| "The Adventures of Kat and Clara" Part VI: Backtracking to the Peak The desert sun rose for the next day of travel. It was such a flat desert that the sun was visible long before the sunrise in the Valley of Fate would ever be seen. Kat, Clara, and the rest of their followers all rose to greet the day and eat. "It is a beautiful morning here," Kat said, "and the hilt of the sword is safe with us. We have a renewed morale. Where does this adventure put us all today?" Keilich examined his map. "Well," he began, "it seems as though we shall continue to push west, onward into the desert. It will take us days to reach the edge of it." "What is beyond the desert?" Isengrim asked. "None of us is aware," Keilich said. "But last night, I got the impression that we've missed something." Clara looked around at everyone. "'Missed something'?" she asked. "I don't believe that. We've come all this way; there is no way that we should have to turn back." "We have a few choices to make," Kelich said. "We can either wander for days or weeks in this desert, or we can turn back and head east to the Peak of Mir'Adash." Everybody groaned in unison. "Not the mountain, Keilich!" Isengrim complained. "We are horribly unprepared for a climb like that. Not to mention, also, that you, me, and my wife are too old to advance up that mountain. By the way, what confidence do you have in climbing the Peak?" "I've got a feeling that something related to our quest is up there," Keilich answered. "It does not seem unusual to me that something of such a noble quest would be up there for us to find." "He makes a good point," Kat said. "We can use your magic to protect us from the rest of the wilderness, Keilich. Isengrim's magic would also be of help." "Well, since it's your quest," Isengrim said, disdainfully, "it may also be your demise. I will do what is in my power to protect you. I will use my warmth aura, at least, to prevent you all from freezing to death." "Then let us be on our way," Clara said. "Keilich, you lead us. You give me the impression that you're already familiar with the mountain." Keilich led the expedition back towards the Valley of Fate, then northward to the great Peak of Mir'Adash. The group had trudged through miles of desert as it was, then northward through the considerably colder, yet tolerable, grasslands and taiga that was the welcome mat for the mountain. Near the end of the afternoon, the party of travelers, weary from dozens of miles of marching, reached the base of the Peak of Mir'Adash. To Keilich's pleasant surprise, the mountain was not as horrible as he described it; there were no great cliffs to scale, nor were the first few thousand feet full of trees. Instead, there was only grass and rocks, as well as the river that flowed back towards the Valley of Fate, snaking high up the mountain. Even a path was noticable from the bottom. "Here she is," Keilich said. "It is a fantastic sight, but has claimed many a life." "Really?" Salem said, marveling at the sight of the mountain. "Of course, son," Isengrim said. "Many explorers have come this way and have been killed on their way up the mountain. Eventually the mountain pathway may end, indicating where some travelers have died." "Is anything else up there that we should be worried about?" Kat asked. "There may be some large beasts in that wilderness," Keilich said. "Then again, we have magic, and you and Clara are apparently accomplished swordswomen." "Shall we go on?" Erma asked. "Of course," Isengrim said. "Lead the way, Keilich." The group of travelers continued on their way, following a small dirt path up the mountain. They followed the river that ran down the mountain; it was wide and had more waterfalls that were visible in the distance. Not much was around them other than some large boulders and patches of grass. Along the way, they rested a bit, being sure to ration food carefully. Darkness grew upon the mountain; it soon became colder and colder, and the group realized that the path was now lined with plants and trees, making it more difficult to see ahead. As they followed the river, Kat and Clara began identifying large chunks of ice floating down the river, possibly from not too far ahead. Kat pulled her thick, purple cloak over her shoulders; she never felt so cold in such a long time, as the winters on the Plains of Clay lasted only a very short time. "I can barely walk, my legs are so cold," Kat said, turning to Clara. Even her companion, although dressed much more conservatively, was shivering. "Me, too," Clara said. She then turned to Isengrim. "Isengrim, can you enchant the party with an aura of warmth? We can still continue onward, so long as we are comfortable." "I can do that," Isengrim said. "We still have a great deal of time left in our day, so I can keep us warm enough to continue on." Isengrim closed his eyes to concentrate, then extended his arms over his head. Magical energy focused at his fingertips, then expanded to form an nearly invisible sphere around his party; the shell was an orange-red color. Within a few seconds, the party experienced the warmth they were used to from the Valley of Fate and the Plains of Clay. Next page >> |