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“Go on with you,” Ashera said, a stern look on her face. “May the gods bless your journey, and may you fly with swift and silent feet.” She adjusted the cloak on my shoulders. She’d given me a second outfit—one of hers that fit reasonably well. “If you are destined for greatness, child, then I wish you safety. Go now, before the darkness falls.”
I hugged her again, then swung up onto Elbreth—the horse that Fenling had given me—and we turned to the thicket behind us. Silently, led by Quen, we rode single file into the oncoming darkness as the chill settled around our shoulders.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Two days later,we were on a path leading into the mountains. We would soon be at the Eiralpine Line, forging our way into the world that belonged to the People of the Winds. The Snow Witch had been howling wild, but she left us alone as we struggled through the snows that grew deeper with every hour we climbed the trail. Our horses were sturdy, though, and they were bred for the snows, so we braved the growing winds the farther north we went.
Every so often, we’d stop and build a fire to warm our hands and heat some water for tea, and eat a few bites of food. I missed the warmth of Ashera’s hearth, but it felt good to be with Fenling and the Lorani again and I quickly adapted to life back on the road.
Finally, the evening of the second day, we came to a small marker on the trail. It was carved from stone and the etchings on it were clear: We had reached the Eiralpine Line.
“Well, here we are,” Fenling said. “We’re about to cross out of Karehl’s jurisdiction. He tries to claim all of Bramble Fel, but truth is, he doesn’t rule most of the woodland. And above this line, he has no official power. If he follows us up here, therewon’t be any questions or punishments if we run into him and dispatch him.”
She glanced at the men. “If wedomeet him, we can’t let him go. Are you willing to do what is necessary?”
Quen motioned to the others and they all nodded. “We serve Bran. We do not serve his brother,” he said.
I took a deep breath. Even though I hated Karehl, and I would have sacrificed him without a second thought to escape, Fenling had a cool ruthlessness to her that I both admired and feared.
“Then remember that, when the time comes,” Fenling said. She motioned for us to follow her and we crossed the border dividing the People of the Snow from the People of the Winds.
Another two daysand we neared the place Fenling remembered from her childhood. As we rode side by side, I asked her, “Where is it? Is it a cave?”
She nodded. “In a way. It feels like a cave, but I have a feeling it was created by some being or creature. I remember it glowed when we were in there. It seemed like an ice cave, but I remember thinking it couldn’t have been natural. I don’t really remember why I thought that, only that I did. Somehow, we managed to stay warm and protected until we could leave.”
“Do you remember how to find it?”
Fenling brushed her hair back from her face, tucking it under her hood. “I think so. My memory isn’t clear, but the feelings around it are. And they’re coming back to me. We’re near. I know we are.” She turned back to me. “We’ll be there by early evening. We veer off the path shortly.”
We pushed on, with Fenling in the lead. She stopped every so often to close her eyes and sense out the path. Finally, as dusk began to fall, she suddenly straightened in her saddle and then turned left, heading off the path toward a large rock formation. The snow was getting worse, falling so heavily that it was difficult to see. As dusk closed in, I spotted a faint light emanating from deep within the rocks.
“This is it,” Fenling said.
She dismounted, leading her horse behind her. We followed suit, Quen and I coming next, and then the other men. As we approached the rock pile, which stood at least three houses high, I realized that it was the opening to a cave. Fenling paused at the entrance, which was obscured from plain sight by the mounds of snow. But it was still there—a dark open maw leading into blackness, except for that dim light.
Fenling paused at the opening, tilting her head to listen. Quen and I did the same. I could hear the faint sound of movement from within, but I wasn’t sure what it was. I tapped on Fenling’s arm, and she nodded.
“I hear it too,” she said, lowering her voice.
As I readied my dagger, Quen and Fenling withdrew their swords. Our companions did the same as we prepared for the unknown.
It occurred to me that it was dangerous to go in without a torch. We would have no idea of what we were facing. But a torch would also complicate matters, announcing our entrance. Fenling didn’t seem to care, though, as she moved toward the cave opening. I wondered what she was up to—we really couldn’t fight in the pitch dark, could we? But with soft steps, she sidled through the opening. Quen followed immediately, and—not wanting to let them down—I decided to trust her leadership. I stepped through the dark entrance as well.
Immediately, a pale bluish glow filled the air, and I could see. Even though I’d been able to see the illumination coming from the rocks as we were riding toward them, none could be seen through the entrance. But here we were, in a monstrous cave illuminated by long stalactites and stalagmites made of what appeared to be ice. Surprised, I immediately began looking around, scouting out our surroundings.
The cave was filled with the icicles, jutting from both ceiling and the floor. They were enormous, some big enough to hide behind. In fact, the entire cave seemed to take up far more room than it looked like on the outside. It was then that I noticed our path sloped downward, deeper into the earth. The sounds we had heard earlier were still there. It was like a snuffling, or perhaps the sound of some creature shuffling about. I tried to look for whatever it was that was causing the sound, but I could see nothing.
The cave was beautiful, though, and it mesmerized me with its radiance that seemed to emanate from the core of the icicles themselves. But was it truly ice? Or was it crystal, forming the long teeth that filled the cavern?
Fenling held up her hand, then pointed toward one side of the cave. There, a creature that looked like a giant scorpion made from faceted crystal scuttled around the edge of the cavern. I had seen scorpions, much smaller, down below the Leanderial Line.
One of the traders I had spoken with told me they were common in the desert climes, and they occasionally made their way as far north as Lake Shore. I knew that they were venomous, but were these the same? Could they even properly be called scorpions?
The rest of the men led the horses inside, but left them near the opening. The horses seemed uneasy, unwilling to follow us any farther into the cavern.
The men spread out, their weapons ready.
At that moment, I noticed other similar scorpions emerging from behind the icicles, as though they were part of the cavern itself. They began moving toward us, and I caught my breath.
