Chapter 24

She was wrong.

It wasn't just a little harder; the second day of pure incline broke them. Every new tier rewarded them with an even steeper road ahead. She'd heard pioneers talk about the thrill of summiting Watcher Mountain. How it built character. She had a few choice words for all those guest speakers who'd visited Balmerick over the years. Clearly, they'd left a few details out of the grand stories they'd told. There was nothing particularly charming about having to use the bathroom while buffeted by high winds.

Overhead, Vega was no longer the only bird circling the sky. Ren saw a variety of hawks and falcons. A few of the birds tested her, darting in and probing at her defenses. When the unnatural caw echoed out of her stone throat, they'd retreat, unsure of this new predator's place in their food chain.

The mountains weren't without beauty. As the forest thinned, they saw wider glimpses of the surrounding peaks. Bulky slate bodies, dusted with snow. Like giants cursed to an endless sleep. Ren was grateful they'd found a worn path of sorts. She knew the higher elevations would not have such generous footing. The group was making a hairpin turn up their chosen trail when Cora stopped dead in her tracks.

"That isn't good," she whispered.

Ren turned the corner and saw the same problem. On either side of their chosen path the stone barriers ran higher and thinner now. Shelves that started at head height and boasted steep drops along the edges. Those rises narrowed ahead, choking the path, so that only one person could walk it at a time. The worst part, however, was that the path dead-ended into a stone wall about one hundred paces in the distance. It was three times taller than any of them, and it wasn't a natural formation.

It had been built.

"Kobolds," Theo whispered, spitting on the ground.

Eight of the creatures sat like wardens atop the wall, their clawed feet dangling down. All of them were furred like bears with great potbellies. The rest of their bodies were short and compact, thick with muscle. It made for an odd sight, because they were no bigger than toddlers.

It was common knowledge that kobolds were builders and diggers. Nature's odd architects. Wizards used to study their cavernous homes, hoping to take concepts back to their own cities. The creatures were cunning, but more like insects than humanoids. As Ren's party approached, the leader grunted out a guttural sound, patting the construction in their way.

"They saw us coming," Theo explained. "And built this. They'll demand payment."

Another few grunts sounded. Ren heard something like laughter as several of the kobolds rubbed their bellies. Their diamond-shaped eyes blinked sideways. Ren kept her voice low.

"Payment? Where'd you learn that?"

"The Tale of Peck and Pearl. Bunch of other stories. That's how kobolds work."

"We're basing our tactics off your adventure novels?"

He shrugged. "Unless you know something about them that I don't? In the story the hero tried to trick the kobolds with a false jewel. But they knew a lot more about stones than he did. Pretty sure they tried to eat him after they found out the gem was worthless."

"Oh. That's good. Very useful information."

Ren was trying to remember what she'd read about kobolds, all while filtering out Theo's unproven knowledge. The kobold species adapts, more than any other creature, to their environment. Evolutionary cycles run quickly. A mountainous… One of the creatures reached down, dragging its nails along the top of the wall. It was a horrible sound. The others fell silent as the creature double-tapped that same fingernail against the wall, then held out one hand. The gesture was clear. Theo's guess was actually right.

"I told you. He wants payment."

Ren kept her voice low. "How do we know they'll let us through?"

Theo shrugged. "We don't, but unless you want to blast your way through with a few spells…"

There was a quiet hiss. All the creatures perked up at Theo's words. That same hiss echoed from all sides. Ren could hear other kobolds, hidden in the stones around and below them, answering their leader. Kobolds are similar to ants. Their hives can number over three hundred. She looked sideways at Theo, who held up both hands in a show of innocence.

"Don't worry. We'll pay." He nodded to Timmons. "Tell me you kept something."

She bit one lip as she reached into her bag. Silence loomed as she dug inside and removed the pair of earrings she'd kept. One of the few gifts from Clyde that remained. Ren watched her hold one of the earrings out for the kobolds to see. Their leader let out another grunt before shoving off the wall. He plunged fast but landed with a delicate roll. They all watched him scuttle up to Timmons to inspect the offering.

"It's an earring," Timmons was saying. "Like this."

She held the other up to her own ear. The kobold repeated the motion, then slapped his belly, laughing at how it looked. His sentries up on the wall laughed as well. He turned back to Timmons, wagged the gift in the air, and grunted his satisfaction. Ren admired the speed with which he made the earring disappear. She also noticed Timmons was sliding the other, matching piece into her own ear, clearly surprised to be allowed to keep it. There was a second grunt as the leader trundled back to the wall. A sharp knock was all it took.

Ren marveled as a door opened. She hadn't even seen a break in the stone before, but now it slid away on perfect hinges. A few kobolds on the other side waved them through. Ren and the others were forced to duck. They walked on with a makeshift escort, various creatures poking their heads out of tunnels or scuttling along beside their party. She wondered if it was a novelty, seeing a human in this section of the mountain. A trio of kobold younglings came chittering forward, surprising Timmons by climbing straight up her side and fussing over her silver-white hair. They were surprisingly adorable.

A run of entrances opened now on both sides of the path. Ren watched little faces peer out from dark tunnels. Some were wide enough to drive a wagon down. Others looked far too narrow for the potbellied creatures to actually fit through. One wall boasted a series of stone shelves packed with pine needles and small twigs like nests. Maybe for sleeping? Ren noted that a female kobold had taken an interest in Cora's piercing. The creature tapped the same spot on her own forehead before producing a glittering collection of gathered stones, all threaded into some kind of moss vest.

Cora smiled. "I like mine, but thank you."

Ren was enjoying the procession until she noticed most of their guests starting to shrink back. The leader kept gesturing, leading them up the path like they'd agreed to have him as a guide for the rest of their journey. A few of his sentries marched on with them. Ren was starting to feel a little paranoid when the path opened up, out of the rocky labyrinth the kobolds called home and into a flat, open area. It sprawled as wide and as long and as open as the quad at Balmerick.

Stray feathers covered the field. They were so bright and lovely that they briefly distracted Ren from what was scattered beneath them. She'd initially mistaken the white shapes for sun-paled stones. Now she saw there were hundreds of bones decorating the plain.

Ren could feel her stomach knotting. The kobold kept gesturing like the host of an extravagant restaurant. He held up the earring one more time, bowing his thanks, and Ren realized their payment had been for something entirely different than anticipated.

"This is a taming path," she whispered. "We paid a toll to make our approach."

"Taming path?" Timmons echoed. "Taming what?"

The answer cut through the clouds above them. A great sweep of impossible wings. They all watched as the wyvern descended, clawed and cruel in the otherwise empty sky.