SWNOVELS Chapter Through The Mountain
“Are you ready?” Lessa whispered in Zar's ear. He was in Storm's saddle and Lessa sat behind him, directly on Storm's scales. From their vantage, perched upon the closest foothill to the Mountain they could see the castle and the city laid out before them.
Zar dipped his chin once in grim determination.
Opening her magic Lessa reached out to the moisture in the air, in the grass, in the ground, she willed it to become lighter to mix with the air. Wisps of fog started to form and gather into thick impenetrable clouds along the ground. But it wasn’t enough, Lessa glanced at the clouds riding the atmosphere. She called them down and they blended into the fog on the ground until the castle and city were invisible; only the tip of the Mountain was open to their sight.
“After this, they will be anticipating us,” Zar said.
“Let them.”
Storm jumped into the sky.
The castle was a quarter-hour away. Storm flew directly to the peak of the castle that jutted up from the fog.
“Hold on,” Lessa said into Zar’s ear as Storm dipped her tail and back legs low for a landing. The uppermost turret was thin and peaked, Storm’s talons dug into the stone, breaking away enormous chunks for her to grip, her wings wrapped forward, willing her bulk to clasp the tower.
“Quickly,” Storm said, “I don’t have a strong grip.”
Lessa pulled herself up to Storm’s shoulder and she launched herself through a window, sword in hand she crouched and looked around. The room was dark and empty. She relaxed when Zar landed in the tower. Just as Storm’s claws pushed away, filling the tower with a scratching breaking sound, Zar hit his knee.
“What is it?” Lessa asked, bending down to him.
He stared, unseeing. “I can… Feel.. The castle.”
“What do you mean you can feel it?”
“Every hallway, every room, every door, every person. I can feel all of it.”
Lessa walked the circular outline of the room. There were six large windows, giving open views of all of Kathardra, past the fog.
There was a trap door off to one side, surrounded by dirt on the floor that seemed to have been undisturbed for a long time.
She went back to Zar and knelt by his side.
“Can you tell when Golathar is?”
Very hesitantly, Zar nodded. “I believe so,” he spoke with wide eyes.
Lessa jumped a little when she felt a surge of magic from Zar, a satisfied smile curled his lips.
“What did you do?”
“I just locked every door.”
Impressed, Lessa nodded her head
“I can hear Storm again, they will be back in a few minutes. Let’s give them some room.”
They moved to the center of the circular room, the tower shook and dust fell when Storm latched onto it, Worran sprang into the room just a moment later.
“I never want to do that again,” he said, looking a little green.
“I am too old for this,” Cinder grumbled as he pulled himself into the room. “Riding dragons, storming castles, I want to go to sleep in a bed tonight.”
“If all goes well, you can choose any bed in the castle,” Zar said, heading toward the trap door.
“Lessa.” Storm pressed her forehead to the nearest window. “Be careful.”
“I will,” Lessa said, then leaned out the window and kissed Storm’s brow.
“Lessa and I will go first,” Zar said, then he heaved open the heavy trap door.
Swords in hand Lessa and Zar slipped onto the spiral staircase side by side.
“It’s empty,” Lessa said, leaning over the rail to look down.
The silence was eerie as they made their way down.
The door at the bottom led into a corridor that was similarly abandoned.
“To be honest, I was expecting a little more fighting,” Lessa said.
“Don’t sound so disappointed,” Cinder scolded her. “Every time you can avoid a fight it is a good day.”
“Oh!” Worran said loudly. “The guards said that much of the castle is sealed off. No one can get into some substantial parts of it. That must be where we are.”
With that realization they relaxed a little, walking the halls with more curiosity than apprehension.
“I suppose it makes sense that the inside is in proportion to the outside,” Worran said, craning his neck to look at the carved stone ceiling above them.
Rugs lined the floor, woven with flowing designs and softening the room.
“We need to go further down, there aren’t any people here.” Zar walked forward with purpose and pulled open an overly tall door. Down several staircases, through another hall, and then through a massive ballroom, they walked without encountering a single soul.
It wasn’t until Zar pulled aside a tapestry, to expose a hidden door, that he paused and said “I think this might lead us into the populated part of the castle. Lessa, I think we should... have, the first person we encounter bring us to Golathar. I might be able to find him myself, but it might be faster to have a guide.”
He waited for a response before Lessa realized he was asking for her opinion instead of expecting her to follow without question.
“I think that’s a good idea. But we should try to not hurt anyone if we don't have to.”
Zar nodded once and slid through the door, sword in hand. He didn’t move far before he flattened himself to a wall, Lessa and the others followed his example. “Don’t move,” Zar said and Lessa felt him work magic, but had no idea what he was doing.
In a perpendicular hallway, two women crossed without turning their heads.
With the question in her eye, Lessa looked at Zar and he nodded in return.
Lessa bolted into the hall behind the women and grasped their bodies with her magic, freezing them in place so effectively they couldn't draw breath. “Don’t scream,” she said, twisting her hands in front of herself to rotate the women toward her. She dropped her magic, mostly, and they both staggered slightly while they gasped.
“Would either of you care to give me a tour?”
They gasped loudly as Lessa’s companions rounded the corner, one of them moved to bolt but Lessa reached for and caught the woman’s ankles in magic, sending the woman sprawling on the ground.
“We only need one,” Zar said, as he grabbed the nearest doorknob. “Worran, grab her.”
“Don’t kill me!” the woman shrieked, instantly starting to fight and claw at Worran.
“We aren’t going to hurt you, silly woman,” Worran hissed at her as he tried to maneuver the woman into the side room.
Cinder placed a hand on the woman’s head and spoke a sleeping spell. Just barely Worran caught her dead weight before she hit the ground.
While they went about dragging the woman into the room Lessa went to her captive on the ground.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” she was sure to keep her words slow and calm. “Can you bring us to Golathar?”
The woman stared at her with wide gray eyes in a face that must’ve been the same age as Lessa’s own mother.
“Can you?” Lessa persisted.
“You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?” Her voice trembled.
After only a moment of hesitation, Lessa nodded her head.
It was easy to see the calculating thoughts behind the woman’s eyes, her expression changed to determined.
“I can only get you so close. He has guards. If they see me with you I’m as good as dead.”
A small nod of acquiescence tilted Lessa’s chin. She pulled the woman from the ground, looked to make sure her companions were ready then gestured for the woman to lead the way.
The speed at which the woman walked through the halls was impressive. Twice they heard voices coming toward them and the woman switched directions to avoid being seen.
Once, she brought them to a door that was locked tightly. She tisked in frustration and apologized. “I’m so sorry. I keep forgetting all the doors have been inexplicably locked, and my keys aren’t working.”
“That’s not a problem,” Zar said and reached forward to open the door that had clearly just been locked.
She eyed him in surprise for only a moment before she strode through the door. Lessa followed the woman into a short closed corridor, a small but intricate door on each side. “I can’t take you any further than this,” she said, halting before the other door.
“Golathar has kept himself locked in his throne room for the last several days. If you go through here, and take a left, the door at the end of the hall is his throne room.”
Lessa glanced at Zar and he nodded a confirmation, somehow he was able to feel that what she said was true.
“Stay here,” Zar told the woman before he opened the door and led the rest of them into the hall.
Nerves started rising in Lessa’s chest. They were so close. She tried to push the unhelpful thought from her mind when she took her place by Zar’s as they walked toward the throne room.
Spotting the throne room was not difficult; they were in a wide corridor and a large door was at the end of it.
A single man in armor stood before the door, his sword drawn, point in the carpet, both hands resting peacefully on its hilt.
Despite the four of them stalking toward him he did not move, but his roaming eyes evaluated all of them.
Swords in hand Lessa and Zar stood before the man, Cinder, and Worran slightly behind.
The lone guard’s eyes met Lessa’s and rested there, but they fell to his hands on his sword once more.
“Golathar sent away all the guards stationed here. He sent away everyone but his sorceress.” The man’s eyes studied the ceiling like he was looking for words there. “There is something wrong with him.”
“Then stand aside,” Zar said.
The guard’s eyes briefly looked at Zar but he continued like he hadn’t heard him. “He doesn’t trust anyone anymore. He’s killed four members of his council in as many days… I’m the captain of the Mountain Guard. The council members are my responsibility too, I counted some of them as friends.
“You must understand my predicament. My king, my liege to whom I have sworn fealty is going mad. It is my sword duty to protect him despite that. If I cross swords with you this night there is little doubt I will lose my life. Clearly, it is in the best interest of Kathardra to have a different king.”
He paused to look Zar up and down.
“You can step aside,” Lessa said, taking advantage of his diversion.
“But I can’t,” he said at once, turning his eyes to her. “If I step aside and let you through this door I am worthless as a guard. What king would let me guard him knowing I abandoned my duties? Worse, what man will follow me into battle knowing what I’ve done?”
Lessa narrowed her eyes at the man, and then she wrapped magic around him and snapped it into place, his feet locked together and his wrists were bound invisibly. His sword hit the ground at the same time his body did.
“You fought valiantly,” Lessa said as she pointed off to the right. His prone form slid out of the way.
“The door is spelled,” he said from where he lay. “And patrol comes by, every four minutes.”
Lessa set at once to feeling out the spells on the door.
“Worran, Cinder, you stay out here and deal with any patrols that come through. Be sure none get away, or they’ll raise an alarm. I don’t want to deal with enemies on our backs. But try not to kill anyone.”
A deep frown spread on Worran’s face.
“I need you here,” Zar told him. Worran nodded grimly, then they grasped each other’s forearms tightly.
“You better not fail. I want to sleep in a soft bed tonight, not a dungeon,” was all Cinder said when Zar turned his eyes on him.
Zar stood at Lessa’s side. “Are you ready?” she asked him.
“Are you?”
Jaw clenched Lessa nodded determinedly.
“There are several spells set to trigger if we touch the door. I can’t unravel them but I have a different idea.”
“What?”
“I’m going to set them off on purpose.”
Zar turned his eyes to the door and waited.
Using the strongest shield she had ever summoned, the spell was large, Lessa surrounded their side of the door. When she was satisfied that nothing could penetrate her shield she prepared a massive blast of magic, then hurled it into the door.
As fast as light, spikes of wood lodged themselves in Lessa's shield. A fire blasted to life, licking up the invisible wall but both the heat and danger were isolated to the other side.
Just when Lessa thought the tumult was over electricity started dancing through the fire. The realization that one of the spells had a delay on it struck her. She reinforced her shielded and prodded further forward, but she found no more spells.
Lessa curved her shield forward until it consumed the fire, she flattened and shrank it, quickly starving the fire of any life-giving air. When the flames were out the door to the throne room was clear.