Chapter 5

 

 

Lore, Nyssa and Dom pushed themselves hard in their bid to catch Eldor. Without tracks to follow, they didn’t know how far he was ahead of them. They walked all day and into the night before finally stopping near midnight at the Snow River. It was one of many that flowed down out of the Chill Mountains and into The Forest of Rivers, giving it its name. They camped for the night by a small stone bridge where they lit a fire to cook a meal. They ate and then turned in for some welcome sleep.

 

They were on the move again with dawn a dim glow in the eastern sky. They travelled hard again, hoping to catch Eldor before he reached the Midnight Mountains. For two days they marched, hoping as they reached the top of a hill or rounded a bend in the trail they would see Eldor and others ahead of them.

 

They were almost to the feet of the Midnight Mountains before Nyssa finally found their tracks again. One inspection she said they were catching up with them, but they were still hours ahead. They arrived at a crossroads where they trail branched in three other directions. It went north and south along the Midnight Mountains and west up into their dark peaks.

 

‘They’ve gone up into the mountains,’ Nyssa said after she had inspected some tracks.

 

‘That means they are heading up to the Thundering Stairs,’ Lore said.

 

‘What are the Thundering Stairs?’ Dom asked, having not heard of them before.

 

‘Well, it’s really a trail that climbs over the Midnight Mountains,’ Nyssa explained. ‘In some places it climbs and descends steeply and there are steps that were carved there an age ago. I guess the folk of Rethan must have used it when they were alive.

 

‘I haven’t used the trail, but Aunt Rena has. Somewhere on the far side of the mountains it comes across a huge waterfall that drops hundreds of feet into a gorge. It’s the sound of the water that gives the trail its name.’

 

‘How far ahead do you think Eldor is?’ Dom asked.

 

Nyssa frowned and chewed on her lip a moment.

 

‘Still some hours,’ she replied. ‘I think we should go on further tonight to try and lessen the distance.’

 

Lore nodded, though when he spoke his tone was worried.

 

‘If we come across any goblins we’ll be vulnerable with just the three of us,’ he said. ‘Eldor at least has Jena and her magic to protect them.’

 

‘What if we don’t catch up with them at all?’ Dom asked. ‘Will we go on to the city?’

 

He was naturally curious about the ancient city. Whilst he knew there was danger there, he had an urge to see it.

 

‘I’d rather not think about that just yet,’ Lore replied, with Nyssa agreeing with a nod. ‘We’ll go on tonight and really push ourselves tomorrow. I’d rather find them than think of going that far.’

 

They headed into the foothills in the gathering darkness, the trail winding its way between trees and large boulders sticking up out of the ground. Ahead the towering flanks of the mountains loomed high into the air and Dom found himself thinking of when he had been here before. It was when he had been kidnapped by Mogrom and he hadn’t forgotten how sinister its dark stone looked.

 

They made good time as a half moon had risen early and lit the way. It was nearing midnight when they found themselves in a narrow ravine. Climbing up one wall were some rough hewn steps and here they decided to sleep the night.

 

‘It’s too dangerous to climb at night,’ Lore said. ‘The stairs can be treacherous even during the day.’

 

‘Let’s eat and then sleep,’ Nyssa said. ‘We’ll need our strength tomorrow.’

 

They ate a cold meal, a fire too dangerous now they were in goblin country. They then wrapped themselves in their cloaks and lay down on the cold, hard ground. It took a while for Dom to fall asleep, his gaze looking up at the moonlit mountains. A wind had risen and it moaned eerily in the darkness. All he could think of was whether any goblins were watching them already.

 

* * *

 

For the next two days Eldor, Rena and Jena trekked into the Midnight Mountains. The weather turned foul on the first day, a bitterly cold wind gusting hard and drenching rain falling from low grey clouds. Where the climb was steep up cliffs, steps had been hewn into the dark stone and the rain turned them slick and slippery. Quite a few times they almost tumbled away, either blown off balance by the wind or slipping on the stone.

 

There was a trail to follow when the way was easy, winding down into shadowy valleys and ravines. They sought shelter in a cave on the first night, finding it at least dry and out of the wind. But the second night found them huddling beneath a rock overhang, cold and miserable as rain and wind swept over them.

 

Then on the third day the weather cleared and they caught glimpses of the western lands between the lowering peaks. Patches of blue sky began to appear and shafts of golden sunlight lit up the mountains.

 

Midday found them climbing over a steep ridge and cresting it, they found the trail descending again into a narrow ravine. They were half way along it when they heard a growing rumble ahead. They reached the end of the ravine and passing around a sharp corner, suddenly emerged onto a narrow rock shelf.

 

And tumbling down on their left from higher up a mountain cliff was a huge waterfall. It cascaded down the cliff wall, a wide body of rushing water that gleamed in the sunlight. It fell in a thunderous roar into a deep gorge below where a cloud of mist and spray lay. It then rushed away down the gorge in a tossing, foaming torrent.

 

‘What an amazing sight!’ Jena said on Rena’s shoulder, raising her voice above the rumbling sound.

 

‘Yes, it’s quite amazing, isn’t it,’ Rena agreed. ‘This is what gives the Thundering Stairs its name.’

 

They moved on, the trail cutting back into the cliff wall behind the waterfall and more steps leading down. As they went Jena gazed in awe at the sunlit water rushing past them only yards away.

 

Once they reached the gorge, they found the trail following a narrow ledge and they headed down it. Ahead the gorge ended at a high cliff wall and here a huge cave swallowed the rushing water. It reminded her of the time she and Dom had been swept into a similar cave.

 

They walked on, heading toward a rock overhang where the trail turned aside. They were half way to it when Jena suddenly caught sight of a golden gleam on wrist. Her bracelet was suddenly glowing and she cried out a warning.

 

‘Eldor!’ she exclaimed. ‘There’s danger about!’

 

The wizard spun around at her alarm and then several things happened at once. His eyes grew wide in shock as he stared back the way they had come. Rena turned to see what he was looking at, thinking it were goblins.

 

But it was Lore and Nyssa they could see, appearing on the ledge from behind the waterfall. Lore was shouting something at them as they hurried toward them, but couldn’t be heard above the waterfall’s roar.

 

‘Good dwarves! What are they doing here?’ Rena asked in disbelief. ‘And… is that Dom on Lore’s shoulder?’

 

Then suddenly several spears glanced off the ground around them. They all looked up the steep slope above and saw a horde of goblins higher up. They were dressed in their rough leather armour and were armed to the teeth with swords and spears.

 

‘Goblins!’ Rena growled. ‘We’re sitting ducks here. We’ve got to get out of range!’

 

Jena could see the goblins couldn’t reach them as the slope was too steep. But they could still hurl spears and more glanced off the ground with metallic pings. They had seen Lore and Nyssa too and were hurling spears in their direction.

 

‘Head for that overhang!’ Eldor urged. ‘It’ll protect us from the spears.’

 

‘What about the others?’ Jena asked in concern.

 

‘Once we reach the overhang, use your magic to deflect the spears so they can reach us, Jena,’ the wizard replied.

 

They moved off at run, heads bowed as spears continued to fall around them. Reaching the safety of the overhang, they looked back to where the others were. They had reached about half way down the gorge and then Rena gave a shout.

 

‘Eldor! They’re going to roll stones onto them!’

 

Jena could see the goblins heaving large stones and boulders along the slope. They rolled the first away and they bounced and crashed down toward Lore, Nyssa and Dom.

 

‘Quickly, Jena! Use your magic to deflect them,’ Eldor urged.

 

Standing on Rena’s shoulder, Jena held up her hands and concentrated. She waved her hands and the stones spun away, deflected by her magic and sent plunging into the gorge with great splashes.

 

But the goblins were rolling more and bigger stones and it was all Jena could do to deflect them all. The one huge boulder was knocked free by some others and it came hurtling down.

 

Jena tried to stop and deflect it, but it was just too heavy and rolling too fast. It then smashed onto the trail where the others were. A great cloud of dust and shattered stone was flung into the air. They couldn’t see what had happened to their friends.

 

* * *

 

Lore and Nyssa had seen the huge boulder tumbling toward them. Nyssa managed to jump clear just in time, though she was showered in shattered stone and dust. She turned back to find Lore, but the trail had been sheared away by the falling boulder. Then she spotted him below. He was hanging by one hand onto a spur of rock, his other holding onto Dom.

 

‘Lore!’ she shouted in alarm.

 

‘Get to Eldor, Nyssa,’ he yelled up at her as his grip suddenly began to slip. ‘Give him the message!’

 

‘I can’t leave you!’ she said in dismay.

 

‘Too late,’ Lore replied and she watched in horror as he fell and plunged into the churning waters of the gorge.

 

‘Lore!’ Nyssa shouted in horror.

 

Then she saw him bob up further down the gorge, hands above his head as he held onto Dom. Then the rushing water swept them into the darkness of the cave and they were gone. Nyssa ran for her own safety then, dodging rocks and spears and reaching the others, she fell into Rena’s arms.

 

‘Lore and Dom are gone, Rena!’ she sobbed. ‘I… I couldn’t help them!’

 

‘I know, Nyssa… there was nothing anyone could have done,’ the dwarf replied soothingly, but stunned herself by what had happened.

 

‘What… what will happen to them?’ Jena asked, her expression stricken and tears in her eyes.

 

‘We can’t talk here with these goblins crowing about their vile deed,’ Eldor replied. ‘Let’s move down the trail so we can talk in peace.’

 

The goblins were indeed overjoyed at their apparent victory, jeering in wicked delight at what they had done. Eldor quickly moved everyone around the overhang and further down the trail till they could no longer hear them. He then turned to Nyssa.

 

‘Good wizards, Nyssa! What are you doing here?’

 

‘We have a message from Queen Erin,’ she replied, wiping away her tears.

 

She then explained what Queen Erin had said to Dom in his dream. That the Stardust Fountain had been moved from where Eldor thought it to be in Rethan. Eldor was shocked by this news, his expression bleak at what it could mean to their quest.

 

‘Good dwarves! This is disastrous!’ Rena exclaimed. ‘Do you know what Erin means about this place of mirrors, Eldor?’

 

The wizard shook his head.

 

‘No… it means nothing to me,’ he said. ‘It might be that the fountain was taken into a building… but that seems unlikely as it needs be in the open under the stars.’

 

‘Then how will we find it?’ Rena went on.

 

‘We’ll have to find a way,’ Eldor replied firmly. ‘If we don’t, the fairies are doomed.’

 

‘What about Lore and Dom?’ Jena asked gloomily. ‘Are they trapped in that tunnel?’

 

Eldor gave her a stern look.

 

‘I seem to recall, Jena, that you and Dom survived a similar journey in an underground river not that long ago,’ he replied. ‘Don’t give up on them just yet. The gorge flows under the mountains and floods into a river near Rethan. If… if they survive they may get there before us.’

 

Jena nodded, feeling a litter better. She and Dom had indeed survived just such an underground river. Eldor got them moving again and they headed off along the trail. Their hearts were grim though as they thought of Lore and Dom. They also wondered whether there was any hope now of finding the Stardust Fountain.