The Crystal Mountain Read Online Free PDF

had fallen from grace in the hopes that they might lend aid where it is desperately needed.”
    Eirwyn tried not to let that fact annoy her. To Oshiga, she asked, “So, what would the Seer want from me? How could I be of unique assistance?”
    The archon bowed slightly. “To understand fully, you must travel to Venya with me. I have been instructed to invite you to Xiranthador, Erathaol’s library-fortress, to become an instrument of his divination.”
    Eirwyn cocked her head to one side. “Me?” she said in a meeker voice than she had intended. Still reeling from the alarming proceedings within the council chamber, she wasn’t certain what to make of such an offer. She drew a deep breath and tried to gather her wits. “An instrument? That doesn’t sound very charming. On the other hand, my prospects at the moment aren’t terribly promising.”
    “I assure you, it is a great honor,” Oshiga said, inclining his head again. “The Seer rarely finds others who can serve in such a capacity. You must be a great diviner, indeed, for him to wish to engage with you in such a fashion.”
    For the first time since the moment that Helm had died at Tyr’s hand, Eirwyn felt a thrill of purpose, of true responsibility, course through her.
    She nodded to the trumpet archon. “Very well,” she said. “I accept. Lead on.”

Chapter Three
    Aliisza couldn’t stop staring at the gargantuan monstrosity floating toward them. No matter how much she wanted to tear her gaze away, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that none of it was real, she couldn’t make her body function. The world had gone mad.
    The alu didn’t snap out of it until Kaanyr shook her by the arm, and then she realized he had been calling her name.
    “Look!” he insisted, pointing at the floor near their feet, at the edge of the stone. Then he spun her away from that and gestured at other holes forming in the opposite walls and the ceiling of the domed chamber. “It’s shrinking. The bubble is shrinking!”
    Aliisza could only blink, not comprehending.
    With a sigh of exasperation, Kaanyr forced her to look at him. “This place is dissolving,” he said, staring directly into her eyes. “Whatever is holding it together cannot keep at it.”
    Aliisza nodded once, vaguely. I didn’t do it, she thought. I tried to stop the battle, not betray you.
    “Aliisza, focus! Listen to me!” Kaanyr demanded. “There’s
    no time. You have to figure out what keeps the bubble here while I try to drive that, that thing away. Now!”
    Somewhere in the back of her mind, Aliisza suddenly heard the old Kaanyr, the ruler of the Scourged Legion, her lord, master, and lover. They were on the field of battle once more, he issuing commands, she obeying them. She remembered who she was then.
    The alu blinked again and finally saw her consort’s face, perceived the urgency in his voice and expression. “Yes,” she said. She took stock of the chamber. “Yes,” she repeated, more resolutely. “Keep it away from us. Do whatever you have to. I’ll find the source of the bubble.”
    “That’s my girl,” Kaanyr said, releasing her arms. “Go!” He moved back to the opening where the monstrous octopus-thing lurked. He had his hand inside his tunic, fumbling for something as he reached the edge of the room.
    Aliisza stepped back and oriented herself. She turned her gaze back and forth, assessing the various holes. She wanted to find the center point, figuring that would be where the source of the bubble originated.
    There, she decided, turning her attention toward one side of the round chamber. The area was masked by darkness, but even as she made the decision to close the distance, dim light radiated from her left.
    “What’s happening?” Zasian asked, stepping cautiously out from behind a column. “Where are you going?”
    Aliisza halted and turned to stare at the priest. His face, once so filled with expressions of cunning and smug secrecy, looked innocent