Sentria: The War for Askeran (Book 3)

Chapter Twelve: Hard Hearts

Princess Ilya led us through the Baynard Mountains this time. We wouldn't be stopping at the midpoint to take the bridge, we'd travel to the very bottom and she knew these tunnels well by this time. There were tunnels that had deathly traps and dead-ends, and we needed her expertise.

We concentred on the paths before us, lit by Princess Ilya's torchlight and she regaled us with some of her favorite stories which lightened our adventure. She hadn't read any new ones, but she felt a gladness in remembering the times when books were her only source of adventure. Even in that desolate dungeon of that castle, she found bright spots to hold onto.

At the bottom of the mountain, we came out at the west side and followed a trail with trees sprinkled at both sides. It was dusty and rocky and the trees weren't as big as the ones in the southern realms, as if the harshness of the land made it harder for them to grow to their full potential. I saw the Continental River in the corner of my eye and I kept my attention forward. Seeing the rushing waters made me think of Prince Lucas being sent out to sea on that boat and I didn't want to relive it.

"How far is the rock relic village?" asked Eldwyn, skipping next to Princess Eldwyn ahead of me. I was impressed that through it all, he still had a lightness of spirit.

"Not long at all," said Princess Ilya. "Just past the Hard Glen and we'll be there."

I didn't know all that much about the rock relics. Eldwyn had told me that they were typically terse. They held onto the belief that words obscured the truth from true meaning. I didn't quite know how that worked. Words helped to define things in order for messages to come through clearly. If nothing had a label, nothing could be communicated, but I'd enter this village with an open mind. I had a feeling that they would be able to sense my nature, and I didn't want to offend them.

The Hard Glen was a narrow valley, but the weak trees were closely bundled together in this area. Princess Ilya stopped and Eldwyn and I did the same. She knelt down in her white summery dress and pulled a bundle of violet flowers from the ground.

"What are those for?" I asked, trying not to sound as confused as I was.

"They're gifts for the rock relics," she said, putting them into her bag. "They love the color. They respond more to acts of kindness rather than words, which can be empty gestures."

"I'm so very glad we have you with us," I said to her. "I had no idea." We all started walking again.

"They are very powerful, but I've only spoken to them but a few times. While the Mountainlands have fought for many years, the rock relics have stayed out of their problems. Like all relics, they want for peace, and they have the defenses to keep danger at bay. If they come to our side, the east side stands a stronger chance."

"I have faith in them," I said. "The Mountainlands have proven that they can stand against the Kilgorian army, but if they bring dragons, I fear that their mountains will be decimated. They will need magic themselves to defeat them."

The rock relics had the ability to control the ground, shifting them, and lifting them up into the air. They are the most hidden of all the relics, and from what I understood of them, they were the most puzzling.

The more we walked the less the trees surrounded us until there weren't any around us. The trail trailed off and it was just ground, but Princess Ilya continued to walk with certainty, as if the path was still clear. Eldwyn slowed down until he was at my side and he grabbed hold of my hand. e looked at each other and smiled. Princess Ilya looked over her shoulder at us and smirked.

Further ahead I saw a large dome made of rock. I had never seen anything like it. It was massive and protruded out of the ground like a half-exposed cannonball.