His face was wet with tears as he ran. He heard a roar behind him, but this time it did not defeat him. This time he stayed upright and ran, determination swelling through his heart. He would go into the heart of darkness, and he would not fail. As the words to “Song” spoke of a future and of hope, he would take those words, hold tight to them, and fight his way through. No matter what happened. His heart opened, and he sobbed as he listened, hoping his companions had escaped. He did not dare look back for a cool breeze was flowing in and the light was on his face. It hurt his eyes as he ran toward it, concentrating on his footsteps.
“The outside!” a voice cried.
He turned, and suddenly they were with him. The Green Company burst out of the Holesmoles and out into the mountainside of the Cascade Mountains.
65
Eliesmore
Eliesmore spread his arms wide and threw back his head, breathing in the pure air for the first time in two weeks. The chill nipped at his cheeks as the sun cast a glorious sunset of bright magenta and vivid orange across the sky. Eliesmore whispered words of praise as he watched it, feeling as if he had never seen a more magnificent sight in his life.
“We did it!” Wekin thrust a fist into the air, pumping it.
Eliesmore felt someone come up beside him and embrace him. “Optimistic! I have something for you.” He handed the Green Stone to Optimistic, feeling relief course through his body.
“Eliesmore.” Ellagine touched his shoulder; her eyes were calm.
Suddenly they were all shouting, laughing, and hugging each other as they walked across the mountainside.
“We were the first.” Zhane looked back at the entrance, gaping like a yawning mouth. There was no sign of the woísts.
In awe, the Green Company walked up the mountain slope that was covered with yellow grass and scattered stones. The voice of a river beckoned to them.
“We make camp by the stream,” Idrithar called.
“May I build a fire when we get there?” Yamier jogged to catch up with Idrithar.
Idrithar scanned the peaks rising high above them. After considering it, he nodded. “Yes, keep it low.”
The entrance to the Holesmoles had disappeared by the time they reached the river. They cast themselves into the water, scrubbing the dirt, grime, blood, and other physical remnants of their time in the Holesmoles from their bodies. The lingering lights of day attempted to dry their clothes as they laid them out on flat boulders.
“What was that being?” Eliesmore asked Idrithar as he shrugged on his damp shirt, shuddering in remembrance. “Why didn’t it chase us or attempt to attack us?”
Idrithar pursed his lips. “It could have been a Changer in its true form. It could have been a figment of our imaginations that was fueled by the dark, the fumes, and the horror of the Holesmoles in and of itself. As to why it did not give chase, it seemed to want us to leave its domain and leave it to darkness. There are greater mysteries that even I do not understand. Speculation will only get us so far.”
Eliesmore scratched his head. “It did not seem like a dream. It felt quite real. How is it a Changer in its true form? I thought they were keeping guard at the Constel Heights?”
“Ah.” Idrithar raised a finger. “There are portals. If the Dark One is calling the woísts, he might be in the hidden places within the Holesmoles himself. It could have been him; it could have been something else. I hope we never find out. As for our imaginations, you’ll soon find that everything is not what it seems. Power is vague and taxing, and it demands a hefty price. The Great-Black-Evil is unsteady. In truth, we do not know the consequences of dabbling in dark power.”
Eliesmore shivered.
“Take heart.” Idrithar smiled as he stood. “We escaped; enjoy the glory of the mountains.”
Eliesmore took another deep breath of pure mountain air, watching his companions. Yamier had already located a pile of wood and was starting a fire while he sang to himself. Wekin helped him, squatting and blowing on the flames. Optimistic laughed with Visra on the riverbank; they sat with their feet in the water. Visra was more naked than clothed. Eliesmore shook his head at her mannerisms. The dark cloud that hung over the Green Company, particularly the Iaens, since they entered the west seemed to have shattered. Eliesmore rolled his shoulders back; his heart felt lighter. He searched for Dathiem and Glashar; they were nowhere to be seen, but Zhane and Arldrine walked out of the river together, spreading their cloaks on rocks to dry.
Eliesmore took a step toward the fire when he saw Ellagine and turned toward her. She sat on a slope, facing the way they had come and watching. Expression had drifted from her face; she seemed to be closed in her own inner world, a place Eliesmore found impossible to penetrate. He sat down beside her, watching her face change as she met his eyes. Her cheeks sloped upwards, and her lips curved; they were poised between a genuine smile and a gentle acknowledgment of his presence. Her cloak was gone, and her long, green arms were bare. Eliesmore felt a keen desire to stroke her arm. His face turned hot with awareness.
“I know why,” he told her, offering conversation.
She startled. Her eyes roamed his face as if she had no idea what he was talking about. “Why?”
“Remember our conversation in the Holesmoles?” He tapped his fingers on his knee. “I know why I am doing this and why I want to be the One. It’s clear now.”
Ellagine’s eyes drifted to his fingers. She lifted a hand, tucking her hair behind her ear. Eliesmore watched her, thinking of how lovely she looked with her large, pointed ears.
“You know why,” she repeated, smiling, her face lightening up like the first blossoms of spring, bringing hope to the air. “I am glad to hear it. You don’t have to tell me, Eliesmore.” She paused, letting his name hover on her tongue. “I can see, in your eyes, something has changed. Now you are pulling from your inner strength. Good. You will need it.”
A bittersweet joy rippled through his body and, with a surge of boldness, Eliesmore lifted his hand and took hers in it. Instead of pulling away like he expected, she squeezed his hand.
Three weeks passed as the Green Company traveled far into the Cascade Mountains. They knew the woísts, and likely the Rakhai, were on their trail. Idrithar pushed them hard during the day, causing them to shake from exertion when they cast themselves down at night. There were no complaints because the cold beauty of the mountains captivated their senses. They were alive. They were together. And they traveled unhindered toward their destination.
Eliesmore enjoyed the raw beauty of the mountains as he trudged with the company. The chill in their air made it comfortable to wear their long cloaks, which seemed to become lined with fur the colder it became. Their packs became lighter as they traveled because they were running low on supplies. In the mountains, many plants and dumb animals ran freely, providing plenty of small game for the company to catch and eat. Talking animals hid themselves; they were living in fear of the Black Steeds.
“We’ll be getting to the heights soon, and then it will be cold,” Zhane announced one morning as the company was eating rabbit meat.
“I thought we had come through mountains heights already,” Wekin said, licking his lips.
“But look, those are higher.” Zhane pointed with his dagger.
“The heights are called Dranagin Land because they live under mountains,” Idrithar added, tossing a bone into the fire.
“We will not see them,” Zhane assured the company. “They don’t come out because of the cold and snow.”
“Have you ever seen them?” Arldrine asked, a bemused grin on her face.
“Once.” Idrithar’s eyes took on a faraway look. “We took the path down into the mountains and saw two of them.”
“One is a giant among dranagins,” Zhane broke in, “its very foot could crush all of us in one step.”
“At least we don’t have to go near them,” Optimistic said.
“Only over them,” added Dathiem. One hand stroked Glashar’s thigh; he
was not ashamed of his public displays of affection. “Even I have done that.”
“What is after the mountains?” Eliesmore pulled the meat off a bone and popped it his mouth, inwardly expressing gratitude for Yamier’s cooking methods.
“The desert.” Idrithar picked up his pack, signaling it was time to go.
The company finished eating and collected their things. “We will need to stock up on food if we will be going through a desert,” Yamier remarked with his mouth full.
“We will gather as we go,” Idrithar responded. He walked up and around rocks, his cloak billowing out behind him.
The blue sky spread above them like an unfurling scroll. Dumb animals called to each other in their languages, birds flew overhead, and some sang in the distance. Slopes pointed upward to higher summits with evergreen forests covering them like a warm fur. Jagged rocks and round boulders, along with green grass turning straw brown, rose up beside them, serving as lookout points. Fresh air seeped around them, going and coming with the soft, feathery wind.
That evening, the company camped on top of a mountain slope before they climbed the next day. Eliesmore sat down on a rock, dropping his pack on the ground. Yamier had not gotten permission to start a fire from their lofty height, so they ate dried meat instead.
“One day,” said Wekin, chewing as the company sat in a circle. “We’ll have bacon to eat and sausage.”
“My mouth is watering already,” Yamier commented.
“You better not get any ideas,” Idrithar said, “we won't be off the mountains for at least a month, and there is no finding bacon here.”
Wekin started to sigh and then stopped. He grew quiet. Eliesmore wondered what plan was forming in his mind.
It soon became dark. “Rest,” Zhane called, “we have a long climb tomorrow.”
“I’ll take first watch,” Glashar volunteered, as usual.
Eliesmore curled up in his cloak behind a rock with Yamier, Wekin, and Optimistic. As he closed his eyes, he heard Wekin whisper to Yamier, “We can hunt wild boar on my watch.”
“Really? It’ll be unlikely if we find any. Even if we do, we don’t have bows and arrows,” Yamier whispered back, his voice soaked in sleep.
“Just think: we’ll have bacon if we do,” Wekin said to the stars.
Eliesmore fell asleep laughing quietly to himself. He didn’t wake until hours later when he heard voices. He opened his eyes and saw Idrithar herding two people back to camp. “Imagine that,” Idrithar rebuked, “going to hunt wild boar at this time of night. You two go back to sleep. I’ll keep watch.”
“That was good Yamier,” Wekin mumbled, “in spite of the fact we didn’t catch anything. Let’s do it again.”
“Oh, Wekin.” Yamier chuckled to himself as he drifted off to sleep.
Zhane woke them in the morning to an early meal of mocholeach, much to Wekin’s dismay.
The face of a cliff loomed over them, promising a difficult climb.
“Are we going all the way up there today?” Wekin inquired.
“Yes.” Idrithar grunted, preoccupied with studying how they were to get up.
“Will it be too hard for you Wekin?” Arldrine questioned, and Eliesmore could tell she was teasing him again.
“If I were an Ezinck, I could be up there faster than even you,” Wekin retorted.
The five Crons went first, the three Iaen followed, and last of all, Arldrine went with the two Tiders. As they climbed, Eliesmore began to feel a vague sense of evil. A dark cloud was rising from the south and moving toward them. Because of the mountains, Eliesmore could not tell whether the cloud was on the ground or above them. As he continued to climb, vestiges of the mind-numbing fear he’d experienced in the Holesmoles began to return. He strained his ears as the day wore on, hearing nothing aside from ignorant bird song, which was soon hushed away by a heavy silence. Eliesmore wished they were on flat land with Fastshed and company. With a pang, he wondered what had happened to the horses.
When it was nearly too dark to go on, the company reached the top of the cliff. They collapsed on the dusty, brown ground with their arms and legs aching. Glashar stood at the edge, rotating south, west, north, and east. “We must go on tonight,” she announced. “Danger is coming.”
Arldrine and Zhane joined Glashar.
Zhane put his hand on his sword hilt.
“I don’t think it’s the woísts,” Arldrine remarked.
“What is it then?” Wekin inquired.
And then they all heard it. A long, distant, eerie howl, which echoed and reechoed off the mountains. All were frozen and quiet. The joy of the past three weeks melted away.
Eliesmore shut his eyes and then opened them again. Going on was harder than he thought; all the Rakhai did was chase them and come too close. He felt different about this time. They had no horses to carry them out of danger. There was no sea to run into or a Cave of Disappearance. This time they were trapped. Realization dawned on the company, and they looked to each other for courage.
Fog rolled across the slope in the morning, the rocks picking up the distant echo of horse hooves. This time, Eliesmore doubted it was Fastshed and company. Idrithar picked up the pace, and they broke into a run, dashing through small clumps of grass and leaving a cloud of dust behind them. The sunlight burned away the fog, allowing Eliesmore to see a sharp drop off and a ravine.
An eerie howl drifted toward them, and Idrithar slowed down, turning to face them.
“Should we fight or run?” Zhane asked.
“The gorge is up ahead,” Idrithar answered.
“We should run to it,” Dathiem called.
As the thunder came nearer, Eliesmore turned to look. He was surprised to see the Rakhai galloping toward them.
“Weapons out,” called Glashar.
“To the gorge.” Idrithar bounded away.
The Rakhai howled and came on, their black cloaks flying as they galloped hard on their horses; they were ready to trample the company underfoot. The next few moments blurred as Eliesmore ran. He heard shouts and the clang of swords as the Rakhai stormed into their midst. He saw Dathiem leap off the edge and climb into the gorge.
A frantic shout went up from the left side, and Eliesmore spun, seeing a black horse rearing with an arrow in it. A Monrage rode beside him with a hand reaching for him. Her fingers were like claws. Her voice buzzed in his head: Give us the Green Stone.
Eliesmore’s heart beat wildly as he skidded to a stop. He spun, his eyes taking in a Monrage fighting Optimistic. Optimistic let an arrow fly and ran toward the gorge. The Monrage jumped off her horse and threw her sword, tripping Optimistic. He went down hard on a rock, ripping his tunic as he fell. The bag with the Green Stone rolled out into plain view.
“No!” Optimistic shrieked, his hands pushing himself off the dusty ground as he scrambled toward the stone. The Monrage lifted a booted foot and kicked Optimistic in the side. His face went white with pain as he rolled toward the edge. With a final push, the Monrage sent him over into the gorge.
Eliesmore felt as if his old wound had been torn open and put on fire as the Monrage strode back toward the Green Stone. He ran and dived, ignoring the bruises and scrapes as he slid across the rocky ground. He reached the Green Stone first and snatched it up. He stood up, turning to run. Instead, he felt the strong arm of a Monrage scoop him up on her horse. The horse took off running alongside the gorge. Eliesmore struggled to get away, legs kicking and one arm flailing as he punched and scratched. Terror rose up, and he yelled, reaching for his sword. The Monrage’s arm around his waist felt like iron. She continued to squeeze until Eliesmore felt his ribs crack, pain exploding across his torso. For a moment, Eliesmore couldn’t breathe. Then he screamed.
Eliesmore’s fingers closed around his sword hilt; he pulled while pain ripped through his chest. Striking out blindly, he pushed the sword toward the Monrage, hearing the sickening sucking sound as it slid into her side. A violent hiss erupted, the arm holding Eliesmore loosened, and h
e fell hard with the Jeweled Sword in one hand and the Green Stone in the other. Gasping for breath, he ran, tasting blood in his mouth. Ellagine stood over the edge of the cliff, screaming his name. One of her hands held back the onslaught of the Monrages while the other reached for him. Gathering his strength, Eliesmore hurled himself toward her and jumped.
66
Sarhorr
April. Year 943. (6 months ago).
“What did I say?” He pounded his pitchfork on the stone as he screamed at his eleven daughters. “What, specifically, did I say?”
“Chase him.” One trembled as she spoke with her eyes cast downward.
“Make him fear us.” Another added.
“But do not kill him.” A third uttered.
“Exactly!” He exploded. “I said DO NOT KILL HIM! And what did you do? Put a sword through his body. It is imperative that he lives. In time, he will be our ally, but you must frighten him into submission. Listen well. I have appointed you the protectors of the Green Company. Chase them. Tease them. Torture them, but do not kill them. How will he trust us if we kill his companions? Go to the Constel Heights, and then, only then, will you lead him to me in Daygone.”
Eliesmore and the Green Stone Page 34
