“Absolutely not!” Santorray crossed his arms and spit on the ground between Thorik and himself. “We still have a chance to intercept Ericc before he reaches Corrock. Hunting down a weapon requires time we don’t have to spare.”
Stepping forward onto the Blothrud’s saliva, Thorik rubbed his foot in the ground and accepted the challenge. “Ovlan said it was the only way to save him, so that is what we do.”
Santorray flexed his muscles and let out a roar. “Dare you challenge me on this? I’ve risked my fingers and life for you and yet you trust a stranger who claims to be the Great Oracle over my proven judgment? How do you know it wasn’t another Myth’Unday trick? I would need to see her for myself.”
“You can’t. She’s gone.”
Brimmelle stepped up to be heard. “Thorik, we’ve had enough of your adventures. You promised to find Ericc and then bring us back to Farbank. Mother and I can’t take much more of this. I’m with the Altered on this.”
Thorik looked at his group, reading their faces of doubt about Thorik’s story. “It was the oracle, Ovlan. I know it. I trust my instincts on this.”
“How do you know for sure?” The booming voice of the giant Mognin came as a shock to Thorik.
“Grewen, don’t you, of all people, believe me?”
A compassionate grin crossed the huge face of the Mognin. “It’s simply a question, not an accusation.”
Thorik panned the group. “I think it’s more than a question from the rest of you.”
Walking over to her grandson, Gluic placed two black stones in his hand. “People say I see things that aren’t there also. But we know better.” She winked at him in approval and then thinned out the dead grass from her belt to make room for fresh foliage.
Her words didn’t make him feel any better.
Grewen pulled a flaming log from the fire and began pressing it into the arch of his foot to relax his muscles. “To be honest, Thorik, we didn’t see anything.”
Thorik pointed at the youngest of the group. “Avanda did!”
Lowering her eyes, she shook her head. “I only saw Raython, and you turned her into a hideous creature with my magic mirror.”
Gluic lifted up a thin crystal. “Ovlan’s as lovely as the forest itself. I so miss her.” By now, she had collected and was wearing at least one item of every plant type they had passed. Grass, flowers, leaves, and sticks were tied to a part of her body or clothes or were garnishing for her hair.
“Well, it doesn’t matter what you saw,” Thorik said to Avanda. “You must believe me, our only option to prevent the sacrifice is to obtain the Spear of Rummon in Carrion Mire.”
Santorray shook his head. “In Carrion Mire? It’s the wrong way, costing us critical time.”
“I don’t care.”
“Do you even know where it resides?” the Blothrud asked.
“No. Ovlan said you would know.”
“I do, but I refuse to tell you for your own safety.”
“Santorray, if you’re too afraid to travel there, then give me the heading so we can go on without you.”
“Fear has nothing to do with it. Certain death I can face, for a noble cause. Risking our lives for a weapon, when we should be catching up to Ericc, is a fool’s journey.”
“Allow me to be foolish. Tell me where it is and you can be on your way.”
“No. Even if it was truly Ovlan, her quests are usually more dangerous than they sound.”
Gluic stepped behind the Blothrud. Grasping her thin long clear crystal in one hand, she reached out and touched the side of his arm.
A fraction of a second passed as she saw his thoughts with the aid of the crystal. The trail he had traveled into the mountains and the cliff wall he climbed to Carrion Mire. Seeing through his eyes she looked out from the mountaintop and assessed his location.
But before the visions ended, the pendulum swung from past to future. Santorray raised his weapon and thrust it deep into Gluic’s body. She watched herself fall to the ground; the blade had struck her heart.
The moment of contact with Santorray was over and Gluic fell to the earth in much the way she had seen herself do in the vision.
“What did you do?” Brimmelle yelled at the Blothrud. His fists prepared for attack, but were ignored by Santorray’s focus on Gluic.
Thorik ran to his grandmother and cradled her head in one hand. “Granna, are you hurt?”
After a few breaths of recovery, she opened her eyes. Peering at the beast that still stood over her, she lifted her crystal to display it. “I know the way. We don’t need your guidance.”
The Fir’s fists twirled around, ready for combat. “You heard her, be gone.”
Like a flash of lightning, Santorray reached down and scooped the crystal from her. “You obviously didn’t see everything, old lady, otherwise you’d realize how dangerous it is.”
“I’ve seen enough. Past. Future. The crystal carries more than you know.”
Using his mighty strength, Santorray crushed the crystal into several pieces and spiked them to the ground. “Don’t ever play that game with me again.”
Shocked, Gluic screamed as if she had just seen her own child die. Greenery fell from her body until she regained her composure.
“Enough!” Thorik was tired of the arguing which was rushing toward physical violence. “Gluic, can you take me to this Carrion Mire?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Are the rest of you coming with us?”
“If mother is going, then I will not be left behind.” Fir Brimmelle helped her up.
Avanda nodded her head in agreement, as though she had an option. Thorik and Brimmelle would have never allowed her to be left behind.
“I promised I would help protect Ericc from Darkmere,” Grewen said.
Thorik’s group all turned to see the Blothrud’s lips ride up and expose his teeth with anger.
Thorik accepted the snarl as a no. “Then we part paths here.”
“I will go with you,” Santorray growled.
“We can’t trust him,” Brimmelle said.
“Do you need him?” Gluic asked Thorik.
It was Gluic’s words that concerned him the most. What had she seen through the crystal? Thorik thought as he turned to address the Blothrud. “Why? Why should we take you with us?”
“You’ll never make it on your own.”
“We’ve made it across this land without you.”
“Not into Corrock to save Ericc and never through Carrion Mire.”
“Why the sudden change? Why do you want to join us?”
“Get this straight, Sec, it’s not my passion to see that you survive. Ambrosius, himself, asked you to carry out this task. I owe the man and vow to pay it off by supporting his request.”
Thorik looked at his grandmother for wisdom.
Picking up the crystal shards, Gluic spoke to each of them. “Not an ending, just a fresh beginning in a new form. We will be carried to a greater purpose.”
Making his decision, Thorik made clear his rules. “Guide us, Santorray. As you have said, time is critical, so we must be of haste. But understand that I lead this quest.”
Santorray barked out commands, in spite of Thorik’s words. “East to Swardfar. We’ll gather provisions there for our trip into the mountains.”
Chapter 20
Swardfar
Thorik’s Log: May 2nd of the 650th year.
Ovlan suggested that I find a weapon to help me on our journey. It’s off our planned path, but who am I to question the Great Oracle?