The Crystal's Curse by Christopher Hayes

Author:Christopher Hayes [Hayes, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-09T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

The craggy mountain pass twisted treacherously between sheer cliffs and yawning ravines shrouded in mist. Galen led his road-weary companions in single-file along the precarious shale path, eyes scanning the hazy ridge-lines overhead for any signs of pursuit. But only the shrill cries of hawks on the wing pierced the heavy silence enveloping their remote heights.

According to the cryptic account Cyndra had deciphered back in the Valley Sanctum's crumbling archives, a long-abandoned sky citadel nestled somewhere amid-st these perilous peaks supposedly still sheltered the Earth Crystal's potent magics - the very elemental cornerstone of land itself. Recovering that lost shard before Varian's corrupting reach warped the stones and soil as well could shift the tide of this arduous conflict.

Yet the same scattered history tomes also warned of perilous obstacles barring entry to deter the unworthy. And more alarmingly, dark whispers claimed Varian had already dispatched his own monstrous champions into the soaring mountains weeks prior, seeking to seize the mythical prize first. Somewhere up ahead, a reckoning loomed.

"How much farther must we tread upon this light-forsaken path before reaching the hidden summit sanctum?" Raasko groused from the rear of their solemn procession. "These accursed ravines tax my patience more than shredded ligaments."

Cyndra glanced back reproachfully, though not without sympathy in her violet eyes. "Legends tell the sanctum was intentionally sited far from mortal tread along the most dangerous trails. But take heart, keen Raasko - we draw steadily nearer to-"

Her words were suddenly drowned out by an avalanche's roar as entire tons of loose scree detached from the slope above and thundered down, forcing them to desperately hug the cliff face or be swept away into roiling oblivion. Cascading debris slammed into the path with force enough to pulverize bone. When the last echoes faded, their ragged band still clung to fragile ledges, but the way ahead lay buried beneath a field of boulders and gravel.

"So much for your optimism, my friend," Raasko remarked with a weak chuckle once the dust settled. But his grin quickly faded, glancing back to see the treacherous shale slope now completely collapsed and impassable behind them. Trapped between oblivion's, only a sheer precipice now barred the remaining path upward. They could only advance into thinning air.

Peering over the crumbling edge, Galen's eyes followed the nearly vertical granite face afresh with climbing ropes and pitons, his thoughts racing. "By your wounded leg and Cyndra's robes, I fear none here boast the skills needed to scale this untamed granite without invited doom." He frowned. "If we possessed a guide well-versed in these peaks though..."

As if on cue, a nearby pile of debris shifted. Then a powerfully built form extricated itself from the gravel pile, rising up fully to stand before them. Though clad in earthen hues that blended masterfully with the craggy backdrop, the bald newcomer made no attempt to conceal the thick climbing ropes and assorted tools bristling across his broad frame. Hazel eyes stared at them warily from beneath a deeply lined and weathered face.

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