by A Lonergan
"What did you do now? At least she didn't threaten to kill you again." Nico walked toward me and frowned as I spoke.
"The day is still young, and there is plenty of time for her to continue to plot my demise." Nico brushed off his sleeve and cocked an eyebrow at me. "She's angry because her little mysterious book says horses don't do well in the Mystic Mountains."
"Something about them getting sick?" I asked.
Nico sighed. “Yes, they will somehow get sick on the trek. I’m not really sure.”
I bit my lip. "What's the book?"
Nico shrugged. "She enjoys taunting me and being evasive."
"Hm," I started. "This does sound familiar."
Nico scowled and tried to take a swipe at me with his closed fist. I skipped away, laughing, before he could make the connection. I found Willow beside her horse. She was brushing its side with long, agitated strokes.
"What's going on?" I asked.
She didn't look up at me and continued to work around the spotted black and white beast. "Nothing. If you want to march into battle with creatures that will get sick, and no preparations, be my guest."
When she finally looked up at me, her blue eyes were piercing. "My mother gave me my father's field journal from when he had missions through the Mystic Mountains. He was one of the best and documented every trip. His horses all died on the first day of every journey. They would become sick, and then in the night, the predators would come. They would sniff out the dying animals and feast on them, and anything else they could get their teeth on. We have no idea what we are up against in there."
I scratched my eyebrow as I tried to process what the assassin was telling me. "What would you have me do?" I patted the horse on her side and Willow finally gave me all of her attention.
"I would have that we don't bring as many horses with us. We have to have them for all of our carts, but honestly, they won't make it through the pass. It will be a steep and treacherous climb. We will have to leave them behind to cover more ground." Willow shook her head like there was no other way.
"What will we do about our provisions?" I asked, genuinely curious about what she thought we should do.
"The men will bring what they can carry and nothing else. Only necessity. A tent, what they can use to hunt with, and whatever else they need. We can't afford to lose anything on the first day. We have to think about it. I can't lose you." Her head slumped forward, and her dark hair fanned around her face in a protective veil.
"You aren't going to lose me. I am a lot harder to kill than that." I tilted her chin up so she would look me in the eyes. "I will see what I can do. The horses will stay here, but we might need something. I'll see what I can do." I kissed her forehead and turned on my heel.
Madam Colver lost her mind. "WHAT?! No horses?! Do you know what no horses means, it means no food! Certainly, you know this!"
"There isn't much I can do. The horses won't survive the journey and we can't risk losing our men." I paced the kitchen in front of the robust woman that kind of scared me. There wasn't much that frightened me, but she was one of them.
"There is only one thing that will suffice." Madam Colver waved her wooden rolling pin at me. "I am going with you."
I rolled my eyes. "No, you have to stay here and take care of the rest of the staff while I am away."
"What staff? Almost the entire castle will be with you or you have sent them home to be with their families with pay. I am the only one that can take care of your stubborn asses, and you know it. The only way all of you will survive this will be because of me."
"We have managed just fine on scouting trips without you. I can cook relatively okay. I'm sure some of the others know a thing or two around a fire." I shrugged. What was I supposed to tell this woman?
"I will not have it." She shook her head and her eyes changed to red coloring. I wasn't going to win this one.
"Who's going to take care of the castle?" I wasn't going to budge.
"You act like we don't have powerful magic around here. Right, Leo?" She bent over and yanked a poor little man from the floor behind the island. Oh, Maiden of Death, take me now. I smacked my forehead. "You always forget I'm married."
"That's because he never comes around." I shrugged my shoulders and threw my hands up.
Leo finally took the opportunity to speak for himself. "I don't come around because I like peace and quiet for a few hours of my life, Your Majesty. I will keep this place running like a well-oiled machine. You don't have to worry."
I cocked an eyebrow. "Really? You won't miss her? You aren't worried about her going into the Mystic Mountains? Haven't you heard the rumors?"
Leo laughed. "Do you know what this woman has been through? I bet she hasn't told you her story. She has been around for longer than you have been alive, so I imagine she hasn't. I won't spoil that for her, but know this- she is a terrifying woman and she has fought in many wars. Colver isn't afraid of much."
Madam Colver cocked her head in satisfaction. "I guess we are settled then. Can you be ready within the hour?"
It took her two seconds to slam her leather garment bag on the counter and give me a death-defying grin. "Never been readier."
Chapter Four
Willow
Goblins. He had commissioned goblins from the shipyard to pull the carts and supplies. It wasn't an awful idea, but they weren't the friendliest of creatures. They grunted when I greeted them and I finally settled on not speaking to them at all as the carriages were stocked of all the necessities we would need for a few months.
I whistled through my teeth as Madam Colver shook her head and hit one of the men with a spoon. He rubbed the tender spot and ran from her, muttering, "crazy heathen." All I could do was laugh. She ran the show that was for sure.
"I think we are good to go, thank you for helping us load everything up." I gave her a soft smile and tried to not get emotional. The rutting feelings kept getting in the way. "I am really going to miss you and your antics."
She laughed and shook her head. I felt like I was missing something. "I am going with your little party. You don't have to miss any of the fun."
At least I wasn't the only woman.
The sun had started to set and we were well on our way into the mountains. The forest around the Mystic Mountains was dense as we trudged through the foliage. We had a few fire-breathers ahead of us, burning a trail but it didn't do that much to help. A twig snapped back and caught me on the cheek. My head whipped back and I could feel the blood well up and drip down my face. I didn't bother with wiping the blood away, it would do nothing. It stung, but I had a feeling it wouldn't be the last blood of the night. Cal trudged through the trees and smoke ahead of me. A feeling of sadness and guilt washed over me.
In my defense, we had been under a lot of pressure, but reacting in anger hadn't been the right decision. He would have probably listened to me first if I hadn't been so emotionally charged. I held a branch and let it snap back into Nico's face. He swore behind me and all I could do was chuckle. We had been at each other's throats the entire day, and somehow it was what kept me going.
He swore. "Thanks for that. I always wanted fuller lips."
I puffed my cheeks to keep myself from laughing. Oops. "It wasn't intentional."
"Bullhock!" Nico whispered. His breath made the hair on my arms stand up as it washed over my ear. I swatted him away.
"Stop that. You are just a baby." I pointed at the scratch on my cheek and kept dodging sticks. Just as I was about to make a snarky comment, my foot sank and I swung forward. I braced myself the best I could and found myself face first in the mud. A branch that was stuck in the dirt dug into my shoulder as I went down. I tasted dirt in my mouth and tried not to wretch. There were just somethings I wasn't okay with, and this was one of them. A goblin kicked me, and I tried to roll away from his large feet, but my body was suctioned into the ground. Nico shouted and the entire procession stopped. The goblin looked down at me and frowned.
&nbs
p; "Sorry, human." He grabbed me by the back of my bandeau and ripped me from the muck holding me down. He set me on my feet and I tried to stay stable as I got the feeling back in my legs. I blinked a few times, as Cal made his way to me.
"Are you okay?" He pulled some twigs out of my hair and gave me a small smile.
"Yes, just a little bruised. We have to keep going. We need to get to the mountains before night is fully upon us." I shook off the greenish muck from my boots and pant legs before I continued on. There was no point in stopping, we had too much ground to cover. We couldn't afford to lose any more time. The goblins were slow enough.
When we made it to the edge of the mountain, I understood why the horses would have never made it. The edge of the mountain was straight up. There was no slow descent or even a path. Just jagged rock that shot up in the clouds. My body was tired and sore, but I knew if we didn't go up tonight, it wouldn't bode well with hundreds of men.
"Can we use magic?" I asked. I wasn't sure what would happen with magic used here, or if it was in the actual mountains.
Cal looked at me with defeat. "No, we will have to climb, which we knew and prepared for. Though I didn't think it would be like this." He raked his hands through his short hair. After months it had finally started to grow enough that it touched his ears. It probably needed a trim, but as many times as he put his hands through it, it would always be a mess and uneven. How he had managed long hair, I would never know.
"What are we going to do with our carts?" The carts that held all of the food and extra supplies, along with Madam Colver. Cal had insisted that she ride, instead of walk. Her knees weren't like they were before. She hadn't argued, which was a shock enough.
"The goblins will have to carry them on their backs, which will be fine. Their hands, and feet were made for climbing." As Cal spoke, the green beasts started their ascend. Rocks started to pebble from where their talons dug into the massive structure, but it didn't stop them. They tested the carts strapped to their backs with a few knee wobbling jumps and were off. It took them only a few seconds to gain feet. Up and up they climbed, their muscles flexed and strained as they went. They didn't seem to be disturbed by the height, and soon enough we could no longer see them. How intimidating.
Nico bumped me with his shoulder. "Ladies first."
I smiled. "Afraid?"
Cal laughed at our banter. "I will get our gear."
I pulled long, thin knives from my belt and gave him a serious look. This wasn't my first time. I had scaled castles and cliffs before. I knew this would be like all the other times, but it didn't settle the nerves in my stomach from igniting. I tilted my head back and forth and listened to the cracking while my body started to relax. I needed to be lithe. I couldn't afford to be tense. I wasn't going to lose time by strapping myself down with ropes, and leavers. "No need for me. I will be fine."
I stretched the muscles in my legs, and satisfaction washed over me. I smiled to myself. Even with the nerves, I had been dying for an adventure like this. My body rolled down and shot up from a crouching position. I landed on the wall of rock a few feet from the ground and stabbed my blades into the boundary. They made the worst sound, and I heard some of the men below curse. I smiled again, music to my ears. I slid the blades free a little and shot up the wall on the balls of my feet. The wind picked up around me, and my cloak came untied, I let it fall down to the others.
I could hear the whispers below me, but couldn't make out what they were saying. They knew of my reputation, and I was sure that they didn't like it. A woman with more power than them? Unheard of.
They would get over it.
After a few more jumps and toes slipping, I heard the awful sound of metal digging into rock. I couldn't afford to look down, but I knew someone was trusting my plan of action. For once.
I could no longer see the goblins above me, but I kept climbing. Eventually, my head started to swim and I knew the elevation was getting to me. I had gone too fast and hadn't stopped to think about how high up this was. I pressed my forehead against the cool mountain and closed my eyes. Wetness dribbled down my lips, and then down my chest. I could smell the copper in the air, and knew my body was fighting hard but not winning. I inhaled and tried not to panic. I shouldn't have been so stubborn. If I wasn't careful I would fall and die. Though I wasn't exactly sure how that worked with being the descendant of a goddess and all.
"Are you okay?" Cal said from beside me. I blinked my eyes open and turned my head his way. "Elevation is getting to you, isn't it?"
I nodded my head and focused on holding on for dear life. I would make it through this grand adventure, there was no way the most deadly assassin in all of the Mirror Realm was going to die on the first obstacle through. No way in the dark realm.
"Do you need help?" Cal asked. My vision swam. I shook my head to clear it, but it was no use. I had never experienced anything like this before.
"I don't know why. I haven't been this high up before. How are you doing this without any trouble?" I pressed the side of my face into the rock.
"We are required to climb the Jades Lands without aid. All we had was our hands. My elite is required to do it multiple times throughout training. We are pretty resourceful."
I frowned. "Then why did you offer supplies?"
"For you and Madam Colver and anyone else that needed it. We don't want to get hurt on the first encounter through. No need to impress anyone, we just want to be safe."
Guilt ate at my heart. My pride is what had gotten me hurt up here and I would never live it down. I bit my lip. Maybe I deserved to fail this obstacle so I didn't hold them back. My hands slipped from the handles, and Cal suspended me in the air.
"Don't you go around thinking like that. You are going to make it up this mountain to the other side, you are going to experience everything there is to know about the mountains your father studied and explored. Don't let the elevation and magic get into your head. This place is full of demons, and it will snuff out the strongest first."
“I thought you couldn’t do magic.” I managed to get out.
“Don’t ever think for a moment that I wouldn’t sacrifice it all for you. I would destroy everything, including myself to keep you safe.” He let his magic drop and I gripped the handles on my knives tighter before gravity settled around me once more. Tension pulled at my arms, and sweat started to slide down my brow. I swallowed and pushed myself up higher on the ridge. I didn't need anyone to feel pity for me, and I didn't need help to complete this.
I would see it over the ridge.
I collapsed on the top of the mountain and inhaled as much of the brisk air as I possibly could. I gulped it in like my life depended on it. I laid on my back and looked up at the stars as they started to peek out for the night. I could hear the men chuckling as they got over the side of the mountain with ease. Anger rushed through my veins like the snow underneath me. It flooded my body. I had gone from being the most deadly, to the biggest joke. I snarled and rose from my position. There was no way I was going to lose my title. My head swam, but I didn’t let it show. I wouldn’t let these men get the best of me.
"Aren't you a waste of space," Wyna said from above me.
"Rut off." I snarled. When had she been approved for this trip?
"Don't get your britches in a twist. Maiden of Death knows none of these men need any more of a distraction." She continued on, like she had read my thoughts. "I don't plan on staying, I just wanted to see if you would be the first to die or not."
"That wasn't necessary," Cal said from a boulder behind us. He was crouched low, looking over the valley spread out before him. It seemed docile enough. There were patches of trees spread throughout it and a small pond in the center. It looked like something out of a painting in the castle back in Arinal.
As more men pulled themselves onto the cliff, and the sun had disappeared from our view, I knew we wouldn't be stuck up here for much longer. We would have to scale our way down. Just as I was connecting the d
ots, I noticed the goblins making their descend.
I pointed across the valley, where the mountains had an opening between them. "We will be going through there tomorrow?"
Cal nodded and slapped one of his men on the back. "Yes, if everything goes according to plan. Wyna is going to see that we make it through the night then she will report back to the castle, and to those that I trust before Nico goes back."
That stopped me in my tracks. "What?" I looked around me frantically as I realized he wasn't here.
"He is the only one I trust my kingdom with. I can't chance it. Madam Colver's husband is great, but he isn't a warrior, nor is he my second. It would be foolish to leave my kingdom in a stranger's hands."
I shook my head. "No, he needs to be here. He is one of your best."
Cal cracked a smile. "Yes, but he is also who the kingdom will go to if something happens to me out here."
"Then you shouldn't be out here, you should be back at the castle where it is safe!" I didn't know why Nico's absence had me in such a state, but I couldn't possibly wrap my head around the idea.
"I am their leader. Not Nico, not Svien, not Jaiko. Me. They have only ever followed my orders, and they will only march with me. I was with them well before I was king, and I will be with them well after. If I have to die for my country, and my men, so be it. I know that Nico will be a great man to lead them if something happens."
I shook my head. "Stop talking like that. We will make it through."
Something dark and desperate settled into my stomach. I didn't like it.
