Page 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The next few days took them across a swath of dense forest leading toward an imposing mountain range.

From what Zepharos had learned of the region in previous excursions, this was something of a no-man’s-land simply due to the geological upheaval making it unsuitable for any large-scale settlements.

There were little pockets of level ground, some areas one could set up a small encampment, perhaps, but the mountains broke up the land in such a way that settlers had simply decided to put down roots somewhere easier.

“They won’t expect us to take this route,” he said as they reached the base of one particularly imposing mountain.

“I can see why. Look at that thing,” Maria grumbled, staring up at the high, snow-capped peaks far above. “We’re supposed to climb it?”

Zepharos grinned wide. “Ah, and that is how anyone else would react.”

“Yeah. Because it’s impossible.”

“Not impossible. Just not pleasant. There are many gullies, ravines, and slot canyons, and they are dangerous and hard to navigate. ”

“So what do we do, then? Go around?”

A gleam in his eyes, a broad smile spread across his face. “That’s the good part. We don’t go around or over. We go through it.”

“Through it. We’re supposed to dig a tunnel through a mountain?”

“Obviously not. But with your newfound strength, we will make an ascent to a hidden cavern system. It’ll take us a couple of days to reach the entrance, and I still have to find it, but I was once told of an ancient people who lived in this mountain. And we’re going to take full advantage of that.”

“And go live inside a mountain?”

“No. But their former home will take us through it.”

“ If you can find the way in.”

“Precisely.”

“ If . That’s not exactly confidence inspiring.”

He laughed. “I spent a lot of time with a distant cousin tribe of the Oraku. They eventually succumbed to the lure of technology, but the elders had many fascinating tales, and I have a very good memory.”

“So you’re leading us up, and then into a mountain based on stories?”

“Yep.”

Maria shook her head with a chuckle. “Well, it’s crazy, but you haven’t steered me wrong yet.”

“And I intend to maintain that winning streak.”

“But if we get up there and can’t find this tunnel, promise me we’re not going to try to summit this thing. That’s a long way up, and while I like to visit snow, I don’t want to live in it. Not to mention, that looks like a really tough climb, even with my new runes.”

“Fair enough,” he replied. “You have my word. Now, as for the climb itself, hang on a second. ”

He trotted away across some very rocky ground, scanning at his feet. He stopped abruptly, a smile on his lips, and carefully pulled a few leaves from a tiny shrub that sported a few clusters of small violet flowers.

“What’ve you got there? You’re supposed to bring me the flowers, not the leaves. You do realize that, right?”

“This is better. Ornax leaf. Forgotten by most in favor of man-made concoctions. But this is a very potent plant. It is quite bitter, but it provides a significant boost to your rune energy. It will help with the climb.” He took three small leaves and lay them on top of each other, then carefully folded them over before rolling them into a ball.

“There are tiny hair-like spines on the underside. If you don’t fold them first, they can be quite painful.

But rolled up like this, they are safe to chew.

They break down easily, it’s just that first prick that hurts. ”

“Like nettles back home,” Maria noted, taking the offering and popping it in her mouth. “Holy shit, you weren’t kidding. This is horrible.”

“Just chew.”

“Do I swallow it?”

“If you want to get the most from it, yes,” he said, offering her some water to wash it down.

Maria managed to force it down, shuddering from the terrible taste. “You better not have been messing with me, because that was freaking nasty.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Then how long does it take until—” She froze in place, a flush rising to her cheeks. A moment later her Infala began to faintly glow. All of her runes did. “Holy shit!” she exclaimed, bouncing on her toes like a hyper ferret ready to play. “This is amazing!”

“I told you.”

“Why didn’t we use this sooner? ”

“Because it only grows in very rocky terrain. And because too much of it can be hard on the body. There is a high, but a nasty low follows if you are not careful. This, however, is a small enough amount that the aftereffects should be negligible, while still being adequate to help you with the climb.”

“Wow. Okay,” she said, still jittery with energy. “Whatever. Works for me.”

“Good.”

“Come on, let’s get moving. I need to put this energy to use!”

He looked up at the long climb ahead of them. “Don’t worry. You will.”

True to his word, it was a long and arduous climb, and by the end of the day when the Ornax leaf had worn off, Maria found herself utterly spent, falling sound asleep with no energy for any sort of sexy-time shenanigans.

She’d pushed harder than she would have thought possible, and it finally caught up with her.

The next day was more of the same, the lovers climbing steadily, though slowly at times, the Llamalians easily keeping up, their strong muscles allowing them to scale the rocky terrain much more gracefully than their bipedal companions.

Maria moved a little slower even with the use of the Ornax leaf due to simple fatigue, but Zepharos noted her state and stopped their ascent early for the day, claiming his leg was cramping so as not to make her self-conscious about any self-imposed performance goals.

The extra rest did them both a world of good, and the following morning saw them off with renewed vigor. Best of all, it was only a few hours into their early morning climb when Zepharos recognized a trio of towering rocks, jutting at an unlikely angle, just as he’d heard described.

“It’s close,” he said. “The entrance should be to the left of the central one. Hidden behind it, actually.” He led the way, pulling something from his pack as they circled the rock. A flashlight device, she saw as he turned it on.

“Technology?”

“Like I said, the Oraku prefer not to use it, but that doesn’t mean they don’t keep some around, just in case.”

“And this was one of those just-in-case occasions?”

“I thought so.” He pulled out a long knife as well. Maria’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Like I said. Just in case. Now, stay behind me. The stories were a little vague, but we need to be careful.”

She didn’t ask what he meant by that, but his tone said enough. She fell in close behind and stayed quiet, even the Llamalians right behind them seeming to sense the need for stealth.

Zepharos set the flashlight device to a red-hued light to spare their night vision, then turned it to a lower illumination setting.

Enough to see by, but not so much as to flood the place with light.

It was a natural tunnel, but there were signs where tools had made alterations to the stone, widening it in places and carving what looked like torch or candle holder spaces along the walls.

It was readily apparent that no one had been through here in a very long time, and there were no traces of any of those ancient lighting implements anywhere to be seen.

The pathway was relatively clear, though.

A layer of dirt in some places, but mostly just rock, the downward angle making it feel even more like they were descending into some oppressive subterranean realm, though even if they’d been moving straight ahead and perfectly level they’d still be walking beneath the incalculable weight of a mountain.

They descended for hours, occasionally entering larger chambers but mostly traveling in a simple tunnel. It was wide enough to walk side-by-side, though, so it didn’t feel too claustrophobic. At least not any more than walking beneath a billion tons of rock normally felt.

Abruptly, the walls widened into a proper cavern, its high ceiling and spacious area appearing to be at least the size of a football field even in the dim light.

There were fallen rocks throughout, dotting the space with what looked like debris.

Only as they passed did Maria note that they had been worked on and shaped, though most were quite broken.

A few, however, seemed intact, and the way they sometimes lay against one another gave the impression of an odd sort of stone village of sorts.

She was about to comment on that when the sound of a low snarling growl filled the air, reverberating off the stone.

Zepharos quickly keyed up the intensity of the light and held his knife at the ready.

What they saw was horrifying, but not as scary as it sounded.

The creature was a sickly gray color from a life without sun.

No need for pigmentation living in the dark.

Its eyes were enormous, but it seemed to move more by hearing and smell than vision.

It moved like a leopard, claws scratching along the stone, saliva dripping from its fangs, its sinewy muscles clear beneath its hairless hide.

Without warning it leapt through the air, covering far more distance than would have seemed possible, flying right at Maria and the animals. The light clattered to the ground as Zepharos threw himself between them, absorbing the impact while driving the knife into the animal’s twisting body.

It howled loud and spun away as it landed, circling angrily then charging again, its attention now focused on the threat rather than the prey.

Zepharos dove aside, slashing with the blade, opening a small cut along its flank.

The beast, however, also landed a blow, clawing open a shallow gash on the man’s arm .

More sounds began to fill the chamber. Growls. Snarls. Zepharos and Maria realized at once what that meant.

This animal was not alone.

Zepharos lunged into an attack, taking the offensive and charging the animal, his knife held low.

The beast reacted, springing forward in response.

Zepharos turned aside at the last second, his blade flashing out hard and fast, burying itself deep in the creature’s chest where he hoped its heart was located.

It hit the ground with a thud and slid to a stop, motionless. His blow had struck true.

Zepharos didn’t waste a second. “In there!” he commanded, pointing to a gap between two rocks where a triangle symbol had been carved into the stone itself.

Maria didn’t hesitate, running right into the void, the Llamalians right behind her.

She looked back to see him snatch his knife and pick up the flashlight then run after her, the sound of the approaching animals growing louder by the moment.

She saw their shapes in the distance. A dozen or more of them, equally ugly and just as dangerous.

Maria looked around at their surroundings.

It was a small room carved into the stone, and Zepharos was rolling a massive wheel-shaped stone across the entry opening.

It was the only way in or out, and, with great effort, he managed to close them in.

The sounds of growls and yelps were muffled but they could still hear them as the pack descended on their fallen comrade.

But rather than mourn its loss, the wet crunching sounds made it clear that they were devouring the unexpected meal.

Here in the underground, apparently no meat would go to waste.

Zepharos dropped his knife and slid down to the ground, leaning against the wall out of breath.

“How did you know this was here?”

He shrugged. “Like I said, the locals had stories. Not just the path, but the dangers as well as places to find refuge. ”

“What are they?”

“Volvix, if I’m not mistaken. At least, that’s what the old ones called them.” He pulled out a water container and washed his wound, wincing in pain.

“It’s not too deep,” Maria said, taking a look. “I’ll dress the wound.”

“Thanks.”

“You saved me back there. It’s kinda the least I can do.”

“Still, thanks,” he said, slumping over.

“What is it? Did it get you somewhere else?”

He shook his head. “Just some bad luck is all. Apparently, the stories were right about this as well. They have a toxin in their claws.”

“Oh my God! What do I do?”

“Nothing. There’s nothing to do.”

“Don’t say that!”

He let out a weak chuckle. “Don’t worry, it’s not fatal. It’s meant to incapacitate prey so they can move in for the kill. But in here we’re safe. I’ll just need some time to recover is all.”

“How long?”

“That the stories did not say.”

Maria felt her heart relax slightly. “You scared the shit out of me, you know.”

“Sorry. But I just need to rest a bit. The toxin weakens my body.”

“Then you rest. I’ll get you cleaned up. You’re safe, Zeph. I’ve got you.”

“That’s usually my line.”

“It’s a two-way street, you know. And now let me take care of you .”

“No argument from me,” he said, taking her hand and pressing it to his lips before closing his eyes and lying back to rest .

Maria rummaged through the packs, soothing the spooked animals then returning with her medical supplies. She’d clean him up and keep him safe. For now, that was her only concern. They’d worry about the pack of Volvix later.