A Quest of Earth and Magic, page 13
"There." He smiled, seemingly sure it was his magic doing the work. "At least I have that."
"Good," Ward said with a firm nod. "Keep your eyes open, and let's get the hell off this path as quickly as we can."
CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE
Ayla
I'd tasted fear before. When Riona had been under Eoghan's control, and he'd told her to kill me, I'd thought my life was over. I'd been weaponless, powerless, weak. Just as I'd been when the wolves attacked—as I'd been all day. I'd never been so grateful that Ward had insisted on coming, though my pride wasn't ready to admit that to him yet. But the watery tea rippled in my trembling hands, and I fought back tears for the second night in a row. Ward was speaking with the innkeeper in hushed tones, though every so often, he would turn to look at me with concern in his eyes. I'd quickly hide behind the mug, hoping he didn't see just how affected I was.
We arrived in the village perhaps half an hour after the wolf attack. Ward set to getting us lodging for the night. Elodia and Rutley sat next to the fire, bandaging their wounds and commiserating over their pain. But as deep as the gashes had looked in the dark, they weren't that bad now. At least, not life-threatening.
"Maybe the teeth just looked longer," Elodia said, wincing as Rutley sewed up the bloody rip. "Because I was pretty sure it about tore my arm off."
Rutley finished with Elodia then sat so she could mend the wound in his leg. I couldn't help but marvel at him. He'd almost died twice today, both times saved by a flash of Cade's magic that had broken through whatever curse lay on this mountain. And yet, he seemed unbothered, like it was another day in the life. What I wouldn't give to be so nonchalant about danger and almost-certain death.
I tore my gaze away. Cade stood in the corner, gripping his staff and furrowing his brow as he muttered to himself. He was staring intently at Elodia and Rutley, perhaps attempting to cast a healing spell on them. But there was nothing from his staff, not even a faint glow. He cursed softly, rubbing his head and concentrating again.
"Well, there are a few more rooms than last night," Ward said, walking over with a handful of keys. "We—"
Lynton swiped a key from his hand and disappeared up the stairs without a word.
"Have three rooms this time," Ward finished, without missing a beat. "Ayla, I assume you—"
"Want to room with Cade," I said, though there wasn't much heat in it.
"Right. So Elodia, Riona, you get this one. Rutley and me in the other." He looked exhausted, a little defeated. "Try to get some rest."
"Boss, there's something weird going on," Rutley said, glancing up the stairs where Lynton had gone. "The wizard's magic showing up and disappearing? What's that about?"
"Maybe the troll decided to cut us a break," Ward said, sinking into the chair across from us. "Release Cade from whatever spell he's under so we weren't wolf food."
"Troll magic doesn't work like that," Cade said. "The Erlking said it isn't like fae magic. It's based in rock and ore, not aether."
"Except we have no clue what their magic is capable of now," Riona piped up from the corner. I'd almost forgotten she was there. "I think it's very plausible that Lynton decided it was better for Cade to have his magic."
"And yours?" Ward asked. "Any improvements?"
"None," she said, stiffly walking over and taking the key from him. "I was as helpless as the rest of you."
"We weren't helpless," Rutley muttered.
"You know what I mean," she said, catching my gaze for a moment. There was something there…something that made me feel she wasn't telling the whole truth. But it was gone in a flash. "Look, I'm sure all the mysteries will be solved as soon as we get to Gwyllion. The sooner we sleep, the sooner we get there."
⤖⤖⤖⤖
I felt like I'd barely laid my head on the pillow before there was a rude rapping at the door. The rest of the group was similarly groggy, Cade glaring daggers at the troll, who seemed impervious to the annoyance. He merely led us out into another freezing dark morning and on our way.
The path had grown much more treacherous overnight, with a thin layer of ice covering everything. We had to move even slower, being surer of our footing before applying weight. Lynton only seemed to notice when he'd have to stop at the top of a large hill and wait for the rest of us to follow.
We had fallen into something of a pattern, with Riona following close behind Lynton, Ward, Elodia, and Rutley in the middle, and Cade and me in the rear. Ward and his soldiers were in deep conversation, Ward's hand resting on the hilt of his sword most of the morning. When we stopped to rest, I found out what they'd been talking about.
Ward walked up to me, a grim look on his face. I tilted my chin up to him, expecting a fight. Instead, he pulled a small knife from beneath his cloak and handed it to me, hilt-first.
"What's this?" I asked.
"No one on this trip should be without a weapon," he said, his gaze darting to me as if expecting me to strike him.
"I have a weapon," I said, my voice quiet. "The stone."
His lip twitched. "It didn't seem to help last night."
It was almost a dare, a question of why I hadn't used it to help save us. I snatched the knife out of his hand and pulled it from its sheath. "I don't know how to use it."
"Pointy end goes into the other person," he said, his face serious.
"I know that," I said with a scowl.
"It would make me sleep better at night if you had it," he replied. "Especially once we get into the troll kingdom."
I rolled my eyes. "They aren't our enemy."
"We don't know who or what is waiting for us there," he said. "And we still have two more days on the mountain. I just…"
"He's right," Cade said beside me. "Until I figure out how to use magic again, you need all the help you can get."
I closed my fingers around the hilt.
"So…" Ward cleared his throat and looked furtively at Cade. "Any better?"
"If you're asking if I figured out why I suddenly had a moment of clarity, the answer is no," Cade said. "And if you're asking if I've had one since, the answer is also no."
Ward motioned toward his two soldiers. "Rutley and Elodia are practically healed. Not even a scratch on them. And considering… Well, it wasn't a paper cut. Humans don't heal that fast."
Cade furrowed his brow, looking at his staff. "I mean, I don't think it's me."
"Can't you smell the magic?" Ward asked. "Like you did in the fae realm?"
"I can, but it didn't… I guess I was too busy trying to fight for our lives to remember," he said with something of a defeated sigh. "Sorry. Next time, I'll try to remember to take a long sniff."
"Has anyone thought of just asking Lynton if he released the curse?" I asked mildly. "He is part of our traveling group, after all."
"Be my guest," Ward said. "Since you're on such friendly terms with him."
I rose and adjusted my cloak over my clothes, giving him a haughty look. "Fine. I will."
I crossed the small clearing to where Lynton was seated on a large boulder, staring off into the distance, smoking a pipe that gave off purple smoke. He looked up at me with those golden eyes, his face unreadable.
"Are we ready to continue?" he asked.
"N-no," I said, clearing my throat. "I just wondered if you had an explanation for yesterday's…events."
"Which ones would those be?"
"The wolves, in particular," I said, my pulse quickening. "And Cade regaining the use of his magic."
The troll took a long drag of his pipe. "What sort of explanation are you looking for?"
"The kind where you tell me if you happened to release him from whatever curse is on him for a moment," I said. "And if you did, might we ask you to release him again so we could have an easier time up the mountain?"
Again, he inhaled deeply, his thin cheeks puffing as he took his time. The silence dragged out between us, but I held my tongue, feeling that if I spoke again, I would lose some sort of upper hand I wasn't even sure I had.
"No." Smoke billowed out of his lips as he spoke. "What you have referred to as a curse on your wizard is merely the result of him not being invited, and the magic of the mountain doing its best to deter him from continuing." He put down his pipe. "In my experience, most magical users would be too nervous at the thought of losing their magic to continue. But your wizard is…stubborn."
"He doesn't need his magic in order to be useful," I said, though that wasn't wholly true. "And you didn't answer my question."
"Which is?"
I cleared my throat. "Why did he suddenly regain the ability to use magic last night? And how can he get it back permanently?"
"I have no clue," he said. "Perhaps he managed to briefly overpower the troll magic, which should be impossible, considering the source of it. Or maybe someone else helped him along."
"Someone—" I began, but Riona piped up behind me.
"What do you mean, the source of it?" she asked, coming to stand a distance from me. "What is the source of the magic on this mountain?"
He surveyed her for a long time, and I was sure he was going to ignore her question entirely. "Our piece of the seod croí, of course."
I blinked. "What does that mean?"
"If you and your party would continue, I will tell you," he said. "Because the day is getting away from us."
We packed our things quickly and set off. This time, I was right behind Lynton. I waited at least ten minutes before prompting him again.
"At the time the seod croí was split, trolls did not possess the sort of magic that would allow us to do much more than mine for treasures in the earth," he said, his voice soft. "In taking our piece, we hoped we might unlock its powers and imbue our race with something a bit more…" He turned his head to look beyond me, at Riona. "Like our cousins."
"Did you succeed?"
He cleared his throat. "I'm not well-versed on this subject. But there is some magic afoot in the mountain."
"So…" Ward said from right behind me. "Those weren't regular wolves last night, were they?"
He shook his head. "No, and there are many more creatures like it around, hence my desire to get to the next town quickly."
"Is that why no one remembers who you are?" Elodia asked. "Because of this magic on the mountain?"
"We have taken great pains to hide ourselves from those who would take the stone."
Ward scoffed. "So if the wolves have turned into magical beasts, why not the humans?"
"They have been allowed to settle here. Their presence benefits us."
"And the wolves don't?" Ward pressed. "What else is on this mountain?"
"I hope you never find out," he said. "The walk is about to get much more dangerous, so I suggest you save your breath."
CHAPTER
TWENTY-TWO
Ward
The more I heard from the troll, the less I believed him. Perhaps I just had a sixth sense for treachery among magical creatures, but something was off. And unlike when I had the same feeling about Riona, I didn't sense that this troll had our best interests at heart.
This was the third full day, and if the troll was to be believed, we would reach the entrance to Gwyllion tomorrow. It was hard to believe, but I would've rather stayed on the mountain, even with the frigid temperatures. Once we crossed the threshold into troll country, we would be in enemy territory, and I liked my chances better in the elements.
As predicted, our journey became rockier and more difficult—especially as a light dusting of snow fell, causing us to slip and slide across an increasingly narrow path. Since Cade could do nothing to keep our cloaks dry, we had to endure the wetness seeping down to our skin. I kept a close watch on Ayla, though she rebuffed any questions from Elodia on how she was doing.
What started out as a thin layer accumulated, and my boots began sinking into the snow as we climbed. My hands were numb, and my toes frozen in my wet socks. Ayla's cheeks were bright red, her lips a little pale as her teeth chattered.
"How much longer until the next village?" I asked the troll.
"We should reach it before nightfall," he said without turning.
"We'll freeze to death before then."
"Just keep walking," Rutley said, blowing into his hands. "Just keep walking."
The wind had picked up, and gentle snowfall was now inching toward blizzard. We wouldn't last long in those conditions, but I couldn't see an alternative. The path had grown quite narrow now as we circled the mountain, and there wasn't much keeping the wind from buffeting us.
"Keep your eyes peeled for a cave," I told Elodia and Rutley. "We have to stop sometime."
I dropped back to walk closer to Ayla, whose gaze was steadfastly on the ground. Cade walked between her and the edge, blocking some of the blowing snow, but it wasn't helping that much.
"Now might be a good time to have that magical breakthrough," I said, my voice carrying over the wind.
"I'm starting to doubt the theory that it was the troll who got me past it," he said, his teeth chattering.
"Then who could it have been?" I asked, rubbing my hands together. "And can they hurry it up and give us some heat?"
He shrugged, staring ahead with a shake of his head. "Maybe we'll find shelter soon." He turned to Ayla. "How are you doing?"
"Fine," she said through clenched teeth.
But she was far from fine. Her face was bright red, and her hands were turning white as they gripped her wet cloak around her. She wasn't going to last much longer in these conditions, especially as they continued to worsen.
I shrugged off my cloak and handed it to her. "Here. You need this more than I do."
"No, I don't," she said, fire in her eyes as she rebuffed me. "I'm fine."
"Ayla—"
"Don't coddle me," she snapped.
"I'm not coddling you," I snapped back, the cold and my exhaustion finally breaking through my temper. "I'm trying to make sure you don't die out here."
"I won't die."
"Won't you?" I grabbed her hands, pulling them in front of her eyes to look at them. "You're getting frostbite." I began to pull my gloves off when she stuffed her hands into her cloak.
"Am not."
"Ayla," Cade began, but I shot him a dirty look.
"Can you give us a minute?" I barked. "Just one."
He seemed like he'd rather have stayed, but he kept pressing on.
"What?" Ayla snapped, moving from leg to leg. "Make it quick."
"Look, I don't know what I've done to make you mad, or if you still think I'm trying to control you like Eoghan did. But we are too far into this mess to turn around, so the only thing that matters is that I get you to the troll kingdom in one piece. So all I ask is that you just cooperate a little more so I can do that to the best of my ability."
She softened for just a moment, and I thought I might've gotten through to her. But a distant rumbling drew my attention upward. It sounded almost like thunder.
"What's that?" Ayla asked, squinting into the wind.
There was a cry from the group ahead that sounded like Lynton. Cold slipped down my stomach as the sound became louder, like something rushing toward us. I yanked Ayla forward to find the rest of the group, but the ground had started shaking, making the already difficult walk even more so.
"Ward, slow down—"
"No time!" I called, pulling her to me and throwing her over my shoulder.
I ran toward the group as the rumbling grew to a roar. I didn't know why—they were as exposed as we were. Luckily, the wind seemed to be at my back, pushing me to run faster.
Lynton was kneeling on the path, snow covering the hood of his cloak and matching the white of his hair. As we came within a few feet of him, the ground shimmered, like it was made of liquid. It splashed to one side then the other, like wine being swirled in a glass, until it crashed over our heads and met the other side—solidifying immediately into a rock tunnel.
"Wha—"
A deafening boom echoed through the tunnel, and I winced as my ears rang. The spot where Ayla and I'd been standing was now a wall of moving white snow. I watched it, mesmerized, my arm tight around my queen as I waited for the chaos to end.
"Put me down," Ayla said, elbowing me in the back of the head.
I gently placed her on the ground, making sure to keep a hand on her arm in case I needed to move her again. Her breath came in short puffs as she stared over my shoulder.
"What happened?" she whispered, her hand falling on top of mine.
"Avalanche," Lynton said. "We will give the snow time to settle before continuing."
"That's…all you have to say?" Elodia asked, gesturing to the tunnel. "After you just created this…this thing? What was that anyway?"
"Troll magic," Cade replied, his eyes wide as he touched the wall. "It was magnificent."
"Why is this the first we're seeing of it?" Rutley asked, a scowl on his face. "You could've made a better bridge a few days ago, eh?"
"Or made the mountain easier to climb?" Elodia asked.
"Or—"
"I use magic when it's necessary," Lynton replied, as if that were an answer. "Until now, it hasn't been necessary."
I could've begged to differ, considering how many times we'd collectively been in danger. Even if he could've used his magic to carry Ayla, it might've made this journey easier. I opened my mouth to add to the chorus, but Ayla tugged my hand and shook her head.
"Leave it be. He did just save our lives," she said, looking behind her at the wall of snow. "And hopefully, he's our way out of here."
⤖⤖⤖⤖
The minutes wore on, and I kept having to remind myself that despite his not lifting a finger to help until now, it didn't appear Lynton wanted us dead. But he didn't seem in any great hurry to get us out of the tunnel either. He was content to sit on the ground cross-legged, leaning up against the wall.
"What's he waiting for?" Riona asked, coming up next to me.
"No clue," I replied. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, glancing over to where Ayla and Cade were sitting. "That was a close call though. Why were you two so far from the group?"
