain before the winds hit us!"
He paused long enough to glare back at William, pointing a stiff finger at him.
"This is not over heathen. When this storm blows over, I will be getting to the bottom of this before the night is out."
William turned to Daniel, his eyebrow raised questioningly. Daniel gave him a single short nod.
"There will be a storm in a few minutes." he said softly. "The valley is going to be torn apart by a down draft from the heights. We'd better move to higher ground before it gets here."
Looking up the valley, he grimaced and returned his gaze to William.
"It was all I could think to do before things turned to blood." he murmured apologetically.
"It's given us the chance to slip away so I won't hold it against you." William replied. "Let's get up the mountain and through the pass before they can catch us."
The abrupt break up of the situation left them scrambling to pack up the few things they had unpacked, hurriedly rolling up their blankets to tie onto their saddles and throwing them across their horses backs. All the while the dull roar of the wind in the heights echoed down the valley. In minutes they were pulling on their horses' reins, pulling them across the face of the mountain toward safety on the higher slopes of the valley side.
"We have to move faster!" Daniel shouted over the sound of the oncoming storm. "If it hits us I'll do my best to cushion us from the worst of its wrath, but I can’t promise anything."
Even though he tried to sound confident, Rebecca could hear the worry in his voice and knew that he didn't think there was much he could do. Tugging on her horse's reins Rebecca coaxed it onward up the mountain, her thighs burning at the steep climb while the horse tossed its head nervously. The roar of the wind rose louder and louder with every passing minute and she glanced up at Daniel ahead of her, frowning at his back. She couldn't understand what had possessed him to call on the destructive down draft from the heights above. Surely they could have found another, less destructive, way out of the situation she had put them in. Her horse tugged on the reins sharply, its ears laid back flat against its head in barely restrained terror. She reached up to stroke its nose comfortingly, drawing its head down as it pranced.
"Come on, we're almost safe." she called to it over the rushing wind. "Just a little way to go."
The horse jerked at the reins once more, snorting agitatedly. Stroking its nose once more she turned to continue the climb. The horse jerked at the reins one final time, prancing skittishly before settling and following after her.
The wind caught them before they could reach higher ground. The roar of its coming reached a deafening howling crescendo and Rebecca looked up through slitted eyes to see the trees on the slope above suddenly bend over under the onslaught. For a few seconds they held, their creaking lost in the fierce gale before the first snapped with a crack loud enough to be heard over the storm. Rebecca held a hand out to the oncoming tempest, silently begging the wind to spare them. She had time to briefly see that Daniel was doing the same thing before the wind slammed into her and knocked her off her feet and into the hard flank of her frantic horse. She didn't stop to think, her mind going immediately to the earth, calling it up desperately. She felt their slow acceptance in her mind and the ground beneath her feet flattened. The wind suddenly fell and she risked opening her eyes against the blowing debris to see a cave opening up in front of her. Sensing the use of the earth elementals, William looked back at her, his head bowed against the onslaught as he nodded approval. Using brute strength to hold his horse back, he turned and made his way back to her, dragging his horse into the shelter the cave offered.
"Good thinking!" he howled against the tempest. "Get inside and I'll find Daniel and Katherine."
Thrusting his horse's reins into her hand, William had barely turned when Daniel staggered into the calm space within the cave, pressed up against his horse's heaving side. The animal pranced as the wind that was battering against it suddenly slackened, dragging Daniel deeper into shelter. He glanced up at them in passing, his hair plastered to his sweating face.
"Katherine is coming." he gasped. "The wind is guiding her the best it can and she is not far behind."
William nodded gratefully to him and took a step out into the gale, bowing his head against the onslaught as he looked out into the darkness for Katherine. His cloak whipped around his legs wildly as the wind took hold of it and he staggered, reaching out to take a hold of the solid rock of the cave entrance to steady himself.
"Are you sure she is coming?" he shouted over the screaming of the storm.
Daniel nodded and pointed into the darkness. "She's coming."
William looked out, breathing a sigh of relief as the dark shape of a panicked horse materialised through the gloom, its rearing barely controlled by the firm hand of the woman holding its reins. Sensing shelter, the horse made a bolt for the cave entrance, dragging Katherine in with it. William reached out to snag the bridle as it passed, bringing the terrified horse to a halt before it could run into the back wall. Katherine let go of the reins and sank to her knees in exhaustion.
"Thank the Path someone thought to give us shelter." she muttered tiredly, glancing up at William.
He shook his head and lifted his chin to Rebecca. "You can thank her for having some sense this time."
The storm blew itself out just after midnight, its banshee screaming fading slowly as it died down. No one had managed to sleep and when William stood and walked out into the diminished storm, Rebecca was the first to join him in looking up at the invisible pass high above.
"We should keep going." he said loud enough to be heard over the wind. "If we leave now we can be at the pass by dawn."
Rebecca looked over her shoulder at the clack of rocks underfoot as Katherine came out of the cave.
"Do you think the storm has ended already?" the older woman asked.
William shrugged without looking around. "I don't know." he answered honestly. "Perhaps Daniel would be the better man to ask."
"It's almost over." the younger man called from inside the cave. "There will be no more trouble for us tonight."
"At least not from the elements." William growled in disgust. "But I wouldn't be surprised if that caravan decides it wants to continue our discussion."
Rebecca's fingers gently caressed the butt of her revolver, drawing comfort from the touch. In all the excitement of the confrontation and then the terror of the storm, she hadn't spared a thought to what she had done. Her father's unexpected assessment brought it all back into focus and her hand suddenly shook at the realisation that she had killed someone.
"The trader was not the first." Varya whispered in her mind. "Terrence came before him."
Rebecca's hands shook harder at the reminder and she clenched them, crossing her arms to shove them into her armpits to hide the tremor. William looked up at her movement, raising an eyebrow at her hunched posture.
"I know it's cold but we need to move on." he told her, mistaking the reason for her shivering.
"I just want to be over the pass." she mumbled. "We really need to be over and on the other side."
Katherine frowned worriedly, picking up on Rebecca's uneasiness. "Have you had another nightmare?" she asked.
Rebecca shook her head quickly, her eyes straying to the cave entrance as Daniel came out to join their circle.
"I've got the feeling that time is running out and I wouldn't be surprised if Rebecca feels the same." he said softly. "I think you're right that we need to be over the pass before dawn."
Rebecca nodded, glad for his distraction. William nodded once and inclined his head toward the cave.
"If this storm is over, let's get our things together and move on." he decided, glancing at Rebecca questioningly. "The sooner we find the Spear, the sooner we can finish this and go home."
That's if we're still alive to go home, Rebecca thought to herself.
"There is horror ahead of us." Varya answered her thought hesitantly. "Much horror. But there is also hope. Do not lose sight of that or we are all doomed."
