by Callie Kanno
He sighed in resignation and gave a short nod. “Very well. I promise.”
Adesina smiled at him with affection and raised a hand in farewell. Then she turned back to her companions, who were all waiting for her command.
“Let us go.”
The march to the edge of the barrier was slow and arduous. The heat sapped them of energy and made their bodies ache. Their joint anxiety at reaching Daemon Mount only added to the sense of agonizing lethargy in their movements.
“How much time do we have?” gasped Faryl as she battled through the heavy sand.
Kendan answered. “The Henka elders said that we needed to stand before the entrance at midday in order to see the bridge that crosses the flames.”
“We are almost there,” encouraged Mar’sal. “Do not give up.”
Even though they only had to walk a quarter of a league, it seemed like much more. All of the travelers were struggling to continue near the end of the march.
The scent of sulfur filled the air, and it made drawing breath seem even more of a battle. The entrance into the caves of Daemon Mount sat on the west face, and was a black maw on the base of the mountain. It seemed to absorb the light around it, even with the added illumination of the flaming barrier. The seven companions stood directly in front of it, on the other side of the furnace, and gauged the position of the sun.
“The sun is not directly above us, but we should still be able to locate the bridge,” said Than’os. “What were the instructions from the elders?”
“They said to look for a shadow that does not seem to have a source.”
Seven pairs of eyes studied to surroundings, searching each shadow carefully.
“There,” pointed Mar’sal to the north. “Look at that thin shadow between the ones cast by those boulders.”
It was difficult to see, but Adesina eventually found the shadow. She nodded, “I believe you are right.”
They walked over to where the two large boulders sat and gazed between them.
Faryl stared at the empty space in confusion. “I do not see anything.”
I can sense… something…
Maizah bent over to pick up a handful of sand and then hurled it into the air before them. The golden grains scattered in a graceful arc, settling before they touched the ground.
The outline of steps came into sight.
“It is invisible,” exclaimed Mar’sal.
“No,” said Kendan slowly, “it is disguised.”
Adesina could see that he was correct. The bridge was built to exactly mimic the appearance of what stood behind it. The two boulders obstructed the view from any other angle, forcing them to look at it in a manner that would disguise its existence.
“I can see why this is so dangerous,” muttered Adesina. “We will have to walk across the barrier with very little between us and the fire.”
The flames in this area were somewhat lower, but the bridge was also low to minimize visibility from the sides. The heat along the overpass would be intense.
“I will go first,” volunteered Kendan.
Adesina snorted. “Do not be stupid. I will go first.”
The former teacher’s angry retort was interrupted by Ravi’s deep voice. “You are both being foolish. The leader across this bridge needs enhanced senses and a body that is steady and low to the ground. It would be best for me to go first, since I am not easily unbalanced.”
Adesina felt her cheeks flush. “Of course. That is the wisest choice.”
Now is not the time for pride, dear one.
She nodded.
You are right.
The young woman addressed the others. “Ravi will go first, and I will bring up the rear. Kendan, I would like you to be in the middle to keep us on course.”
The former Shimat was appeased and he nodded graciously.
Ravi started up the almost invisible stone steps, and Faryl followed with much trepidation. Than’os preceded Kendan and Maizah followed, leaving Mar’sal as the second to last.
Ravi moved slowly, crouching slightly and giving his full attention to the task at hand. Adesina had learned how to shield herself from Ravi’s thoughts, if she wished to do so, but his focus at the moment was too intense to ignore. She could see through his eyes and she felt what he felt.
The blistering heat from the wild flames below was almost too much to bear. The pads on his paws began to grow painful from walking on the hot stone, and the faint smell of singed fur touched his nose.
Adesina’s anxiety swelled.
Will we be able to make it?
Ravi was also fearful, but he steadied himself with his solid determination.
We must.
It was now Adesina’s turn to walk onto the bridge.
It became difficult to breathe, and not just because of the super-heated air. Her skin felt as though it were on the verge of blistering, and it was a challenge for her to keep her balance on the narrow span of stone.
She told herself not to look down, and her eyes immediately strayed to the chasm beneath her feet. The barrier seemed to originate from deep within the earth, and the blaze spewed forth like a tidal wave. Adesina knew that if she fell she would be dead long before she hit the rocks below.
A flash of vyala erupted from the mountaintop, and the whole of Daemon Mount began to glow faintly with power. The earth beneath their feet began to rumble and shake as another stage of the ritual to open the Threshold was completed.
Adesina fell to her knees and gripped the searing stone with both hands to keep her balance. She heard Faryl shriek in horror, and she looked up just in time to see Than’os begin to fall.
Adesina lashed out with her vyala and suspended him in midair, but she was unable to protect him from the flare of molten magic that spat out from the chasm.
He screamed in pain, and Adesina jerked him upward in a failed attempt to save him from injury. She floated him across the barrier of fire and set him down gently on the other side.
The rest of them did their best to hurry across the bridge, so they could attend to their wounded friend.
Faryl knelt by Than’os’s side and began searching frantically through the medical pack. The smell of burnt flesh permeated the air and Than’os groaned softly, even though he was unconscious.
His entire right side was badly burned, and his right hand was no more. The sight of him caused Faryl to sob as she tried to reassure herself.
“He is alright! He is alright! We can save him.”
Adesina placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and quickly took command. “Mar’sal, try to heal him.”
The L’avan soldier didn’t need to be told.
With the delicate touch of a healer, he wrapped his friend in a blanket of vyala and washed away all sense of pain. Than’os stopped groaning and his expression smoothed into one of peaceful slumber.
Adesina watched with admiration as Mar’sal wove his vyala with expert precision, reviving burnt tissue and knitting together open wounds. He was unable to restore Than’os’s lost hand, but he melded together the end of the injured forearm.
It was an exhausting process, because the damage was extensive. When Mar’sal was finished, he collapsed next to Than’os with a gasp.
“I did what I could,” explained Mar’sal, “but he still has minor burns. Curse this desolate land! I cannot replace my vyala here, because there is none around us from which I can borrow.”
“He will live, though, will he not?” asked Faryl in distress.
Mar’sal nodded. “Yes, he will live.”
Kendan wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. “Let us move away from this inferno. The entrance to the caves should be in that direction.”
“Lift Than’os onto my back,” instructed Ravi. “I will carry him.”
The ground was rocky, and Adesina could sense that Ravi’s paws still hurt from crossing the bridge. Still, he murmured no complaint as they made their way to the black opening into the mountain.
The entrance was tall and wide, but it was well shaded. It offered blessed relief from the unrelenting desert sun. There was a patch of soft sand near the northern wall, and Ravi gently deposited Than’os there.
Than’os’s clothing had been badly burned, so Kendan removed his desert robe to wrap around the unconscious man.
“We cannot take him with us,” the former Shimat said grimly.
“We cannot just leave him behind, either,” snapped Faryl.
Mar’sal shook his head. “When he wakes he will be quite weak. It would be best for him to rest here.”
The apothecary turned to Adesina with a pleading gaze. “We do not know what kind of dangers live within the barrier. We cannot leave him helpless.”
Adesina felt sympathy for the older woman, but she knew what had to be done. “I am sorry, Faryl, but we cannot bring him with us. We have more obstacles to overcome before reaching our goal, and we have little time.”
Maizah touched Adesina’s arm softly and then gestured to herself. She knelt next to Than’os and pointed to the ground.
“You wish to stay here with him?” asked the young queen.
Maizah nodded.
Kendan’s brow creased, and he rubbed his chin. “I suppose that makes the most sense. We do not need a Tracker now that we are in the mountain, and she has no combat training to aid us in a fight.”
“I could stay with him,” offered Faryl.
Adesina immediately disagreed. “No, Faryl. We have need of your skills.”
Maizah gestured to herself again and pointed to the ground.
Adesina felt uneasy about leaving them alone, but it seemed to be the best option. “Very well, Maizah. You stay here with Than’os and wait for our return.”
The Tracker smiled with a trace of satisfaction.
Kendan handed her a knife and asked, “Do you know how to defend yourself?”
Maizah hesitated for several moments before nodding.
“Good,” he responded. “Keep Than’os safe until we get back.”
She straightened slowly, and pride filled her eyes at the task she had been given.
Another surge of energy brought the L’avan and Ravi around to face the darkness of the mountain caves.
“Come,” said Adesina to her remaining companions. “We do not have much time.”
Chapter Forty-six: Barriers
The caves of Daemon Mount were large and smooth, almost as if they had been carved out of the earth instead of forming naturally. The light decreased sharply as the travelers moved away from the entrance, and Adesina paused to rummage through her pack.
As a parting gift, the Henka had given them smaller versions of the glowing lamps that were used in the settlement. They were not much larger than a man’s fist, but they gave sufficient light to the travelers. Adesina and her companions all pulled the lamps out of their packs and shook them gently to awaken the luminescent insects within.
There were two trails leading away from the cave entrance. One led to an upward path, and the other led downward. Adesina immediately started for the trail that wound upward, and the others followed without hesitation.
The path narrowed into a tunnel with a steady incline. Kendan eased his way forward in the line until he was walking next to Adesina.
“You act as though you know the way,” he commented quietly.
“I suppose I do, in a way,” she replied.
“Is it because you can sense the magic?”
She hadn’t told anyone about the contents of her Dreams, and she wasn’t keen on sharing them now.
“The power of the Threshold is strong,” she stated evasively. “It would be difficult to hide such a thing.”
Kendan made a thoughtful noise. “Yes, I suppose so.”
The path wound back and forth, almost as if it had once been a riverbed. The travelers made their way upward for more than half and hour before the path began to level out. The tunnel opened up to a large empty area and a tall, smooth wall of stone.
Adesina pursed her lips together. “I think we have reached the second barrier.”
She was about to suggest probing it with her vyala when Kendan dropped his pack and sprinted towards the wall. He jumped as high as he could, pushing his feet against the vertical surface in order to grasp the top.
He only just made it.
He allowed himself to hang for a moment, adjusting his grip and gathering his strength. Then he pulled himself up to a kneeling position on top of the stone wall.
Kendan studied the opposite side of the barrier and gave a low whistle. “This will not be easy.”
“What is on the other side?” asked Faryl.
Kendan smiled grimly. “A rocky pit. There are several small stone platforms spanning it, and it seems that we will need to jump from one to another in order to cross.”
Adesina pursed her lips together thoughtfully. The Henka elders had said that the second barrier consisted of several obstacles. This rocky pit must be the first of them.
Faryl paled. “I…I do not think I can do that.”
Adesina and Kendan exchanged concerned glances. Mar’sal was weak and Faryl was frightened. That meant that it was up to the two former Shimat to get everyone safely through this barrier. Her heart sank as she considered that they were off to a poor start to overcoming the trials of the mountain.
The L’avan queen briefly considered using her vyala to carry her companions across the obstacles, but she dismissed the idea. The natural vyala of Daemon Mount was low, and she had no way of replenishing her energy once it was expended—other than with time, which they did not have. She needed to ration her power very carefully or she would not be able to stop Basha from completing the ritual.
Adesina straightened in determination, walked over to the wall and placed her back against it. “Faryl, I want you to stand on my shoulders and let Kendan pull you up to the top.”
The older woman immediately shook her head. “I cannot. Please, let me go back to Than’os and Maizah. I will wait for you there.”
“Do as I say,” commanded Adesina sternly.
Faryl was shaking as she put a foot on Adesina’s bent thigh and hoisted herself upward. The young queen steadied the other woman, and the weight was soon lifted as Kendan grasped her arms and pulled her up.
“Sit right here with your back against the wall,” Kendan’s voice instructed the apothecary.
“Mar’sal, you go next,” said Adesina.
The soldier frowned. “I think I should go last, your Majesty.”
She motioned to him impatiently. “You expended a lot of energy to heal Than’os. I can make the jump more easily than you can at the moment.”
He offered no other argument, but climbed onto her shoulders and then onto the top of the wall. Adesina grunted softly under Mar’sal’s weight, but she held firm.
Then it was Adesina’s turn to run and jump at the obstacle.
I will lend you strength, Ma’eve.
She dashed across the open area and launched herself into the air with all her might. Kendan caught her hand and used her momentum to lift her the rest of the way.
Her former teacher grinned with admiration. “I have never seen you jump so high.”
She smiled in return. “I would think not.”
“How are we going to get Ravi up here?”
In a fraction of a second, Adesina sensed Ravi shift. He focused his attention on where he wanted to be, and he willed himself to be standing there. His vyala flickered a lavender-blue, and Adesina saw that it obeyed his desire.
“Do not worry yourself,” said Ravi from behind Mar’sal. “I will follow without any trouble.”
Adesina almost laughed at the expressions on Kendan and Faryl’s faces at the sudden appearance of the enormous feline on top of the wall. She distracted herself by examining the next obstacle to overcome.
Kendan’s description of a “rocky pit” was an understatement to say the least. The bottom was not visible from where they stood. The o
nly thing that Adesina could distinguish was a multitude of spear-like rocks that rose out of the abyss. The stone platforms that Kendan had mentioned were no more than a meter wide, and they were far enough away from each other that one would have to jump from one to the next.
The walls of this section of the cavern were smooth, offering no alternative of climbing around the obstacle. The ceiling was higher than the area before the wall on which they now stood, but it was also smooth and without any helpful features.
Adesina’s brow furrowed in concern. The Serraf had created the barriers to slow the progress of the demons, but not to stop them. It was not meant to be impossible to reach the peak of Daemon Mount, but it was not meant to be easy either. If Adesina had been alone in crossing this first obstacle of the second barrier, it would not have been a problem. However, half of her companions were considerably weakened, and that made things much more difficult.
Adesina saw Faryl take on a ghostly hue and begin to shake as she stared at the obstacle before them. “If there is a deity with an ounce of mercy,” she whispered as she turned her eyes to the ceiling, “they will take my life now and spare me the agony of this.”
Mar’sal winced, as if he half expected her to be struck down on the spot. Adesina and Ravi could not help but chuckled at his response.
“The Creator is filled with mercy, Faryl,” said Ravi. “Unfortunately, that does not mean that our journey to the Threshold will be an easy one.”
Adesina turned to Kendan. “I will go first this time. I am more nimble than you.”
He pulled out a length of rope and offered it to her. “Tie one end around your waist, and the other around Faryl. I will do the same with Mar’sal.”
The L’avan soldier protested. “I am quite capable—”
Kendan cut him off. “Under normal circumstance, yes. Now you are weakened, and we will take no chances.”
Adesina tied the rope around herself first, and then knelt in front of Faryl. “Have you ever hopped from stone to stone to cross a river?” she asked in a low, soothing voice.
Faryl swallowed and nodded.
“It is just like that—one simple hop at a time. Do not look down, do not let fear overcome you. Just focus on the next stone, and remember that I will be looking after you.”
