by Mary Duke
Illiah smiled. “It is not my choice to make, Gran. I’m kind of stuck with them.”
Gran shook her head and muttered something under her breath as she wrapped her arm around Illiah’s waist, and we began our journey into the mountain.
I took one last look at the outside world before I began my descent behind them.
“You okay?” Kegan questioned.
I gave him a half smile, though my insides crawled. Cramped, darkness, with creatures created from nightmares…
It wasn’t long before we reached a dimly lit stone staircase. Gran paused and turned back towards the rest of us.
“I remember every face I’ve ever seen,” she said. “And my eyes have never laid upon your faces, so listen to me when I speak. For whether you heed the warnings I give you, will determine whether or not you live to see daylight another day.”
Zavery shook his head and nudged my shoulder with his.
“I’ve grown up in this mountain, and I am the last Keeper. I am the only barrier that stands between you and creatures who would give anything to feast on every last ounce of flesh that lays upon your bones. Stay close, stay alert, and stay calm. And above all else, do not use magic.”
“Why can’t we use our magic?” I asked, not remembering anything being said about that in the books I’d read.
“The creatures here are not as dumb as many would like to believe,” Gran answered. “They know that with magic comes Demons, and with Demons comes death.”
I nodded, understanding that reasoning well.
One by one by one, we followed Illiah’s grandmother deeper into the mountain, the cold breeze growing harsher with every step.
“I had a friend from the Night Mountain,” I said aloud, hoping to start up a conversation and distract my mind.
“And who was that?” she asked, entertaining my attempt.
“Jethero.”
Gran gasped and nearly missed a stair. “We do not speak that name here,” she said just above a whisper. “That family has been erased…barred from this mountain…”
“What?” I asked confused.
“What do you know of that man?”
“Not much,” I replied.
Gran again muttered under her breath, as she shook her head back and forth.
“I knew him,” Zavery said. “He was a great man. One that I was proud to call a friend.”
“Was?” Gran questioned.
“Yesterday he gave his life to the Gods,” Zavery stated, daring her to question it any farther.
“Oh my,” Gran replied. “I am sorry to hear that.”
“Are you?” Zavery questioned.
“Of course I am,” Gran responded, offended. “I helped raise Jethero, Tonks, Krenith, and Jassima. Their family…they were…” She paused. “Their mother took me in as one of her own.”
“Then why do you not speak his name?” Zavery asked.
“Jethero was the youngest,” she began. “He wanted everything his siblings had…always wanting to lead the pack. When he didn’t get his way he rebelled, and the older he got, the farther he pushed the temperaments of his parents. There came a time, I believe it was only a year or two, he left the mountain, and when he returned, he brought with him an outsider…Rayne, I believe her name was.
“Though it was unheard of for an outsider to live within the mountain, Jethero’s mother allowed it. Jethero and Rayne built a life for themselves here, and in no time, Rayne found herself at home with the creatures, and herself with a list of duties. When they began having children, Rayne and Jethero found it hard to balance their responsibilities with the care of their children. This led them to take the children with them on occasion.
“On one such occasion, Rayne had two of the children with her, JJ and Tamara. Though she swore she only turned her back for a second, the little girl got away from her.
“For three days, everyone within the mountain searched for her. It was Illian that found her and brought her to Jethero, and not a word was spoken.
“Illian went to Jethero’s parents, appalled that Jethero had brought an outsider into his mountain, claiming Tamara had broken into the room, making the accusations that she was stealing from him. He demanded on that day that they cast Rayne and the children from the mountain, and that if they ever stepped foot back inside, that he would end them himself.
“Faced with the decision of leaving his wife and children to fend for themselves, or take on the family business himself, Jethero did as any good man would and left this mountain with his family.
“Though his family would not remain whole for long… As whichever door Tamara had managed to get behind left her cursed with a power she wouldn’t be able to control.”
“So, he was erased for doing the right thing?” Zavery asked confused. “There were three siblings ahead of him…”
“At one time, there was three,” Gran corrected him. “Tonks was born with a rare gift and was taken from this mountain by Illian. Krenith left the first chance he got, and he never came back. Jassima… She was incapable of carrying on the responsibilities.”
Zavery shook his head. “So he was punished?”
“Shhhhhh,” Illian’s grandmother whispered, as she pointed to the roof of the cave above our heads.
For a moment, I froze in fear. My legs wobbling beneath me.
“What?” Illiah asked turning back to me, “Don’t you like bugs?”
I swallowed down the fear and forced my legs to continue forward, my eyes darting between the large centipedes that were racing back and forth across the ceiling. “No, I don’t,” I replied to Illiah. “Especially ones big enough to eat me.”
“These.” She laughed. “These are just babies. Wait till you see the ones in the lower tunnels. Those bad boys…” She smiled.
We wove through the catacombs of the mountain in silence. All sorts of creatures followed, lead, and darted between us. Hairless rats, snakes as round as my torso, and bugs…. So many bugs, they crawled, they flew, they slithered leaving behind a trail of slime.
As the walkway began to narrow, Gran once again turned back towards us. “We are venturing into the forbidden part of the mountain,” she said. “Do not touch anything, and do not trust what you see, hear, or smell. Do not take a single step off the path,” she said pointing to each and every one of us. “A single foot towards a door can pull you in, and without Illian himself, there is no getting you out.”
The path narrowed even more the lower we went, to the point we had to turn sideway, to fit between the walls of the cave.
“Watch your step,” Gran called back to us, as we came into another mouth of the cave.
Enchanted flames lit the opening, it was at least 200 feet across, and there was no telling how deep.
The ledge we stood on began to crumble beneath my feet, and before I could move, I found myself over the edge.
Illiah’s hand was wrapped around mine, and her Gran’s arms wrapped around her shoulders.
The echoes from the stones hitting the bottom of the opening awoke the creatures that dwelled within it.
The screeches from the bats drowned out by the cries of a dragon.
“I can’t hold her.” Illiah gasped, digging her nails into my wrist, as I reached for Kegan’s hand.
“Can’t you do anything?” I heard Zavery plead, the path not wide enough for more than one person.
“We can’t use our magic here,” Tork replied. “Not within this mountain.”
Kegan slowly sank back against the wall, and with his help, I was able to walk up the edge and back onto the ledge.
The cries from the dragon continued, and for a moment our minds connected. “Please,” she cried. “Please help me. Free me from these chains.”
My eyes met Kegan’s, and he knew what I was going to say before I could ask.
“We can’t help her.”
“Kegan, she’s dying.”
“I’m sorry,” he replied gently pushing me forward.
“
I can’t just leave her,” I said shaking my head.
“You don’t even know if it’s real, Sno. This cave is enchanted… It has a way of pulling people in, and those people are never seen again.” Kegan warned me.
“The look on your face right now tells me that it’s real,” I replied under my breath.
Gran cleared her throat from in front of Illiah. “We need to keep going, there is a ladder around this corner. It is not wise to linger…the shadows do not like it.”
The shadows? I chuckled to myself. It’s nearly pitch black in here, there were no shadows.
We rounded the corner, and the ledge widened just enough that my toes no longer hung over the edge.
“This is the tricky part,” Gran said. “We need to go up from here, past the first opening and into the second. “This first opening is a trap. You’ll see what haunts you most, but do not dare leave the ladder. If you do, you’ll be trapped with what you see…consumed by your deepest regrets.”
I rolled my eyes. I just wanted out of here. I wanted fresh air, I wanted the flat non-deadly ground to walk on.
Gran turned and started climbing, followed by Illiah.
“I didn’t think you meant we had to climb the side of a cliff,” I said loud enough for her to hear me.
Illiah looked back at me. “Don’t tell me, you’re scared of heights too?”
I laughed. “Heights, no. Sticking my hands into holes when I can’t see what’s in them on the other hand…” I trailed off, as I reached for the first set of holes.
“When did I lose my sense of adventure?” I asked Kegan.
“I didn’t know you had?”
“Oh, believe me, if I had it, it's gone.”
Kegan laughed. “Just keep your eyes in front of you, and don’t look down.”
“It’s not the heights I’m afraid of,” I tried to assure him. “It’s all of this. There were days when I would have given anything for the chance to explore this mountain. To venture down one of its paths alone and unafraid. Now though, that feeling is gone.”
“It is gone because you are now aware of what the darkness holds. You have not lost your sense of adventure, in a sense you’ve lost your innocence.”
I kept climbing, carefully feeling out the holes before I shifted my weight and pulled myself up. “What do you mean I lost my innocence?”
“You no longer believe everyone and everything around you is good,” Kegan explained. “You’ve come to understand that you can’t trust anyone…that everyone and everything has secrets, and nothing is ever as it appears.”
Before I could answer him, the first opening stretched out beside me.
“Just keep moving,” Gran repeated. “It is merely an illusion. The opening is cloaked with a hex.”
I froze. Nothing that surrounded me existed. The only thing I could see, the only thing that consumed my mind, was Rowan.
He sat on the far wall, crouched in a ball, his arms wrapped around his knees and his sandy brown hair hanging over his face.
“Rowan,” I called out, my voice trembling.
I heard Kegan’s voice in the distance, but I couldn’t make out what he said, and right now it didn’t matter.
“Rowan?” I called out louder.
Rowan looked up at me, and I felt weak.
My heart raced faster as he stood.
All I could see was the slash across this throat. My eyes following the stream of blood pouring down the front of his shirt.
I again heard Kegan’s voice, but I still couldn’t make out what he was saying.
“Kegan, we have to help him. There has to be something we can do.”
Rowan walked closer to me, his hand reaching for mine.
Kegan grabbed a hold of my ankle, strengthening our connection. “Sno, that isn’t Rowan.”
“It is. I can see him,” I replied, scooting my feet over in the holes so I could reach out farther.
“Rowan is dead Sno,” Kegan said coldly.
“No,” I said shaking my head, not wanting to believe him.
“Jadea killed him,” he pushed. “This is just the mountain trying to get into your head.”
I slowly put my hand back against the wall, as Rowan reached for me.
“Don’t listen to him, Sno,” Rowan pleaded. “I’m here. I’m right here. I need you. Help me. Please.”
Tears welled in my eyes as I pushed myself to climb higher. With every step I took away from him, I could feel my heart sink lower.
Even after his face was out of view, his cries echoed in my head.
By the time we reached the clearing, it took everything I had to keep myself upright, as I leaned against the side of the hall.
“Where’s Zavery?” Gran questioned when Kegan stepped off the ladder.
He peered down the ladder. “He was behind me…”
Light flooded the cave, blinding everyone.
In seconds, Tork appeared over the side of the opening with Zavery in his arms.
“What have you done?” Gran gasped, her face riddled with terror.
“What had to be done,” Tork answered.
Black wings extended from Tork’s back, and he’d easily grown two feet taller.
I looked to Kegan. “Is that his true form?”
Kegan nodded, but before he could answer, the ground beneath our feet began to shake.
“RUN!” Gran yelled. “JUST RUN STRAIGHT! The gate is at the end.”
Illiah began to run but stopped when she realized she wasn’t being followed. “Gran?”
“GO!” Gran replied.
“Not without you,” Illiah said reaching out and putting her hand on her grandmother's shoulder.
“You must,” Gran said, holding Illiah’s face in her hands.
Cries screeched through the air, piercing my eardrums.
“I will hold them off,” Gran said looking to Kegan, as she took her necklace off and handed it to Illiah.
“Gran,” Illiah pleaded.
“Take this,” Gran said, pulling Illiah’s hand off her shoulder and into hers. “May you carry on the Mountain Keeper line.”
“I can’t,” Illiah said shaking her head.
“You must.”
“We have to go, NOW!” Tork said running towards us. “RUN!”
Fire erupted behind him, and the cries of a dragon echoed off the walls, making the ground shake again.
I grabbed a hold of Illiah’s arm, pulling her towards the tunnel, as her Gran backed away.
“Where’s the gate?” Tork asked as we rounded another corner.
“I think it’s around the next corner,” Illiah said under her breath.
“You think?” Tork shouted.
“It is,” Illiah corrected herself.
And it was. An archway at the end of the tunnel.
“You’re are going to have to do this on your own,” Tork said.
“I can’t,” I said looking at him.
“Have you tried?” Tork asked annoyed.
“No, but…” I started to say.
The dragon roared again, and the light from the flames rounded the corner.
Kegan pulled me closer to the arch. “You have to do this,” he said. “I know you can do this.”
I stood in the middle of the gate and reached my hands out, placing one on each side, and focused my energy.
Another screech from the dragon shook everything, and I could hear pieces of the ceiling crash behind me.
“Sno,” Tork yelled. “Come on!”
“I’m trying!” I said pulling in every ounce of energy I had.
“You’ve done it,” Kegan said, putting his hand on my shoulder.
But before I could open my eyes and see it for myself, I collapsed.
CHAPTER SIX
The cave began to fall apart, as Illiah stood between the crumbling hall and the gate to the Realm of the Gods.
“Now, Illiah!” Kegan shouted, holding me in his arms.
“She’s coming, I know she is,” Illiah said,
taking another step away from the gate.
“She’s not,” Tork replied stepping in front of her.
“You don’t know that,” Illiah said, tears welling in her eyes.
“You’re right, I don’t. I do know what she gave you, and I know she wanted you to live,” Tork replied, tossing Zavery onto his shoulder with one arm before wrapping Illiah in his other.
Illiah clawed at Tork's arm and begged him to stop as he rushed through the gate.
When Kegan and I came through the gate, it was as though the weight of the world had been lifted off my chest. I gasped for air and frantically looked around to see where I was.
“Sno,” Kegan said, trying to pull my attention to him, but I couldn’t focus on his face. Everything was blurry.
“Sno,” he said again, setting me down on the grass. “Breathe. Just breathe.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Illiah asked, kneeling beside him.
“She just opened a very old gate. One that I believe was sealed.”
“Sealed?” Illiah questioned. “That doesn’t make sense.”
I laid back in the grass as my nerves began to calm.
“Are you alright?” Illiah asked, her face now hovering above mine.
“Yeah.” I sighed. “I felt like I was being squashed. Like every bit of energy I expelled was being shot back at me.”
“I didn’t know the gate was sealed,” Illiah said.
“Nor did I until we got there.” Kegan sighed laying down beside me.
“How’s Zavery?” I asked looking over at Tork as he laid him down gently.
“I’m sure he’ll wake,” he replied, his eyes studying Zavery’s face.
“What happened?” I pressed.
Tork shook his head as he sat down beside him.
“He reached for whatever he saw, I wasn’t quick enough to stop him.”
Kegan sat up. “He didn’t make contact, did he?”
“No.” Tork shook his head. “I phased as soon as his hand left the ladder.
Kegan was watching Zavery’s face, and watched his chest as it slowly rose and sharply fell, before his eyes returned to his brother. “Do you know where we are?”
Tork shrugged his shoulders. “In a meadow.”
Illiah spoke quietly, tears still dripping down her cheeks. “We’re in Ryrath Forest. My mother’s house is just over there.”
