Sovereign Stone (25 page)

“We should be all right if we press on,” Alexander said.

“That’s assuming we can find another way out of these mountains when we’re done here,” Anatoly said.

Alexander nodded. “I’m hoping we can find a way down to Highlands Reach. From there we can go to Southport and get a ship to take us to the Reishi Isle.”

“I guess that makes more sense than backtracking through New Ruatha, although it would be good to see how we’re doing against Headwater,” Anatoly said.

“I’m sure father has things well in hand, especially with the help of Buckwold,” Abigail said.

Chapter 21

They spent the next two days hiking uphill through thick forests. Isabel reported that Commander P’Tal had joined Nero and they were pursuing slowly. She brought Slyder back to help navigate through the mountains. The terrain was steep and treacherous and there were many opportunities to wander into box canyons that would cost them precious time.

As they gained altitude, the air cooled and the forest diminished. In the lower foothills, the forest was composed of giant trees that reached hundreds of feet into the sky with trunks ten to twenty feet thick. At higher elevations the trees became smaller. The tallest were only forty feet high with trunks no more than a foot in diameter. The forest was thinner and the underbrush was lower and less dense. It made for easier travel.

They came into a broad valley with a shallow but fast-moving mountain stream running down the middle. The valley floor was almost a mile wide and stretched for several miles due south. Strewn throughout were giant boulders standing up to forty feet tall. The tops of the trees just reached the height of some of the larger rocks. The boulders were covered with moss and lichen and many had bushes and even a few small trees growing on top. It would have been an idyllic setting if not for the column of smoke rising about a mile upstream.

Isabel sent Slyder to take a look. Alexander saw a look of alarm and worry ghost across her face just before she opened her eyes.

“It’s a half dozen ganglings and they have a woman tied up on a roasting spit,” Isabel said. “It looks like they’re just waiting for the fire to die down to coals before they start cooking her.”

“What’s a gangling?” Jack asked.

“They’re a primitive race of giants that live in the wilds,” Lucky said. “They stand about ten feet tall with very long arms. They’re strong but not very smart, typically live in small communities of twenty or thirty, and usually inhabit caves. Unfortunately, they’re not terribly reasonable.”

Alexander sighed. “We have to go right past them, and I don’t like the idea of leaving that woman to become their dinner. Maybe if we help her, she could point us in the right direction. I’m starting to feel like we’re wandering aimlessly in these mountains.”

“It would be a dangerous fight,” Anatoly said. “Ganglings are big and strong and they throw rocks. We might do better to slip past them.”

“Yeah, probably, but I won’t feel right if we don’t try to help her,” Alexander said.

Anatoly nodded with a knowing little smile. “I figured as much. We should use ranged weapons as much as possible. One good thump of their oversized fists and you’ll be out cold—until they start cooking you, anyway.”

“Is there any high ground nearby?” Alexander asked Isabel.

She nodded. “There are actually three big boulders around their campsite. We should be able to get on top of one without much problem.”

“How well do they climb?” Alexander asked Lucky.

“Quite well, actually; these mountains are their home.”

“All right, let’s head their way,” Alexander said. “Keep an eye on them, Isabel. Jack, be ready to sneak in and untie the woman while we attack.”

They approached the cook fire carefully as the woman cried out for help. She sounded terrified and desperate. They slipped around to the south side of the camp so they would be able to make their escape once Jack freed her. When they reached the cover of the southernmost boulder, Alexander stopped and divided the party into two groups.

“Isabel, Abigail, and Lucky will go up the back side of that rock and take over-watch positions. Don’t start shooting until the ganglings attack. Anatoly and I will approach from the right side of the boulder. Jack will approach cloaked from the left. All we want is to get the woman and get away. We don’t have to kill them, we just have to keep them from killing us.”

Everyone nodded their agreement and they split up. Anatoly and Alexander waited a few minutes for everyone to get into position. Anatoly slung his axe and got his slingshot out of his pack along with a handful of lead-shot bullets.

Alexander chuckled. “Always another weapon stashed somewhere.”

Anatoly nodded. “I always told you to keep a weapon handy. I practice what I preach. Unfortunately, these aren’t going to do much more than give those things a headache, but I may be able to discourage one or two before they get close enough to warrant a blade.”

Alexander and Anatoly approached slowly and silently. There were six ganglings. Each stood nine to ten feet tall with unusually long arms and oversized hands and feet. They were manlike in that they had two arms, two legs, and a head, but that’s where the similarities ended. Their tight leathery skin was ash grey and completely hairless. Their snout was slightly pronounced and their forehead sloped back from the bridge of their nose. They had grey eyes without pupils and sharp-looking canines that showed a bit even when their mouths were closed. Their colors were more complex than those of a typical big animal but not by much and they revealed a violent and even cruel nature.

Once they were within easy slingshot range and separated a bit, Alexander gave the nod to Anatoly. The big man-at-arms whipped the slingshot around his head once, then twice, and released his heavy lead bullet. It sailed soundlessly toward the gangling nearest the woman.

The fire was about ready and the gangling was making sure her leather bonds were tight and wet to prevent them from burning through before their meal was cooked. The lead shot smacked him in the side of the head and he toppled over with a thud. The woman looked around frantically before she saw Alexander and Anatoly. The look of hope and salvation Alexander saw in her eyes made the risk more than worth it.

He loosed his arrow at the nearest gangling, driving it into the flesh of the giant’s thigh. It tipped its head back and roared in rage, pain, and surprise. The other four ganglings were up and looking for the threat. Abigail and Isabel released their arrows in tandem. Abigail’s shot straight down from the top of the boulder and lanced through the belly of one of the ganglings, out its backside, and into the ground. The giant slumped to its knees and toppled over with a wail. Isabel’s arrow sailed gracefully off the boulder and stuck six inches into the shoulder of another.

It roared at her as it dug into a bag on its hip and pulled out a rock about six inches in diameter. It took a hop step and threw the rock toward Isabel. She ducked and it shattered against the stone face of the boulder behind her, showering her with shards of gravel.

The two uninjured ganglings threw rocks at Alexander and Anatoly, who quickly ducked as the rocks whizzed over their heads. Alexander watched the angry ganglings close ranks around their wounded and roar in warning while Jack led the frightened and grateful woman away from the camp.

Alexander and Anatoly carefully retreated from the angry giants and met Abigail, Isabel, and Lucky behind the big rock. Jack and the woman came up a moment later. They heard the furious roar of several ganglings, no doubt at discovering that their dinner had escaped.

“Thank you. Thank you so much,” the woman said. “My name is Marla Tasselheim. We have to get far away from here before the ganglings work up the anger to come after us.”

Marla was just over five and a half feet tall, with brown hair and plain, yet intelligent, brown eyes. She had a strong jaw and a broad mouth that fit her broad shoulders and sturdy body. Her smile was genuine and bright. She wore simple brown robes and she wasn’t armed.

Her colors were a bit unusual. Alexander knew what magic looked like in another, and Marla definitely had magic, but it was of a type and a quality that he’d never seen before. Fortunately, her colors also revealed good character.

“Do you know your way around these mountains?” he asked.

She nodded. “I’ve lived in these mountains all my life, although I don’t usually come down this far.”

“Excellent. Why don’t you lead the way?” Alexander suggested.

They moved quickly but quietly away from the gangling camp. Roars of anger and indignation could be heard behind them. Once they made it through the little valley and into one of the narrow canyons that fed the mountain stream, they slowed a bit to catch their breath.

“My name is Alexander. You’ve met Jack. These are Abigail, Isabel, Anatoly, and Lucky.”

“It’s very nice to meet you all,” Marla said. “I’m so grateful to be free of those monsters. I can’t tell you how helpless I felt tied to that spit, watching the fire burning down to hot coals.” She shook her head with a shudder. “Thank you again for saving me.” She stopped and looked Alexander very directly in the eye. “I mean it, Alexander. You saved my life and you have my gratitude.”

“I’m just glad it all worked out,” he said. “Perhaps you could help us?”

“Of course, anything I can do,” Marla said.

Alexander took a deep breath, measuring how much to tell her. “We’re seeking the Fairy Queen.”

Marla’s eyes went wide with alarm as she shook her head. “From time to time, men come into the Pinnacles looking for the Valley of the Fairy Queen. A few find it. None return. I would hate to see you lost to her ancient magic, Alexander.”

He nodded. “Thank you for your concern but it’s a matter of great importance, and she’s the only one who can help me. Can you guide us there?”

“I can, but I’m not sure I should,” Marla said. “Please understand, sending you into the Valley of the Fairy Queen will probably get you killed. You just saved my life. At the very least, I have a duty to protect you from wandering into a place of great danger.”

“I’ve been invited by a fairy to come to the Fairy Queen with my request,” Alexander said.

Her eyes widened a bit, this time in surprise. “Such a thing is unheard of. The fairies don’t want much to do with anyone but their druids.”

“Druids?” Abigail asked.

Marla nodded. “Druids serve each of the great powers and tend their temples. Some druids serve the fairies. I serve the dragons,” she said proudly, taking a chain from under her robes and holding up a gold medallion in the shape of a dragon.

“Dragons?” Alexander said. “I thought dragons didn’t like people.”

“They don’t in general,” Marla said. “But they make exceptions for a few of us.” She smiled with genuine pride and love.

“Marla, Master Grace and I are Rangers,” Isabel said. “In times past, the Rangers and the druids have cooperated to preserve and protect the forest. Please help us now.”

Marla frowned. “Perhaps we should present your request to my patron. If she gives you safe passage through the Pinnacles, then the other great powers are honor bound to recognize her word. I would feel much better about leading you to the Valley of the Fairy Queen knowing that you’ll be safe from her whims.”

“By patron, do you mean dragon?” Jack asked a bit hesitantly.

Marla smiled like the sunrise. “Yes. Her name is Tanis and she’s the most magnificent creature you will ever see.”

“And she won’t eat us?” Alexander asked.

Marla laughed. “Not if I introduce you to her.”

Alexander looked to each of his friends. They all looked a bit dubious but they nodded agreement nonetheless. “I’ve never met a dragon before. Lead the way.”

Chapter 22

Marla led them into the more rugged and rocky mountains that rose above the forests. She seemed to know her way and was surefooted enough to travel along paths that Alexander would never have tried on his own. They moved relatively slowly due to the poor footing and the steep grade, but they managed to cover a good distance before dark. She stopped at a small cave with the rivulet of a waterfall trickling down the wall beside it. It was on a steep switchback trail cut into the side of a mountain.

“We’ll be safe here for the night,” she said. “I’ve stayed here many times.”

They cooked a camp stew over a small fire and had biscuits with their dinner. Marla ate her fill and then some. She was clearly hungry and genuinely seemed to savor each bite of her meal. It reminded Alexander of Lucky.

Marla took a deep breath and relaxed against the rock wall at her back. “Thank you. I haven’t had a decent meal in days. I feel so much better now.”

“A meal always brightens my spirits as well,” Lucky said. “How did you come to live in the Pinnacles?”