The Wrathful Mountains by Lana Axe Page A

voice growing louder, as if
issuing a challenge. “ Maybe they have died or found someone else to
amuse them. Maybe our suffering amuses them. Who can say? Why else would they
allow our children to die?”
    “There are many
skilled healers among my people,” Galen said. “When I return to the Vale, I
will find the best among them and send them to aid you. I have no doubt one of
them will find a cure.”
    “Your offer is
kind,” she replied, “but this is not a disease of the body. This is a curse of
the gods, a true work of evil. Your healers can do nothing.”
    “I’m still going to
speak with them,” he promised.
    Tashi nodded, but
the words did not give her hope. She had already made the mistake of calling
upon darkness to replace the missing light, and it had ended in disaster. No
elf medicine would bring the gods back to the Ulihi, and Tashi had failed in
her position as their spiritual leader. The image of her niece crept back into
her mind, and her heart ached anew. The sorceress had to know a way to save the
child. Magic was a tool of the gods, and it could be used to defy their will.
If the gods planned to take Annin’s daughter, maybe Kaiya could stop them.
    “What is your
reason for traveling to the mines?” Tashi asked. “Why do they need your magic?”
Had the gods found a way to punish the miners as well as the Ulihi?
    “There have been
avalanches, and people are getting hurt,” Kaiya said. “They sent Raad to fetch
me to see if I could put a stop to it.”
    “They should be
used to such things,” Tashi said. “An avalanche is not an uncommon thing in
these mountains.” Her voice was full of disappointment. This was not the work
of the gods, only nature.
    “I also had a
vision,” Kaiya added.
    Those words piqued
Tashi’s interest. “What did you see?” she asked eagerly.
    “I sensed a
presence, and I saw myself high in the mountains,” Kaiya said. “Then I fell
down into the heart of the mountain.”
    “That is a powerful
vision,” the priestess whispered. “Do you know who it was that you sensed?”
    “A great mind,” the
sorceress replied. “It was strong, powerful, and it definitely has an agenda.
That’s why I’m traveling to the mines. I believe the avalanches there, the
tremors in my own hometown, and my vision are all related.”
    Swallowing hard,
Tashi wondered if the demons she had unleashed could be the cause of it all.
Her attempt to enlist the help of the dead god might have affected more than
just the Ulihi. Once evil was unleashed, it was difficult to contain. It could
wreak havoc wherever it pleased unless checked by a higher power. Tashi had no
true magic with which to combat it, nor did any member of her tribe.
    Looking the
sorceress up and down, she attempted to measure her proficiency. Would this
dwarf be strong enough? Tashi could only hope so. If Kaiya failed, there might
not be time to seek out another. The Ulihi would be doomed, as would the
dwarves.
    The path grew wider
as it twisted around a bend. The snow here was deeper, reaching past the dwarves’
ankles, and it showed no signs of disturbance by animal or otherwise. It lay
perfectly smooth and even, a thin layer of melt forming on its top under the
rays of the afternoon sun.
    As the gap spread
out, so did the weary companions. Their leg muscles ached from their
steep-angle trek, but this area was primarily flat. The ground crunched
slightly beneath their feet, a layer of gravel paving the way. Travel would be
less challenging, at least for a while.
    Looking into the
distance, Kaiya could not resist a brief pause to admire the view. A gentle mist
settled throughout the mountains on her right, as they spread endlessly into
the shadows. A land wholly unspoiled by the touch of the dwarves, her heart
yearned to explore it. This, however, was not the time. Her vision played over
in her mind, telling her that there were other sights still to be seen.
    “I think it’s
getting colder,” Galen commented,