King Of Souls (Book 2)

by Matthew Ballard

  As if sensing Ronan’s hostile intent, the bear roared rearing upward on its hind legs. It stood ten-feet tall with its shaggy head scraping the cavern’s high ceiling.

  Ronan channeled more magic into the orb resting in his palm and hauled back his shoulder ready to launch an attack.

  “Stop this instant!” The stern sound of Moira’s voice came from Ronan’s right side. She’d moved from her seat on the sled and stood beside Ronan staring down her nose like an angry schoolmarm.

  Warm heat flushed Ronan’s cheeks.

  Moira glared at him as if she’d caught him stealing from the church’s collection plate.

  He relaxed his arm letting the coiled spirit energy evaporate.

  “She’s afraid.” Moira’s eyes flashed with anger. “Can’t you see that?” She shook her head narrowing her gaze. “We’ve plenty to eat. There’s no need to slaughter her. Have you not learned the first thing about your abilities?”

  Ronan swallowed hard and lowered his blade. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “That’s clear.” She gestured toward the ice bear.

  The ice bear lowered to the ground and pitched its shaggy head from side to side in a warning gesture.

  “If she wanted to attack us, she’d of done so already,” Moira said.

  “How do you know it’s a ‘her’,” Ronan said.

  Moira blinked staring at Ronan with a look of astonishment painted on her face.

  “And what do you know of my abilities?” Ronan said.

  “Now is not the time.” Moira steadied herself on a wooden cane she’d fished from the deep layers of fur piled on the sled and moved toward the enormous bear.

  “Moira! No!” Ronan reached forward to stop her then paused as a look of submission passed over the bear’s face.

  Ignoring his plea, Moira raised her free hand toward the ice bear and spoke in a soothing voice. “There, there mother. We mean you no harm. Be at ease.”

  The ice bear’s tension faded. It lowered its menacing upper lip while it tracked Moira’s movement across the cavern.

  Ronan stared in fascination as this frail ninety pound woman commanded a bear a hundred times her weight.

  The ice bear lowered her shaggy head and eased her bulk flat on the cavern floor. She rested her chin on the ice and gazed into Moira’s eyes.

  Moira knelt before the bear and ran her fingers through its thick white fur. “Ronan, sometimes force is necessary, but it’s not the greatest tool at your disposal. Learn your trade.”

  Ronan stood as still as a frozen lake. How could this tiny slip of a grandmother command such respect? “How?”

  Moira laid her staff on the ice next to the bear and ran both her hands over the bear’s ears scratching. “You need to learn control of your own emotional reaction before you can expect to impact those around you. You felt shock, fear, and threat when the bear turned that corner. She sensed that and mirrored your response. Don’t you see?”

  The ice bear released a soft snort of satisfaction, and her eyes drifted shut beneath Moira’s gentle touch.

  “She won’t bother us. She never wanted to in the first place.” Moira gazed over her shoulder at Ronan. “Can you bring the sled to me dear? I’m afraid I might take a spill if I try to cross the ice again.”

  Ronan shook free of his trance, sheathed his blade, and pulled the sled beside Moira.

  The ice bear remained still and quiet drifting off to sleep before Moira stood. “Use the gifts you’ve been granted. I’m afraid you’ve just scratched the surface of your true power.” Moira rested her hand on Ronan’s arm and smiled while her warm gaze touched his eyes.

  A feeling of calm spread over his body, and he relaxed. Had the bear felt this way too?

  “You’re more than a simple mercenary. Aren’t you?”

  “I’m using Elan’s magic the only way I know possible. What more is there?”

  Moira shook her head. “Then you’ve not yet explored your own mind for the possibilities.” She patted his wrist. “Let’s go. We’ll run out of daylight soon enough, and I want to let this bear have her peace. We’ll talk more around a hot fire and a warm meal.”

  “Yes ma’am.” Ronan helped Moira into the sled and layered the mounds of fur over her tiny body.

  The ice bear stirred, rolled to its side, and Ronan pulled Moira from the rarest of Meranthia’s creatures.

  Twenty minutes later, Ronan, Moira, and their trusty sled rounded a corner. Bright sunlight outlined the cave opening ahead.

  Ronan pulled the sled ahead pausing at the cave’s exit. He shielded his eyes from the sun’s glare where it stood three fists above the horizon.

  Overhead, cloudless blue skies stretched for miles in either direction. Thousands of feet below, the Araxis Sea glittered like a blue jewel beneath the late afternoon sunshine.

  Ronan inhaled a sharp lungful of fresh mountain air and smelled the faint aroma of the sea’s salty spray. The cold air invigorated him after hours spent in the ice cave.

  “Follow the path to the right,” Moira said. “We can make another hour of progress before we make camp.”

  On the cave’s right side, a narrow icy ledge rose at a steep angle.

  “Are you sure it’s safe? Ronan said.

  Moira shrugged. “It’s the only way up.”

  Ronan moved behind the sled and pushed it upward guiding it over uneven icy terrain. With such a dangerous ascent, Ronan didn’t dare pull the sled.

  For thirty minutes, he pushed the sled upward before the path flattened onto a wider rocky plane. Beyond the flat rocky patch, a narrow ledge rose in a steep, almost vertical, ascent.

  Ronan’s gaze drifted up the rock face. A quarter-mile away, Dragon’s Peak’s loomed, and their little sled had reached its final stop. Ronan would strap Moira to his shoulders for the final climb. “We should rest here tonight.”

  Moira nodded. “Yes, that makes good sense.”

  “I’ll get a fire going, it’ll only take a minute.” He fished through a worn leather pack attached to the sled’s nose. He produced several pieces of aged pine Moira had stacked behind her house. Ronan placed the wood in a neat pile nearest the rock face and channeled an ember-sized orb of spirit energy into his palm.

  With a small whoosh, the spirit energy leaped from Ronan’s palm. The dry pine ignited creating a small but comforting fire.

  The fire’s warmth lifted Ronan’s spirits igniting a spark of hope. He’d reach the summit tomorrow, and find Rika. Together, they’d carry Moira home and head north to join Devery in the search for Tara.

  Moira moved aside the furs piled atop the sled and pushed herself up, her arms trembling.

  “Moira, what are you doing?” He moved to intercept her while she continued her rickety climb from the sled.

  “Don’t make a fuss. I just need to stretch my legs.”

  “It’s icy. Let me at least get your cane.” Ronan sifted through the piles of animal skins searching for Moira’s walking stick, but found nothing.

  Moira stood beside the sled staring toward the crackling fire. “I left it inside the cave. I forget things from time to time.” She patted Ronan’s arm. “Don’t you worry Ronan. I’ll manage without it.”

  Ronan shook his head. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. You’re going to need it when we reach the summit.”

  Moira shuffled across the icy surface, and her left foot slipped.

  In a flash, Ronan slid his arm around her waist catching her before she fell a single inch.

  “Oh my! Thank you Ronan,” Moira held her hand to her chest as Ronan guided her toward her seat in the sled.

  “Do you see what I mean?” Ronan said. “I’ll run back to the ice cave, get your staff, and return before the stew’s warm.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Moira’s brow furrowed. “When I said you couldn’t make this journey alone, I meant it.”

  “I’ll be fine. Besides, if anything happened to you, I’d never forgive myself,” Ro
nan said.

  “Then take me with you,” Moira said.

  “It’s a steep, slippery descent. I’m worried you might fall.” Ronan tossed another log on the fire, and dry pine crackled before roaring to life. “This fire will burn hot for a couple of hours at least. Stay here, warm and dry.”

  “How long will you be gone?” Moira said.

  “Fifteen minutes, and I’ll ignore the bear. I promise.” Ronan stood and moved toward the downward slope.

  “Ronan, wait just a minute longer.” Her tone turned serious.

  Ronan faced Moira. “Moira, I —”

  Moira held up her hand cutting him off. She fished around inside a small pouch tied to her waist. “Come closer dear.”

  Ronan crossed the rocky ledge and knelt beside the sled.

  With shaky trembling hands Moira pulled Ronan’s hand toward her. She turned over his hand and spread open his gloved palm. “I want you to take this.”

  “Moira, really —”

  She glared at Ronan cutting him off. “It’s mine to give. Please don’t argue with me.” She slipped a small golden figurine into his palm.

  Ronan’s breath caught in his throat. He’d seen this figurine before, but an older imperfect version. Montgomery’s dragon statue had chipped and broken over decades of time. The figurine he held now, appeared new without the smallest crack visible.

  The golden dragon figurine stood two-inches tall in Ronan’s hand. It appeared a perfect representation of the beasts that had chased him and Rika almost a week ago.

  “Why would you give this to me?” Ronan said.

  “I’ve carried it as a good luck charm for many years. I’ve lived a long time.” She smiled. “I hope it brings you the same protection.”

  “What about your protection?” Ronan shook his head. “I can’t accept this.”

  “You will accept it. Now hurry back. We’re losing sunlight.” She gestured for Ronan to leave. “The sooner you leave, the sooner you return.”

  Ronan stood and offered a short nod. “Yes ma’am. I’ll hurry.” He slipped the figurine inside his belt pouch taking care to wrap and tuck it away in a safe spot.

  A warm smile lit Moira’s face while firelight gleamed in her eyes.

  Without another word, Ronan slipped from camp. He moved with heightened speed, quickness, and agility down the steep slope. He traveled five times the speed he had while pushing Moira in the sled and arrived at the ice cave’s entrance a few minutes later.

  As the sun had slipped beyond the western peaks, Dragon Peak’s seaside face bathed in dusk’s first calling. But, murky shadows hid the cave’s interior passageway.

  Ronan slipped inside the ice cave's entrance. He continued forward navigating the twisting weave of ice passages. As he passed forked intersections, he used his belt knife and scratched grooves in the ice marking an easy trail out. Ronan paused several times trying to remember the right path. But ten minutes later, he arrived in the cavern where he and Moira confronted the ice bear.

  The room stood dark and empty without any trace of the ice bear they’d surprised earlier. Moira’s wooden cane lay atop the ice in the spot where she’d left it.

  Ronan’s shoulders relaxed, and he breathed a sigh of relief. If the bear hadn’t moved, he didn’t think he could’ve calmed it as Moira had. He grabbed her walking stick and hurried from the room reversing his course.

  While Ronan moved through the cave, the shadows deepened before leaving the passageways dark. Night’s total darkness descended on the ice cave leaving Ronan caught in a pitch-black maze of ice.

  He channeled enhancement magic into his eyes heightening his vision. Using Elan’s power, the shadows retreated, and the hallways brightened. He barreled ahead picking out the markings he’d left behind retracing his steps. Minutes later, the faint smell of salt air provided the first sign that Ronan had reached the ice cave’s exit.

  Ronan rounded the last corner and froze.

  The great ice bear stood outside the cave entrance with her head tilted skyward sniffing the cold night air. Steam billowed from her flared nostrils buried beneath a mountain of shaggy white fur. As if she’d caught an alarming scent, she snapped her head toward Ronan and whirled to face him.

  Ronan reached out a hand as he’d seen Moira do earlier in the day. “It’s okay girl. I just want to slip past, and I’ll leave you be.”

  The bear flashed its teeth and roared. It inched forward until it stood halfway through the doorway blocking the path between Ronan and escape.

  Ronan’s stomach sank, and he strengthened the shield surrounding him. He’d felt a mixture of fear and dread the moment he saw the animal despite his good intention. If he could avoid slaughtering the bear he would, but he wouldn’t place Moira’s life in further jeopardy. The longer he stayed in the cave, the greater her risk. What if the dragons attacked her? Could they see her or smell her from the summit? “Back away girl. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  The ice bear shot upward on its hind legs in a display meant to threaten and intimidate Ronan.

  Ronan gasped lunging toward the bear. “No!”

  The bear’s skull slammed into a protruding ice chunk bridging the cave and its icy exterior. It dropped to four legs and staggered backward shaking its head side to side as if stunned.

  A low deep rumble started from somewhere deep inside Dragon’s Peak. A loud crack echoed through the passageways behind Ronan. Veins of splintered ice appeared overhead. They streaked past Ronan spreading like a spider’s web along the passageway’s ceilings and walls.

  Ronan’s chest tightened while his leg’s felt as slow and heavy as petrified tree trunks. He spun in circles watching the ice around him rip apart.

  The rumbling turned into a thunderous boom. The ice bear, standing atop a narrow ridge, hunkered down and stared upward with terror-stricken eyes.

  Through the cave’s entrance, white falling ice appeared. It blotted out the night sky before sweeping away the bear. The ice continued falling, flowing like a frozen river. It swept along the mountain’s face shaking the already cracked ice inside the passageway. The thin cracks under Ronan’s boots widened and deepened as loud bone snapping cracks echoed from the cavern walls.

  Ronan’s heart hammered, and a surge of adrenaline flooded his body. He scrambled backward moving away from the crumbling hallway.

  The ceiling broke loose near the cave entrance. Ten-ton chunks of ice and granite smashed into the passageway’s floor.

  Ronan turned and sprinted deeper into the cave. He chose turns at random dashing away from the avalanche.

  The falling ice and stone moved inward chasing Ronan through the cave’s twisting passageways. Ceiling cracks flashed overhead raining loose chunks of ice and rock on his spirit shield.

  Ronan gorged on his energy reserves channeling magic into his flesh and bones. He channeled spirit and reinforced his shield. He scrambled ahead and leaped into a tiny dark room consisting of more rock than ice.

  Behind Ronan, the ice cavern crashed inward. Thousands of tons of ice and rock collapsed leaving him buried alone deep inside the center of Dragon’s Peak.

  Danielle Goes Home

  “I’m sorry Danielle. I promise I didn’t know, or I would’ve tried to stop this.” Brees yelled over the cacophony of burning trees, fleeing animals, and high-flying sorcerer attacks.

  “Don’t be sorry! Help me!” Danielle flew faster dodging a half-burned deer leaping over a fallen alder tree. She glanced behind her and found Keely still clinging to her tail despite her breakneck pace. “We have to reach my father, and help him stop this madness.”

  Brees tightened his grip on the saddle and leaned in near Danielle’s ear. “Where is he?”

  Danielle raced upward skimming the branches of a smoldering elm. She pitching right and dipped beneath a falling heartwood limb. She could follow a lower path taking her under the forest canopy, but with the blinding fire and smoke, she might kill Brees. She couldn’t risk his life. “It’s just ahead, but
we’re going to have to show ourselves to those sorcerers. Hang on.”

  Brees grabbed the leather safety strap circling his waist. He pulled, tightening himself to Danielle’s leather saddle.

  Keely pushed low beneath burning heartwood branches hugging the forest floor.

  Danielle soared upward over the blazing canopy. She broke free of the forest and flashed into the open sky amid dozens of dragons and sorcerers.

  Sorcerers and shaman riding two atop huge dragons circled the heartwood’s first tree. They combined to unleash a rain of fire into its already smoldering branches.

  The ancient tree hadn’t yet ignited. But, its blackened branches and shredded bark showed the vicious assault the tree had sustained. High in its treetop, vast sections of the uppermost branches had burned away. They stood blackened and empty of the succulent fruit that filled the Heartwood with its sweet cinnamon scent.

  Danielle knew warden’s worked inside the first tree’s trunk. They infused it with nature magic to fight off the flames, but they’d never faced a foe so deadly. Even in Meranthia’s darkest days, shard knights would never have dared launch such a risky attack.

  The Prime Guardian would defend the first tree until the end. Danielle would find her father deep inside its root system honoring his commitment. But his commitment could prove tantamount to suicide. How could the guardians defend the forest against creatures five times larger than any known animal form? How many had already died trying?

  Danielle’s stomach sank and she unleashed a high-pitched wail. She tore her gaze away, unable to bear watching further. How could these monstrous people destroy a forest that offered the world food, medicine, and shelter? Ayralens understood little of these magical trees, and humanity couldn’t afford their loss.

  The heartwood tree bordering the first tree and home to Ayralen’s Prime Guardian, stood in flames. Its treetop burned without mercy sending black smoke high into the clear morning sky.