The Wrathful Mountains (6 page)

The trio moved close together, staring ahead as
their attackers moved into view. A group of no less than a dozen figures moved
their way, led by a female figure in a long wooden mask. The mask’s expression
displayed anger, but the figure’s body language displayed caution. With her
head shaved smooth and rows of beads dangling across her chest, Kaiya knew the
woman must be of some importance to these primitive people.

Kaiya furrowed her brow impatiently. “Why have you
attacked us?” she demanded, shouting.

The masked woman moved closer, her ebony skin
contrasting against the snow. In her hand she clutched a staff, the bleached
white skull of a goat upon its end. “You have invaded our land!” the woman
called back. “You will come with us, and we will determine your fate!”

Raad laughed low in his throat. “I guess they
don’t know who they’re dealing with,” he said, nudging Kaiya slightly.

Raising her hands defensively, Kaiya prepared to
defend herself and her companions. But the wind rustled her hair, whispering a
message in her ear. To her surprise, she replied, “We will go with you.”

“A
re you crazy?”
Raad asked. “Those are mountain wild men!”

Her expression
serene, Kaiya replied, “I know what I’m doing.”

“I don’t think you
do,” Raad stated, gripping the spear tighter. “You should blast these savages
before they kill all three of us. They practice evil magic.”

“What do you mean?”
she asked.

“They’ve put curses
on us miners before,” he said. “Boils and dysentery are their favorite weapons
besides the spear. They hate us. They don’t want us in these mountains, and
they’ll kill any dwarf they can get their hands on.”

“These people have
no magic,” Kaiya replied. “You’re mistaken, and I won’t harm them.”

“Did you miss the
part where they attacked us?” he asked, lifting the spear to her face.

“I miss nothing,”
she said, placing her hand on the spear shaft and lowering it. “Put this down
before they think you’re threatening them.”

Raad stared
open-mouthed at the sorceress. Taking a look at Galen, the dwarf weighed his
options. “You agree with her, Elf?”

“I trust her
judgment,” Galen stated. “She won’t let them harm us.” His voice betrayed no
hint of deception. If Kaiya did not fear these people, Galen would not.

With a huff, Raad
tossed the spear to the ground in front of him. The attackers approached with
caution, the masked figure leading the way.

Kaiya spread her
arms in a nonthreatening manner. “We aren’t here to hurt you,” she said. “We
will go with you to discuss our presence in your land. We want no trouble, only
to pass through. Our kinsmen are in need of our help.”

Removing her mask,
Tashi studied the travelers before her. Raad was uninteresting. She had seen
hundreds of miners before. But Kaiya’s presence demanded a second look.
Studying her face closely, she asked, “Are you a being of magic?”

“I am,” Kaiya
replied.

Tashi’s eyes
widened. She didn’t know how, but she could sense the magic in this woman. It
radiated from her, her power unmistakable. Never before had Tashi encountered a
being of true magic, and it was both frightening and intriguing.

The warriors moved
to a position behind the intruders and lowered their spears. The priestess led
the way, heading back toward her tribe’s village. Instead of continuing north,
the travelers were forced in a westerly direction, rounding a steep hillside and
hopping over a deep crag.

They descended
slightly, taking the trio farther away from their original destination. The
landscape smoothed, and a tiny village came into view. Evergreens surrounded
it,
stretching on to eternity, lifting their snow-covered boughs in
praise of the life-giving sun. In the most beautiful stretch of the
inhospitable mountains, the tribe had carved a home.

“Wait in there,” Tashi commanded, pointing to a
hut.

The three did not argue, instead stepping inside
without a word. They sat cross-legged, facing the door flap and awaiting
whatever might come through it.

“You’ve encountered these wild men before?” Kaiya
asked Raad.

“I’ve seen them from a distance,” he replied.
“Mostly it’s stories. Lots of miners have seen things, and some of our caravans
have been attacked.”

Galen shook his head. “These are the Ulihi. They
keep mostly to themselves.”

“How do you know?” Kaiya asked.

“I’ve read about them,” the elf replied. “There
are several old volumes that mention this tribe. Once they populated the entire
mountain range and lived peacefully with the earliest dwarves. Now they’ve all
but disappeared. I’m actually surprised these people are still living here.”

“How do you know that’s who we’re dealing with?”
Raad asked, his tone skeptical. These were undoubtedly the people the miners
had encountered before, and they were anything but peaceful.

“Their clothing or lack thereof is a dead
giveaway,” Galen explained. “They have ebony skin, blessed by the hand of the
mountain itself. It’s said they’re impervious to the cold.”

“That would explain why they’re scantily dressed,”
Kaiya replied. The tribesmen wore little more than colorful beaded collars,
loin cloths, and goat-hair adornments on their ankles. The priestess wore only
a bit more. By comparison, the dwarves wrapped themselves in thick woolen
tunics and cloaks before traveling high in the mountains, and their faces still
became raw and red from exposure. The Ulihi appeared not to notice the frigid
temperatures, and they had managed to track Kaiya’s group through heavy
snowfall. She could understand why the miners thought these people practiced
magic. In reality, they were doing what their ancestors had done for centuries,
with no help from magic at all.

“There’s also a theory that these are the
ancestors of the dwarves,” Galen added.

“You’re speaking like there aren’t two dwarves
sitting next to you,” Raad grumbled.

“Sorry,” the elf replied. “What I should have said
was, these people could likely be relatives of yours. It’s speculated that some
Ulihi refused to modernize when the rest of the dwarves moved lower in the
mountains and built a new civilization. The holdout groups have changed little
over time, continuing the traditional way of life your own people once lived.”

“I think these are the people from our children’s
fairy tales,” Kaiya said. “There have always been rumors of their existence,
but they’re usually considered to be creatures of myth.”

“As you can see, they’re no myth,” Galen stated.
He had to repress his smile to keep from insulting Raad. To Galen, this was an
amazing discovery. Here he sat in the village of a long-forgotten race. It was
as if the pages of one of his history books had suddenly come to life.

“Maybe they’re
your
ancestors,” Raad said,
narrowing his eyes.

“No, the elves have always been elves,” Galen
replied. “But if I were descended from the Ulihi, I’d be proud.”

“Why’s that?” the miner asked.

“Because they’re an amazing people,” the elf
replied. “They’ve managed to stay hidden for centuries, their numbers dwindling
but their spirits unbroken. They didn’t flinch for a second when they saw us
coming.”

“You’re out of your mind,” Raad said.

The argument was interrupted when Tashi stepped
inside the hut, two armed warriors close behind her. All three stood the same height
as the dwarves, but they were of slighter build than their stocky counterparts.
The captives rose to their feet, Galen’s head brushing against the top of the
hut.

“My name is Tashi,” the woman announced. “I am
High Priestess of the Ulihi. We have discussed your intrusion upon our hunting
grounds,” she announced. “We will let two of you go. The third must pay for the
transgression.”

“What’s the price?” Galen asked.

“Death,” she replied.

“Peaceful,” Raad spat, staring at the elf and
shaking his head.

Tashi stared at Galen, her eyes full of curiosity.
“Dwarves I know, but you are strange.”

“I’m an elf,” he replied. “A Westerling Elf of the
Vale.”

“We have never encountered your people,” the
priestess replied. “You are a creature of the old songs.”

“You mean, I’m a myth to you?” he asked, his head
cocked to the side.

Tashi nodded.

“Fascinating,” he replied. He had never considered
himself to be anything special, but he could fully understand why the Ulihi
would not know of his people. The Westerling Elves kept to themselves, rarely
leaving their own forest. His own ancestors had inhabited all corners of
Nōl’Deron. Now, their descendants populated the forests, but only the
Westerling Elves maintained the same physical appearance of the original elves.
It was a flattering thought that someone considered him a creature of legend.

“I will not accept you as a sacrifice,” Tashi
said. Executing a descendant of the Ancients would bring destruction upon her
tribe. The old tales spoke vividly of encounters with elves, the benevolent
beings who had whispered to the Ulihi the secret of creating fire.

“I appreciate that,” Galen said.

“One of you must die,” Tashi said, looking to the
dwarves.

Knowing that the Ulihi’s primitive weapons held no
danger for her, Kaiya stated, “Our kinsmen need our help. If you allow my
friends to travel in safety to the northern mines, you may execute me if you
wish.” She stood tall, her chin held high.

Tashi examined the dwarf’s face, wondering how she
could so easily offer her life for the others. “You are a woman of honor,” she
stated. “You may go. We will keep the male.” Her eyes looked to Raad, who
stammered over his protest.

“I will not allow that,” Kaiya said. “This man is
under my protection.”

“Who are you?” Tashi asked.

“My name is Kaiya, and I am a mistress of air
magic.”

“A sorceress,” Tashi said.

“Yes,” she replied. “There is a dark presence in
these mountains, and I have come to find it before it can do any harm.”

“It has already caused great harm,” Tashi said,
lowering her eyes. “Leave us,” she said to the warriors.

They hesitated a moment, but a harsh look from
Tashi convinced them to honor her request.

“Darkness has settled upon our tribe, but I do not
know its source,” she said. “Do you have the ability to sense it?”

“I do,” Kaiya admitted. “I feel no magic among
your people, but something is out there, and it’s hiding from me.”

“Why is that?” Tashi asked.

“Perhaps it is afraid,” Kaiya said, uncertain. “Or
it is ill-prepared and awaiting the proper time to show itself.” She was not so
foolish as to believe herself a major threat to an unknown magical entity.
Whether it was more or less powerful than she, Kaiya had no way to tell. Only
when she met it face to face would she know for certain.

“I have seen dark shadows,” Tashi said. “There is
evil here, and I cannot contain it.”

“I will if I can,” Kaiya said.

“You would fight for my people?” Tashi studied
Kaiya’s face for any hint of deception.

“I would,” the sorceress replied.

Instinctively Tashi knew that the dwarf woman was sincere.
A silver spark lit in the sorceress’s eyes, a message to the priestess that she
could be trusted. A gentle breeze moved through the hut, stoking the fire and
catching Tashi’s eye. The face of her mother flashed before her, fading to that
of her sister. The gentle cry of her niece sounded from the village, music to
Tashi’s ears. This could be the woman who put an end to the Ulihi’s curse.
Tashi would not let her out of her sight until she knew for certain.

“You are a brave woman,” Tashi said. “We are
honored to have you among us, and we will accept any help you are willing to
give. There are matters we must discuss.”

“I’m happy to help you,” Kaiya repeated, “but
there are dwarves being injured at the mines. I have promised to help them, and
I must. Lives are at stake.”

“Lives are at stake here as well,” Tashi replied.
“Many have already been lost.”

“What’s happened?” Kaiya asked.

“It’s as I said before. We are cursed.” Tashi’s
eyes filled with tears. “Too many women are lost in childbirth, and our children
no longer survive their first year of life. It is not natural. The gods do
nothing to protect us.”

“I’m sorry,” Kaiya said, the priestess’s pain
piercing her heart.

“Your magic could save us,” Tashi went on. “Will
you speak to the Wind God on our behalf?”

“I know of no such being,” Kaiya replied. Never in
her studies had she encountered anything that could truly be considered a
supreme being. There were powerful elementals and powerful wizards, but none
had attained the status of a god in her eyes.

“It does not surprise me,” the priestess replied,
bowing her head. Her own gods had abandoned her, why would the dwarf’s gods be
any different? “Will you at least meet with my niece and bless her with your
magic? She is the only child in our village, and I fear for her.”

Looking into Tashi’s pleading eyes, Kaiya could
not refuse her request. Though she doubted her definition of “blessing” and the
Ulihi’s were the same, Kaiya would do what she could. “I will,” she stated.

“The elf too,” Tashi said, nodding toward Galen.
“Your people have magic, and it might be of help to my niece.”

“I’d be happy to help, and you may call me Galen,”
he replied. He swallowed hard, knowing that his own magical talents were
severely limited, and nearly nonexistent when compared to Kaiya’s. But even
without magic, Galen was not blind to Tashi’s pain. Her yearning to ensure the
safety of her niece came from her heart, and the sentiment radiated itself
toward the elf. He might be of no help at all, but the least he could do was
give Tashi hope.

“This one can stay behind,” Tashi said, indicating
Raad.

“This one’s name is Raad,” Kaiya said. “And he
goes where I go.”

“Very well,” Tashi agreed.

The four stepped outside the hut, Tashi pointing
toward a woman cradling an infant in her arms. As they moved through the tiny
village, every member of the tribe laid eyes on the only visitors they’d
witnessed in their lifetimes. Only occasionally did the hunters encounter
dwarves, and none had ever been brought back to the village. They were most fascinated
by the presence of an elf in their midst, not only for his height but the
history he represented. In ancient times his people had been of great service
to their own. They looked upon him with wonder.

Visibly frightened, the doula’s eyes grew wide.
She clutched the infant tightly to her breast, fearing the strangers’ approach.

“It’s all right,” Tashi assured her. “These two
have come to help.” Tashi reached for her niece, and the doula reluctantly
passed the child to her waiting arms. Presenting the child before Kaiya and
Galen, she said, “This is my niece, the daughter of my sister, Annin.”