By the time the moon rose over the horizon into a dark sky free of clouds, Jahrra was fast asleep. Jaax made sure of it before heading toward the cavern entrance where Ellyesce stood, watching the stars come out.
“She doesn’t ask too many questions, Jaax” Ellyesce said quietly, using that archaic language just to be safe.
“She wants to ask them,” the dragon answered just as silently, his keen eyes alert and scanning the shadows cast onto the snowy landscape outside. “But part of her is afraid to. And, she also knows I will not answer them.”
Ellyesce nodded. “It’s much easier to ignore the big picture, to pretend like this is just another adventure to another city, than to think about why this particular journey is necessary.”
Jaax snorted. “I do believe you are right. She will have enough to weigh on her mind once we get to Nimbronia.”
The Tanaan dragon thought back to his conversation with his ward earlier in the day. Oh, how easy it would be to share his own worries with her, but it would do no good to have both of them on edge. He needed to remain focused, to keep up his façade of strength and bravery. If not for all those they would be fighting for, then for Jahrra alone. He knew what he asked of her, what Hroombra had expected of her and he wanted to keep that impossible responsibility away from her as long as possible.
“Sometimes, I wish I knew the future,” Jaax murmured. “I tell myself it would be easier that way. But then, the more rational side of my brain reminds me that if I did, I might struggle to change it, and in struggling, I would wear myself out and be unprepared when it came to me. I don’t want Jahrra to be unprepared, either.”
“Then, it’s a good thing I am no Mystic,” Ellyesce said dryly.
Jaax studied the elf carefully, his eyes narrowing as he tried to read his friend’s face. An impossible task. Giving up, he took a breath and said flatly, “Yes, a very good thing.”
“Besides,” Ellyesce added with a touch of vitriol, “Mystics are the last sort of people you’d ever want to trust.”
Jaax only nodded. In that regard, he couldn’t agree more.
-Chapter Three-
The Crossroads
The next morning, Jahrra woke to a stream of brilliant sunlight pouring in through the cave entrance. Already, there were signs of melting snow all around them, the least of which was a small puddle that had accumulated beneath Jahrra’s sleeping blanket sometime in the night.
“Lovely,” she grumbled, swiping her hand down her damp clothing in a feeble attempt to get rid of the icy water stain.
“At least the storm has passed, and the weather is improving,” Ellyesce commented in his usual, no-nonsense way.
Jahrra turned in her bedroll and peered at him. He was already dressed and busy packing their traveling gear onto Rumble, the pack horse. Jahrra wrinkled her nose and rubbed her eyes, still feeling a bit groggy.
“Where’s Jaax?” she asked.
“Scouting ahead and checking the surrounding area. Once he returns, we’ll be on our way. Here.”
He tossed her one of the trail biscuits they’d been eating for breakfast the past several days. Jahrra was sick of them, but they obviously weren’t going to stick around to cook a hot meal. She took a bite out of the hard-packed granola and climbed out of her bedroll.
Once she was finished eating and dressed in clean, dry travel clothes, Jahrra approached Phrym and got him ready for the road.
“Our rest is over,” she murmured, feeding him a handful of oats. “Time to get moving once again.”
He whickered and tickled her palms with his lips. Jahrra bit her bottom lip and fought a smile. “I’ve heard that Nimbronia is a great city perched on a mountain peak far above the rest of the land,” she told her semequin. “The palace and all the buildings are made entirely of ice and ruled over by dragons far bigger than Jaax. Can you imagine that, Phrym?”
He shook out his dark mane and nudged her with his head, searching for more treats. Jahrra laughed and gave him a hug.
“I can’t wait to see it, but Jaax says we have to stop in Cahrdyarein first.”
Jahrra let her mind wander back to the conversation she and her guardian had shared during the first few days of their journey. Cahrdyarein was a mountain city partway between Lidien and Nimbronia. They would be staying there for a few weeks at the most before the real ascent into the mountains began. She found it hard to believe that the mountains could get much higher past Cahrdyarein. It felt like they were nearly on the top of the world as it was.
The familiar wing beats of a dragon brought Jahrra back to the present, and she turned to watch her guardian come halfway into the cave.
“No sign of any activity,” Jaax announced, “and already the river far below is swelling with snow melt. I imagine we will be seeing the signs of spring in a few days if the weather remains fine.”
“That is both good and bad news,” Ellyesce answered, as he led his semequin and the pack horse from the cave.
Jahrra performed one more sweep of the area, checking for forgotten items, then followed after them with Phrym. As soon as they were out in the sunlight, Jahrra took a deep breath of the fresh, crisp air. It felt so good to be out in the open once again and not trapped in that dark, dank cavern.
For the next few days, Jahrra and her companions made their way deeper into the heart of the Hrunahn Footmountains. By the third day, only a few patches of snow lingered, and Jahrra was able to find a somewhat dry place to spread her bedroll when it came time to camp. Each night, either Jaax or Ellyesce stood guard, refusing to let Jahrra take over the task, despite her protests.
“You need more rest than us,” Jaax would tell her.
She wanted to argue, but she knew better. A dragon could go a few days without sleep until it took its toll on him. She wasn’t so sure about elves, or maybe Ellyesce was just one of those people who had a hard time sleeping. It would explain why he always looked so haggard and worn down. Despite all this, it still bothered Jahrra that she couldn’t help out in this manner. Instead, she often saw to preparing the meals and sometimes, if Jaax and Ellyesce felt they were in a safe area, she took up hunting duty.
The mountain forest was awash with early spring life, the snowstorm from a few days previous having few lasting effects. The brilliant green leaves of the deciduous trees growing this high up were bursting free to soak up the sun, and the sweet melody of birdsong filled the air. On the finer days, Jahrra would take her bow and arrows and slip into the deep thickets seeking out rabbits and deer. She was careful to hunt only the males, if she could identify them from a distance. The last thing she wanted to do was deprive a litter of young of their mother. During her first hunt she was unsuccessful, but the next time she went out, she was able to take down some wild fowl big enough to feed her and Ellyesce with some meat leftover to dry and store away for later.
A week after they left the cave behind, the band of unlikely travelers came upon a wide meadow dominated by a small lake surrounded by lush grasses. Jahrra sighed in wonder at the beauty of the scene. Violet and sky-blue wildflowers, as well as spindly willow trees, dotted the lake’s edge. On the opposite side of the water, granite mountains rose like stalwart sentries, their peaks dusted with snow.
“I think we’ll camp here tonight,” Jaax announced, leading the group to a coppice of pines crowning a small hillock to the east.
Jahrra couldn’t agree more. Once the horses were settled and happily grazing on meadow grasses, she wandered around, gathering wood for a fire while Ellyesce used his elf magic to conjure up some fish from the lake. By sundown, the three of them were settled around a cheery fire, the scent of roasting trout filling the air.