James Barclay - Beyond the Mists of Katura

But what dominated Auum’s attention way beyond the far shores of Triverne Lake were four great smudges on the land, one of which partly obscured the forest they could see.

‘I wonder if those are-’ he began.

‘They are,’ said Stein wandering up behind them. ‘Those are our beloved colleges, wreathed in the fog of human existence. From left to right: Julatsa, Dordover, Lystern, Xetesk, the latter conveniently the closest to Understone Pass.’

‘How far is Xetesk from the pass?’ asked Grafyrre.

‘About a day’s ride. It’s thirty-five or forty miles. Just a morning trot for the TaiGethen. Whoa! What the hell do they want?’

A trio of Xeteskian mages had appeared above the rock wall and were flying towards them at a gentle pace, high enough to avoid jaqrui and spell. Coming closer, they waved a white piece of cloth. Stein looked at Auum.

‘What do you think?’

‘Don’t ask him,’ said Ulysan. ‘He beheaded the last man who offered him a parley.’

‘The beheading was some time after the parley and he was trying to kill me,’ said Auum.

‘Just saying,’ said Ulysan.

‘So. .?’ said Stein.

‘They can talk to you if they want,’ said Auum. ‘I have nothing to say to those bastards. Just remind them I’m faster than any casting they might think to unleash. Do you want to talk to them?’

Stein shrugged. ‘A little taunting never hurts.’

Stein walked a little downslope, waiting some forty yards from the edge of the wall for the Xeteskians to land. The three men were all young and strong, landing and walking with an arrogant air. Skullcaps were tight about their heads, and their cloaks were identically trimmed black with silver stitching — junior mages.

‘Nice place you’ve got here,’ said the central one, walking slightly ahead of the others.

‘What do you want?’ asked Stein. ‘I have no time for chat.’

‘We’ve come to offer you custody and safe passage to Xetesk, where you will be treated with respect until the conflict is resolved.’

Stein glanced behind him. Auum, Ulysan and Grafyrre were all standing and much of the group was bunched up behind them, wanting to hear.

‘I am long since past believing the words of any representative of Xetesk. I’m sorry you’ve wasted your time.’

‘You will all die up here,’ said the second of them, his tone sneering.

‘We take a different view, but thank you for your concern. Is there anything else?’

‘Your water is finite, your food too and your cover non-existent. Unless you’re planning to build houses up here and plant crops, we will outlast you, and our offer will not stand when you come crawling back down the wall,’ said the first.

‘The place has lovely views, don’t you think?’ said Stein. ‘From here we’ll be able to see the Wesman hordes swarm about your college when the Wytch Lords betray your perverse alliance. It is you who have little time, if you ask me. We’ll take our chances here.’

‘You must agree to our terms,’ said the third. ‘It is your only chance to live.’

‘Ah, of course, you were told to leave none of us alive, weren’t you? No one to tell the tale of your betrayal. That bird has flown, my friends, but don’t worry. Julatsa has no intention of attacking you. We will bide our time until the war is done and the reckoning starts.’

‘We will win the war,’ said the first.

‘Well, we’ll see, won’t we? Now let me be clear: we are not going to surrender to you.’

‘Then starve on your mountainside,’ said the first.

All three took wing and flew away, and Stein roared with laughter. By the time he’d walked back to Auum, he had the ear of every elf.

‘They think we are staying here until they go,’ he said. ‘They think we’re going to try and wait them out. Oh, they are so predictable.’

‘Will they attack again?’ asked Grafyrre.

‘Not up here,’ said Stein. ‘They’re blustering now. They’ll watch us go, and our departure will light a lantern in the dim recesses of their minds, but by the time they realise what we’re doing it will already be too late.’

‘That reminds me, Ulysan,’ said Auum. ‘Did Ephemere contact the ships?’

‘She did, and Takaar isn’t there, at least, not yet.’

Stein saw Auum frown.

‘It isn’t that far, not for running elves. Unless he’s dead, he has to have made it, unless. . Stein, draw me a line from Julatsa to Korina and tell me what you pass close to on the way.’

Stein knew what he was talking about, what Takaar desired.

‘The Septern Manse is the most notable landmark.’

Auum chuckled. ‘That mad old bastard, I never really doubted he’d persuade Gilderon to make a detour. I wonder what havoc he’s wreaked there, him and his Senserii.’

‘But is he still there now, do you think?’ mused Ulysan.

‘One thing I promise you,’ said Auum, ‘he won’t be heading for the ships.’

‘And probably won’t be rushing to our aid either,’ said Ulysan.

Auum shrugged. ‘We’ve got this far.’

‘So we have,’ said Stein. ‘And now it’s time to get going. It’s a long slow walk to the next resting place, and we don’t want to be on that ridge in the dark.’

‘Doesn’t bother us,’ said Ulysan.

Stein rolled his eyes.

‘All right then, I don’t want to be on the ridge in the dark. Come on, I’m bored with the view anyway.’

All of their good humour had been eroded to nothing by early afternoon. Stopping for food had been even more unpleasant than continuing to walk, though progress had become so slow they barely seemed to be moving forward at all. It was a single line of misery, picked at by increasingly strong winds and showered by wind-blown ice on the whim of whatever god ruled these mountains.

In all his thousands of years Auum had never felt himself so unprepared for anything. And they had begun in such high spirits, despite the losses on the climb and those killed by magic the previous day. The incline was easy, the ridge was narrow but not so uneven as to present a real risk for the careful walker, and the sun had broken through the clouds to provide some warmth despite the gusting wind.

Auum had chatted to Stein at the head of the line, the human pointing out the names of peaks they could see piercing the sky to the north and south. They were to be in the mountains for two days, more if they were unlucky in the paths they chose, but Auum had not been unhappy at the prospect. The scale of the range was staggering and the beauty matched it. There were white-capped peaks, ice slopes, vertiginous cliffs and chasms that surely led straight to the bowels of the earth. It was breathtaking.

It was not until shortly before midday that Auum felt the first stirring of unease. The clouds had covered the sun and the temperature had fallen sharply. With the clouds had come an icy wind straight out of the west and into their faces, driving the temperature down still further. They had been showered in snow from the high peaks ahead before a chill rain had soaked them to shivers.

The stop for food just after midday had been a miserable affair. Mages spaced throughout the line had melted snow in pans for a hot drink and they had boiled horsemeat to make a thoroughly unappetising meal. The meat was tough and tasted like Xeteskian revenge for their escape.

Auum had moved up and down the line trying to keep their spirits up, but it was difficult to do when, despite the cloak about his body and the shirt tied across his mouth and nose, he was absolutely freezing. He rubbed his hands together, not daring to put them in his pockets in case of a fall, and with every step he stamped his feet to try and keep the circulation going. His boots were made for the rainforest and, durable as they were, they were not built for warmth.