The sun was dipping below the mountains when Mobi awakened them at the northern edge of the Qubari Jungle.
“It is almost time,” Mobi declared. “We have prepared a meal for you. By the time you finish it, it will be dark enough for you to leave.”
“Not sure I care much for traveling at night over new terrain,” Mistake yawned.
“It is necessary if you wish to avoid the Jiadin,” Mobi smiled. “They camp in the peaks waiting for you to emerge. They must have great confidence in you to assume you would not die in here.”
“Or they just have orders to wait and see,” offered Rejji. “Either way, your plan makes sense, Mobi. Can we make the forest by morning?”
“If you do not dally,” assured Mobi. “The forest will give you cover almost to the base of Mount Kiator. Unfortunately, once you reach the mountain, your cover will be lost. You best hope that they are still looking this way when you get there, because the path up the mountain offers little concealment.”
“Is there anything you can do to create a diversion?” asked Bakhai. “What if three of your men left the jungle and headed south?”
“I will not ask my brothers to leave the jungle,” Mobi shook his head. “As a Qubari, you must learn to think like us. The jungle is our home, but also something we are sworn to protect. We do not venture outside of it unless it is necessary. We will wait here for twelve days. If you have not returned in that time, we shall return home.”
“We should not need a diversion anyway,” interjected Rejji. “If I understand the map you have drawn, they should not be looking towards Mount Kiator. Your plan is good, Mobi. Let us eat so we can leave as soon as it gets darker.”
By the time they finished the meal and gathered their belongings, the sky was dark. The trio headed due north, stepping over the low plants, until they emerged from the jungle. There was no moon this evening, but Rejji knew there would be one on the way back. Hopefully, the Jiadin would have given up the search by then.
The land they crossed was open and fairly flat, although it had a constant upward slant to it. There were scattered trees, but certainly not enough to conceal a group crossing the land. Rejji thought about how foolish they would have been to cross this in the daylight and silently thanked Mobi for his foresight.
An hour before dawn, as the sky began to lighten, they saw the forest. Mistake picked up the pace and they made the safety of the woods before the first rays of the sun danced across the land. After a short break, they continued walking through the woods. The forest was thick, but not nearly as dense as the jungle had been, and the sun filtered through the leaves and splattered on the forest floor. At high sun they took another food break.
“I am game for a few more hours,” Rejji declared. “Then we can have a good night’s sleep and travel in the daylight.”
Mistake and Bakhai nodded their agreement and the trio pushed onward. Halfway between high sun and sunset, they came to a river. They worked their way upstream in search of a ford and finally came to one. They waded across the stream and as they emerged on the other side they heard a familiar voice.
“Rejji!” called Brakas. “I had almost given up on you.”
“How did you ever know we would be coming this way?” asked Mistake.
“Simple,” grinned Brakas. “There are few places to cross this stream, and cross it you must to get to the Bone Mountains. How did you manage to get out of the jungle alive?”
“We were lucky,” responded Bakhai. “Very lucky. You take a big chance being here.”
“A chance?” questioned Brakas. “Why do you say that?”
“There is a large Jiadin army in the area,” stated Rejji. “You should be careful.”
“I haven’t seen any army,” retorted Brakas. “I haven’t seen a soul since I got here. Where is this army?”
“On the mountain peaks watching over the plains,” answered Rejji. “We had to cross them at night to avoid being seen.”
“That was right clever of you,” laughed Brakas. “Come I have camp set up just beyond the trees. Even have a deer roasting. You must be hungry.”
They followed Brakas to his camp. He clearly had been camped here for a few days and the trio settled down and enjoyed a hot meal.
“So have you found out where to look for the Sage or do we just try all of the mountains?” asked Brakas.
“Mount Kiator,” answered Rejji. “I understand it is a treacherous path to the top. I am not sure your horse will make it. How goes your hunting for the free tribes?”
“Not well,” frowned Brakas. “They appear to be constantly on the move. As soon as I get to where I heard one might be, they are gone. I am beginning to lose hope of uniting them.”
“You mustn’t give up hope,” encouraged Rejji. “Somebody has to stand against Grulak and the free tribes are our best bet.”
“You are right of course,” nodded Brakas. “Thank you for those words. I get so discouraged at times when things do not go quite right, but I should not. It doesn’t sound like you will need my help in finding the Sage, now that you know where he is. I will make better use of my time by searching harder for the free tribes. Let us visit tonight and in the morning we shall part company and go our different ways.”
“I do not mean to spoil a party,” interrupted Bakhai, “but I am rather tired. I hope you will excuse me.”
“And me,” added Mistake. “It has been a long day. You should get some sleep too, Rejji.”
“Words of wisdom,” chuckled Brakas. “I understand completely. Get some sleep Rejji. I think I will turn in myself.”
Mistake was the first to awaken. She roused Rejji and Bakhai from their sleep. Brakas had already left and the trio wasted no time in gathering their things and heading north. By high sun, the peak of Mount Kiator loomed above the trees and the forest began to thin. Mistake tingled with excitement and led the group at a fast pace as the ground began to rise more steeply and the fine soil became rocky.
Within an hour, they broke out of the trees entirely and began the ascent of Mount Kiator. The trail at first was wide and gradual as it wound its way up the slopes of the mountain. As they gained in elevation, the path narrowed as it ran along the edge of sheer cliffs. They watched as the sun disappeared behind the neighboring peaks to the west and continued on into the night. When the sky became totally dark, they stopped for the night and slept on the narrow trail.
***
The rider wound his way up the mountain path, which was illuminated by dozens of campfires. He maneuvered the horse carefully to avoid the clumps of soldiers as he continued on towards the summit. He shook his head at the disarray of the Jiadin camp and wondered what had possessed the general to camp his army in such an inaccessible location. Mobilizing the force would take hours, the rider knew, but he was glad that it was somebody else’s problem.
He finally reached the peak and headed for the large command tent. He dismounted and handed the reins to a sentry outside the tent. The other sentry nodded to the rider and held the flap open for him to enter. Inside the tent, the rider saw General Winus talking with Veltar’s assistant, Zygor.
“Ah welcome back,” greeted the General. “Have you located them?”
“I have,” grinned the rider. “Even better, I know their destination.”
“Excellent,” nodded the General. “I am anxious to put this part of the operation behind me. Where are they headed?”
“Mount Kiator,” declared the rider as he watched the General lean over a large map on the table. “They are probably on the slopes already.”
“On the slopes?” questioned Zygor. “How can that be? We have been watching the edges of the jungle for days. How did they get out?”
“At night,” answered the rider. “They knew you were up here watching. They crossed the plains at night and once in the forest, they knew you could not see them.”
“And how did they know we are up here?” questioned Zygor. “How could they possibly know unless someone told them?”
“Don’t look at me that way, Zygor,” the rider retorted. “I was not even informed of your location. Had Rejji not told me where I could find you, I would still be looking. As an army officer, I certainly would not expect to find the army on the peak of a mountain.”
“That is enough, Brakas,” reprimanded Winus. “We have no need for bickering amongst ourselves. If they are on the slopes, then there is no escape for them.”
“If they are on the slopes,” echoed Zygor. “We have followed Brakas’s advice before and they are still on the loose.”
“My information has always been accurate,” argued Brakas. “If Diakles had not gone after them alone the first time, they would be dead now instead of him. I also told you they would head for that village, but the army went north instead, and allowed them to enter the Qubari. I have always delivered what I promised to. Even the Chadang were laid bare for your plunder.”
“Enough,” shouted Winus. “You have done well, Brakas. I do not see the need for you to remain any longer. Continue your task of locating the free tribes. We have Rejji and his friends trapped now and there is no way out this time.”
“As you wish,” nodded Brakas. “I will head towards the mouth of the Taggot River. I suspect some of the tribes might have headed that way. I will enjoy your hospitality tonight and be on my way in the morning.”
“You may do as you wish,” sneered Zygor, “but you will be staying alone here tonight. We leave immediately.”
“Immediately?” questioned the General. “In the dark? They are trapped on that mountain and cannot escape. We can leave in the morning when the men can see the path.”
“We will leave now,” commanded Zygor. “I do not want to let them reach the top of the mountain. They could stay up there for weeks while we wait for them to come down. We know where they are now, and now is when we shall strike. Get your men moving.”
Brakas stared in disgust at General Winus kowtowing to Zygor. He turned and strode out of the tent and looked for a nice campfire to claim as his own.
***
Mistake woke Rejji as the first rays of the sun broke the eastern horizon. Rejji sat up and smiled at the pink sky.
“Another beautiful day is about to begin,” he smiled. “Where is Bakhai?”
“A little ways down the path communing with mountain goats,” she chuckled. “Hundreds of them passed by a short time ago.”
“Why didn’t you wake me sooner?” asked Rejji. “I know you are anxious to reach the top.”
“We did a bit of climbing yesterday,” answered Mistake, “and we have more ahead of us today. It will probably be more strenuous too. I figured if you were still sleeping that your body needed it.”
“Well I am up now,” yawned Rejji as he slowly rose to his feet. “Let’s get going.”
“You might want to get a bite to eat first,” laughed Mistake. “You will need your energy.”
Rejji walked to the edge of the cliff and stretched. He gazed out over the forests and followed the path they had taken the day before. As his eyes reached the base of Mount Kiator, he shook his head and looked again.
“Jiadin!” he shouted. “An army of them and they are coming this way. Get Bakhai. We have to get out of here.”
Bakhai had heard the shout and was already running towards Rejji. He stood on the edge next to Rejji and watched as the Jiadin army rode towards the path at the base of the mountain.
“We have to slow them down,” stated Bakhai. “With horses they will be on us before high sun.”
“Maybe not,” interjected Mistake as she looked up at the trail above them. “They may be able to ride to where we are now, but not much further. Look at the trail above us.”
The trail above the trio began to rise steeply and started to switchback for several hundred feet up. After that, it became a narrow ledge running along a sheer vertical wall until it passed out of sight.
“Start going up,” called Bakhai as he raced down the path. “I will catch up to you.”
Rejji started to ask him where he was going, but Mistake pulled his arm and proceeded up the path. They raced up the windy path as swiftly as they could scramble. Rejji turned to see if Bakhai was following and froze. He saw Bakhai running up the path towards him and hundreds of mountain goats heading down. It was a solid stream of mountain goats that took up the entire trail for many paces and all of them were on a collision course with the Jiadin army. He laughed as Bakhai caught up with him and turned to see Mistake shaking her head in wonder.
“It ought to slow them down some,” grinned Bakhai.
The trio was panting with exertion by the time they reached the end of the switchbacks. Mistake halted and looked at the trail ahead. This section of the mountain was a sheer vertical face of rock with a very narrow ledge passing along it.
“I don’t think we want to run along this,” cautioned Mistake. “In fact, if there weren’t a hundred Jiadin coming up the trail behind us, I think I might be rethinking how bad I want to get to the top of this mountain.”
“How long is it?” Rejji asked.
“No way of knowing,” frowned Mistake. “It curves around the mountain so I can’t see the end of it.”
Shouts came from below mixed with the sounds of horses and goats. The sounds appeared to echo off the walls of the mountain. The shouting increased and then they heard the scream of a man falling a long distance.
“Whatever distance we put between them and us now, is what it should remain,” suggested Rejji. “I doubt they can go any faster than we can once they get down to single file.”
“They will still have bows,” commented Mistake. “I don’t want to be dodging arrows while we try to walk this ledge. Just staying on it will be hard enough.”
“What happens when we reach the top?” queried Bakhai. “There is only one way down this mountain and they will be coming up it.”
“Let’s worry about that when we get to the top,” frowned Mistake. “If we don’t move now, we won’t have to worry about the answer.”
Mistake stepped out onto the ledge and started walking cautiously. Rejji followed her at a distance and Bakhai came last. Rejji looked down at the tiny tops of the trees below and started to waver. Bakhai caught up to him and put his hand on Rejji’s shoulder.
“Don’t look down,” warned Bakhai. “If you get dizzy, it will affect your balance. Watch Mistake and follow her.”
Mistake’s eyes were glued to the path in front of her feet. The morning sun was well above the horizon and shining into her face, but she squinted her eyes and searched for weak sections of the trail or loose debris that might cause problems. Several more screams were heard echoing off the walls, and the sounds of the pursuing army appeared to get louder, but she did not dare to turn around and look. The ledge before them looked as if it went straight to the sun itself and Mistake just kept on walking forward.
As the sun rose higher, Mistake began to see the trail far in the distance. The trail in the distance, however, did not appear to connect to the trail they were walking on. As she got closer she saw that the mountain curved inward and then back out again, like the curves of a snake as it slithers along the ground. A few more minutes of walking along the edge brought them to the bend in the path and the alcove formed by the mountain was bathed in gray shadows. She could easily see the sheer walls above and below the path they had to travel. She stepped into the shadows and marched forward.
The trio marched silently into the gloom for over an hour before they made the next bend and headed back towards the sunlight. As they looked over at the portion of the trail they already conquered, they could see the sunlight from the rising sun starting to penetrate the large alcove. They also saw the first Jiadin warriors as they turned the first bend into the alcove. They Jiadin shouted at the sight of their prey. The shouts echoed off the walls and reverberated loudly.
Mistake pressed onward as fast as she thought they could move safely. It was hard or her to keep her eyes upon the trail as the Jiadin line of soldiers poured into the alcove one by one. Some of the soldiers stopped and unstrapped their bows. A few arrows flew across the void between the trio and Jiadin soldiers, but none could reach across the distance of the alcove. Still, the closeness of the Jiadin was nerve-wracking. Mistake tried to listen to the fall of the arrows as they fell into the abyss, but either the shouts of the Jiadin were too loud, or the height of the drop was too great, because she never heard them land. Several screams of falling men were heard, but never the thump of the bodies landing.
“They are running along this ledge!” shouted Bakhai. “They do not care how many men they lose as long as they catch us. We can never hope to lose them. They will catch us.”
Mistake ignored the warning and continued at the fastest safe pace she could maintain. Occasionally, she looked across the void and saw the line of soldiers still entering the alcove. Suddenly, the rear of the line of Jiadin halted at the first bend and a tall lean man with long flowing black hair, glared across the alcove at them. Mistake caught his eyes across the distance for an instant and immediately broke contact and returned to watching the trail before her. Still the contact troubled her.
All of a sudden, the mountain trembled and Mistake halted and hugged the rock wall. More screams echoed through the alcove as some Jiadin fell to their deaths. Streams of pebbles cascaded down from above.
“What in the name of Fakara was that?” Rejji shouted.
“Whatever it was,” warned Bakhai, “the Jiadin are getting closer. We have less than an hour lead on them now. If they keep running, they will catch us sooner.”
“If they don’t fall,” answered Mistake as she let go of the wall and started moving forward again.
She glimpsed across the canyon and saw the dark Jiadin raising his hands. The mountain shuddered again and Mistake hugged the wall as the shower of pebbles rained down on them. Only one scream came from the Jiadin army this time. Mistake took the few moments she was hugging the wall to look past Bakhai at the head of the Jiadin army. The trembling of the mountain had not even stopped before those in the lead started running again. She turned and started walking. As she walked she kept her attention divided between the trail before her and the tall, dark Jiadin across the alcove. When she saw his arms rise, she shouted.
“Hug the wall!”
The trembling was much stronger this time and several screams came from the chasers. The rocks that fell were larger and more numerous also. Mistake looked at the trail before her and saw that they were almost at the last bend and would soon be out of the alcove. She turned and pushed forward, hoping to round the bend before the next tremor hit. The dark Jiadin had other ideas as his arms went skyward again. Mistake shouted a warning to her friends and hugged the wall again. The trembling this time lasted for several minutes and at least a dozen Jiadin fell to their deaths. The fall of debris was also worse and a fist sized rock hit Mistake’s shoulder. She grit her teeth as the pain jolted through her body. Worst of all, she felt the ledge under her feet move and looked down to see a crack that had not been there before.
“The tremors are getting worse,” Rejji said. “If they get any worse we will be tossed off this mountain.”
“They are getting worse because he is getting more desperate,” responded Mistake. “We only have a little ways to go and we are out of this alcove.”
“What do you mean?” quizzed Rejji. “Who is getting desperate?”
“The Jiadin’s wizard is getting desperate,” answered Mistake. “The tall one with the long flowing black hair.”
“You mean this is magic?” asked Rejji. “They are trying to kill us with magic?”
“Unless he just happens to raise his arms before each tremor,” replied Mistake. “Let’s get out of this alcove.”
Mistake rubbed her shoulder and started walking again. She found herself staring at the Jiadin mage, waiting for his arms to go up, and forced her eyes back to the path before her. She heard loud arguing across the void and ignored it as she saw the last bend ahead of her. The sunlight flooded her body as she made the turn to head eastward again. The Jiadin mage was now directly behind her and she could not afford to turn and watch for his arms rising, so she kept her eyes glued to the ledge in front of her. Her shoulder ached and she tried to force the pain from her mind. The ledge before the trio stretched out in front of them as far as they could see, always rising. Mistake began to wonder if it went on forever.
The next tremor came without warning and was the most severe of all. The shaking threw Mistake to the ground and she felt her legs starting to slide off the edge as the mountain continued to tremble. Her fingers scrambled for some crack or crevice to cling to, but she found none. Just as she felt she was about to be dragged over the edge, she felt a hand grasp her leg.
“Try to crawl a little forward and get your thighs back on the ledge,” called Rejji.
Mistake tried to crawl forward as the shower of rocks began cascading down. The pebbles bounced off her back, but luckily none of them were very large. The trembling continued and she felt it would go on forever. She ignored the shower of rocks and inched forward as Rejji pulled her legs onto the ledge.
“Thanks,” Mistake gasped as a huge rumble rent the air.
She lifted her head and saw a giant slab of the vertical rock wall separate from the mountain. Less than two hundred paces before them, the slab slid down as if in slow motion. Tons of rock slammed into the narrow ledge and a great cloud of dust rose into the air. The ledge the trio was on bounced and bucked and they clung nervously to each other. For several moments rock cascaded down the side of the mountain. Finally, the trembling stopped and the wind caught the cloud of dust and tossed it away.
The trio remained still for a moment after the shocks subsided and eventually rose to their feet. Mistake gasped as she gazed upon the trail ahead. A large portion of the ledge had been sheered off the face of the mountain and descended into the abyss with the slab.
“That ends this journey,” she sobbed. “I am so sorry for making you bring me here. We should never have come.”