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ELINA LOOKED UP THE white marble staircase running all the way to the top of Pythia. Last time, she'd only seen it from afar. From down here, the staircase seemed to touch the sky. The morning sunlight glared off the polished stairs and buildings. Even at a distance, the temple at the top dwarfed the structures on either side of the staircase. The black basalt that showed between the white buildings gave the complex a dreamlike appearance.
"Straight to the top?" Elina asked.
Finn nodded. "Yes, we don't have time to be delayed by clerics or wait weeks for permits. It all flows back to the Oracle, so that's where we're going."
Elina, Finn, and Henge started the long ascent. Elina soon found herself short of breath. Next to her, Henge took the steps two at a time with his long legs. His head swiveled left and right. "Pythia really is our crowning achievement," he said cheerfully. "It was a labor of love." He pointed to a palace down a side street. "I made that! Most of the work higher up the mountain was already done by the time I was old enough to work. But down here, I helped out." He gave them a rueful smile. "Sometimes I think they let me help just to get me out from underfoot."
The ground shook; Elina fell forward as an earthquake terrorized the mountain. Even Henge stumbled to one knee. The tremblor ended as suddenly as it had begun. Silence descended on the city. "Are you all right?" Henge asked. He offered Elina a hand.
She took it and pulled herself up. "Yeah, just a bit shaken." She dusted off her knees.
A shout went up from a side street. "Fire!" Smoke rose above the rooftops. Henge didn't hesitate. He sprinted down the street, Finn following closely behind. Elina hurried after them.
They came to an oval plaza. On one side, the houses were partially built into the mountain. Smoke streamed out of a mansion in the middle of the row of newer houses. A child was screaming out of a window on the top floor. A group of people restrained a man trying to get to the house. Henge took one look at what was going on and ran for the house. He crashed straight through the front door. The people in the plaza stared after him as he disappeared inside.
Finn grabbed one of the men standing at the front. "What happened?"
"My son!" the man pointed at the building. "A jet of lava came through the floor. It all happened so fast. Please, save my son!"
Elina turned to the building. The kid disappeared from the window and went silent. For a moment, the only sound was the crackle of the flames and the wailing of the father. Then the wall exploded. Henge flew through the air and landed in front of the house. Soot streaked his chest and face. In his arms, he cradled the child. He righted himself and handed the little boy to his father.
Henge walked back to Finn and Elina. He gave a small cough.
"That was impressive," Elina said, patting his shoulder.
The people in the plaza surrounded Henge, thanking him and slapping him on the back. Henge looked embarrassed. "I had to help the kid," he mumbled. "We should prevent the fire from spreading. Do you have any buckets? We can form a chain."
The people ran off. Soon they returned with buckets in hand. Henge went over to the water pump on the edge of the plaza and started pumping. His mighty beats kept the water flowing as bucket after bucket was held underneath the tap.
The sun had moved past its zenith before the fire was extinguished. Henge collapsed in the shade of a tree in the middle of the plaza. The house was a burnt-out shell, but the fire hadn't spread any farther. The father of the child he'd saved came over and sank to his knees in front of Henge. "Thank you for saving my boy," he said, tears welling in his eyes.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save your house," Henge mumbled.
"You saved all that mattered to me," the man said. "I am in your debt. Please let me know if you ever need help."
Henge shook his head. "I want for nothing. It was my pleasure."
"I'm Johan," the father said. "What brought you to our house?"
"Just luck," Henge said.
"We're here for knowledge," Finn said. "We were on our way to the temple to ask for access to the library. We just happened to be nearby."
"Maybe I can help you there," Johan said. "I can get you an audience with the Oracle. I'm not sure how kindly he looks on Manhir, given his background; but I will put in a good word for you. Follow me." He beckoned them to follow him up the staircase.
Henge caught up to him. "What did you mean? About the Oracle's background?"
"After the previous Oracle died," Father Johan said, "the Inquisition put Ilmar forward as a candidate. With their army camped outside our city, we had little choice but to accept. He's doing a decent job, but I doubt he's forgotten where he came from."
At the temple, two guards stepped forward and blocked Henge from entering. Johan had a quick word with one of the guards. After he had given a long, hard look at Henge, he let them pass. In the temple, Johan stopped a servant passing them. "These people need an urgent audience with the Oracle. I vouch for them. Please fetch our Father. I will take them to the Great Hall."
The servant ran off, and Johan continued through the temple. Their steps echoed off the marble floor and walls. He stopped in front of two bronze doors that rose to the ceiling; they made even Henge look small. Johan turned to them. "Wait here. The audience hall is on the other side of the doors. A servant will come and get you when the Oracle is ready to receive you. I must leave you for now. Good luck." Johan gave a bow and walked off.
They sat down on two benches along the wall. A short while later, a servant appeared from a small door down the hall and stopped in front of them. "The Oracle is ready to receive you now. Please follow me." He walked to the bronze doors and gave them a push; they swung open noiselessly. He bowed and motioned for Finn, Elina, and Henge to enter.
Elina walked in after Finn, Henge at her side. The far end of the hall was open. A promontory ran out above the center of the volcano; a thin wisp of smoke trailed up past the promontory. A row of pillars supported a painted ceiling. Elina recognized famous historic events in some of the scenes; others made no sense to her.
A figure stood in the center of the promontory. He turned when they reached the edge of the promontory. "Welcome, dear guests." He spread his arms. "I am the Oracle of Pythia. How may my knowledge guide you today?"
Finn gave a bow. "I am Finn Trollarvik." Finn gestured at Elina and Henge. "These are Elina Eindriddotter and Henge of the Manhir." Elina gave a curtsey upon hearing her name. "We have come seeking knowledge."
"Then you have come to the right place," the Oracle said. "Though my first piece of wisdom is that you should distance yourself from this Manhir. They spread discord and bring destruction in their wake."
"Henge does no such things!" Elina took a step forward. "Earlier today, he risked his life to save the life of a child, one of your citizens, from a burning home."
"I know, child," the Oracle said. "It is the only reason I granted you three this audience. But we haven't had an eruption in ages, until today, when this Manhir shows up. That you cannot deny."
"That's unfair," Elina said. "It was a coincidence." Henge placed a hand on her shoulder, restraining her.
Finn stepped forward. "We beg access to the library of Pythia. We have come to learn about the Crystal of the Gods."
"That is a request I will not grant," the Oracle said.
"We need it to fight the Ochloroc," Finn said. "I need to know how I can stop them. This Crystal might be the answer."
"That knowledge is not for everyone," the Oracle said. "The fact that you're traveling with a Manhir is enough reason for me to deny you this request."
"He's on our side," Finn protested. "He proved as much earlier today."
"He didn't prove anything," the Oracle said. "He just happened to be there. This knowledge is dangerous in the wrong hands. I will not allow it out."
"Then we will all be slaughtered," Finn said heavily, "like the people of Uneltemus and Sylvgard. We need that knowledge."
"I am sorry," the Oracle said. "My decision is final." He turned and walked up the promontory to look out over the crater.
Finn took a step forward. Two guards on the side of the hall, who wore ceremonial white robes, took a step forward. They placed the heads of their war hammers before them on the floor with a thud that echoed through the hall, and stared at Finn without saying a word.
"Let's go," Henge said. "We can't achieve anything here."
Finn hesitated. Henge placed his hand on Finn's shoulder and gave him a little nudge. Elina sighed. She turned and walked out the hall; Henge and Finn followed more slowly.
Outside the temple, Elina sat on the top step of the staircase leading to the plains below. She rested her head in her hands. "Now what?" she asked when Finn and Henge joined her.
"What about sneaking in again?" Henge suggested.
"It's risky," Finn said. "We don't know where to search for the books, or how we could get in. It might be our only option, though."
"Maybe Johan could help us get in?" Elina asked. "He seemed well-positioned."
Another earthquake rocked the volcano, this one more violent than the last. Several boulders loosed themselves from the rim of the volcano and rolled down the mountain, a scree slide in their wake. One crashed into the side of a house, causing part of the roof to collapse. Down in the lower reaches of the city, a house caved in. Behind the temple, a plume of thick, black smoke rose from the crater of the volcano.
Elina looked at Henge. "Do you think the volcano is waking up?"
"It shouldn't," Henge said. "It's been dormant for millennia." Henge laid his ear to the ground. Elina felt her skin tingle, hinting at Henge's magic use. "These earthquakes feel wrong," he said after a few moments. "There's a lot of stress down in the Earth. It feels unnatural."
"Could it be the Ochloroc?" Finn asked.
Henge shrugged. "It feels like it. Who knows what they can do? Maybe they can encourage earthquakes here. Volcanos are less stable than other regions."
Five people came running up the staircase. Two ran into the temple without so much as noticing the visitors sitting at the top of the staircase. The others milled in the doorway, looking after their comrades. "What's going on?" Finn asked.
One of the three men turned. "There's a breach in the mountainside. Lava is flowing out. We've got to evacuate the city."
"What?" Henge jumped to his feet. "Show me. Maybe I can help."
The man jumped when he noticed Henge. He took a step back, color draining from his face. Elina went over to the man. "We know, he's a Manhir. He's one of the good guys," she explained. "He can help."
The man hesitated. Another boulder galloped down the hillside; this helped him make up his mind. "Follow me, then," he said as he hurried down the staircase.
Henge went after him, easily keeping up, Elina and Finn following as best they could. The man turned left at the second side street, then ran on until he reached the edge of the temple complex. Elina saw he had not exaggerated. A fissure gaped in the side of the volcano, orange lava oozing out with a smell of rotten tomatoes. The air above it shimmered from the heat. The lava crept towards the nearest building down the slope; if it reached there, it might light a whole section of the complex on fire. At that point, there would be no stopping it from destroying the whole complex.
Henge stepped onto the rough mountainside, stopped a hundred feet from the fissure, and knelt on one knee. He placed his hands on the ground. Elina's skin prickled as a soft glow emanated from the crystal in Henge's chest. The ground near the fissure trembled; the fissure shrank a fraction, and the flow of lava slowed.
Henge sank forward as the glow left him. Elina ran towards him, and the heat hit her like a brick wall. She knelt and wrapped an arm round Henge's shoulder. "I can't do it," he said to the ground. A tear fell from his cheek. "I'm not strong enough."
"Don't give up, Henge," Elina said. "Let's try together. Maybe I can support you."
Henge looked at her, a determined look on his face. He nodded, so Elina placed her hands on his closest hand; he took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and tried to get her mind to follow Henge's focus. He led her into the mountainside, where the fissure stood out like a throbbing red wound.
Elina felt Henge set to work on closing the wound. He breathed hard; she reached out with her mind and followed him to the fissure, offering her strength to him as he stitched the fissure closed. He steadied beneath her hands, his breathing slowing. Then pain exploded in her head, so that she lost focus and fell back on her ass. She opened her eyes; the sky above her wheeled, and she quickly closed them again. Tears streamed down her face. "I'm sorry."
Hands took her shoulders and held her. She turned her head. Finn was supporting her; his presence steadied her. "Are you all right?" he asked.
She nodded, still too shaken to talk.
"You're almost there," Finn said to her and Henge. "I believe in you. In both of you. You can do it."
Elina looked at the fissure; it looked no different from before. "I'm not sure I can."
"We can't give up," Henge replied. He looked drawn. "We need to make another attempt. These people need us."
"I'm afraid I'll collapse again," Elina groaned.
"We'll do it together," Finn assured her. "I'll support you. Whatever the outcome, we will have done our best."
Elina nodded. She placed her hands on Henge's hand again and closed her eyes; Finn took her shoulders; his touch steadied her. She dove in after Henge and let her strength flow to him. The pain appeared again, but it flowed past her, to Finn's hands. It felt as if she had a muscle strain from too much exercise yesterday; annoying, but she could ignore it by focusing on Henge's work.
Foot by foot, the wound in the mountain side closed, the heat diminished—and then it was done. Finn's hands fell from her shoulders. She sat back and opened her eyes, exhausted. Henge looked at her, grinning from ear to ear. They had done it!
The look on Henge's face changed in an instant to a worried frown. He reached past her. "Finn?" he asked. Elina turned. Finn lay on the ground behind her, unconscious. His breathing was shallow.
"What's wrong?" She knelt and felt his forehead; it was damp with sweat. "Don't you dare leave me, Finn," she muttered.
"I don't know." Henge picked him up and hurried towards Pythia's buildings.
Elina scrambled after him. A group of onlookers stood at the edge of the road, cheering for them. They parted for Henge and quieted when they saw what he was bearing in his arms. A man spoke up. "Come with me. I live nearby. He can have my bed. I'll send for help."
Henge nodded. The man ran towards a house three doors down, closely followed by Henge. Elina staggered after them. Someone offered her an arm to steady her, and she gratefully accepted. In the house, another person handed her a glass of water. She drank it down in one go, relishing the coolness as it slid down her throat. She collapsed into the first chair she saw and closed her eyes.
The creak of a chair told her someone had sat down nearby. She opened her eyes and laughed. Henge had taken the chair next to hers. The chair groaned under his weight, the legs bowed a little. He looked ridiculous, like an adult stuffed into a child's chair.
Elina slowly got herself under control again, and realized she was sitting in a bedroom. Finn lay in a bed underneath an open window that gave them a view down the mountain. "How is he?" She nodded at Finn. "Will he be all right?"
Henge nodded, and Elina felt a knot loosen in her stomach. "I'm not sure what happened," Henge said, "but he seems to be recovering. His breathing had already improved by the time we got him into the bed."
"It was like he was taking all my pain away," Elina said.
Henge nodded. "Maybe he's just exhausted. If so, then sleep will help."
Someone cleared his throat near the door. The Oracle stood in the doorway, looking at them. He was the last person she wanted to see. "What do you want?" Elina snapped.
"I heard what you did," the Oracle said. "I'm here to thank you on behalf of all citizens of Pythia, and to apologize for my earlier behavior. I was wrong about you, Master Manhir."
Henge made a dismissive wave with his hand. "Already forgotten."
"Please let me make it up to you," the Oracle said. "You have free access to our library. I have sent for the head librarian to gather all knowledge we have on the Crystals of the Gods. She will be here shortly."
"That's very generous," Elina said. "Thank you."
"If there is nothing else," the Oracle said, "then I will take my leave. We need to evaluate the damage and start repairs."
"I think you should prepare to evacuate the city," Henge said. "We managed to close this breach, but I fear that the volcano will still erupt. The mountain felt wrong."
The Oracle gave a short bow. "Thank you, Master Manhir, for the advice. I will discuss it with the council. We will take whatever measures are necessary." He left the room.
Elina sank back in her chair, eyes closed, enjoying the quiet. After a while, she opened them again. Henge sat staring at Finn. "Do you really think the volcano will erupt and destroy the city?" Elina asked him.
"I don't know," Henge said. "There is something unnatural about this whole affair. My gut tells me there is more to come."
The landlord walked in. "There is a visitor downstairs. The librarian. Will you come down, or shall I send her up?"
"Send her up," Henge said. "Then we can keep an eye on Finn while we talk."
A moment later, a woman with a wrinkly face topped with a bun of grey hair walked through the doorway. She carried a stack of books with a pile of papers on top. Her ankle-length skirt flapped behind her. She stopped short when she saw Henge. A moment later, she recovered and walked towards Elina and Henge. "I apologize," she said. "I had heard one of you was a Manhir, but all the manuscripts failed to prepare me for how big you are."
Henge stood up and bowed. "No apology needed." He gave her a big smile. "I get this a lot. I'm Henge."
"Well met, Master Henge," the woman replied. "I'm Karoline, chief librarian of Pythia." She placed her pile on the table. "Ilmar asked me to bring you all the information about the Crystals of the Gods we had. I brought what I could find on short notice. But maybe you have questions first?"
"Assume we know nothing," Elina said. "What is the Crystal of the Gods?"
"It's Crystals, actually," Karoline said. "There are two of them. Or there were, at least. A Crystal of Darkness, and a Crystal of Light. They are conduits that let magic flow between the realm of the gods and our world."
"We read that the Ochloroc stole one," Henge said. "What happened to the other?"
"They stole both of them," Karoline said. "We suspect, from the disappearance of most magic, that they destroyed the Light Crystal. But that is mere speculation. And they probably still keep the Dark Crystal somewhere."
"That would explain why magic feels so fractured now," Henge said thoughtfully.
"Why are there only two of them?" Elina asked.
"The gods created them," Karoline said. "Arachac created the Dark Crystal and placed it here in Pythia to help the Ochloroc gain control over the world. To bring the world into balance again, Hafgrim created the Light Crystal."
Karoline's story explained a lot about magic and the strength of the Ochloroc. If they could find and destroy the Dark Crystal, then they would have a chance in this war. "How do the Crystals work?"
"We don't know," Karoline said. "They weren't common knowledge before Ragnarok, and we've lost so much since." Elina nodded. "If you have no further questions," Karoline said, interrupting her thoughts, "then I will take my leave. There is a lot of work to be done in the library." Elina shook her head. Karoline bowed and walked out.
"Best we get to work." Henge picked up one of the books Karoline had left behind.
Elina followed suit. Together, they read through the information Karoline had brought them, occasionally sharing a piece of information or remarking on something they'd read. At one point, a small tremor shook the building without any further consequences. After about an hour, Finn stirred and woke up. Elina and Henge filled him in on what had happened after they had closed the fissure outside.
The evening sun was coloring the sky orange and red when a knock announced another visitor. The Oracle had returned. After exchanging pleasantries, he sat down at the table next to Elina. "We have decided to evacuate the city," the Oracle said. "The volcano is getting more and more active. We knew this day would eventually come. Preparations are already underway. We are leaving the city tomorrow morning."
"Where will you go?" Elina asked.
"That's part of the reason I'm here," the Oracle said. "There's only one city nearby big enough to take us in."
"Gilgin," Finn said. The Oracle nodded. "You're welcome in Gilgin. We need to stand together. We ask only that you stand by our side against the Ochloroc."
"Naturally," the Oracle said. "We will do what we can." He offered his hand and Finn shook it. "I will leave you for now. There is still much to do before we leave in the morning."