The Source (Creasan #1)

Chapter 19

The Forbidden Mountain loomed above them, enormous and daunting, disappearing above the clouds in the sky. The wind whistled sharply in their ears and snow swirled around them. Thea's cheeks stung with cold and her breath fogged up in front of her as she craned her head to take in the mountain they were meant to scale. It looked impossible. Thea wasn't a bad climber but she wasn't exceptional either. How on earth were they meant to reach the top of that?

Merek said, "Right, so what are we thinking? Ten minutes tops?"

Isolde grinned. "Bet I can do it in five."

Carac said, "Two."

"I'm already at the top," Brom put in.

Thea stepped up to the base. "Okay, do we have enough food?"

"Check," Peronell answered.

"Water?"

"Got it." Fendrel hitched the straps of his pack higher, his eyes blank and staring straight ahead. Last night, after those words had left his lips, Fendrel had simply gotten up and strode away from Thea. She hadn't known where he'd gone or what he'd done, but when she'd awoken the next morning, he hadn't said a word to anyone or even looked at her. It had taken them at least a few more hours of hiking to reach the mountain, and those had been the first words he'd said all day.

Thea watched him carefully. Since they'd met, she'd wanted nothing more than for him to finally admit what she already knew. What she was sure he must've known, too. But the way he was behaving today...Something had changed dramatically within him. There were no smiles, no jokes shared with Merek, no teasing at her expense. There was nothing at all.

The rest of the group hadn't seemed to notice yet.

"Alcohol, too," Merek proclaimed proudly.

"Plenty of furs for all of us." Thea surveyed the group. "Weapons?"

Isolde looked everyone over and saw their swords and daggers secured in place. "We got them, Thea."

Thea drew a deep breath. She'd have to put any and all thoughts of Fendrel out of her mind for the time being. What they were about to do was so much more important. "All right," she began. "This is the last leg. We don't know what the conditions are like up there, but we can assume visibility is low, so trust is going to be imperative. We have to stick together. Tie this around your waists," she said as she passed around a long piece of rope. "If you ever lose sight of the group, yank on the rope. We'll feel you and stop to find you."

Fendrel tied himself in first, then Isolde, Merek, Carac, Peronell, and Brom bringing up the rear.

Thea gazed up at the massive piece of land again. This was the last thing her father had done before he'd disappeared. This was the trip that—for all intents and purposes—had ended his life. But this would also be the trip that saved countless lives. She stilled her slightly shaking hands against her sides and nodded. "It's going to be difficult," she told them honestly. "But at the top of this mountain is the creator of our entire society, the one we pray to every day, the one who can make Creasan feel like home again. We have the strength, we have the resources, we have each other." She looked at each of her friends in turn, doing her best to ignore the fact that Fendrel did not make eye contact. "We can do this."

They nodded in agreement, smiles of excitement and nervousness on their faces.

"Okay," Thea breathed, turning back to the mountain. "Let's go."

***

Favian hurried through the halls of the palace with his eyes wide open, scouring every corner, every crevice, every nook for a sight of the man he was sure was haunting his castle. He could hear him. He must be close.