by Diane Rapp
Beltram scowled. “That witch blocks me at every turn.”
Garth tried again. “Sire, catch her at the bottom of the mountain after they ride through the pass. It does little good to freeze when a warm campfire would suit as well. They can’t get away.”
Beltram’s eyes narrowed. His empty stomach growled, and his hands felt numb. “There’s no other way through the pass?”
“The only other trail crosses the Crags. Even seasoned trappers avoid the Crags until the spring thaw is finished. This is the only pass available and remains open as long as the weather holds.”
“You’d best be right.” Beltram frowned and gripped his cloak against the icy wind whipping into his face. “Give the order. We’ll make camp below.”
Garth sighed and eagerly ordered the riders to push forward. The soldiers cast angry glances at the bejeweled priest and rode into the swirling snow to wait for their quarry.
17 ~ CROSSING THE CRAGS
Trenton stopped the horses in a clearing as the snow thickened. “I don’t like this! We’ll make camp before it gets too thick.” He dismounted and Mandrake joined him.
Tessa sat on her horse and stared into a white wall of swirling flakes. Lauryn asked. “Is something wrong?”
Tessa’s eyes focused on her sister. “Maybe, I don’t know.” She dismounted and helped Trenton unsaddle the horses in her usual methodical manner.
Lauryn watched her sister, but she couldn’t hear Tessa’s thoughts.
Andrew helped the girls pitch their tent and herded the horses into a makeshift enclosure. He spread his sleeping blanket near them.
Lauryn handed him a bowl of hot broth. “If you sleep in the open you’ll freeze.”
“I’ll stay close to the horses and their heat will keep me warm enough,” Andrew said.
“Don’t you ever miss your family?” Lauryn asked.
He glanced up, surprised. “I don’t have family except for my horses.”
Lauryn shrugged. “I thought I had no family. It feels strange to know they exist but they’re strangers. Tell me more about my parents.” She wrapped her cloak tight around her slim body and sat on a rock.
Andrew scooped a handful of snow and squeezed it into a ball. “I remember when Donovan taught me to make a snowball. He took time to show an orphan how to make the best snowball and throw it with accuracy, just like a father. He laughed when I hit him square in the face and rubbed my nose with a fist full of snow. We had fun. He trusted me with Tempest, made me feel like I belonged. It was a gift I’ll share with my own son one day.”
“You loved him.”
Andrew tossed the snowball and watched it sink into a snow bank. “Small boys have great imaginations, playing games of war and intrigue. In my imagination, Donovan was my father and loved me like a son.”
“Thanks. He becomes more real through your memories.” She touched his hand and said, “I’d be proud to have a brother like you.”
He couldn’t meet her gaze.
“Good night, Andrew.”
He watched her walk back to her tent. “I can’t be your brother when my heart pounds at the very touch of your hand,” he whispered. Tempest nickered and nuzzled his cold cheek. “Sorry, I’m out of crunchers. Wait until we get down the mountain, and I’ll give you a whole bucket full.” Tempest snorted hot breath into Andrew’s face and got a friendly rub on his nose.
Inside the tent Lauryn found Tessa staring at her ring. “Don’t lose yourself in its depths. Be careful until you know how to control the power.” Lauryn covered the jewel with her hand to block Tessa’s eyesight.
Help! Tessa, please help. Both girls heard the mental plea. Tessa said, “Amber’s hurt. She needs our help.”
Lauryn could never refuse a cry for help. “Let’s find her. We’ll return before anyone misses us if we hurry.”
As Tessa and Lauryn slipped out of the tent, Tessa gripped her ring, hoping to master its power and find Amber. Tessa saw the wolf lying weak and cold in a frozen pool of her own blood. “She’s back down the trail.”
They trudged down the winding trail. Within a few yards they lost sight of camp. Whirling snow forced them to hug the mountain as they focused on the thin thread of the wolf’s consciousness.
Amber? Where are you? Tessa’s mind called out.
You must be near. Pain lanced through Amber’s body, and Tessa doubled over as an echo of the pain shot through her own chest.
Lauryn steadied her sister as the icy wind penetrated their cloaks like paper.
The wolf’s mind felt weak, not a good sign! Remembering Amber’s intelligent eyes, her gliding gait, and her unfailing courage, Tessa’s ring glowed hot in her hand. Both girls saw Amber’s memory of the attack.
They inched their way along the snowy trail, their hands and feet numb. Lauryn forced blood to circulate through their cold limbs and prayed she could use the same energy to help Amber.
The trail widened. The bush where Amber hid was nearly buried under a snow drift, but they dug through and crawled inside the hollow. As Tessa stroked the whimpering wolf, Lauryn opened her locket and used her healing power to stop the bleeding.
Lauryn sighed. “She’s lost a lot of blood. I’m not sure she’ll make it.”
Tessa’s eyes filled with tears. “Keep her warm while we wait for the storm to stop. She doesn’t want to die alone.”
Tessa stroked Amber’s head as Lauryn spread their cloaks over their bodies. They huddled together and shared body heat as snow drifted against the bush. The heat from their breath formed a thin film of ice and trapped their warmth.
*****
Lauryn fell asleep as Tessa spoke with Amber. I wish I could help more. I can’t lose you now.
We took a chance by traveling without our designated host. The loss of our ancestor minds is troubling, but they lived through many host bodies.
Tessa nodded. While touching your mind, I heard other voices. Are those your ancestors? What does a host do?
If a wolf dies, a host volunteers to carry the ancestor minds and keep them alive. We usually travel with our designated host to prevent losing the ancestor line by an untimely death. Our designated host returned to the pack to inform Kriegen about the attack on Trenton’s mountain. Our pack protects Krystal’s daughters, so we traveled with you unguarded.
Tears trickled down Tessa’s cheeks. Couldn’t my mind hold the ancestors until you can reach another wolf host?
It might be possible, but another transfer into a new host couldn’t occur until your death. If you hosted us, it would be for the remainder of your life cycle.
Amber’s body shuddered, and her breathing grew shallow.
Tessa wrapped her arms around her friend. I don’t care! Please let me try. I can’t let you die.
Amber gazed into Tessa’s eyes. The ancestors agree to let you to host our minds. If you fail to receive our minds, warn Trenton that desert riders prepare an ambush at the pass. You must not go that way.
You can give me advice for a long time, my friend.
We have no time to introduce the ancestors, so remain calm. This entity will remain your primary contact with them until you learn each mind.
Tessa tried to relax. The ring, clutched tightly in her hand, glowed brighter. A dizzy swirl of voices filled her mind, like chattering leaves in a windy forest. Amber’s calm touch reassured Tessa as ancestors crowded into her thoughts and expressed their gratitude.
*****
When Lauryn opened her eyes, she found Tessa holding Amber’s cold body.
“What happened?” Lauryn asked. The wolf was dead, but when she tried to touch Tessa’s mind, she found it barricaded. “Don’t cut yourself off from me, Tessa. Amber knew you tried to help her, and I just want to help comfort you.”
Tessa nodded. “I know. She’s not in this body, so let’s get out of here.” She covered the stiff body with a blanket and sliced at the icy roof with her knife. When they climbed out of the snowdrift, snow collapsed through the opening.
/> Wrapped in snowy cloaks, they faced the bitter wind and trudged through deep snowdrifts. The world looked monochromatic, white on white fading into shades of gray. Snow, ice, and fog stretched ahead without sky, sun, or trail to guide them.
Tessa led the way without hesitation, seeming to know exactly where to go. Lauryn prayed she was right. They climbed the steady grade, hugging the icy rock wall of the mountain. As they touched the solid surface their fingertips grew numb. Tessa kept a steady pace, but Lauryn felt lonely and worried. She no longer shared her sister’s mind or the power of joined crystals.
Abruptly a burly shape broke through the white haze, looking like a bear with enormous feet. “Trenton!” Tessa cried.
“I knew I’d find you,” he laughed. “You always turn a simple trip into a major journey.” He sounded gruff but the glint in his eyes betrayed his happiness.
“We found Amber.” Tessa said with a quavering voice. “She was mortally injured, yet she warned us about an ambush ahead.”
“This escape seemed too easy!” Trenton beat his gloves together and peered into the fog, wishing his fierce gaze could pierce the snowy haze. “Where’s the ambush?”
“Amber said they’re at the pass.”
“They won’t camp there in this storm. The pass offers no shelter, so they’ll move to the base of the mountain and wait. They outnumber us and we can’t slip past them even in this fog. I’ll get you back to camp. We’ll eat a hot meal while we discuss alternate plans.” He gazed into Tessa’s eyes and said, “Amber saved our lives with her warning. Use that knowledge to ease the pain of her death.”
Tessa swallowed and looked away.
As they trudged back to camp, Lauryn wondered how they could escape the trap. She hated the cold and hoped they’d leave the mountains soon.
Relieved expressions greeted their arrival. “What happened?” Mandrake demanded. “Why didn’t you tell us where you were going?”
“A desert rider stabbed Amber and she needed our help. There wasn’t time to argue with you about going,” Lauryn said.
“Where’s the wolf?”
Trenton said, “She died after warning Tessa of a trap waiting at the pass.” He gave Mandrake a meaningful stare and got the archer’s full attention. “Jarrack’s men plan to ambush us.”
The ominous news met hushed silence until Mandrake asked, “What are you thinking, Trenton? That dangerous gleam in your eye means trouble.”
“We’ve got little choice. I’m sure they left guards below to block our retreat, but we can’t go through the pass.” He threw a log onto the fire and sparks crackled in a miniature fireworks display. “We must cross the Crags.”
“Are you daft, man?” Mandrake sprang to his feet. “Few dare cross those mountains in good weather and a spring storm makes it impossible.”
“The Crags can be crossed,” Andrew said quietly. “I’ve crossed them in weather worse than this.”
Mandrake glared at the boy. “What yarns are you spinning? We don’t have time for tall tales to impress young ladies, boy!”
Andrew clenched his fists and stood. “I don’t spin tales, and I’m not a boy!” With his shoulders back and head held high in a challenging posture, Andrew equaled the archer’s height.
Mandrake shrugged. “I meant no offense. Let’s hear your story.”
With so many eyes fixed on him, Andrew blushed. “I apprenticed with Jacob, the royal horse trainer, and spent summers at his mountain training camp. Old Jacob was jealous of its location. He didn’t want anyone stealing his horses or learning his training secrets. One fall an early storm hit us and forced us to escape through the Crags. Jacob guided fifteen horses and a green boy over a treacherous trail without a single loss.”
Andrew looked eager to sit down but Trenton asked, “Can you remember the trail after all these years?”
“The Crags aren’t easy to forget, and Tempest will help me remember the way. He’s the smartest horse I’ve ever known.”
“We won’t risk the horses in the Crags. We’ll set them free and go ahead on foot,” Trenton said, prepared for an argument. He was not prepared for Andrew’s roaring laughter. “Did I say something funny?”
“Horses are more capable of crossing the Crags than humans. Mountain bred stock are no weak fillies. You’re daft if you leave our best assets behind, begging your pardon.”
Trenton nodded. “Bess and Sparks negotiate trails that made me shudder, but I’m not sure they’d cross the Crags.”
“The fillies will follow Tempest,” Andrew said, “because he’s their stallion.”
“Good enough, I accept your assessment.” Trenton turned to the girls. “Are you game?”
Angela spoke timidly, “Sir, if I could add to what Andrew said....” She hesitated until Trenton nodded for her to continue. “My grandpa traveled over the Crags in a spring storm and spun the tale every winter. No one in our village doubted him. If Andrew says we can do it, I’d love to make that journey.” Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. The other girls nodded approval.
“Well, Mandrake. What do you say?” Trenton’s eyes gleamed mischievously.
“What can I say? You lunatics seem prepared to risk your hides on a fool’s journey, so I must come along.”
Trenton grinned. “Get packed. Andrew and I will see to the horses.” He walked with Andrew.
*****
After they fed an extra measure of grain to the horses, Trenton said, “Lad, I’ve got some questions.”
Andrew smiled. “I thought as much. You seldom tend the stock when I’m handy. I hope I can supply the answers.”
“It’s important for you to tell me as much of that journey as you can.” He patted Andrew affectionately on the back. They were deep in conversation when Mandrake gestured for them to load the packs.
Gusts whipped their cloaks and dense fog clung to the mountain. Numb fingers tied knots to hold their gear but no one complained. Tessa ignored worried stares and kept to her own thoughts. The others didn’t realize that conversations swirled inside her mind, keeping her occupied.
Andrew led them up the mountain as an eerie mist swirled around Tempest. Dark shapes loomed ahead, jagged rocks that resembled black teeth ready to devour unwary prey, as they trudged up the steep grade. Hot puffs of breath leached into the silent fog, and the crunch of hooves on new snow faded as deep powder cushioned their steps. A black granite mountain loomed overhead, swallowing breath, sounds, and the puny bodies of travelers.
At a deep fissure in the granite wall, Andrew turned off the main trail and followed a jagged crevasse. It was narrow, forcing them to ride single file under icicles that hung like the sharp fangs of a gigantic stone creature.
After riding for an hour, an ice dam blocked the trail.
Andrew dismounted, took a hatchet from his pack and started hacking at the ice. Soon chips of ice clung to his cloak and gloves. More hatchets emerged from saddlebags and the men grunted as they chopped.
Time dragged. Steam hung over the hot bodies of the men as a chill crept over the idle women. An hour later the men stopped, but they’d hardly dented the ice.
“I guess we need to backtrack and find another route.” Mandrake sounded defeated as he leaned against the granite wall. “This ice has been building all winter, might be twenty feet thick. Too bad, we nearly made it through the crevasse.”
Angela squeezed past the horses to examine the blockage. “Would it be safe to melt it?” Her question startled Trenton, and he stared at the wall of ice. “Safe enough, but we’ve got nothing to burn,” Trenton said.
“We don’t need fuel to make heat. Krystal created heat with her amulet, and I’d bet her daughters could do the same.”
“We don’t know how,” Lauryn said.
“Krystal described the process to me, said it was like healing a body. She sent her mind inside and moved the molecules until they got hot. If the object could burn, it burst into flame, but ice would just melt. If you’ve healed a body, you can move molecules
inside the ice.”
Angela crossed her arms and stared at the two sisters.
“Why don’t you try it, Lauryn?” Trenton motioned to the others to stand back.
Angela said, “Stare into the ice. Can you see the molecules?”
Lauryn gazed into the dense white ice and nodded.
Angela grinned. “Make the molecules move.”
Lauryn clenched her teeth and concentrated. She could see the frozen water molecules move, ever so slowly at first, and then pockets of molecules burst away from the frozen mass. They bounced into other molecules and steam drifted from cracks in the ice. Water trickled down the sides and oozed out from under the ice wall. The ice turned clear as it melted.
Lauryn’s body shook with exertion and she stopped. “I can’t maintain the energy for very long. Tessa moved to her side, touched Lauryn’s hand and gripped her ring. A surge of energy flowed through Tessa’s fingertips and the ring glowed. Lauryn opened her locket.
Both girls focused on their crystals and turned to work on the ice together. Trickles turned into rivulets, steam hissed, and the ice groaned. A hollow formed in the ice. Soon the girls melted an archway large enough to accommodate the horses.
Our stones! See how they glow? Lauryn held up her locket and pointed at Tessa’s ring. The crystals increase our power when we join. Lauryn smiled. Isn’t it wonderful?
Suddenly pain throbbed through Tessa’s forehead as she clutched her ring. She fainted into Trenton’s strong arms. Shocked, Lauryn tried to reach Tessa’s mind to soothe the searing pain, but she couldn’t get through her sister’s tight mental barriers. She stroked Tessa’s brow helplessly.
Trenton looked worried as Tessa’s eyelids fluttered open. “Are you all right, child? I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you. Speak to me.”
“I’m fine. I spent too much energy and needed a short rest.” Her smile looked reassuring, but Lauryn saw a strange shimmer in Tessa’s eyes.
