Whispers (Book 3 of Wielder series)

Chapter 29 - Almost There

It took Darrel and Willy another day and a half to learn the name of the world that connected Fire Mountain to the rest of the realm. A day and a half of searching through old texts and scrolls in the realm's largest library. A day and a half of sneezing over dusty shelves and fighting his tired eyes to search for information. He hated every second.

   Alie would have loved it.

   As Willy's magic whisked them away from the library, Darrel promised himself that he would return with her one day. If she wanted to spend weeks in the library, he wouldn't mind one bit. But without her, he couldn't stand another second with the smell of old parchment surrounding him. It made his heart ache for her even more than it already did.

   Willy swayed on his feet as his transportation magic disappeared. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing his eyes for a moment as he steadied himself. "I've pushed myself too hard these last couple days," he murmured.

   Darrel felt the same. Though he hadn't used magic like Willy had, he hadn't stopped moving since they'd left Hilltop Spires. His eyes felt dry from the sleep he'd missed. His stomach ached from meals he'd skipped. He couldn't go on like this much longer.

   But they were so close. He couldn't afford to stop, now. Not even for much needed rest.

   They looked around. Sprawling hills filled the landscape in varying layers of snow cover, with the hilltops buried under several feet and the valleys remaining mostly green under the thinnest sprinkling of frost. A small town, comprised of quaint little log cabins clustered in groups, stood about a mile out on the only stretch of flatland Darrel could see for miles. Puffs of white smoke rose from all the chimneys, fighting off the cold. Deer grazed the greenery. Birds chirped cheerfully from nests high up in the trees. In the golden light of early evening, the horizon sparkled.

   Darrel didn't give himself any longer than a second to admire the world's beauty. "Where's the portal from here?"

   Willy squinted into the light of the setting sun. "I feel three portals," he said, making Darrel's stomach sink. "We can ignore the one in town. It's likely used for travel to another populated world. No one would build a town next to a prison entrance."

   "What about the other two?"

   "There's one in the mountains, that way," Willy said, pointing into the sunset. "And one half a day's journey, that way." He pointed due east, in the opposite direction. "It could be either."

   Darrel ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "We don't have time to check them both."

   "No," Willy sighed exhaustedly. "We probably don't."

   "Then how do we know which one leads to Fire Mountain?"

   Frowning, Willy closed his eyes. He took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly between pursed lips. For a long moment, he stood perfectly still.

   When he finally opened his eyes, he looked even more tired than before. But he said with confidence, "It's that way," and started walking toward the sun.

   Darrel followed without hesitation. "How do you know?"

   "Because there are imperial soldiers climbing the mountain path that leads to it."

   A bolt of fear jolted through Darrel's gut. He focused on the pace of his breathing, forcing his heart rate to steady. Panic was not something he could afford at the moment. Of course there would be soldiers patrolling the portal. Just as there would be guards patrolling the prison.

   Still, he couldn't keep from clenching his hands into such tight fists that his nails dug into his palms. "Think we can sneak around them?"

   "I don't know. I'd transport us to the top to save time, but I don't think I have it in me to do that and transport us out of Fire Mountain if we need a quick exit."