The Mountain

By William Kalb

The Mountain is a high fantasy short story written by William Kalb.
----
Serra has travelled two thousand miles from home, all the way to the frozen country of Ephralia, on her quest to talk to a God. Legend has it that anybody who survives the treacherous climb up the Mountain can ask Him for a boon -- traditionally, a sack full of gold, though some are more creative in their requests. Serra's mission is urgent, but she's not the only one desperate enough to brave the Mountain trail. The thriving tourism industry of Mountainhelm, the nearby village, depends on foolhardy adventurers like her, men and women blinded by promises of riches and divine magic. At first, Serra pays them no mind. But when she meets one fellow mountain climber, a young man by the name of Alvon, their journey together takes them both down a trail they could never have imagined.

The Mountain is high fantasy told from the ground, in a world where the Gods live in mountain caves and lofty temples. It's the story of a young woman's personal growth as she embarks on a quest, and the friends -- or perhaps, more than friends -- she makes on the way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: William Kalb
• Release date: Nov 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463661017

William Kalb

William Kalb is either an engineer posing as a writer or a writer posing as an engineer, depending on whom you ask. He graduated from MIT with a double major in mechanical engineering and creative writing, which didn't help clarify matters at all. His short fiction has earned an honorable mention in the Galaxy Press Writers of the Future Contest, and he has written live-action roleplaying games that have been played across America.

Book preview

The Mountain

Copyright 2018 William Kalb

Published by William Kalb at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

The Mountain

In the far reaches of northern Ephralia – a region where the national pastimes are avoiding frostbite and polar bears in equal measure – there was a village on a mountain that existed solely for the sake of tourism.

In a warmer climate, this wouldn't be unusual. Serra’s home country of Annat's Plain, two thousand miles to the south, was dotted with sun-soaked little towns on the sea where the rich and would-be rich of colder lands flocked in the winter. But in the frozen north, nobody visited unless they were prospecting for a new mine, trapping beavers, or making the death-defying climb up the mountain to meet a God.

The village had a name, for tax purposes, but the locals didn’t bother with it day-to-day. In the stories Serra had devoured from childhood, everyone just called it Mountainhelm. The mountain, likewise, was called the Mountain. The nearby river was the River, the valley was the Valley, and the inn was the Inn. Nobody had time for fancy titles when your toes were freezing off.

It was a chilly summer morning, at the time of year when the arctic sun never quite sets, when Serra stumbled into the Inn. She shivered underneath her swath of furs, exhausted and freezing, and partially succeeded in brushing the snow out of her few protruding locks of hair before it started to melt. Serra grimaced as frigid water dripped down the back of her neck – the dining room-cum-bar was just warm enough to melt ice, but not heated nearly enough for her southern tastes. She had seen snow once before, having taken the train up north to Karal City on a particularly memorable winter recess from Annatta University, but a week of partying through a gentle urban snowfall had done nothing to prepare her for this unholy tundra.

The innkeeper looked up from behind the bar