CHAPTER 13

Scouting

There it is.”

Finn and Ivy paused at the edge of the wood. They had been walking for quite a long time, their boots forming snowshoes so they could move quickly in the deep snow. The trunks of tall trees rose up all around them, bare branches crackling in the stiff wind.

The Mountain before them was covered in snow and ice. They couldn’t see the very top because a dark cloud ringed the entire summit. But smoke continued to pour into the sky, creating a black cloud overhead. Thin rivers of red lava trickled down the mountain, like blood, slowing and steaming when it hit the snow.

“He’s taken over the whole mountain,” Ivy said.

“Probably building some new fortress at the top,” Finn said.

“Do you think those Askalons are still around?”

“Probably. And see those skypods?” Finn said, pointing to the large lumpy, rock-like objects floating in the air near the top of the mountain. “He’s probably got spies on them, keeping a lookout. Maybe even dragons.”

“Great.” Ivy sighed. “And we know what’s in those skypods, so we definitely don’t want to mess with them.”

“Ruwach told us just to scout out the situation,” said Finn. “To gather information and report back. Without being captured.”

“Sure. Piece of cake,” Ivy said sarcastically. It still seemed odd to her that only she and Finn had been tasked with this job. She had a feeling it was because she and Finn were the only ones who had been prisoners in Ahoratos. Maybe Ruwach thought that gave them a special sort of ability to sense Forger traps.

Seeing Ahoratos so frozen and desolate filled Ivy with an unnamed dread. And then there was that smell. Ahoratos used to smell sweet and fresh most of the time. Now this pervasive stink just seemed to hang over the whole land. There was no escaping it.

“Let’s see if we can find a way up the mountain,” Finn said. “A secret way.”

“If we go out into the open, we’ll be seen,” she said. She glanced at her breastplate. “Breastplate says to keep going this way. Let’s stay in the trees; it’s easier to hide if we see any of those chariots around.”

She and Finn turned and started walking again, staying in the cover of the trees, which hugged the base of the mountain. To her surprise, her boots glided over the snow soundlessly, almost like skis. Finn’s did too.

“That’s cool,” she remarked.

They glided in silence, gazing around them, searching for something promising. But the landscape didn’t change much. Snow and ice and bare trees. The mountain rose so steeply that she couldn’t see any way they could actually climb up without being seen, let alone try to lead an attack.

“It looks pretty hopeless,” she said.

Suddenly two figures with swords raised jumped into their path. Ivy shrieked. Finn reached for his sword, but then Ivy started to laugh.

“Kalle! Kristian! Where did you come from? You scared us half to death.”

“Sorry,” said Kalle. Or was it Kristian? Ivy wasn’t sure which one was which. “We heard movement and thought it was a Forger patrol.”

“Forger patrols? Have you seen any?”

“Nope,” said the other twin. “But the Askalons are roving around. You can see their tracks in the snow. And there are Bone Breakers on all the skypods.”

“Bone Breakers?”

“Big birds. They look like giant vultures with blood-tipped feathers. Very keen eyesight. They will see anyone who attempts to climb the mountain.”

“Great,” said Ivy. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“We’re searching for a path up the mountain,” said Kristian. Or Kalle.

“So are we. Did you find one?” asked Finn.

The twins shook their heads. “There must be something we’re missing.”

“I agree,” said Ivy. “Nothing we can do but keep going.”

“Kristian and I will join you, if that’s all right with you,” said Kalle.

“Sure. You guys are good at sneaking around in snow.”

“We are used to it,” said Kristian with a grin.

The four of them moved single file through the deep woods, keeping an eye out for Forger patrols or ice-belching machines lying in wait. Ivy led the way, following the steady beam of her breastplate, with the twins behind her. Finn stayed in the rear, as he usually liked to do, so he could look out for anyone who might try to attack from behind.

They had walked about a mile when Finn spoke up in a harsh whisper.

“Look!” The others turned back to see Finn pointing to the ground at their feet, where something appeared to be moving under the hardened snow. “Does that look like water to you?”

“Yes! Running water,” said Kalle, his voice now buoyed with hope. “That could indicate an underground spring. Spring water wouldn’t be frozen yet.”

“How does that help us?” asked Ivy.

“If there is a spring, it’s probably coming from under the mountain. We should follow it. We might find the source of the spring through a tunnel or a cave. It’s not much, but it’s worth a look.”

They followed the trickle of water until it formed a crack in the snow and flowed more freely. The stream led them out of the cover of the trees. Ivy paused, unsure if they should proceed in the open. The wind was picking up, and icy snow stung their faces like a swarm of flying ants.

“Something doesn’t want us going this way,” said Ivy, raising an arm to shield her eyes.

“There!” said Finn. The narrow stream led directly to the base of the mountain, where the Warriors could make out a small opening in the ice. “That’s where the water leads.”

“Looks small,” said Kristian.

“Maybe we can dig it out,” said Finn.

“What’s that smell?” Ivy asked, wrinkling her nose. “It’s different from the Empty smell. But still bad. Like rotten eggs.”

“Sulfur,” said Kalle. “Don’t worry; it’s not dangerous. Just stinky.”

“Great.” A gust of wind nearly knocked Ivy over. The snow seemed to be falling sideways, blasting them with more stinging ice. “Maybe we should go back to the Cave!” she cried over the roar of the rising wind. “I don’t think we can make it in this storm.”

“We have to go now,” said Finn. “The storm will be our cover!”

“I agree!” said Kalle. “We came this far. We have to try!”

Finn was the first to move, dashing across the icy expanse toward the small opening in the mountain. Kalle, Kristian, and Ivy soon followed, struggling against the wind that seemed to want to blow them back as far away as possible. Ivy thought it might succeed.

“Come on!” said Kalle. He reached back to grab her hand. “I’ll help you!”

When they got to the opening, Ivy could make out Finn on his knees, trying to punch a hole in the ice with his Krÿs. His whole body was coated in ice and snow, but he kept working. Kalle and Kristian soon joined him, hacking away at the ice until the hole was big enough to crawl through. Water streamed from the enlarged hole, smelly and steamy.

“The water’s really hot,” Finn yelled to the others. “Don’t touch it with your bare hands!”

“Let me go in first.” Ivy ducked and crab-walked through the ice hole, holding on to the sides to keep from touching the water. She straddled the small stream and stood up unsteadily, directing her glowing breastplate deeper into the tunnel that lay before her. Inside, the noxious smell was so pungent she had to plug her nose. Her breastplate glowed steadily, indicating that she was supposed to keep going in this direction, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to.

“See anything?” yelled Finn from the entrance.

“A tunnel!” Ivy called out. “I think we’re supposed to follow it!”

She moved forward a few steps to make room for the boys, who tumbled in behind her. Kalle, followed closely by Kristian. Or vice versa.

“Hot in here,” said Kalle, finding his footing on either side of the spring.

“A sauna,” said Kristian. “We have lots of saunas in Finland, but this one smells very bad.”

A few more hacks at the ice, and Finn wormed his way through the opening. Outside the storm raged, but the sound of the wind seemed to be dampened by the warm, humid tunnel. The four Warriors took a moment to catch their breath and adjust to the sudden change.

“This must lead deeper into the mountain,” Ivy said. Following the light of her breastplate, she started to move, the boys close behind her. The tunnel curled around boulders and sometimes became so narrow they had to squeeze sideways.

“It’s getting hotter,” said Kalle, pausing to wipe his brow.

“As if we didn’t know that,” said Kristian with a slight scoff.

The smell grew stronger the deeper they went. Just when Ivy was certain there was no end to this tunnel at all, it widened into a large cavern filled with bubbling water that glowed green, steam rising from its surface. The ceiling hung with massive stalactites, and the walls dripped with slime. The four Warriors stepped out of the tunnel and onto a narrow ledge that ran the circumference of the pool, trying to keep from touching the slimy walls.

Ivy coughed. “Wow, that really stinks. I thought the Empty was bad, but this is worse.”

“The Empty?” asked Kristian.

“It’s what Evan calls . . . the feeling up there on the surface. You know. Whatever is causing that rotting smell that seems to be everywhere.”

“I see. Empty.” Kristian nodded.

“Should we try to cross?” said Kalle. “The tunnel continues on the other side. And it looks dry over there. Perhaps there is some sort of path up to the top.”

“The water is too hot to swim,” said Finn. “And it might be toxic.”

Ivy glanced down at her breastplate, which had gone dark. “No. I think we should go back.”

“Why would Ruwach send us here just to go back?” Kristian stuck his foot into the water. Ivy gasped, shocked. But instead of sinking, Kristian’s boot just stayed right on the top. He took another step onto the pool and stood there, on the water. “Look. We can walk on it,” he said with a big grin. “The boots are like flotation devices. This is cool!”

Kalle went next, taking a couple of steps on the water. “Yes, it’s true,” he said. “Awesome.”

“Guys, I really think we should turn around,” Ivy said. “The breastplates—”

“Come on. Don’t be a chicken!” said Kalle.

Ivy threw back her shoulders. “I’m not a chicken,” she said, her face turning red.

Finn put a hand on her shoulder. “You go on ahead,” he called out to the twins. “We’ll wait here—”

He never finished the sentence. For something exploded from the water, something massive and green, covered in scales, and with sharp, snapping teeth.