Morning turned into afternoon with no end in sight. At last, when Eva feared the path would end altogether and they would be forced to backtrack and find another route, they made a long sweeping turn to the north and caught a glimpse of an ice-covered lake.
“We’re almost there now!” Soot yelled over the howling wind. “About a hundred more paces and the path widens!”
A crack of thunder burst above them.
“Duck!” Eva yelled. She crouched down as far as she could, cowering beneath her arms as snow, rock, and ice chunks cascaded down. The thunderous roar grew, accompanied by waves of heavy, wet snow — an avalanche. Just when Eva thought they would be swept away or buried, however, the slide began to slow.
Someone screamed behind Eva and her stomach seized in hot panic.
“Chel fell off the path!” Sigrid shouted. “I can’t reach her!”
Eva shook the snow off her head and wiped her face, heart hammering. From her vantage, she could just see Chel clutching the cliff edge a few feet below the path where she’d been knocked down by the snow and debris.
Without a word, Seppo twisted around so his back was to the to the gorge and dropped off the ledge. He used his hands to pull himself toward Chel while Sigrid stretched out in a useless attempt to reach her.
Halfway to Chel, the rock path crumbled underneath his iron grip and Seppo slipped. Eva gasped. Showing surprising nimbleness, Seppo found a toehold and continued along. Although he’d covered half the distance, Eva still felt like Seppo was forever away. The wind shifted, and hungry, invisible hands tore at Chel.
“She’s slipping!” Sigrid screamed in panic.
“Ivan, can’t you do something?” Eva yelled over the roaring river and howling gusts.
The Scrawl shook his head. “I’d be just as likely to knock her off as help!”
With Seppo still an arm’s length away, Chel’s fingers finally lost purchase on the slick, jagged rock. She fell.
Roaring, Seppo vaulted from his foothold on the cliff and snagged Chel’s wrist as she plummeted down to the river. Stretching out his hand, the golem clawed and dug into the crumbling cliff until he stopped sliding a short distance below the path but even farther out of reach than before.
As the rock gave way beneath his vice-like grip, Seppo swung a screaming Chel like a pendulum. Eva stretched out as far as she could and Soot wrapped himself around her legs, allowing her to descend another couple of feet.
Seppo swung again and released.
Chel shot up into the empty air like she’d been launched from a catapult.
Eva stretched with all her might.
Their arms grasped for one another.
For a brief instant, Eva feared Chel’s added weight would tug her from Soot’s hold. Instead, she felt them rising, her muscles screaming in protest at being stretched in two different directions. Roaring, Soot hauled them up to where Tahl could help pull them the rest of the way to safety.
Both women sobbed, chests heaving. When Eva opened her eyes and looked down, Seppo was nowhere to be seen.
Chapter Nineteen
They rushed as fast as possible down the remainder of the path. Down below, the gorge opened up into the frozen lake and the steep, rock path widened into a long, sloping hillside. Eva sprinted down followed closely by the others. Reaching the inlet, she stopped at the edge of the rotted ice, where the roaring river met the lake. No sign of Seppo could be seen.
The gryphons met up with them shortly after. As relieved as Eva was to find them all safe and sound, she couldn’t stop thinking about Seppo. After a short rest, the Windsworn took to the skies above the gorge, searching for the golem while the others made camp.
Eva tried to tell herself Seppo would be fine, that he couldn’t drown and couldn’t break so the fall wouldn’t have killed him. But looking at the raging current, she imagined the golem stuck against a boulder beneath the water, the strength of the river pinning him in place. If that were the case it would be weeks — months, maybe — before the snow-fed river slowed enough for Seppo to fight free. Or, what if the current had pushed him all the way into the lake, under the ice?
Even if no one wanted to admit it, Seppo might be lost forever — their friend and their only chance of defeating the Smelterborn, too.
“It is all my fault,” Chel said, tears streaking her face. “If I had not fell —”
“Better the bucket head than you,” Soot said and then looked at the rest of them. “Seppo will be fine, you’ll see. We’ll make camp here on the lake shore and wait. He’ll turn up.”
But the way he said it, Eva wasn’t sure if the smith was trying to reassure them or himself. Although it was a good spot to make camp — the best they’d had for days, — and the weather remained fair and warm, Eva couldn’t help but feel like they’d lost the golem for good.
By nightfall, Seppo still hadn’t returned. A somber mood fell over them, darker than any since the Battle of the Talon. Trying to get her mind off Seppo, Eva wondered what was going on back in Rhylance. She held out hope that the Smelterborn had been forced to retreat before they reached the Gryfonesse.
They felt Seppo’s loss even more acutely when it came time to post watch. Saying he wasn’t tired, Soot volunteered for the first shift, situating himself in sight of the gorge. Eva’s heart went out to him — no matter how much the smith cursed and belittled Seppo, she knew he and the golem were the oldest and best of friends.
Before retiring, Eva excused herself from the rest and sat down in the loose pebbles on the beach beside her foster father.
“He’ll make it,” Soot said before Eva could speak. “You’ll see.”
“We’ll wait for him,” Eva promised. “We didn't come all this way to let a little water beat us.”
For a while, neither of them said anything, thoughts drowned out by the rushing river.
“What I wouldn’t give to be back at my forge,” Soot said at last. “When this is all over, a whole army of Smelterborn won’t be able to drag me out of it. I’m thinking about starting a garden in the back, by the stables.”
Eva nodded. “That sounds nice.”
“What about you, miss?” he asked. Soot jerked his head back at Tahl and the rest of camp. “Has the new queen found herself a king?”
Eva blushed and stammered, but Soot held up a hand. “The first time I met that kid, I was awful tempted to put a dent in his pretty face with my hammer,” he said. “But now, I can’t think of a better man to be by your side. I have a hunch your uncles — and father — would approve of him too.”
“Really?” Eva said a smile spread across her face.
“Really.”
Overcome with emotion and love for the old smith, Eva flung herself around Soot’s thick neck and buried her face in his burly chest . Soot returned the embrace and gave her a reassuring pat on the back.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Eva whispered into his hairy ear.
“Hey now, don’t go getting all soft on me.” Eva pulled back and caught Soot, wiping a tear from his eye. “You’re going to melt through my old iron heart.”
Eva laughed and then a splashing sound caused them both to peer into the darkness toward the river. Gravel crunched under iron boots and a large shadow loomed closer. Moments later, two bright blue eyes shone through the darkness toward them.
“Are you crying, Master Wayland?” Seppo’s metallic voice rang out in the night, incredulous.
“Am not,” Soot said, sniffing and wiping the back of his hand across his nose. “About time you showed up, I was just about to have to take your watch for you, you old rust bucket.”
“Seppo!” Eva yelled. She jumped to her feet and ran to meet the golem wrapping herself around his cold, wet, armored waist.
“I do not want to do that again,” Seppo said in a flat voice. “Please be more careful next time.”
Morning dawned bright and sunny, enlightening the cheer surrounding Seppo’s return. Foraging, Chel and Wynn managed to fi
nd some fresh tubers. Ivan used a bit of fancy rune magic to melt a hole through the ice and catch fresh fish. After short rations for days, the group gorged on the food, grateful for something besides old, dried provisions from the Scrawls and scrawny deer, elk or rabbit.
After they were all well fed, Soot gathered them around again and drew another map in the dark sand along the lakeshore.
“There’s only one way out of the eastern end of the valley,” he said, drawing a crude representation with his finger. “From there, it’s pretty straightforward. We follow the river through the eastern woodlands, all the way down to the sea. Move north along the coast until we see Palantis.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound so bad!” Wynn said.
Soot raised his bushy eyebrows. “The woodlands are probably crawling with Smelterborn. The army might have even beaten us back. The Endless Plains are pretty much a straight shot across Altaris and even though the clankers are slow, they don’t rest. What’s more, there’s not much game in the woodlands — at least there wasn’t when we passed through and I doubt things have improved any.”
“That’s all, huh?” Sigrid said. “You make it sound like a walk through a field of wildflowers!”
Soot shared a look with Seppo. “You neglected to mention the Runefolk,” the golem said in a cheerful voice.
Everyone else shared a confused glance. “What are …Runefolk?” Chel asked.
Soot scowled. “Nasty little people. We ran into them several times on our first journey. As far as we could guess, they’re either the descendants of Palantine slaves or descendants of the Palantines themselves. Not every impressive offspring, either way. They’re more like little weasels than humans.”
“They pose no threat individually,” Seppo said. “Which is why they wait until your back is turned or they outnumber you five to one before attacking.”
Eva held back a long sigh. “Anything else we need to know about? Rivers of lava? Pestilence?”
Soot got the sarcasm but Seppo tapped a finger to his chin, apparently deep in thought. “No,” he said at last. “I think that is all. Until we get to Palantis, of course. Who knows what new dangers await us there?”
“Fantastic,” Wynn muttered, echoing the rest of the group’s feelings.
They packed up camp and the gryphon riders took to the sky, hoping to scout a path around the lake shore and out the other end of the lake valley. Reaching the eastern side, however, the beach ended abruptly. Flying over the lake’s outlet, they found the path heading east had collapsed from the cliffside. Sheer rock rose all the way around inside the caldera meaning the only way out would be by flight…or swimming.
“No,” Seppo said, folding his arms across his chest plate. “I am already rusting from my last trip underwater.”
“Oh you’ll be fine,” Soot said. “A little more water isn’t going to hurt you. But if you’ve got another suggestion as to how we’re going to get your iron ass out of here, I’d love to hear it.”
“I…” Seppo raised a hopeful finger and then sighed, shoulders drooping. “Fine.”
They all lined up on the shore to bid him farewell.
“You humans don’t understand what it is like down there,” the golem whined. “Like walking through tar — I sink up to my knees in that mud. And the fish! They try to swim inside my helmet. My armor fills up with water, it’s like trying to walk in a big wet coat while carrying two buckets.”
“Good thing you’re a wonder of ancient craftsmanship,” Eva said, trying to appeal to the golem’s pride. “If you weren’t so well put together it might be a real problem.”
“Hmph,” Seppo pouted. “Let’s just get it over with.”
They mounted the gryphons in short order: Chel with Eva, Soot with Wynn and Ivan with Sigrid to give Carroc a lighter load carrying just Tahl. As they rose into the air, they waved down at Seppo, who watched them go.
“Hold up,” Soot yelled once they were all in the sky. “I want to see how the big pile of slag does this.”
At first, Seppo tried to pick his way around the base of the cliff. He made it a stone’s throw from the beach before running out of hand and foot holds which forced him to retreat back to where he’d started. Next, Seppo tried to find a place where the ice around the shore wasn’t rotten. He stretched forth a toe forward like a cat testing a puddle. When that proved impossible, he raised a hand and, shaking a fist at them, waded out into the water. When he reached the edge of the solid ice, Eva was surprised to find it thick enough for the golem to crawl on top of. After bouncing a few times to test its strength, Seppo strode across the lake, eager to reach the narrow chasm where the lake spilled out into the woodlands beyond the caldera.
He made it almost two-thirds of the way across when the ice cracked and he sank to the waist. Seppo flailed, trying to pull himself back onto the stable ice, but the cracks spread. Moments, later he was completely submerged to his torso. He shook his fist at them again and shouted something Eva couldn’t hear. They shared a chuckle, which turned into an outright laugh, as the chunk of ice Seppo leaned on broke and he sank below the surface. After a few moments, it was clear the golem wouldn’t resurface.
“Come on,” Soot said. “He’ll be fine. No sense waiting around here.”
With a last look at the hole in the ice, Eva turned Fury eastward and they soared over the peaks of the mountains. For whatever reason, the winds proved to be much gentler on the eastern side of the rock rim. When they reached the peaks, a flurry of white puffs bounded across a narrow precipice. Fury’s head followed the mountain sheep and he dipped lower.
“You can come back and get dinner later,” Eva said, pulling up on the reins. As the shadows of the gryphons passed overhead, the animals scattered with incredible speed across the smallest of footholds.
On the other side of the mountains, just as Soot said it would, the land opened up into a wide park. After a steep drop through some rocks that would surely cause Seppo even more complaint, the river cut through open meadows fringed with trees. At the lower elevation, Eva saw many of the aspens and cottonwoods covered in small leaves — a sign of high spring.
She gazed off to the east, following the line of the river, before it disappeared into heavier woodlands, eventually winding out of sight behind a series of rolling hills miles and miles away. They landed on the banks of the river in grass already above their ankles. With plenty of food from the morning fishing, and young greens scavenged across the meadow, they made a quick sweep of the immediate area then returned to set up camp. With nothing to do but wait for Seppo, everyone relaxed for the first time in ages. The gryphons played, scrapping on the ground like overgrown kittens before shooting into the air to dip and twist at each other in mock battle. Soot propped himself up against a boulder and promptly fell asleep in the sunshine.
“How about a little walk?” Tahl asked Eva while the others each found various forms of entertainment.
“Are you asking to court me, sir?” Eva said in mock formality.
Tahl grinned and extended a hand. “Why yes, fair maiden. Tis too beautiful a day to pass without a stroll along yonder river.”
Laughing, Eva held out her hands. Tahl pulled her to her feet and they walked away from the others, trying not to draw too much attention to themselves. Passing by Soot, one of the smith’s eyes cracked open.
“Hey, you two lovebirds, stay within shouting range,” he muttered. “Just because the sun is shining and the birds are singing doesn’t mean it’s safe to start frittering around with spring fever.”
Eva rolled her eyes but promised they would. Then, unable to restrain herself any longer, she shot off, running through the new grass. She didn’t stop until she passed beyond a stand of bushes, hiding them from the sight of the others. Tahl tackled her to the ground as soon as she stopped. They rolled in a tumble and ended up on their backs, laughing and gasping for air.
As soon as he’d caught his breath, Tahl leaned over and placed a long kiss on Eva’s lips.
> “That’s better,” he said when they pulled apart at last. They’d hardly found any private time in the last few months.
“We shouldn’t stay long,” Eva said after she kissed him again.
Tahl put up a finger to her lips. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”
Soot’s shouts recalled them back to camp sometime later and they came around the bend just in time to see Seppo sloshing out of the river. His dull iron plates were splattered with dark river mud that stuck to the golem like tar. Muttering, he peeled away as much of it as he could, disgust plain in his voice.
“Never. Again,” the golem said after emerging from the river free of mud. The sun soon wicked the water from his armored plates. Seeing them all trying to hide their laughter only soured his mood further. “I’m sure it’s all very funny to you. You’ve been lounging around here for hours while I slogged away through the muck and sand and river to get here. I’ll never get it all out of my joints.”
“It’s alright, big fella,” Ivan said, holding out a handful of young tubers. “We saved you something to eat?”
In a flash, Seppo swooped the Scrawl up in his arms and hoisted Ivan over his head.
“Put me down you storming golem!” Ivan shouted, flailing and kicking. As Seppo neared a small eddy carved out from the river he struggled even harder — to no avail.
“You wouldn’t dare — you don’t even get wet! Put me — AGH!”
Shrugging his shoulders, Seppo tossed Ivan into the frigid water. The Scrawl came up moments later, spluttering and shivering. The rest roared with laughter.
“I don’t see what’s so funny,” Ivan said. He snapped his fingers to heat his body, sending a wave of steam rising from his clothes. “I’ll be lucky if I don’t get a cough and die out here in the middle of nowhere.”
Although there were still quite a few hours of daylight left, they agreed to stay overnight at their current camp. As evening faded, thousands of stars streamed down overhead among a sky of deep purples and blues. They reclined back, staring into the fathomless beyond.
Windbreak: Gryphon Riders Book Three (Gryphon Riders Trilogy 3) Page 13
