That was when I saw the source of it.
“Nik,” I rasped.
Horror and disbelief filled me. For a moment, I couldn’t trust what I was seeing.
Vienne was standing at the entrance of the great hall. Her eyes were glowing blue, her hair floating around her as if she were underwater, her mouth open in a soundless scream.
“Nik!” I roared. “Vienne!”
In her palm was the glowing heartstone.
Chapter Forty-Nine
There were many entrances to the Dead Mountain. Hidden ones throughout the eastlands, tunneled from the Dead Mountain directly, ending in forests or deserted valleys. It was how the Ghertun could move so easily without being seen.
I didn’t use any of them. Instead, I used the main entrance at the face of the Dead Mountain, though it was guarded by at least a dozen Ghertun warriors.
Hedna was on hispyrokiatmypyroki’sheels. We’d passed thedarukkars—both Davik’s and theVorakkarof Rath Kitala’s—camped close by. They had been waiting for something but when Rath Kitala had seen me,alive, I heard his curse as I stormed passed.
“Kalles, stop!” he’d bellowed after me but I paid him no mind, my heartbeat thrumming in my ears after the long journey. Physically, I was exhausted—hungry, tired, aching. But mentally, I could take on anything. We weren’t that far behind Davik but I wondered how long he’d already been inside the Dead Mountain. There was no sign of him among the small encampment, which only made me fear the worst.
Hedna followed and then I heard theVorakkar’sorders. I didn’t look behind me—my eyes were only for the Dead Mountain—but I heard the rumble of dozens ofpyrokisand their riders as they pursued me.
The entrance was up ahead and we wound down the valley with astonishing speed, thepyrokis’clawed talons made for rocky terrain like this.
When the Ghertun guards saw us, they were already prepared, standing in a line at the entrance, their spears raised towards us. I felt their hesitation, their fear. I didn’t know the boundaries of this new power but once I could see the glittering of their eyes, I spread that power over them like a blanket, imagining that it wrapped them tight like a cord.
Let us pass, I pushed into their minds. Though there were a dozen guards, each of them lowered their spears...
And they let us pass.
At the gates of the Dead Mountain, I pulled mypyrokito a stop and slid off her side. I felt the heartstone, hot and burning in the pockets of my trews. I gritted my teeth because I had to focus on keeping that command pressed within the Ghertun’s minds like a brand. A dozen at once was staggering but manageable. I only feared that I would reach my limits soon without finding my family or Davik first.
TheVorakkarof Rath Kitala and thedarukkarskicked up a cloud of dirt behind me, the evening sun beginning to redden the sky above us.
“What…what is this,kalles?” Rath Kitala rasped, eyeing the Ghertun, who were standing close to me.
“Restrain them,” I said. “Please.”
Hedna was already off hispyroki, casting me an unreadable look as he passed to take the Ghertun’s weapons. He knew something about me was different now. He’d realized that the moment the Dead Mountain had come into view and I’d dropped my previous command from his mind.
But he also knew that I would do anything to help Davik and so, he did as I asked.
Anotherdarukkarcame forward with rope and only once the Ghertun were tied did I release the command with a shuddered breath. Immediately, the Ghertun were hissing and struggling against their binds but they stilled when a group of warriors surrounded them, their swords pointed at their throats.
I didn’t waste another moment and I strode inside the Dead Mountain, taking the darkened stairwell down to the depths, where most of the Ghertun lived. Already, that musty, moldy, cloying scent filled my lungs, making me want to retch. Behind me, I heard the remainder of the warriors follow, including Hedna and Rath Kitala, their swords hissing from their sheaths.
Once we reached the main landing, I pointed down the darkened hallway to our left. “Thesibiwho own slaves live down there,” I told Hedna, connecting eyes with him. “Find them all. My family is among them.”
Hedna jerked his head and a group of Davik’s warriors followed him. I had faith that they’d be able to handle the Ghertun they encountered, since most of thesibiwould be in the great hall with Lozza, especially if they had Davik as their entertainment.
The thought made my gut churn as Rath Kitala’s eyes found mine.
“I hope you know what you are doing,kalles,” he murmured.
“I haven’t a clue,” I confessed, reaching into my pocket, my palm squeezing around the heartstone, clutching it to me. I needed to be brave. For my family. For Davik. “This way.”
The pathway to the great hall was long and narrow, winding in a seemingly endless circle to the very center of the mountain.
