Zach Brenner's Arc

Chapter 21 of 86

At first light the group left the inn. Ayla's magic had closed Zach's wounds. He could breathe deep and swing the sword without pain. But they had a bigger problem now. Malachar had left days ago. He was already miles ahead, marching for the Dead River. Once he reached it, he would begin the ritual to raise Darkthorne. On foot, they had no way to catch him in time. Zach stopped in the street and said it plain. "He's too far. We can't outrun a head start on foot." Lyra pushed back her hood. She was the elf mage the guild had sent to guide them, sharp-eyed and quick with fire. She pulled a slim book from her robe. "Then we don't chase on foot," she said. "I can read where he is. If I fix his path, we know exactly where to cut across." She knelt and set the book on the stones. She traced a symbol with one finger. The lines glowed faint blue. Her lips moved fast. The glow spread and shaped itself into a rough map of light above the page. A single spark burned at its edge, moving north. Lyra's eyes narrowed. "There. He's heading into the Mountains of Despair. There's a town at the base called Black Hollow. He'll pass close to it." She looked up. "We can't beat him on the open road. But the mountain trail is shorter. If we buy horses and take it, we get ahead of him." Zach's chest loosened. A path. A real one. "Black Hollow," he said. "We might get information there too. Someone will know the fast way through the peaks." "Then we ride," Ayla said. She gripped her staff. "I didn't leave the guild to lose the race." Raven bought four horses before the market fully woke. She haggled hard, cat ears twitching, and got them cheap. They loaded packs and turned north toward the mountains. The city fell behind them by midmorning. Raven brought her horse up beside Zach's. Her purple eyes flicked to him. A grin tugged at her mouth. "So," she said, low, just for him. "Did you like that earlier?" Zach's face went hot. He glanced ahead, where Ayla and Lyra rode without looking back. "Yes," he said. Raven laughed and nudged her horse forward. Zach smiled and shook his head. For a moment the weight of the quest lifted. By dusk the mountains rose black against the sky. The horses had cut the distance. Lyra checked her light-map again and nodded. "We're gaining. We'll reach Black Hollow before he clears the pass." They had a route now, and speed, and a town ahead that might hold answers. But the Mountains of Despair loomed cold and dark. Whatever waited in Black Hollow, they would ride into it blind.