The Wrathful Mountains Read Online Free PDF

died
for no reason. The gods would not assist her. She had no use for them, and they
had no favors for her.
    Preparing Koli’s
body as she had her sister’s, Tashi cursed the waste of life. Koli had loved
her sister and wanted to follow her in death. That is why he volunteered, she
told herself. Remembering the look in his eyes as he insisted on the sacrifice
gave her pause. He truly believed this would save his child. Would it have
saved Annin? Tashi would never know. It was too late to trade her own life.
There was no sacrifice that could bring Annin back to the living.

Chapter 4
     
    K aiya arrived in
the town, the constant ringing of hammers upon anvils echoing in her ears. It
was rarely quiet in dwarven towns during the daytime. As she approached the
smithy, the ground rumbled beneath her, and she reached for her magic to keep
herself upright. Metal implements clanged and rattled, the blacksmith himself
rolling out of the way to avoid falling objects. It lasted only a few seconds,
but it was enough to ruffle the man’s temper.
    Staring up at Kaiya
from his position on the ground, he asked, “Can’t you put a stop to this damn
shaking?”
    “Not yet,” she
replied, honestly, but with a note of pride in her voice. She was no earth
mage, but if she could find a way to quiet the mountain, she would do it.
    Passing the smith,
she headed for the rune carver’s stall located directly behind the smithy. A
tall elf with dark waist-length hair greeted her with a friendly smile. His
brown eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief, but before he could open his mouth
to speak, Trin shoved him from behind.
    “You’re in my way,
elf,” the rune carver said. Shaking his head, he added, “Always standing
about.”
    “Maybe you should
give him more work to do,” Kaiya jibed. Galen had apprenticed for Trin for six
years, and he’d learned nearly all there was to know about dwarven runes. There
wasn’t much else for the elf to do in the small town, but Kaiya knew why he
stayed. He hoped to remain close to her.
    A few years back,
the two had been romantically involved. Kaiya, however, wasn’t ready to settle
into a relationship. As a sorceress, her life would extend for many centuries.
There was plenty of time to find a partner, if indeed she wanted one. The only
thing tying her to this place was her parents. She loved them dearly, but they
would not live forever. When they no longer had need of her, she intended to
travel with the wind as her only companion.
    Not that Galen made
a bad traveling companion, and he would likely travel anywhere at her request.
But he was content to stay in one place as long as there were books to read. He
spent most of his daylight hours assisting Trin, but his evenings were spent in
intense study, including the history of the dwarves, their ancient language,
and the geology of the mountain itself. It made for interesting conversations,
and the two remained close friends. A true loner, Kaiya doubted anything more
would ever come of their relationship.
    “He already has me
do the majority of his work,” Galen replied with a smile. “Trin spends most of
his time whittling stone animals for his grandchildren.”
    Trin glared at the
elf, his silver beard quivering slightly. “One time I did that,” he replied.
“One time.” He held up a single finger as near to Galen’s face as he could reach.
    After a moment
staring at each other, both men laughed. Such was their friendship, plenty of
joking to pass the tedious hours of work their chosen profession required.
    When he’d finished
laughing, Galen turned his attention back to Kaiya. “Someone was looking for
you this morning,” he told her.
    “Who?” she asked.
“Did you send him to the farm?”
    “It was someone
from one of the mines up north, and I didn’t catch his name,” the elf replied.
“He headed off for a drink without saying anything else.”
    Kaiya shook her
head. It was just like a dwarf man to start drinking before