City of Steel (Chaos Awakens Book 3) (24 page)

“Shit.” Xandrith whispered under his breath. “Wait!” He called out, and the Unth stopped and turned back to face him. Her eyes were hard, an unforgiving anger hiding behind their blue surface. “We can’t just leave this task unfinished. I have chased this problem from one end of this land to the other, and I’m not leaving until the troll god is dead. I wish to speak with the Unth.”

The female cocked her head to one side. “You are speaking with the Unth. I speak for our people.”

“Are you the leader?” Xan wasn’t giving in so easily.

“We do not have a leader.” She answered.

“Then I wish to speak to more of your people.” Xan insisted. “You protect this Wellspring, and that to you is important above all else. Well, I need to see this troll god destroyed. That, to me, is important above all else. I have lost friends and loved ones to come this far, and I cannot quit until this war is finished. I don’t wish to make an enemy of the Unth, but I cannot turn back here. Please, let me speak to your people.”

The Unth was silent for a moment.  Her normally quick responses seemed to have faltered.  Xandrith could feel the tension in the air between them. 

She was making some decisions, weighing some variables that Xandrith wasn’t aware of.  “I will speak to the others, but you must remain here.  If you come further into Unth lands then we will consider you enemies.  Stay.  Wait.”  With those words she turned and walked back up into the mountains. 

“That was surprisingly eloquent, Xandrith.”  Tilda noted with a smile. 

Xandrith offered up his lopsided grin. “Let’s not get the wrong idea. I would have preferred to fight my way to the top of the mountain amidst a flurry of spells and arrows, but I’d hate to see Crow get killed.”

Haley laughed and Crow frowned. 

“Have you considered what you’ll do if they try to turn us away again?”  The older woman asked, her expression serious. 

Xan’s smile fell away, departing his face as though carried away by the wind. “That would be a mistake on their part. I don’t believe the Unth can handle the trolls by themselves. I’m not leaving these mountains until what I set out to do is done. This is too important.”

Tilda nodded. Crow and Haley watched Xan with dour expressions. 

“None of you have to stay with me if matters turn violent.  I wouldn’t fault you for leaving.”  Xandrith added after a moment of silence. 

“No,” Haley spoke up quickly. “This is what we’ve all come for. If we have to fight the Unth before we fight the trolls, then that’s what we’ll do.”

Crow nodded his agreement before adding. “You can only die once. I’m not sure being killed by the Unth would be any worse than being killed by the trolls.”

“I’m hoping we won’t be killed by anyone.”  Tilda pointed out. 

“That’s a lofty goal.”  Xan replied dryly. 

Chapter 6

Treacherous Paths

The mountain air was bitter and cold, dry and angry as it bristled across Xan’s face. He sat starring out from the small cave in which he and his companions had taken shelter for the night. It had been several hours since the Unth had departed. The dark had come and gone, and the sun was climbing into the sky again, a barely visible spot of light behind a sky that was gray and sullen with the swelling of its snow filled belly. Xandrith didn’t need to be a scholar of storms to know that something big was coming. The already inhospitable mountain top was on the verge of becoming even more dangerous, and he and the others were still wasting time waiting for the return of the Unth.

They’d already been forced to retreat nearly a mile down the mountain before they found a place to take cover.  Tilda and Crow weren’t blessed with any special resistance to the terrible cold, and they were suffering because of that.  Xandrith’s part troll blood kept him from feeling the full bite of the weather, and Haley was protected by the nature of her axe.  They’d gone out together and gathered just enough wood to keep a small fire burning for a few hours, but that was fading quickly.  Very little was growing on the mountain, and so there wasn’t more fuel for the fire to be found.  The sun would warm them a bit, but if they didn’t get moving and find some real shelter Tilda and Crow wouldn’t survive another night out in the wilds. 

“Are you alright, Xan?”  Haley’s voice startled the assassin from his dark thoughts. 

He forced a smile.  “I’m fine, just wondering where our Unth friend has gone.”  He looked back over his shoulder.  Crow and Tilda were gathered close around the last embers of the fire.  The cave was warm for the time being, but it was too shallow to stay warm long once the fire was gone.  The heat would be pulled out by the whipping wind. 

“Do you think she’ll really come back?”  The question Haley asked was one that Xan had been asking himself the last few hours.  The Unth could easily solve the problem of their unwanted guests by simply not returning.  Xandrith hoped they would have more honor than that, but he wasn’t willing to bet any of their lives on such a flimsy hope. 

“I’m not sure.  If she’s not back soon we’ll be moving on with or without the Unth’s permission.  Crow and Tilda aren’t going to get any warmer waiting around here.  At least if we’re moving they’ll maintain some body heat, and perhaps we can find more wood, or a better place to camp.”  Xandrith laid out the complete skeleton of his plans.  Plan may have been too strong a word.

“If the Unth attack, I’ll be ready for them.”  Haley said confidently.

Movement in the distance caught Xan’s attention.  “I think that might be them now.”  He pointed.  “I guess we won’t have to wait to see how this is going to play out.  Go get Tilda and Crow, and be ready to react quickly in case they decide to attack. Let’s not be caught by surprise again.” 

Haley nodded once and then was rushing off to the back of the cave to get Tilda and Crow. Before the Unth had even gotten close enough to fully take shape the four companions were standing in the cave opening, ready and waiting for their strange visitors.

Xandrith counted heads as they approached.  There were three of them.  One of them, Xandrith thought, was the woman they’d encountered earlier.  The other two seemed more masculine, though it was difficult to tell with their carapace covering and alien features.  Xandrith stepped out into the cold wind as they approached, leaving the others back in the relative shelter of the cave. 

“I see you had no trouble finding us.”  He said, displaying his hands palms up in a sign of peaceful greeting. 

The shortest of the Unth stepped forward before the group. He ignored Xan’s comment. “The Ranger says you are possessed of a beneficial compulsion to slay the troll menace. The Unth do not allow strangers to their peeks. We have been isolated for thousands of years and have never welcomed company.”

Xandrith opened his mouth to speak, but the Unth went on before he could. “The trolls have laid siege to our home. They push upon our front gate and seek to steal what we protect. Though we have never allowed it in the past, we will make an exception now. We will escort you to the wall, and you may make use of our camps along that line. You will not be allowed near the city. If any of you attempt to enter our city, you will be killed.”

Xandrith looked back at his friends, then at the Unth. Those weren’t exactly friendly terms, but he hadn’t exactly anticipated the Unth would be even that friendly. Xandrith nodded. “That will be fine. Our business is with the trolls and their god.”

“Follow us.” The Unth said, gesturing back up the mountain. “Stay close. The paths grow dangerous the higher up the mountain we go.”

The companions fell in behind the Unth and started their journey back up the mountain. For a time they kept to the path, traveling much the same way that Xandrith would have gone had he been making the journey alone. After nearly a mile and a half of walking on the relatively easy winding path up the mountain, the Unth changed directions and led the party to a narrow cave hidden behind an outcropping of fallen debris.

The entrance to the cave was narrow enough that Xandrith had to walk sideways, and low enough that he had to also crouch to move forward. He was almost thankful that the troll attack had broken his horns off earlier. Passing through the entrance into the hidden paths beyond would have been almost impossible otherwise. When Xandrith finally made his way all the way through the narrow channel, he exited into a wide open cave with a narrow ribbon of rock leading across a vast abyss. There were no handholds on the walkway, and the path was just wide enough for a person to stand with their feet shoulder width apart.

“This is the best way up the mountain?”  Xandrith asked, eyeing the path with a speculative glare. 

Two of the Unth had already started up the path, and the third following behind Xan and his friends spoke. “This is the only way up the mountain that leads to the wall and circumvents the trolls. Any other path wouldn’t bring us to our destination, or would bring us directly into the midst of the horde.”

Xandrith grunted. “Well, I guess we go this way then.” He took his first step onto the narrow path, keeping his eyes focused ahead. The footing was clear and the path seemed sturdy despite its narrow nature. Xandrith had run along narrower walkways and he wasn’t particularly worried for himself or even Haley. Crow he figured could manage the walk as well, but Tilda wasn’t exactly in the prime of her youth.

The others fell in behind him and he chanced a glance back at Tilda. The old woman had stepped onto the path easy enough and seemed calm. Xandrith gave an internal shrug and began following the Unth. They weren’t moving as quickly anymore, and as long as they took their time and were careful there shouldn’t be any problems. Xandrith looked ahead at the trail. It twirled away into the darkness and he couldn’t tell exactly how far it went.

They walked in silence, their concentration fixed on the narrow road ahead.  Strangely enough, no matter how far into the cave they seemed to go darkness never fully enveloped the travelers.  Xandrith wasn’t certain where the light was coming from, but a feint gray light kept their immediate vicinity glowing faintly.  It was far from bright, but it was enough to see by. 

“The Unth make me nervous.”  Xandrith’s own voice startled him from his focus on the path for a second and he almost misplaced a foot. 

“Are you alright?” Haley asked from behind him.

“Yes, just became distracted for a second.” Xan replied.

“Well, don’t do that anymore.  I don’t think I can grab you if you fall.”  She sounded angry. 

“Noted.”  Xan answered, looking angrily over his shoulder at his doppelganger for the barest moment. 

Fake-Xan was walking on Xandrith’s right side, stepping through the abyss as though it were just more walkway.  If he was bothered by the agitated look Xan gave him, he didn’t show it. 

“I am surprised they’re allowing us further up the mountain, but their eagerness to protect the Wellspring puts me ill at ease.”  Young Xan pressed on as though he hadn’t almost gotten his older, realer self killed.

Xan replied with a noncommittal grunt. 

Young Xan went on.  “What if they’re just using us to an end?  They allow us to take care of their troll problem, and then what use do they have for us?  We know how to get into their territory.  They’ve shown us this path.  I’m not sure they’re going to let us leave this place.” 

Xandrith thought about that for a moment.  He hadn’t really thought that far ahead.  There was still much to do before they would need to worry about leaving the mountain top, and the odds were not in their favor.  Would the Unth pose a problem if they succeeded? 

“I’m not saying we should make a scene now, or treat them with any undue hostility, but it might be worth keeping in mind that it isn’t in the Unth’s best interest to let us go when we succeed.” 

“If we succeed.”  Xandrith said aloud.  He winced as he said it, realizing he was speaking to his imaginary friend again. 

“We’ll be fine.”  Haley said and placed a hand on Xan’s shoulder. 

“Of course.”  Xan replied, shooting another angry look at his younger self. 

Young Xan offered a lopsided grin in return. “You know better than to talk to me. I mean, I can hear your thoughts. You don’t have to say anything.”

Xandrith focused his attention forward again, ignoring the nonexistent him. 

“Fine, I’ll go away for a while, but keep your eyes on the Unth.  They’re a threat.”  With those words, young Xan vanished form existence again. 

For all that Xandrith found his younger self annoying and troublesome, the illusion was right.  The Unth weren’t to be trusted.  They had agreed to allow him and his companions into their territory with little real effort.  Xandrith would gladly swear to never share the secret of the tunnels with anyone if he succeeded in facing the troll god, but would the Unth take him at his word?  That didn’t seem likely.  They were not a trusting people.  Xandrith would need to find a time to express his worries to the others in his group.  Though, he realized, they might have already come to the same conclusions on their own.  Still, it would be a good idea to make sure they were all prepared if trouble arose. 

The path they were following soon became steeper. The narrow ribbon of rock was rising higher into the mountains, and as it did so, it became more difficult to traverse.  Xandrith watched Tilda carefully as they went.  She was a mage without magic, an elderly human with no special gifts or abilities, and the path they were taking wasn’t an easy one.  Xan could see the toll the road was taking having an effect on her.  Her feet weren’t rising as high with every step, and her look of concentration was slipping away as exhaustion warred with focus. 

They reached a point in the road where the elevation jumped suddenly.  There was a ledge nearly five feet high that had to be climbed.  The Unth jumped up the ledge with perfect balance, but Xandrith stopped. 

“Wait!” He called out. The Unth stopped and looked back at him. “We’ll need a moment to climb this. We are not accustomed to traveling such precarious roads.” He was speaking for Tilda, but he didn’t call her out.

The Unth looked back and forth between the three of them, and then stopped and waited. Xandrith walked to the edge of the wall and leaned his back against it.