Silver Dragon (38 page)

Aleena frowned. "I don't want that. I really want to help him!"

"I know, and that's a testimony to your teachings and beliefs, but Durak probably won't see it that way. Or rather
, he'll see that as another way he pales in comparison to you."

Aleena shook her head. "We're all worthy
; he just needs to find the path."

Celos turned and looked down at his armor. He nodded, pleased with the fit. "Your turn," he said.

"I've only got my chain; I don't need help," Aleena said.

"Look again," Celos instructed.

Aleena spun to her bed and saw her armor rack was laden with equipment. In addition to her chain shirt and gauntlets, she saw a suit of gleaming plate mail with a miniaturized eye and sun symbol of Leander centered above the raised mounds on the chest piece. She gasped and rushed over, admiring the patched-together breastplate. She chuckled at how the guards for her breasts were riveted to the armor, but it was proof that she had her own armor and was a real Squire of Leander.

Aleena pulled her dress over her head, earning a gasp from Celos. She chuckled
; she heard him snort at her. She wore her doublet and pants underneath the dress, making it easy for her to change in a hurry.

She pulled her chain over her head and adjusted it while Celos spoke. "You have plate now
; you don't need the chain."

"We're going to be stranded and surrounded by everything those mountains can throw at us. I'd rather have the extra weight and protection."

Celos frowned and then nodded. "Take care. You're used to being light and agile but you haven't really worn plate when fighting."

Aleena strapped the armor onto her legs and arms,
and then held the breastplate to her chest while Celos fitted a plate to her back and buckled them together. "I've also had to wear bulky plate armor too big for me to fight in," she reminded him.

He grunted and stepped back. "Not bad," he admitted.

"For a woman," she finished.

"Grab your helm," the knight said while reaching over to grab his own.

Aleena's hair was barely long enough for her to tie a ribbon in to draw it into a ponytail. She slipped a cloth hood over her head and then slipped the chain coif on top of that. She grabbed her helm and tucked it under her arm, and then turned to face Celos. "I'm ready."

"You look ready
. Let's go," he said. "And don't embarrass me out there."

Aleena followed him out of their room and down the hall until they reached the palace doors. The trip to the north gate took only a few minutes more. Some of the knights were already waiting while others were slower in arriving. Sir Ethan kept track of everyone and nodded in approval when the last knight arrived.

Sir Amos called out to the assembled knights, "Knights, we'll have no support on this. Grab extra weapons as you can. The recruits will carry what they can but I advise you all to grab extra gear. Swords, maces, axes, shields–whatever you can carry. Rations, too. I don't expect our enemy will let us take a break to go hunting."

Aleena looked to the wagon filled with a variety of weapons. She saw swords of all sizes, as well as a dizzying collection of axes, maces, spears, and halberds. She found a shield that fit her arm and then loaded up a pack with an extra mace. She tied a shorter sword to her hip and then collected an extra mace for Celos.

"Put this under your pack," Celos instructed her when he handed her a spare shield. He'd already secured a shield on straps under a pack he wore.

Aleena filled the rest of the room in her pack with dried meats, nuts, and some loaves of bread. She added a pair
of skins filled with water and then slipped it on. The pack, combined with the shield, felt heavy and pulled her back. She leaned forward and knew that she'd have to compensate. When they fought, she could slip it off, but traveling without it was suicide.

Celos, she saw, had grabbed a massive great sword and had it draped across his back and under his shield. His long sword hung at his side. He looked like a handsome knight of legend ready to go to war. She couldn't help grin, which only made him shake his head and look away.

"Knights, we ride!" Sir Amos cried out after everyone had finished provisioning themselves. A few of them snickered at his choice of words since they had no horses, but as one they moved out through the open north gate and across the bridge into the mountains.

Chapter 23

"This may be your worst idea yet," Kar complained as they struggled to help Winter climb a diagonal path up a steep slope of loose rock.

"I haven't had that many ideas yet," Alto hissed at the wizard.

"I know! It doesn't bode well for you."

Alto ignored the wizard and put his shoulder into Winter's side to help the unicorn keep his balance on the shifting stone. Winter took a step, lifting his hoof and allowing the rock he'd been on to shift and tumble down the side of the ridge until it fell over the edge of a cliff.

"Are we almost there, at least?" Kar asked.

Winter chuffed and nodded his head, and then stepped forward again and knocked more rocks loose.

Alto watched as Mordrim walked back down the rocks, moving with far more grace than he expected a fully armored dwarf could possibly manage. Among the rocks and mountains
, the dwarf moved as though he was at home.

"There's a path at the top around a mountain," he said. "I saw the tail end of goblins riding wolves as they headed away from me."

"They didn't hear you?" Alto asked. He'd gotten used to the noise he and the dwarf made in their armor but he knew they were loud.

"Or smell you?" Garrick added. The barbarian grunted as another rock slid down the side of the hall…after it had bounced off his chest.

"There'll be no disguising a unicorn," Alto mused as he thought of how he, Patrina, and Garrick had slipped into the mines the last time.

"Probably not another horse in these mountains," Garrick agreed.

"Any thoughts?" Alto looked to Kar and asked.

The wizard frowned. "It's too cold and too big an area for a fog. Too big for a storm and too late in the season for an avalanche."

"You can do those?"

"Magic," Kar reminded him. "It's not the spells themselves often, but what you can make happen with the spells. The noise from a clap of thunder, for example, can bring tons of snow from a mountain peak down."

"We can kill two wolves and two goblins," Garrick argued.

"What
if somebody sees their bodies? Or what if they don't show up when they're supposed to?" Alto asked. "Then the cry goes up and everyone's after us."

Garrick scowled and fell silent. They continued up the hill, making slow progress. Mordrim scooted ahead to scout out the ridge above them and signaled when they should move and when they should wait. It slowed their progress even further.

By the time they reached the rim of the slope, Alto felt as though after taking four days to reach the hill, they'd spent another four days on the hill alone. He stretched his back as quietly as he could and turned to the unicorn. "You should eat less."

Winter nipped his hair and yanked on it, making the warrior hiss at the surprise attack. Alto stepped away from the unicorn and moved to kneel next to Mordrim. "Is it safe?"

"For now," the dwarf whispered.

Alto motioned to the others and stepped through the remaining rocks and dropped onto the path. He winced at the noise his armor made and looked around anxiously. Seeing no one coming
, he took his hand off his sword and then slipped his shield off his back. By the time his shield was in hand, the others were on the path and ready. He turned and started forward, Mordrim at his side.

The path wound down and around an outcropping of rock that jutted out from the side of a mountain,
and then continued to slope down and cross on a ridge across a valley. On either side, the land fell away, plunging into broken rocks dozens of feet below. Alto frowned and stared at the path that ran across the spine of rock ahead of them.

"Be careful
, A strong wind here and you won't get a second chance," he warned the others.

Alto started across the narrow path, his eyes on the ground in front of him after he'd learned that staring off either edge left him dizzy. A growl jerked his head up to where the wolves and their goblin riders approached.

Alto drew his sword as he faced them. "We have to stop them," he said over his shoulder.

"You're the one in front,
" Kar reminded him.

The lead wolf and goblin came at him, moving steadily across the ridge. It seemed fast to Alto, especially considering the spear the goblin was wielding like a lance. Alto squatted down to make sure he kept his balance and then slashed with his sword to knock the spear away. His spiritblade severed the shaft and pulled the goblin off balance.

The wolf leapt up on him, unseating the goblin further, making him tumble off. The goblin landed on the path and rolled. He scrambled to grab a hold of something but clutched only snow and ice-covered rock. His next stop was nearly forty feet below.

Alto barely saw the goblin's plight
; he was too busy holding the wolf back with his shield. He crouched lower, dropping to one knee on the ridge, and thrust his sword up into the wolf's chest. He saw the blade emerge from the wolf's back and then he twisted and yanked it out to the side, spraying blood through the air. The wolf fell away, scrambling and spinning until it stepped off the opposite side of the ridge.

Alto looked up from the puddles of steaming blood on the path to the other snarling wolf. The goblin kicked the mountain wolf
in the side and called out in his language, urging his mount to do something. Alto wasn't sure if it was to attack or to turn and flee. It wasn't a gamble he was prepared to take.

Alto ran forward, plate mail rattling as he burst into motion. The wolf shrank back and then started to back up. Before it could turn and run
, Alto swung his sword and cut the goblin clean in half with a single powerful chop. His legs slammed into the side of the wolf, tripping him up and landing him on top of the struggling canine. They thrashed a few moments until the wolf squirmed free and lurched up to its feet. Alto smashed it in the face with his shield, pushing it over the edge and into the ravine far below.

He climbed to his feet slowly and looked at the others. Mordrim was leaning on his hammer and Garrick feigned a yawn. Winter tossed his mane while Kar muttered something about being stuck behind the horse's arse. Only Namitus and Karthor showed any concern. Alto scowled at them all and turned away. "Enough playing, let's go."

They finished crossing the ridge without further incident, and then followed the path as it cut to the right on a ledge. Far ahead, they could see a group of people heading the same direction they were but the distance was too great to make out any details. They could have been ogres, men, or goblins for all they knew. The path rose and dropped with the ledge and curved around the mountain. When they came back out in the open, the group ahead of them had moved far enough away to disappear.

They passed a boulder on their left and saw a smaller path branched off in that direction, although the main path continued on. Alto hesitated and turned back to Winter. "Which way?"

Winter walked up to the paths and sniffed at both of them. He took a few steps in both directions and then turned around and came back. The unicorn shook his head, his white mane flying.

"No idea?" Alto asked.

Winter turned and moved off the trodden snow to where fresh powder lay. He dragged his hoof across it, showing the direction Patrina lay. Alto lifted his head to follow the line and saw it went to the mountain ahead of them. A mountain that was not as tall as those around it. Instead of a pointed peak, the top looked to be rounded.

"This is it," Alto breathed. "From my dream. This is where she is."

"Patrina?"

"And Sarya."

"Where's the enemy camp?" Namitus asked. "We've seen a few patrols, but hardly the camp of an entire army."

Alto shook his head. "I think in the front of the mountain, at the base." He closed his eyes and struggled to remember his dreams. Not just the ending but earlier, when he was first on the mountain and looking around. "I should have paid more attention when I was with Jarook."

"You're not sure?" Kar asked.

"I'm sure this is the mountain," he confirmed. "I
'm just not sure where her forces are. Patrina's up there."

"On the top?" Karthor frowned as he stared up.

"That's where she is in my dream."

"Because you dreamt it doesn't mean it's true," Kar pointed out. "Dreams are not always visions of prognostication."

"Prog-what?" Alto asked. "That sounds like one of Thork's made-up words. Going to start talking about froggers next?"

"Froggers are very real!" Kar snapped. "A race of frogs that have been magically changed. As they mature to adults
, they're nearly as tall as our dwarven friend here and they often walk on two legs. Opposable thumbs and everything. They are feisty little beasts."