Tiafell - Saga 3 - The Chosen Elf

Chapter 30: The Echoing Mountains

In Samora's room at Janazheim Castle, Hinako pulled a chair up and sat at a table with the witch. A crystal ball was placed on a small pillow.

"They should be getting close by now." The Oriental mage gazed into the ball.

"Yes. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous." Samora took a deep breath, holding her hand over her chest.

"They will be fine! If they can impress the five ofus, they can do anything!" Hinako patted the witch's hand, then noticed the old volume on Samora's desk was open. "You've been reading that old book again?"

"Yes," Samora began, "I have been researching the former King of the Underworld, the fallen angel Dexxarc. According to the book, he rebelled against the gods and was banished to the Underworld for his transgressions. Vowing revenge, Dexxarc created the demons that currently populate the Underworld, hoping to create an army to rise against the gods. However, he was killed by one of them before he could enact his plan."

"Dred was the one who killed Dexxarc and came here to conquer Elistria with an army, almost as if he inherited the former king's desire. Does the book cover that event?"

"No, creating the demon race is as far as the book goes. I'm not sure what I was hoping to find; something about Dexxarc just aroused my curiosity. You know, the surviving demons that came here with Dred are the ancestors of those who live in Elistria today, including Tiafell and Trista."

"Interesting." Hinako looked back at the ball. "Oh, they've arrived!"

Samora moved in closer. "Yes! Be careful, all of you!"

The two witches watched closely.

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Tiafell and his friends arrived at the foot of the Echoing Mountains. The temperature dropped quickly as they approached, forcing them to dismount their horses and put on their thermal gear.

The clothes were thick, covering their entire bodies thoroughly. Thick masks covered their faces, and goggles protected their eyes, leaving not a trace of skin exposed.

Brion turned to the others. "I think we should send the horses back now!"

"Right!" Tiafell rubbed Carafell's neck, bidding her an affectionate farewell. The others did the same with their steeds.

Everyone removed their weapons and a few supplies. The mages of the group chanted the spell to send the horses back to Janazheim.

"There are several mountains, but that one," Nadia pointed toward the peak to the left of where they stood, "is the one we need to climb."

Cirris' eyes moved upward, visually scaling the mountain. "I can't even see the goddamn summit from here!"

"It's likely hidden within the storm cloud that keeps the blizzard active," Brion pointed out.

"Well, every journey begins with a single step." Tiafell walked forward. "Come on, everyone."

The group began their ascent, going up a hill. The mages used their staves as torches to keep everyone warm. Mirya, Cirris, and Trista encircled the other four.

Trista scanned the area with her mind. "I sense very little life other than ours. It must be too cold for most animals to survive in this place."

"And that'shereat the foot of the mountains. I doubtanythinglives further up." Nadia reckoned.

"Yes, I imagine you are correct."

"Brrr... my tits are hard, even under all these clothes!" Kanah shivered.

"Yeah? Want to show us?" Brion teased his cousin.

"Oh, shut your trap, dummy!"

Mirya had been quiet the entire morning and the day before. Trista made efforts to speak to her and clear things up between them, but the mage actively avoided her. She had even distanced herself from Tiafell, afraid to alert him to her feelings, only speaking to him at carefully planned intervals. However, the male elf was able to sense that something was amiss with the two, but neither of them would give him an answer whenever he brought it up.

It began to snow. The flakes didn't stick to the ground at the foot of the mountains. But the further up they went, the more their surroundings became blanketed in white until snow covered everything around them. The thermal suits protected them from the fierce cold, but they could still feel it.

Tiafell observed the snow falling and covering the ground. "This is my first time seeing snow! It's pretty, but there is something ominous about it."

"Tiafell..."

"Huh?" The elf looked around. "Which one of you called my name?"

"What are you talking about? No one said your name." Cirris raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, they did! It sounded like a woman's voice!"

Kanah shrugged. "Like Cirris said, none of us said anything. You're the only one who was talking!"

"Perhaps you heard a 'whisper of the dead'?" Brion suggested. "It's eerie to think about, but perhaps the rumors are true."

"Hm, maybe..." Tiafell mulled it over. Maybe itwasa "whisper" after all, he thought. Just thinking about the souls of the dead calling for help was unsettling.

"Tiafell..." The voice was louder.

"Okay, Iknowsomeone called my name that time! Which one of you was it? This is no time for jokes!"

"Tee-Tee, I promise no one is saying your name!" Mirya assured him.

"Are you hallucinating or something?" Nadia shouted. "Get your shit together!"

"Tia? Are you alright?" Trista addressed her brother out of concern.

Despite the bitter cold, Tiafell began sweating. "I... I don't know what's going on..." He could sense they were all telling the truth, but that didn't change the fact that someone, or something, was calling out to him.Washe hallucinating? Losing his mind?

He heard the voice for a third time. It was loud and clear, but inside his mind.

"You are the only one who can hear me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Gadrael: Goddess of Peace!"

The elf gasped. "I heard her again! She introduced herself as 'Gadrael'!!"

"Holy shit, she's communicating with you??" Cirris couldn't believe his ears.

"This proves that Tia trulyisher chosen one!" Trista squealed excitedly.

Gadrael continued. "It's so nice to be finally meeting you in person soon! I've been looking forward to this since my previous partner's passing over a thousand years ago!"

"Um, yes, I-I look forward to meeting you as well." Tiafell was still shaken, but relieved to know that he wasn't going crazy after all.

"I'm sending a light your way in a few minutes. It will guide you to me, so follow it! I wish I could do something to quell the blizzard further up the mountain, but controlling the weather is not one of my abilities. Until I am in your hands, there is nothing else I can do."

"Oh, that would be so kind of you, thanks!" Tiafell addressed the others. "Gadrael is going to guide us to her!"

"That will make this trip much easier!" Brion said.

The goddess continued. "I will guide you all to some caves for the evening. You will not reach the summit today, no matter how quickly you move. You donotwant to be out here at night; you'll freeze to death even with your suits and torches! Sleep in those caves tonight and continue in the morning."

Tiafell relayed the message to the rest of the group.

"I thought as much. We've been at this for hours, and we're only a third of the way up at best," Nadia remarked. "Thankfully, there are other caves."

"We can use magic to barricade the entrance and keep the cold out," Cirris added.

"Be careful. Even with my light, the ascent will be dangerous. Stay together and watch out for each other." Gadrael advised them.

"We will, thank you, Miss Gadrael." Tiafell smiled.

"My, aren'tyoupolite! My last partner was rude as fuck! You and I are going to get along swimmingly, I can tell!"

Tiafell was surprised by the goddess's use of the word "fuck".

Minutes later, a glowing orb of golden light approached from ahead. The worsening conditions made it difficult to see until it was close to them.

"You should see it now. Follow its exact path. Otherwise, you could fall and roll down the mountainside!"

"There it is, thank you, My... Lady?" Tiafell awkwardly addressed her.

Gadrael laughed. "Just call me by my name, cutie! Anyway, we'll talk later. I can be a chatty goddess, so be prepared to have those adorable, pointed ears of yours talked off! In the meantime, stay close together and watch out for each other!"

"So, what is talking to a deity like, Tee-Tee?" Mirya asked, deciding to do so before Trista or anyone else could.

"It's just like talking to anyone else," Tiafell explained. "Well, sort of. I hear her voice in my head, but other than that, it's no different than speaking to any ofyou. She even said 'fuck' at one point."

Cirris scoffed, "Well, that's a smack in the face to those who believe the gods are 'pure'."

Continuing further, the storm worsened, and visibility dropped even lower, along with the temperature. The group saw what appeared to be a man who only came into view just a few feet in front of them.

"Hey! I see someone!" Kanah pointed, about to run ahead.

"Wait," Trista stopped her. "I sense no other life around us..."

Upon reaching the man, they discovered that he was frozen solid, standing for eternity. Thick, white icicles hung from his right arm, which was extended as if reaching for something.

"By the gods..." Tiafell's heart sank.

The group found others around him who had suffered the same fate.

"What a grim reminder of the danger we are in..." Brion lamented.

Nadia sighed. "There's nothing we can do for them. Let's keep going."

The group continued, following the light provided by Gadrael. They saw fewer frozen corpses the higher up they went, until there were none. The snow became thicker, making walking more challenging. The mages were forced to continuously unleash fire-based magic to clear away snow so they could pass through.

"Son of a bitch! This is insane!" Cirris grew frustrated as he made another path.

"What did you expect, Dickhead? This blizzardneverends!" Nadia chided him.

The light orb stopped at a stone wall, then moved up. Tiafell heard Gadrael's voice again.

"It will be dark soon. There are some caves right above you. The path around is much too long; your only chance of making it before nightfall is to climb! Hurry, you don't have a lot of time left!"

"Gadrael said it will be dark soon, and there are some caves above us. We must climb!" Tiafell informed the others.

"How the hell are we all going to do that? We can't hold our staves and scale the wall at the same time!" Cirris pressed.

"How about the three of us ride our staves up and stay close to the others, so they'll stay warm?" Mirya suggested.

Tiafell looked up, then at Mirya. "I think that's what we must do, good thinking!" Mirya felt proud that he complimented her.

The three mages mounted their staves and enlarged the flames burning from them. Tiafell, Nadia, Brion, and Kanah began climbing with the mages hovering close by.

The climb was difficult due to the ice pelting down on them and the distance they had to cover. Halfway up, they could no longer see the ground below them, and they couldn't see the top either.

Nadia's hands shook, making it hard for her to get a solid grip. Tiafell sensed her growing anxiety.

"Nadia?" He called out to her. "Slow down if you need to. Just take it easy!"

The vampire's entire body trembled. "I-I can't stop now! We must reach the top!!" Despite her words, Nadia was terrified. Reaching for a rock, she lost her grip due to her shaking fingers. Panicking, her other hand slipped, and she fell, alarming everyone.

"NADIA!!!!" Cirris screamed, quickly flying down after her. He reached out and caught her wrist. The mage then pulled her onto his staff with him. "It's okay, I've got you!!"

Nadia latched onto him tightly, shaking and loudly sobbing.

"Ride with me the rest of the way up, okay?"

She nodded, too frightened to speak.

The two of them hovered back up with the others.

"Are you okay, Nadi??" Mirya urgently asked.

"She will be. I'll carry her from this point on." Cirris answered.

"I'm sorry..." Nadia whimpered. "I'm terrified of heights!!"

"Don't worry about it, be thankful that Cirris acted as quickly as he did," Brion told her warmly.

"I am..." Nadia tightened her hold on Cirris.

The group finished their ascent without further incident, finally reaching the top of the cliff. Cirris flew to the top so he could help the others up. It was getting dark and colder, far too cold for them to survive much longer.

"You're almost there! As you can tell, the temperature is dropping fast!" Gadrael warned. "Run as fast as you can!!"

"The cave is just ahead; we can make it!" Tiafell encouraged his friends.

The travelers followed the light. Cirris held Nadia, who was still frightened by her fall. Minutes later, they dashed into the cave opening. The mages erected a thick wall to block the cold air out.

"It's quite dark in here; we must leave the fires burning." Brion crossed his arms to keep his chest warm.

Venturing through the tunnel, they discovered an open area that was surprisingly warm inside. The mages set their staves down, leaving the staves lit so everyone could see.

"I think it's warm enough in here for us to take the thermal gear off," Cirris started to remove his.

Following his advice, the group took off their gear.

"Woah, that feelssomuch better!!" Kanah let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm just happy we can take it easy for right now." Tiafell rolled his shoulders.

"Yeah... I'll get started on dinner. We'll have actual food tonight and save the rations for breakfast." Cirris got to work.

Mirya, Trista, and Kanah gathered around Nadia to give her moral support. Tiafell and Brion helped Cirris. As the guys sat around the pot, they watched the women.

"Nadia is still quite shaken," Tiafell observed.

"Yes, it's understandable. A good night's rest will do her some good." Brion glanced at Cirris. He was quiet, simply stirring the stew.

"Cirris?"

".... I was afraid, too. I thought I was going to lose her." Cirris watched Nadia, who glanced back at him. The dhampir gave him an affectionate and appreciative smile before resuming her conversation with the others. "If we survive this, I'm telling her how I feel..."

"Cirris..." Tiafell put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Yeah, I think you should!"

"It's about timeoneof you did!" Brion tapped the mage's arm with his knuckles. "You two are so obvious, it's ridiculous!"

"Sh-shut up!" Cirris seethed, turning away. Tiafell and Brion laughed.

The group shared a meal and turned in immediately afterward, exhausted from their harrowing journey up the mountain.

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Mirya woke up during the night and was unable to sleep anymore. Being the only one awake, she created a flame above her hand and ventured further into the cave to be alone. However, her movements roused Trista, who decided to follow her.

The female mage sat on the floor, gazing into the flame burning above her palm.

"What's wrong with me? Why am I acting so coldly toward Tristy? And distant with Tee-Tee...?"

"I would like to know, myself."

Mirya jumped, then turned to see Trista standing behind her.

"Oh, Tristy, I thought you were asleep." Mirya turned away from her.

"I can't sleep all that well on cave floors." Trista took a seat next to the mage. "Can wepleasetalk? Will you tell me what it is I did to make you so cross with me?" She knew, but she wanted to hear Mirya say it.

The mage couldn't walk off like she had been doing. It was time to confront Trista with her jealousy.

"I don't like feeling this way. But since you've been spending time with Tee-Tee, I've been jealous!" Tears streamed down Mirya's cheeks.

"He and I used to be so much closer. We used to talk, and I would link arms with him as we spoke. But with everything that's happened lately, we haven't spoken as much and have grown apart. And you...youjust came along and took up all the timeIused to spend with him! When you walk into the room, it's as if I'm not there. You take his attention away from us, away fromme!!"

Trista's ears lowered. She knew exactly how Mirya felt, but hearing her say it was like a knife to the heart.

"I want him to be as excited to be withmeas he is with you, no, more so!! I want to be his favorite!!" Mirya began sobbing. "I must seem like such a terrible person. Just hearing myself say all this makes me sound like a child throwing a tantrum! You're his older sister, and you've been separated from him your entire life; it makes sense that you two would spend so much time together. I'm a horrible person..."

Trista lightly patted Mirya's knee.

"Mirya, I never meant to take Tia away from you or anyone. But I suppose I ended up doing just that. I only wanted to become close to my brother, whom I hadn't seen since he was a baby. And I also wanted to be friends with all ofyoutoo. However, Lady Samora is right; I have so little experience with people in our age group that I don't always make the right decisions socially."

Trista wiped her eyes, sniffing.

"You, Mirya, were the first of Tia's friends to accept me, and you did so without hesitation. You have no idea how happy that made me. It meant so much that your anger toward me right now hurts, it hurts a lot!" Trista's voice broke. "Please, forgive me! I'm so sorry, I... I only wanted to join you and Tia in your conversations; I never intended for him to ignore you! I'm not your enemy or rival for Tia's affection, I promise!! I... I know Kanah is your best friend, but I desperately want you to bemybest friend, Mirya!" The female elf sobbed.

"Tristy..." Mirya's bottom lip trembled.

Trista continued with tears rolling down her cheeks. "I know how much you love my brother. You've been able to hide it from him, but not fromme. My ability to sense emotions is stronger than his. I want you to be with my brother; that would be the most adorable thing ever! I truly believe that once you stop hiding your feelings from him, he'll fall head over heels for you!"

"You really think so...?" Mirya's voice squeaked.

"I do! When I was in your grandfather's tower, being cleansed of Dred's energy, Tia visited me often, as you know. He told me stories about all of you, but he lit up the most when talking aboutyou, though I don't think he realized it. I once asked him which of the women in your group he thought was the prettiest. Do you know what he said?"

Mirya listened intently.

"He said, 'Mirya is the cutest, her smile puts me at ease whenever I am troubled. All my friends are beautiful, but Mirya is exceptional. I sometimes find myself looking at her longer than I should without meaning to. She'ssopretty! And she is also very funny! Mirya is the only person who can say perverted things while still sounding so innocent, it's enduring and hilarious to me!'"

Mirya looked at Trista for a few moments. Heavy tears fell from the mage's eyes. "Tee-Tee really said that about me...?"

Trist nodded. "Honey, I think you and Tia would be the cutest couple ever, Iwantto see it happen! I'm sorry I made you feel jealous, but if you will give me a chance, I can help you be with him!" She held her arms out for a hug, tearing up again. "Will you forgive me, Mirya?"

"Yes..." Mirya dropped her flame on the cave floor and leapt into the female elf's arms. "I'm sorry too, Tristy!! There was no reason for me to have been so cold toward you! I was selfish! Canyouforgiveme??"

"Oh, Mirya..." Trista snuggled her cheek against Mirya's, "I was never angry with you, there is nothing to forgive!"

As the two young women made up, they cried in each other's arms, letting their pent-up emotions spill out. After a few minutes, Trista was the first to speak.