Tip didn't seem to know what to do about Budding's declaration. His brows rose higher and higher. "Is that so?" he asked quietly.
The other beings in the cavern seemed equally incredulous.
"It's dangerous out there," one of them blurted.
"Whose fault is that?" Budding snapped.
"The humans," retorted another.
Budding fixed a glare on Tip. "Oh, did the humans bring a blayet to our mountain?"
The rock tiernan folded his arms and leaned back in seeming indifference. "If you're going to leave, please do so quickly. There's no need to cause a scene."
My teacher squared her shoulders, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. "Heed my warning: you say that humans are a threat to this mountain, but they're simply a distraction. While everyone is worried about what the humans are doing, the true threat is digging its teeth into the heart of our home and killing it."
Several figures shifted uncomfortably.
I looked around the room, studying the variety of faces. Many of them weren't easy for me to understand (I wasn't practiced in reading non-human emotions), but it was clear enough to tell that the power dynamic of the mountain was still undetermined.
Tip stood once more, puffing out his chest. "Enough of your scare tactics, Budding. Take your human mongrel and leave."
I immediately clenched my fists, ready to start a fight.
My reaction surprised even me. When people in the village called me names, I always wanted to find a place to hide. Yet, seeing the way Tip looked at me made me want to slap him.
Wake gently took hold of my wrist, leading me to a path that would take us out of the cavern. Budding and Min followed, staring everyone down on their way out.
The climb out of the hole in the ground was difficult for my weary body, but my anger gave me energy. The chilled air met my lungs as I surfaced and I noted that the daylight was fading fast.
I could still hear the haunting cry of the blayet. Fortunately, it seemed to be farther away than before. We were safe for the moment.
I frowned at our surroundings. "Where are we?"
Min shook his head. "Farther from the village than we started," he grumbled.
"We'll need to go around the blayet," Wake said with a shiver.
Budding nodded her agreement. "We should go up the mountain and then down again."
I grimaced. "How much time will that add to the journey?"
She patted my shoulder sympathetically. "Best not think about it, Tiff."
The four of us started ascending the slope, holding onto the trees as we walked.
"Might as well roll a boulder as a stone," Min chuckled.
"That's not how the saying goes," I argued.
"I improved it," the hoak insisted.
"Adding rocks to a saying doesn't make it better," I pointed out.
Mineral looked deeply offended by my words. "Of course, it does," he huffed.
"How does rolling a bigger rock make anything better?" I demanded. "Also, why would anyone be rolling rocks in the first place?"
Budding and Wake smiled as they listened to us bicker, but they didn't allow it to escalate.
"Hush, now," Wake reprimanded softly. "We don't know who can hear us."
We immediately fell silent.
Our small party trudged onward, trying to make as little sound as possible. The night began to deepen and my anxiety started to grow.
"Are we safe in the dark?" I asked Budding.
She sighed quietly. "Safer than during the day, I suppose."
"Nowhere is truly safe anymore," Min said ominously.
Wake frowned at him. "Don't scare the child," she scolded.
My thoughts turned to all the magical beings I'd seen in the underground cavern. "Do Tip and his followers come out at night?"
Budding inclined her head. "I assume so. Tip probably stays there, letting the others do his dirty work for him."
I scowled at the ground. "He's terrible."
She smiled without humor. "Yes. We'll have to be careful. He's mad at us now."
My brow creased. "Will he hurt us?"
Min snorted. "Without a doubt!"
"He'll try," Budding amended, giving Min a warning glance. "I hope that he'll have other things to worry about, though."
We topped a small ridge overlooking a valley. A handful of campfires were glowing a short distance away, indicating the presence of human soldiers. I dropped to my knees to hide from sight, as did the others.
"We have plenty of things to worry about, ourselves," I muttered.
"We'll just go around," Wake whispered. "They shouldn't bother us."
Min nodded. "The humans aren't as brave at night. They stay near their fires unless they're provoked."
I pressed my lips into a thin line. "How much longer are they going to stay here? Why don't they just go back to the castle?"
"They'll stay as long as the Smitta tells them to stay," Budding sighed.
I studied the camp, peering through the dim light. The soldiers were preparing their evening meal, which was cooking in pots over the fires. They had set up a perimeter of guards to keep watch while the others relaxed. Some of the lower-ranking soldiers had been tasked with washing laundry while they waited for their food.
I wondered if this group knew about the ones who had been attacked by the blayet earlier. Had they been friends? Were there any survivors?
The way the soldiers talked and laughed with one another didn't indicate that they had suffered any losses.
Maybe they didn't know.
Perhaps they didn't care.
I could still remember the screams. The sounds echoed in my mind, making me shudder. The faint call of the blayet carried on the wind, filling my heart with fear.
Some of the soldiers on guard heard the blayet as well. I saw them tense, staring out into the night with wide eyes. They listened carefully, waiting to see if it came closer.
I did the same.
I wondered how long the soldiers had been living in fear of that sound. Were they able to sleep at night? Did the blayet roam the mountain during the day as well?
As I sat musing, a distant movement caught my eye. I immediately pointed it out to my companions. "Look," I whispered.
It was the soft glow of magic.
The human eyes wouldn't be able to detect it, but I saw it. Just beyond the clearing where the soldiers had set up camp, someone was getting ready to cast a spell.
Budding frowned. "Why are they doing it that way?"
"It's as if they want us to know what they're about to do," Min added.
Wake sat up straighter. "Should we-"
She didn't get a chance to finish her suggestion.
The fires in the soldiers' camp exploded all at once.
I reeled backward, shielding my eyes. Even from our distance, I could feel the heat from the flames. The men in the camps were screaming—some in pain, others in fear.
Figures were running back and forth, adding to the chaos. Some of them were trying to put out fires. Others appeared to be on fire, themselves. Orders were being shouted, but only some of the soldiers were listening.
I gripped my skirts with both hands. "Should we help them?"
"Do you think they'd accept our help?" Budding asked solemnly.
"We shouldn't anyway," Min said with a shake of his head. "If we show ourselves taking sides with the humans then Tip will view us as enemies."
"Doesn't he already?" I demanded.
"Not in the same way," Wake explained. "Right now we're more of a hindrance than an enemy."
"Let's use the distraction to sneak around the camp," Budding instructed.
She led the way, creeping through the trees in the opposite direction of where we'd seen the glow of magic earlier. We stayed low to the ground, keeping out of the firelight. I wrapped my hands in my skirt and angled my face away from the camp, doing my best to hide my vivid yellow skin from sight.
Voices drifted over from the soldiers.
"Go fetch the healers from base camp!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Take a first with you, soldier. Never travel alone!"
"Sorry, sir!"
"You, there! Get more water!"
"Bandages! Bandages!"
"Smother it with a cloth!"
Despite the initial violence of the attack, the fires seemed to be under control. If I didn't know any better, it would've seemed like someone had been doing it just to help us sneak by the camp of soldiers.
"Oh no," Min whispered.
I saw it, too.
A flare of light appeared above our heads. It wasn't the invisible glow of magic we had seen before. It was a beacon that even human eyes could see, illuminating our position to everyone in the vicinity.
This was followed by another missile of fire being launched at the soldiers.
"There they are!"
The humans pointed at us, assuming that we were the source of the attack. They drew their weapons, launching themselves in our direction.
"Run," Budding shouted.
I scrambled to my feet, glancing up in just enough time to spot the face of Flicker, the hoak who had been with Tip in the cavern.
She disappeared among the tree branches with a malicious grin.
I swore under my breath. Unfortunately, I didn't know enough curse words to properly express my feelings for that fire hoak and her master. I immediately decided to have Min teach me some once we were safe.
I sprinted after my friends, letting the adrenaline take over. That area of the mountain wasn't as steep, so it was easier to run. I dodged through the trees and underbrush, hoping the dark of the night would protect me from arrows.
The pounding steps of the soldiers were dangerously close behind me. I could hear their heavy breathing.
I changed direction erratically, trying to make them stumble. Anytime I heard them crash into a tree I smiled in triumph.
"Demon spawn," spat the soldier right behind me as he tripped and fell.
I jumped over a log, feeling elated.
However, my bravado didn't last. A loose stone on the other side caught my foot, sending me sprawling. My pain-ridden body screamed in protest as I hit the ground, causing me to retch. I gasped for breath, unable to clear the dizziness that swirled in my brain.
I couldn't see where my friends had gone, so I couldn't call for help. The soldiers who had been chasing me were closing in.
The one who had fallen got to his feet with a sneer on his face. He held a spear in his hand, hefting it with a derisive laugh.
Two of his comrades stopped with him, but the others ran on to catch my companions. They approached me cautiously, not knowing what magical tricks I might use on them.
Little did they know how helpless I was at the moment.
I lifted myself on my elbow, pulling my body backward across the ground. I was exhausted and my adrenaline was drained. Tears began to well up in my eyes, even though it made me upset.
I didn't want to cry in front of them. I didn't want that to be the last thing I did before I died.
I put my hand over my sternum, where the tiernan seed rested. Her little mind reached out to mine, feeling uncertain. Our emotions weren't connected, but she seemed to sense that something was wrong.
I tried to shore up my courage. I didn't want her to be afraid.
The soldier pointed his spear at me. "You're the one from the village, aren't you?"
One of his companions nodded. "I recognize her. She belongs to that missionary Smitta."
The third soldier looked uncomfortable. "Should we take her back?"
The first soldier spit at my feet. "A traitor's a traitor. She's not human, anyway."
He raised his weapon, ready to strike.
I clenched my eyes shut, bracing for the blow.
The rush of air from his motion filled my ears. It seemed unnaturally loud. My heart froze in that moment that refused to pass.
Suddenly, my ears filled with the clang of metal against stone.
I looked up and saw Mineral standing over me. His arms were stretched out, casting a spell to form a shield of rock. His roughly sculpted face was twisted in concentration.
"Hurry," he urged me.
I pushed myself to my feet, struggling to get into motion once more. The two soldiers standing back a step both shouted in surprise. I sprinted ahead of them, doing my best to stay out of their reach.
One of them threw his spear, cutting into my arm. The pain jolted through my body, adding to the agony I was already experiencing. I could feel the blood soaking into my sleeve, but I kept running.
I had to get away from there.
Another fireball soared over my head. The soldiers around me ducked for cover, but I used it as an opportunity to escape. I changed direction, desperately hoping that no one would notice.
Soldiers in the distance started screaming again. Flicker's attack had found its targets.
Part of me felt bad for the humans getting hurt. After all, they wouldn't even be there if it weren't for the orders they'd received. Yet, they were injured and dying, while the ones giving the orders were safely at home.
It made me angry.
I knew it didn't do any good, but I felt it all the same.
A small crevice gave me some cover, where I was able to pause for a breath. All of my friends had been separated, which was a terrible predicament to be in. We needed to regroup to safely get away.
I took several deep breaths, rubbing my hands against my thighs. I was lightheaded from pain and exertion. I knew I needed a plan, but I didn't even know where to begin.
As I pondered my options, a familiar voice rang through the trees in a chilling shriek.
It was Wake.
I shot to my feet. A scream like that could only mean that she was in danger. I immediately dashed in the direction it had sounded. I didn't care if anyone saw me; I only knew that I needed to get to her as soon as possible.
I topped a shallow ridge, coming into view of a group of soldiers.
Two of them held Wake by the arms, forcing her to kneel between them. Another soldier lay prone, appearing as though he was wounded by fire. I could guess with a glance what had happened.
Wake had tried to help the soldier who was hurt, and she'd gotten caught in the process.
A fourth soldier stood in front of Wake, holding a sword at her throat.
"No," I rasped, starting forward.
The man raised his weapon.
"No," I shouted.
The blade began to fall.
"NO!"
A strong pair of arms tackled me to the ground, crushing me without mercy. My face was pressed into the frozen dirt, scraping against the rocks.
"No, no, no, no," I sobbed.
"I caught another one, sir," the deep voice above me called.
I wasn't able to look up.
I needed to look up. I needed to see if Wake was safe. Was she still alive? Had they just wounded her?
Why would they keep her alive?
I struggled against the soldier holding me down.
Maybe they kept her alive for questioning. It was possible. After all, they hadn't killed me yet. Wake could still be alive.
The cries ripped from my chest, unable to be stopped. I screamed with every particle of breath in my lungs, curling into a ball to force it out. I howled silently after I ran out of air.
Voices sounded around me, but I couldn't make sense out of any of them. Arms lifted me, but I didn't have the strength to fight.
I was dizzy. Everything was in pain.
Darkness blanketed my mind, enveloping me at last.