ARC IV THE FIRE MOUNTAIN
Chapter 18 Mountain of Flame
The river vanished behind them. The hunters remained on the far shore. For now. But nobody believed the escape would last forever. The hunt had only begun.
Three days passed. The travelers continued north. Away from forests. Away from roads. Away from civilization itself. The land slowly changed. The green wilderness of Middle Elyria faded behind them. Trees became sparse. Grass became gray. The air grew warmer. Dryer.
Mountains appeared on the horizon. Not ordinary mountains. Black mountains. Ancient mountains. Their peaks pierced the clouds like jagged spears. Thin streams of smoke rose endlessly into the sky. At night faint red light glowed from cracks within the stone.
Toivo stared at them from atop his marble horse.
"They look angry."
"They are."
Gret answered. The giant Northman rode beside him. His wolf-fur cloak snapped in the wind.
"Those are the Ashfang Mountains."
"You've been here?"
"No."
Gret looked toward the distant peaks.
"Nobody sane comes here."
Kev snorted.
"Then we should fit in perfectly."
The black cat stretched comfortably atop Moon's palanquin.
Moon ignored him. The palanquin floated silently through the daylight sky. White golems carried it across the rocky terrain. Moon sat within the shrine-like structure. Once again trapped in his smaller daylight form. Long black hair spilled across the cushions like silk.
The child-god remained unusually quiet.
Toivo noticed.
Moon had been quiet ever since the river.
Ever since seeing the Blood Wraith.
Toivo still remembered the look on Moon's face. Recognition. Pain. Something ancient. Something Moon refused to explain. The silence bothered him.
But not even Gret dared ask.
The mountains grew larger with every passing day. Soon the travelers reached their foothills. The world changed immediately. Vegetation vanished. The ground became black volcanic stone. Steam escaped from cracks in the earth. Rivers of glowing lava flowed through distant valleys. Ash drifted constantly from the sky.
The air smelled of smoke. Sulfur. Fire. Toivo wiped soot from his face.
"I hate this place."
"Excellent survival instincts."
Kev replied.
"I also hate this place."
Even Gret looked uncomfortable.
The heat was relentless.
Only Moon seemed unaffected. Perhaps because sunlight already weakened him.
Perhaps because he had visited before.
Whatever the reason Moon looked strangely at home.
As though he remembered these mountains. As though they remembered him. That evening they made camp beside a field of black obsidian. No trees. No grass. No birds. Only distant firelight reflecting against dark stone. The landscape felt ancient. Like a forgotten world.
Toivo sat beside the fire sharpening Frostfang.
Gret corrected his grip.
Again.
"No."
The older warrior grabbed his wrist.
"Like this."
Toivo groaned.
"You've corrected that six times."
"And you'll keep doing it wrong until I correct it seven."
Kev laughed.
Moon smiled faintly. A rare sight lately.
The small smile immediately made Toivo's heart do something unhelpful.
Gret noticed.
Unfortunately.
The giant warrior slowly turned toward him.
Toivo immediately looked away.
Gret sighed.
"You are painfully obvious."
Toivo nearly dropped his axe.
Moon blinked.
Kev began laughing so hard he fell off a rock.
Toivo wanted the volcano to swallow him. Mercifully the mountain chose that exact moment to explode. The ground shook violently. Everyone jumped to their feet. A thunderous roar echoed through the valley.
Far above them one of the volcanic peaks erupted. Fire burst into the heavens. Ash clouds rolled across the sky. Rivers of molten lava spilled down the mountainside. The sight was magnificent. Terrifying. Beautiful.
Moon stepped forward. Jet black eyes turned into Silver eyes reflecting the flames.
For a brief moment he looked older. Ancient. Almost nostalgic.
Toivo noticed immediately.
"You know this place."
Moon was silent.
Then he nodded.
"Yes."
The answer surprised everyone.
Moon rarely admitted things so easily.
Kev's ears twitched.
"An old friend?"
Moon's gaze remained fixed upon the erupting mountain. For the first time in days a genuine smile appeared. Small. Warm. Affectionate.
"Very old."
That answer somehow created even more questions. Before anyone could ask the earth shook again. Not from the volcano. From something else.
Something enormous. The distant mountain trembled. A deep sound echoed through the valley. Not thunder. Not an eruption. A roar. A roar so powerful the mountains themselves answered.
The sky vibrated. The earth trembled. The lava rivers shook. Every instinct inside Toivo screamed danger. Even Gret's hand moved toward his greataxe. Kev's crimson eyes narrowed.
Moon simply smiled.
Far away within the heart of the largest volcano two enormous golden eyes opened. Watching. Awake. Ancient.
The roar came again. This time closer. Much closer. And somewhere deep within the Mountain of Flame something that had slept for centuries realized that Moon had returned.
The Dragon had awakened.
No comments:
Post a Comment