Thundar Stormstrider's Arc

Chapter 5 of 10

Thundar walked the long road thinner than before, listening for thunder that no longer answered. The road climbed, then flattened, then climbed again. Above him, a huge gray cloud spread across the whole sky and swallowed the horizon. He could not see the peak. He could not see the sun. Every direction looked like up. He stopped at a rusted sign that read Mountain Road. It pointed only forward, not skyward. The arrow told him nothing about which slope rose highest, or which bend led above the weather. He pressed his palm against the cold pole and felt how quiet his own chest had become. Further on, a small wooden rest house sat tucked against the rock. Smoke curled from its chimney. Thundar pushed the door open and asked the people inside which way led to the peak above all clouds. They looked at him kindly and shook their heads. No one had heard of such a place. No one could point. Thundar stepped back onto the road. He could not find the way by sight, and he could not find it by asking. So he closed his eyes and stood still. The old pull returned, faint but certain, tugging him off the road and toward the steeper rocks. He left the path behind and began to climb.