Enduring Flame #01 - The Phoenix Unchained by Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory

Author:Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory [Lackey, Mercedes & Mallory, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Epic, Fiction, General, Fantasy Fiction, Magic, Elves, Magicians
ISBN: 0765315939
Publisher: Tor Books
Published: 2007-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Ten Into the Mountains

PAST PINEHOLD, THE road began to ascend sharply, and even in deep summer the air was crisp and cool. Lasthold was the final town close to the road before they ascended to the mountains themselves, and the villagers there corroborated the Pine-hold smith's story. Though wolves had not been seen in this area in over a century—and this wasn't the season for raiding wolfpacks, besides—they had come swarming down from the mountains in early spring.

In Lasthold the villagers also mentioned that bears had been seen in greater numbers this spring than usual, and said that westbound travelers had said they'd seen ice-tiger tracks in the higher reaches of the Mystrals, though nobody really believed that. Ice-tigers were fearsome predators, but shy and reclusive creatures, unlikely to come anywhere near humans.

"We'll be lucky to get across the pass alive," Harrier muttered as they left Lasthold.

When they'd arrived, he'd hoped to talk Tiercel into spending the night there, but once the villagers had started talking about tigers and bears and enormous wolfpacks, his heart really hadn't been in it. He'd settled for adding a couple of heavy wolfskin robes to their supplies before they left. Since they were apparently going to be sleeping in the snows of the mountain passes, Harrier had a feeling they were going to need them.

He only hoped that Tiercel would be able to get more money in Ysterialpoerin. He'd drawn the last of his own allowance in Sentarshadeen, and traveling was more expensive than he'd ever imagined. Growing up, he'd never given a thought to the fact that Tiercel was noble-born while he was "merely" a member of the Merchant Class—since in reality, the Harbormaster's Son would be more important in the City, someday, than the son of a Magistrate's Clerk, unless Tiercel became a Magistrate himself—which seemed very unlikely now.

But if Harrier's family was important, well, then he'd always known that Tiercel's was wealthy, though they'd always had the good manners not to flaunt their wealth. And that was a very good thing, since the two of them were certainly going to need more money soon. Their journey wasn't even half over.

It had been Meadowbloom when they left Armethalieh. They'd traveled through Sunkindle and most of Fruits, and would be lucky to reach Ysterialpoerin before the end of Harvest. And even then their trip wouldn't be over. Far from it. He wondered when the Gatekeeper was closed by weather.

Vintage? Or earlier? Were they running out of time to reach their final destination?

And even when they'd gotten where they were going, and did whatever they had to do there, they still had to get back again.

Not this year, he thought resignedly. He hoped the Elves wanted houseguests, because he wasn't sure what else they were going to do once they got where they were going except wait for Windrack or even Sunkindle to unfreeze the southwestern passes again. If they even got there in the first place.

"I'm sure the pass is well-patroled," Tiercel said absently.

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