Taming the Elements: Elwin Escari Chronicles: Volume 1 (52 page)

Elwin stared at them a moment, trying to process his conversation. Abaddon was lying. He had to be. Nothing could make him take Abaddon’s “gift.” He shook his head and pushed it from his thoughts, then went out the crevice to check on the giants.

He jumped back as a massive hammerhead slammed into the opening. The sound of breaking stone echoed into the cavern and rung in his ears. A large chunk fell away from the opening.

He all but jumped back into his body.

Chapter
2
8

The Hunger of giants

Elwin awoke with his ears still ringing from the first blast. Another thunderclap cracked into the opening and sent his head spinning. He sat up to wake the others, but Daki was already on his feet. Feffer’s eyes opened, and he looked around groggily.

The next crash made him sit up straight grabbing at his ears. “What in the abyss? Where are we? I can’t see! Why can’t I see?”

“Have you found our path?” Daki said in a calm voice.

“Yes. But I need to light this lantern.”

“Elwin? Is that you? Why can’t I see?”

“I’m working on it.”

Elwin had slept with it next to him along with the flint and steel just in case the giants returned in the night. Between the hammer blows sending vibrations into his arms and his trembling hands, it took him three tries with the flint and steel to get the lantern to light.

He stood as another crash rocked the cave. The quake sent him tumbling into Daki, who did not appear to be phased at all by the quaking earth or the giants trying to get into their cave.

Feffer bounded to his feet and looked to the crevice. Elwin followed his gaze. The same massive eye as the day before peered in at them. It was at least half-a-dozen paces closer. Elwin could see the grin in its eye, and the light reflected off a few large teeth. The eye vanished, and the pounding resumed.

“This way!” Elwin shouted, and he ran toward the back of the cave.

He didn’t have to look to know the others followed, but he did. Despite himself, Elwin smiled. A part of him was overjoyed to see Feffer on his feet. Instead of fear, Feffer had a look of undeterred determination on his face.

The quakes lessened as they moved away from the entrance. When he reached the drop, Elwin held up a hand for the others to stop.

“Down there?” Feffer said, looking over Elwin’s shoulder.

“There,” Elwin pointed to the opening above.

“Me first,” Feffer said and pushed past the bear to the eastern wall. The layered rocks made the climbing look easy, but Feffer grunted with effort.

“Now you,” Elwin said to Daki.

“Then you,” he answered. “Taego is a clumsy climber. He will knock rocks on your head.”

Taego turned his muzzle to the side and arched an eyebrow. The human mannerism made Elwin blink.

“Fine,” Elwin said. “Go.”

As Daki lumbered up after Feffer, Elwin felt for the Air around him. He was surprised to find enough to fill his essence. As he tamed flight and rose toward the hole, a gush of wind moved through the cavern, knocking up dust and debris.

“Sorry.”

Feffer coughed and cursed as he reached the tunnel, but he seemed to have little trouble pulling himself up. The space was narrow enough that Feffer did not have to stretch his arms to full length to reach both walls. As Feffer disappeared into the hole, Daki was right behind him in reaching the opening, and Taego had already started his climb.

Elwin spared the front of the cavern a glance before flying into the crevice above.

The tip of the hammerhead had broken through. It came free as if yanked from the other side. A moment later the giant’s hand came into the opening. Its massive forearm caught in the opening, but its fingers still probed around in the dark. Only a few paces of empty space stood between him and those thick fingers.

Elwin flew into the chute, and the flow of Air became impossible to tame when the wall of Earth smothered it. He almost dropped his lantern as he scrambled for a hand hold, and he panted for breath in the confines of the tunnel. Why hadn’t Jasmine warned him of this? Then he laughed. As if she could have anticipated he would be hunted by giants through a cavern.

“Elwin?” It was Daki’s voice. “Are you well?”

“Perfect,” he said as he scrambled higher to make room for Taego behind him. “Never been better.”

“Hand me the lantern,” Daki said in a low voice, “you will need both hands.”

Elwin handed it upward, glad to get a better hand hold.

“How far to the peak?” he asked.

“Maybe two thousand paces. It flattens out a bit and angles north.”

“Six thousand feet?” Feffer called from above him.

“Shhh,” Daki whispered. “Go higher.”

Feffer mumbled curses, but he climbed higher. After about ten minutes of climbing, light vibrations began to move through the mountain, but after a moment, Elwin realized he sensed this through his essence, not his body.

“They are still digging,” Elwin said.

“Good,” Daki said. “They will continue to do so until they can hollow out the entrance. If fate favors us, it will take them half the day or so to find the chute. Then they will attempt to track us above. But, if the Lady smiles upon us, they may dig out the way to the depths to see if we are hiding in a dead end.”

“How long do you think it will take us to reach the top?”

Daki was silent for a moment before responding. “Taego and I could make the climb in five to six hours, but we have been on many climbs. I do not know how long for you and Feffer, but I would guess most of the day.”

Feffer’s voice echoed from above. “How long will it take the giants to scale the mountain?”

“It will take them a third that time.”

Feffer’s curses became more audible, but the scrapes of his boots on stone increased. Daki picked his pace up as well, and Elwin followed, letting the bouncing light be his guide.

After a time, the climbing became routine, but Elwin had to work hard to keep up. He had trained with swords once a tenday and taming all day wore on him, but his muscles had never been conditioned for this. He tried not to think about the burning in his thighs and arms, even though he had to focus on moving his thighs and arms.

He glanced down to see Taego catch him again.

It had taken an hour of climbing for Elwin to realize the bear would catch up to him and take a break to give Elwin time to get ahead. Often, Elwin would look down to see the bear an arms length away. Other times when he looked down, he couldn’t even see the top of his head.

It was smart of the bear. At first, Elwin had knocked several pebbles and mountains of dust into the bear’s face, causing him to snort and sneeze.

Though Taego never groaned or growled, Elwin could almost see the bear’s impatience when he reached him again. He would have to make it up to Taego by catching him some fish.

Elwin almost slipped when his hand reached a flat surface. Daki caught his arm and helped him climb onto the level surface. Elwin moved aside to make room for Taego and looked around. After a few paces the tunnel angled upward, where Feffer leaned on his knees, breathing heavily.

Daki held the lantern up for Elwin to see it. A thin line of oil filled the bottom of the lantern. If they were lucky, it would last the hour.

“When this runs out,” Daki said, “we must climb in the dark. But the path will be easier if it slopes like this the rest of the way.”

“It does,” Elwin said, “but it will get tight for Taego in a few spots.”

“Let us make haste. We will keep the same order?”

Elwin nodded.

Daki moved toward Feffer, but he didn’t move.

“Feffer?” he said.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m going.” He pushed up with a grunt and turned up the slope.

Going up the angle did seem faster, but instead of climbing, he had to stoop not to bump his head, which he did on several occasions. In some places, the stones became smooth, and he could crawl or scoot on hands and knees. But most of the way, he was forced to avoid rigid and sharp rocks. Still, walking up the angle became as routine as climbing up the chute had been. Only, on top of the pain in his arms, legs, and neck, his back began to ache from being hunched over.

The entire time he moved, he expected the lantern to quit, but he was still not prepared when he was plunged into complete darkness. Memories of the shadows enveloping him rushed into his mind, and he felt a yell escape his lips. His heart thundered in his chest like the giant’s hammer. This was just a dream. It wasn’t real.

“Elwin,” Feffer called at the same time Daki said, “What is it?”

Their voices unfroze his thoughts, and his mind remembered where he was. Just in a cave. Around him, the power of Earth called to him even louder than before. He opened his essence to let some trickle into him. Immediately, he felt strength return to his muscles, and the aches in his legs and back seemed to dull. He could feel the vibrations of his companions moving around him, and his heartbeat began to slow.

“I’m here,” Elwin said. “The light went out. Just keep moving.”

Even though he only held it in his essence, he could feel the power in him draining. He had to open his essence wider to let more in just to keep Earth from seeping out. As more flooded into him, he could feel further up and down the slope, and he felt
aware
. Even though he couldn’t see them, he could point to the rocks around, and he
knew
they were there in the same way he could touch his nose without having to think about how to find it. As his companions began to move in front of him, Elwin followed.

After a few moments, his heartbeat and breathing slowed slightly, but it did not return to normal. His essence began to feel labored as he did when flying. But that didn’t make sense. As far as he could tell, he wasn’t doing anything with the power. The Earth in his essence continued to be
used,
but it didn’t feel like it did to tame Air.

If not taming, what else could it have been?

Taming a wind thrust and flying required his will. Even with the power in his essence, he had to make a mental effort to tame the talent. But, the Earth just
burned away
as he pulled more in.

But, he was
willing
it to do
something
. How else could he see in complete darkness? Like, for example, he knew this jagged rock was above his head. But, he didn’t
will
to see it. Did he?

Elwin stopped focusing on his surroundings. It felt like closing his eyes. Once more panic overwhelmed him. But part of his mind realized the Earth stopped being
burned
from his essence. He reached out for his surroundings again.

Once more, he could feel the vibrations of Feffer and Daki ahead of him. Behind him, Taego sniffed and snorted at Elwin’s boot.

He laughed. “I discovered a new talent! I can see everything. Well not
see
exactly, but I can
feel
every rock as if … Oh. Feffer. Look out for—”

“Ack! Curse it all! Thumping, Life-cursed, thumping rock!”

“Sorry,” Elwin said. “It gets a bit tight right there, but we are almost to the top.”

Feffer’s curses became less audible, but Elwin could feel him drop and scoot forward beneath the low tunnel. Daki’s body pressed against the ground earlier than necessary, and he scrambled after Feffer.

“This will be tight Taego, but I think you will fit. Follow me.”

Taego snorted but complied with Elwin’s commands to guide him under the low-hanging rocks to the other side.

“There’s light!” Feffer called. “You were right. We are almost there.”

Elwin helped Taego the last few feet by pulling on his massive shoulder. Once the bear was free they both scrambled after Feffer and Daki. Less than a hundred paces, Elwin could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Ahead of him, two dark silhouettes ran on hands and knees. He stopped taming Earth and ran after them. The last of his power burnt out as he reached the exit.

Climbing out, he had to squint against the light of the sun, low in the western sky. Daki and Feffer both offered a hand. He clasped wrists with the pair and let them pull him to the mountain peak. Elwin sat with a thud and took several deep breaths.

The air was clean and crisp compared to the musky air of the tunnel. He leaned back against a boulder and let his legs and back rest. A moment later, Taego scrambled out of the hole and plopped next to Elwin. The bear had small pebbles and dust matted into his fur. Elwin began to pick at the easier to reach rocks.

“Lucky this was here,” Feffer said looking at the crack in the mountain.

“It was formed over many years,” Daki said. “In the winter, water freezes. But in the spring, it melts and must find a path. Before we ever knew of its existence, the Lady Nature has provided us a way.”

Feffer clasped Daki on the shoulder. “However it’s here, we are
alive
. And look! There are those red berries. The Lifebringer be praised!”

He picked a berry and stuck it in his mouth, then proceeded to find every berry and shove them into the pack. Elwin blinked. He had forgotten about the pack. Good thing one of them had the presence of mind to grab it. Though the cloth had rips and scrapes, it was better than nothing.

Elwin rose to join him and began helping Feffer pick the berries. He shoved one in his mouth. The sweet juice wet his dry tongue and throat as he chewed it. Even Daki ate without regard for the juices running down his chin.