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Twenty days after stepping onto the passageway, the three had gone close to four hundred miles. The kraals, steady footed on the ice-covered mountain ledge-like path, walked easily; however, they could not push them, for anything faster than a steady walking pace came with the certainty of the loss of footing. Twenty to twenty-five miles a day would be the limit.
They did not follow the normal pattern of days and nights; rather, they pushed forward for two-thirds of each day, and rested for five to six hours during the night. They stopped to eat, relieve themselves, and give the kraals a chance to rest for an hour at each meal. The twelfth day brought snow—not heavy, but steady. The snow lasted for two days, slowing their forward momentum because of the wagon. Nomar split and rigged the harness from the wagon, and put his own kraal next to the other one. That had helped, and when the snow ended, and the passageway ahead was clear—if the ice-covered ledge could be called clear—they decided to keep the new configuration.
When they stopped for the night on their twenty-sixth day, it was at the juncture of the fourth and fifth mountains of the chain. There they found a narrow valley separating the two mountains. And stranger yet, the winds blowing toward them from the valley were warm, not cold.
Both Jalil and Ailish sensed the same thing at the same time. Danger here, Ailish said silently.
Yes, we must move on. This is of the old weapons ... it still lingers.
“What are you talking about?” Nomar asked, sensing their silent speech as he walked toward the small valley.
Ailish took a half-step toward him. “Stop! It is dangerous here. The ground ... those places where there is no snow is because of the weapons of the ancients. This is ...”
Nomar froze at her command, and then turned to look at her, his eyebrows rising in a silent request for more.
“It is what was called radioactive,” Jalil explained from inside the wagon. “The weapons the ancients fought with caused this. We must get far from here.”
Nomar looked back at the valley and saw the condensation rising from the bare spots on the ground. He took another step, squinting as he tried to see better in the hazy light of days end. As his eyes adjusted, he realized it wasn’t simple condensation; it was steam. The ground wasn’t just warm, it was hot.
He scanned the area, taking in the long-dead trees, bare reddish-brown splotches, and steam rising from those bare areas. All pointed to the reality of the ground containing poisons that killed whatever had lived upon it.
Turning, he went back to the wagon. When he was seated, he grasped the reins and shook them. When the wagon moved forward he asked, “How far?”
“As far as possible.”
“The kraals will need rest. The moment it is safe, we stop.”
No one said anything.
<><><>
Late in the afternoon, two weeks after the debacle in the ravine, found Irret hidden within the tallest of the foothills, sitting cross legged before a fire, and staring into the eyes of a huge animal. Tethered across from her, with a thick rope around its neck, and two others around its upper limbs, it stared back in useless defiance. The baar was almost ten feet tall, with a huge pointed snout, and tipped by a black nose. A double row of razor-sharp teeth glinted in the firelight. Although tethered, it was more a prisoner of the dark abilities, holding it more securely in place than could the rope. It glared at her, silent rage pouring from its dark and deep-set eyes. Its brown-spotted white fur was so thick water could not penetrate its surface.
This was no beast created from her magic; it was a beast created by the ancients’ destruction. The Master Fasil had explained that it was a mutation of what had once been the most feared animals in the world. No single person could defeat it with bow or knife or sword. Its teeth, almost five inches long were small by comparison to its claws. Its skin was thicker than its ancestors, and could withstand almost anything, while surrounding this mutated beast lay a protection set down by the three Masters who waited in the boat off the western coast.
Irret giggled child-like when she recalled how Fasil assured her the beast would not be affected by the abilities of Ailish, or the powers of the renegade Dark Master.
Controlling herself, Irret stared back at the baar. There was but one more formula to create. “My servant you will be: follow my commands you will,” she said aloud and, lifting both hands, she pushed more of her powers to it. Like an invisible rope, her ability to create obedience built stronger as she chanted the words of the formula, using a mesmerizing cadence to finish bending the animal’s mind to her will. She spoke the rest of the formula so quickly no words were intelligible outside her mind.
Fifteen minutes after she began, she lowered her hands. The baar stared at her, and then it shook itself. She pointed her right hand at the baar’s neck, and the rope fell away. She did the same to the other two ropes. Free, the baar rose, roared, and walked slowly away from Irret and the fire.
<><><>
Ailish stopped her kraal and rose in the stirrups to look around. She pointed to a curved indentation in the side of the mountain slope. It appeared large enough to set up a lean-to that would be off the passageway, and out of the heavier winds.
Before she did or said anything, she settled back in the saddle, closed her eyes, and pushed her senses outward. She found nothing amiss and dismounted.
Tired, cold, and hungry, because ten days before they’d decided to cut back on their food to make it last as long as possible. Yet, every day, they looked for game, but found none.
Turning to Nomar, she nodded. “This will do.”
“Here,” Ailish declared.
Nomar drew the wagon to a stop. The wind had grown harsh several hours earlier, the temperature dropping with every mile they moved toward their destination. A short while ago, sheets of icy snow had pressed at them in staggering waves. Not enough snow to be alarmed about, for the winds pushed it around instead of allowing the white flakes to settle and grow.
But in the third week of their ride along the Frozen Mountains’ passage, the winds had grown even colder and punished them with their whip-like bluster. Ailish and Nomar, wrapped within their fur cloaks, did their best to ignore the way their bodies shook. Inside the wagon, Jalil shivered beneath the fur cloak covering him.
From the moment he had become one of the King’s guards, the elite brigade of warriors who fought with the king during battle, Nomar had been trained to accept and adjust to everything and anything. But having to sit on a piece of wood instead of being able to ride or walk was hard on him. And when Ailish had said ‘here,’ he’d offered up a silent and grateful thank you.
“We need a fire,” Nomar called, climbing stiffly from the wagon, and wrapping the cloak tighter around himself. “And you, old man,” he said with a smile when he bent into the wagon. “How fare you?”
“Old am I, yes, but I think I fare better than you.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I only have from my waist to my head to feel the cold.”
Nomar stepped into the wagon and knelt by Jalil. He lifted the fur cloak covering the old Master, and placed his hands on Jalil’s thigh. “Ailish, we need that fire now!” he shouted.
Spinning, he looked around for whatever petrified wood remained. He found several pieces laying together near the front. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Outside, he held the wood in the crook of his arms and looked for Ailish.
“Here,” she called. He followed her voice and found her at the front of the wagon. Yar stood next to her.
“Jalil’s lower body is colder than is good. We must get a fire started.”
“The wood will not last very long.”
Shaking his head, he looked up at the mountain slope. “Perhaps I can find more above.”
“Too dangerous. No!”
“I—”
“No, we will figure something out.”
“Yes, My Lady.”
Ailish didn’t pause at his words. She’d given up making him stop calling her that. She knew intuitively using her title was his defense against losing control of his emotions. Instead, she concentrated on the fire and a few moments later, the flames licked skyward. “Let me clear the ground here. Step away.”
Slipping off her gloves, she called up her abilities and spread out her hands. Waves of heat flowed to the ground while she tried not to think of the Free Blade who had become much more to her than a hired warrior. Her emotions bothered her a great deal. Her love for Nevets had been so powerful a force through her life, that when he had died, it had taken months before she would even look at another person. She had ruled Morvene from her bedchamber, relying more and more on her son to handle everything.
When she’d recovered enough to function as she should, she stepped down from the throne, and gave Morvene a new king and queen. In her role as widow and queen mother, she’d watched Morvene grow in the peace following the war that had ultimately taken her love from her.
Nomar was the first man to touch her heart and her mind in the fifteen years following Nevets’ death. It was hard for her, she admitted to herself, but she felt no touch of angst about Nevets when she thought of Nomar. Regardless, she knew she could not act on her emotions, for all too soon, she would be gone to whatever fate Nevaeh had in store for her.
As she cleared the ground, Nomar went to the wagon, and prepared Jalil to be moved. Five minutes later, Nomar placed Jalil on the ground, sleeping silks beneath him, and the fur cloak over him. He set him feet first, three feet from the flames, and well within the area of heat. Once settled, the warrior went to the wagon and moved it to where it would block some of the winds.
He set up the lean-to, brought out food and water, and put them near Ailish, who was using her abilities to warm Jalil’s legs. After unhitching the kraals, he spread out grain for the three, and finally returned to the fire.
“There are some sections of the wagon I can break free so we will have firewood.”
“Is that wise? We need the wagon.”
“We have little choice, for if we don’t, we will not survive the cold. There is much wood in the wagon that is not needed to keep it moving. It should be used before the wagon is unable to hold together. In this there are no other alternatives.”
“Then we eat now and sleep after,” Ailish said.
“I will take first watch,” Nomar said.
“Why? There is nothing to guard against.”
“There is one thing. The cold.”
Ailish’s features were puzzled. “I don’t understand.”
“If we fall asleep, and the fire goes out, the cold will keep us sleeping. We will never wake.”
She started to say something, but stopped when Jalil silently added, He is right. She gave Nomar a half smile. “I understand.”
A half hour after they’d eaten, and Ailish had fed Yar, she lay down on one side of Jalil, and had Yar lay down on the other side, to keep him warm.
While they slept, and using his long knife, Nomar went about breaking up two of the boxes that had held supplies they’d long used up. He’d also gone over the remaining supplies, which were getting low.
Two hours later, as the fire began to die, Nomar placed the wagon’s wood upon it. He estimated the wood would give them three hours of fire. Then he went to the kraals, separated his kraal, Tarz, and walked him to a spot between the fire and the wagon. The other two kraals followed, and stopped one on each side. Although kraals slept standing, and their coats being thick enough to handle most cold, Nomar thought it best having them closer to the fire.
Finally, he spread his silks next to Ailish, and lay down so their body heat would help each other. He fell asleep in seconds.
<><><>
Ailish woke suddenly. She lay still, her body cool but not cold. She reached out with her mind, and sensed Jalil on one side and Nomar on the other. Her muscles stiffened when she realized Nomar pressed against her side. She forced herself to relax, understanding he did so for warmth.
Yar? His warmth spread through her mind. She joined with the large cat, and saw Jalil. The rantor had not moved during the night. Thank you.
Then there was a sense of something different, but it did not have the feel of a person, and slipped quickly from her mind. She opened her eyes. The sky was still dark, the stars bright, but the moon was gone. She thought it closer to morning than to midnight. Jalil, how feel you?
The way you just did. Sense it, yes?
What? I sensed nothing wrong.
Not wrong, not ... people, something else.
I felt it, but only for an instant.
I think this is not good ... not for us. I will work to see. We need to be moving as well.
Turning onto her side, she lifted her head and leaned over the Free Blade. “Nomar.” Her whisper was barely spoken when he snapped upright and looked around as if he were not sure where he was.
“Are you all right?”
He turned to her. “Yes. Apologies, I should have woken sooner.”
She smiled. “All is well. The fire still burns.”
“I added wood before I slept.” He stood and looked at the kraals, who were huddled together and still sleeping.
“I’ll get the supplies,” he said.
After they ate and drank, Nomar gave the kraals grain, and then hooked two to the wagon while Ailish saddled her kraal. Off to the side, Yar sat and watched. His golden eyes following everything.
They were on their way forty minutes after waking. The winds had died down, which was helpful, and as they moved along, Ailish began to think everything would work out the way Jalil said. If they didn’t freeze before they reached their destination. If ...
And then again, the unknown presence flickered through her mind. She drew back on the reins, slowing until she was next to the wagon.
“Be careful,” Nomar warned, pointing to the side. “This passageway is narrowing.” He had noticed it yesterday, but had hoped it would grow wider again. It did not.
“Stop.”
Nomar followed her order. “What?”
She shook her head. “I know not, something ...”
Leave it go. Do not seek it now. Jalil warned her, while saying aloud, “We have another problem other than the passageway ... perhaps.”
Nomar shook his head. “Of course we do,” he said sarcastically. “We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have ... another problem.”
Jalil gave a short bark of a laugh. “It is so good to see your astute grasp of our situation.”
Nomar snorted his answer. “What?”
“Something is following us. It is not ... like us.”
Nomar turned and stuck his head into the wagon. “An animal? One of the black witch’s animals?”
Jalil met his stare and nodded. “Yes ... but ... not quite.”
“I don’t understand.”
“This one ... It is different. It is not one of her creations. Yet it ...” He stopped talking and closed his eyes. A moment later they opened wide. “This is very bad.”
