The White Mountains

By Steven Lake

Battling against vicious wolves, blood thirsty demons, merciless wilderness, severe injuries and impending starvation, Simon's team begins their journey through the White Mountains, and the fourth hextant of the race. But, with so many enemies and obstacles standing in their way, will Simon's intrepid team survive their fiery trials and conquer the White Mountains, or will the White Mountains conquer them?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steven Lake
• Release date: Feb 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463274033

Steven Lake

Steven Lake is a prolific author of many, many books, stories, articles, and other literature spanning a period of over twenty years. He began his long writing career in 1992 while serving in the US Army and has worked continuously to improve his craft to the great art it is today.

Book preview

The Offworld Chronicles

The White Mountains

By Steven Lake

Copyright 2020 by Steven Lake

Smashwords Edition

Chapter 1

Fallon clung tightly to the back of the wagon that Simon was in and listened intently to his breathing. It was heavy and labored, and clearly revealed that he was in a lot of pain. But, thankfully, Fallon heard no other issues serious enough to concern him. He then looked at the officer, who was leading the other soldiers, and wondered how much longer it would be until they stopped, as they'd already been traveling for several hours and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. Eventually, though, the officer did call a halt to their march as they reached a farm that was many, many miles from Forlorian. While Fallon was thankful that they'd finally stopped, he was also suspicious of their reasons for doing so. Especially since the officer had severely threatened Simon's life in the prison, even though he hadn't actually hurt him. Even so, Fallon would not soon forget that. He watched cautiously as the officer dismounted his horse, walked over to the farm house and banged on the door. A moment later a woman in a full length brown dress, white apron and blue head scarf appeared at the door. The two spoke briefly before the woman went wide eyed and then hurried inside, returning a moment later with a group of other women just like herself. She again talked briefly with the officer before he pointed at the wagon. The women nodded in understanding, hurried over to the barn and quickly pulled its great wooden doors open so that the wagons could enter.

The officer soon turned to his men, and said, Alright, let's get these prisoners off the wagons and into the barn.

The soldiers immediately obeyed, quickly removing the fake bags of cargo from the wagon, followed by the tarps that'd hidden the prisoners. They then, one by one, as carefully as they could, helped each of the prisoners off the wagons. However, unlike before, they were far more kind and gentle to them as they did so, treating the prisoners with great care as they did so. Fallon found this interesting, and unexpected. As the soldiers continued to work, he stepped to the side, having already dismounted the wagon as soon as they'd begun removing the tarps, and watched as they helped the prisoners into the barn. Once they were all inside, the soldiers closed the doors behind them as the women quickly got to work tending to their new patients. The soldiers then mounted their horses, turned and rode away without another word being said by anyone. Fallon watched this and was intrigued by their actions. This was not something he'd expected. He wondered if these weren't the fabled rebel soldiers he'd heard so much about; the ones who'd sworn to bring down Narcella's kingdom from within. If they were, then he knew that the women, who were inside the barn, were also likely part of that same rebel movement, and would thus bring no harm to his friend. Even if they weren't, he was happy to get his hands on any victories he could.

He then transported himself inside the barn and watched as the women gently and carefully tended to each person one at a time, feeding some and addressing the medical needs of others. Simon though seemed to draw the most attention from them due to his numerous and substantial wounds. Fallon watched as the women began by drenching his blood soaked clothing in warm water to soften the blood on them, before painstakingly removing them, piece by piece, so as not to reopen the wounds. But some of the pieces refused to come off, despite their best efforts. So they merely cut around them and left behind whatever they couldn't remove. Once they had done what they could, they carefully washed his wounds before drying them off. Next, they applied generous amounts of a smelly brown salve all over his body before wrapping it in multiple layers of bandages so thick that he looked like a mummy. After they'd finished this, they gave him something to drink to assuage his thick and desperate thirst before laying him down on a soft, thick mattress on the floor and covering him over with blankets. As he watched this, Fallon nodded in approval at how events had so wonderfully worked themselves out. He'd expected things to go far worse for Simon than they had, and was glad they hadn't. He then remembered Sheobaal and grinned slightly as he realized that, in reality, despite what the old demon had believed, it'd been Fallon who'd been the victor in this battle, and not him. Even so, Fallon knew that the battle was far from over. He soon slipped away to a hidden corner of the barn and tapped the red dot on his wrist. A moment later a holographic image of Garloond appeared in front of him in miniature form.

How are your charges doing? asked Fallon.

They are doing quite well, actually. In fact, so much so, that I don't believe my services are required here any longer, replied Garloond.

Fallon's eyes narrowed.

Don't be so certain. By now, Narcella has almost certainly discovered that her prisoners are gone, and thus will be on the warpath very soon, if not already.

Garloond furrowed his brow.

Shall I go looking for them, or should I remain here? I only ask, as I assume that you are more concerned with the possibility that she may discover these whom you have put under my protection than you are that she may go another way.

Fallon grunted.

It is that and much more. As such, I wish for you to seek her out and see if she is indeed threatening to overtake Simon's friends. If she is, do what you must to stop her and protect them at all costs. If she is not, then I request that you would join me here. For when you arrive I will have a most important task for you to complete.

Garloond thought about this briefly, and then nodded in agreement. But he was not obeying the little dragon because he felt subject to Fallon's orders. Instead, he was doing it because of his friendship with Simon and his team, and also Maggy to some degree. If she were here, he knew she would do all that she could to help her friends, and as such, so would he.

I will go and seek her out immediately. Once I have ensured that she is no longer a threat to those under my watch, I will join you at your current location, he replied.

Good. I await your arrival, should that be the route in which fate takes you.

Garloond frowned slightly.

Indeed, I pray it is. However, we shall see.

Narcella pulled her horse to a stop in the middle of the racing trail and looked back and forth for several moments, anxiously scanning the countryside for any sign of her prey. Seeing nothing, she growled angrily in frustration because, after hours of fruitless riding, they were still no closer to their goal than they had been before.

Where...are...they!? she screamed angrily.

But unfortunately, none of her soldiers, including the captain of the guard, had an answer for her. She again growled angrily and pointed at the captain.

Bring me a tracker! she screamed.

The captain immediately called for a tracker, or anyone within their party who knew how to track, to come to him. After a few moments, one of the men rode forward.

I can track, sir, he said.

Find me those prisoners, growled Narcella.

The man looked at his queen in grave concern, knowing that he likely had a near impossible task ahead of him. But he would do whatever he could to keep his head firmly affixed to his body, as failure meant almost certain death for him.

As you wish, my queen, he said.

He rode to the front of the party and dismounted his horse, handing the reins to a nearby soldier to hold. He then walked slowly but methodically forward, studying the road with great care in search of any clues. But, much to his dismay, nothing had come this way in several days. He then bent down and gently rubbed the surface of the gravel and dirt covered road in hopes that some clue would appear that would appease his queen. But he found nothing. He soon stood up and looked at Narcella nervously. She wasn't going to like what he had to say.

I'm afraid, my queen, there are no tracks, he said with a hint of fear.

What!? growled the queen.

There is nothing here, my queen. Nothing has passed this way in several days.

This made Narcella even more irate. Even so, her captain trotted forward in defense of his man, and also in an effort to placate the queen.

Your highness, it is possible that they've taken one of the side trails that leads away from the city to avoid being tracked. Thus it is why we cannot find their trail as yet. However, if we assume that they are indeed headed this way, which I do believe they are, then it is only a matter of time before they will be forced to resume the trail. As such, we merely need to get ahead of them and block their path. After that we can simply wait and let them come to us, he said.

The queen paused to contemplate this, and then eventually nodded.

Very well. We will continue west to the White Mountains and not stop until we have reached the end of any possible chances for them to escape us and my wrath, she said.

She and her men then resumed their ride west. But, as they did, a very large, nearly snow white wolf, about the size of a large quarter horse, watched her and her soldiers from the shadows. As she and her men disappeared from sight around a bend in the road ahead, a rainbow colored, circular portal opened next to the wolf. He paused briefly as he watched the last man of the queen's guard vanish around the bend, and then turned and leapt through it.

Yurg awoke from his long, uncomfortable night's sleep and lifted his head to look around. At first he wasn't certain where he was, but soon his memories began to return to him. This was Esther's house. He turned and looked to his right, his body crying out in pain as he did. To his surprise, he found Birash laying on the floor next to him as though watching over him. This made Yurg both smile, and feel sad at the same time. He was happy and proud to have such a great friend, and yet he didn't feel worthy of Birash's incredible kindness. At one time he'd wanted to kill Birash. And yet, Birash had repeatedly and willingly sacrificed himself for Yurg many times, even at his own expense. How his masters could've ever wanted him to kill such a kind and merciful man still baffled him. He gave a deep, painful sigh and then felt the call of nature rising up in his body. He had to pee, and badly. He considered asking Birash for help, but he didn't want to wake his friend. He'd done far too much for him already, and Yurg couldn't bring himself to ask anything more of him. So he willed his body to stand, slowly rising from where he'd lain until he was fully on his feet.

However, despite his once impressive strength, he now found himself weak and shaky, his bones and muscles aching profusely as they struggled desperately to hold him up. He didn't regret having dove into battle with the queen's guardsmen in order to protect his friends. To him, it'd been an honor to do that, despite the extensive injuries he'd received. He only wished he'd been more careful and taken fewer risks. Had he done so, he might not be in this situation. Even so, he wore his wounds with pride, as they'd been earned in the defense of his friends. Yurg then focused himself, despite the pain, and tried to slowly, gently, and quietly, climb down from his bed and past his friend without waking him up. However, as soon as his foot touched the floor, his leg collapsed under him, causing him to tumble forward out of the bed with a thud. This had the undesired effect of waking Birash, who immediately sat up and looked in perplexity and great concern at the tiger's rather awkward and somewhat embarrassing predicament.

Are you in need of help, my friend? asked Birash.

It would seem I am having great difficulty in getting out of bed, replied Yurg sheepishly.

Do you need to go somewhere?

Yes, I need…to pee, replied Yurg awkwardly.

Birash smiled.

I understand, he replied.

He then stood up and helped his injured friend down from his awkward position and onto the floor. Yurg then struggled back to his feet, but found himself still having difficulty walking. Seeing this, Birash walked over and prepared to carry Yurg outside. But the tiger refused.

No, I must do this on my own, he panted.

Are you sure? asked Birash in concern.

Yurg nodded. So Birash stood back and let his friend carry himself as far as he could, per his wishes. As he did, he watched with great concern as Yurg struggled forward, step by step, bit by bit, fighting with all of his strength, amidst a maelstrom of misery, to reach the door of the cottage. But even that little effort was too much for him, and he soon collapsed to the floor in exhaustion and extreme agony before ever reaching the door. Even so, he tried again. But this time he body would not comply. Seeing that his friend could go no further, Birash walked over to him and acted as though he would pick him up. This time Yurg allowed him. So Birash gently scooped him up, took the tiger outside, and allowed him to do what he needed. He then carried him back inside where he placed him in his bed again. As Yurg lay there, quietly sulking in his misery, and covered in a multitude of bandages, he deeply lamented his present condition. After a bit he looked at Birash, and noticed that he was mixing a bowl of food.

What you doing? he asked.

I am fixing some food for you. I am certain you are hungry by now.

Yurg seemed surprised and embarrassed by this.

You do not need to do that! he protested.

Birash smiled.

You are my dear friend. Therefore, it is no burden for me to do this for you.

Yurg smiled sheepishly.

Thank you, my friend. I appreciate what you have done for me, he said sadly and humbly.

Birash smiled.

It is the least I can do for you, he replied.

He then reached out with a fork full of food and offered it to Yurg who gladly took it. After several more mouthfuls, Birash paused to give his friend a drink. As Yurg gladly swallowed the cool, refreshing water, Birash pondered their situation.

I wish the dragons were here. They could heal you so that you would not need to suffer such agony on my behalf, he lamented.

Yurg finished drinking his water, and then placed a paw on Birash's knee as he smiled.

For you, and our friendship, I am willing to suffer through whatever I must. I did not throw myself into harm's way because I feared for my own life, but rather because I feared for yours. As such, I was willing, just as before, to give my life to protect you, if need be, no matter the cost. My only regret is that I let myself be hurt so badly that I have now become a burden to you.

But Birash shook his head.

No, my friend, you are no burden. You are precious to me. And, as such, I am willing to do whatever I must to assist you, he said.

This caused tears to flow down Yurg's face and onto his pillow.

Thank you, my friend. I am honored by your words, and I promise, for as long as I have strength, that I will repay your kindness to me tenfold, he said with both joy and sadness.

Birash smiled.

You already have.

Yurg looked at him curiously.

How? he asked.

By being my friend.

Yurg smiled widely.

Then I shall be the best friend you've ever had.

Birash smiled even wider.

You already are.

Fallon looked up in interest as Garloond sailed towards him as the sun began to set in the distance. Despite Garloond being cloaked, Fallon could still see him, even though nobody else could, as that was what Garloond wanted. Just as before, this was a feature of the cloaking technology they used, which allowed them to be seen by whomever they wished, and not seen by anyone else. He watched quietly as the dragon commander slowly sailed down to the ground, doing everything he could to make his approach as silent as possible. Garloond then alighted with the gentlest touch in front of Fallon. The little dragon furrowed his brow.

Your flying has become much better, he said.

Garloond smiled.

I've had a good teacher, he said.

Magendra?

Garloond nodded.

She and I have been spending more time together and, during those moments, she has helped me improve my flying skills. Not that I wasn't a great flier before. But one is never done learning until the day in which they leave this world.

Fallon nodded.

Agreed. Now, with all frivolous conversations aside, we must move quickly to rescue Simon and return him to his friends.

Where is he?

Fallon pointed at the barn.

Inside, with several other prisoners, all of whom appeared to require considerable medical assistance, just as he did, although perhaps not to the same degree.

Garloond looked briefly at the barn, and then back at Fallon.

Are we permitted to do this? he asked.

We most certainly are not. But, I will not leave him here to suffer alone if I can, in any way, help him, as I deeply wish to reunite him with his friends.

But to what ends? asked Garloond curiously.

Fallon furrowed his brow.

The completion of this race, of course, he said very matter-of-factly.

Garloond was confused by this.

In such a condition? Simon is greatly wounded, as is one other of their team, leaving but three young children, with little experience in the ways of the wilds, to lead the way. What hope or chance do you expect to give them in such a situation?

No more than any other before them. But, if we do not at least provide them with the opportunity to continue on, despite their circumstances, then all of the hope that we've placed in them will have been wasted, and I will not waste what we have worked so hard to achieve. We have already done so for over five hundred years, and suffered far too much futility as a result. Thus, I do not wish to see this continue on for another five hundred more.

Garloond looked at Fallon in amazement. For only being but fifty one years old, the young dragon's wisdom was clearly far greater than his, and perhaps even equal or superior to many who were twice Garloond's own age. In some ways he wondered if Fallon's wisdom didn't supersede even that of Weyr Master Akhur. Even if it didn't, Garloond could tell that Fallon was definitely a worthy heir to his grandfather, the great elder Zek. And thus, despite being his junior, Fallon was worthy of his respect and, to some degree, his loyalty.

What is it you would have me do? he asked.

Come inside with me. We shall make haste to retrieve Simon and spirit him away from this place, replied Fallon.

Garloond nodded in understanding. The two then walked over to the main door of the barn and slid one side of it open just enough for Garloond to get inside. On the other side sat several rows of beds, on each of which lay the many prisoners who'd been rescued earlier from Narcella's dungeon. The two dragons paused briefly as they carefully looked around for signs of any of the women who'd been treating the former prisoners earlier. But, seeing none of them, Fallon walked over to Simon's bed and, gesturing with his hand, after touching Simon's arm, brought up a holographic display that showed Simon's vital signs and current physical condition. The little dragon grimaced in dismay, as he didn't like what he was seeing. And yet, at the same time, he was happy that things weren't any worse than they were. Garloond saw this as well and became gravely concerned.

He is not doing well, is he? he asked.

Fallon shook his head as he dismissed the display.

He has indeed seen better days, if that is what you mean. However, he is thankfully in no danger of dying anytime soon, despite the queen's best efforts.

Are you sure of that? From what I am seeing, I am not so certain.

Fallon frowned slightly.

Even if his present condition does look grave, in the end I am less concerned for his safety than I am for ours, as his God has, many times, gone out of His way this past year to protect them at all costs, and ensure their ability to always continue forward on their journey, no matter what they've faced along the way. Therefore, I am content to trust that their God will, once again, continue to do so, despite the graveness of Simon's injuries, or the desperateness of their situation. Even so, we must give Him that chance to aid Simon's team, no matter what danger that presents to us, he replied.

Garloond nodded, and then very carefully picked up Simon, bed, blankets and all, and cradled him gently in his thick, strong arms. But, just as he did, one of the women appeared through a side door and began to shout at them in surprise.

Hey! Hey! Where do you think you're going with him!? she shouted.

This surprised the two dragons. Even so, Fallon worked quickly to get control of the situation.

We are taking him to his friends, he replied.

Not in that condition, you're not, she replied.

Just then Fallon paused in surprise as he realized that she could see them. Or at the very least knew that they were there. He wasn't quite sure how this was possible because, while he and Garloond could see each other, there was no way she should be able to see them. And yet, somehow, she could. This puzzled him.

Can you see us? asked Fallon in surprise.

Of course I can't! You're as clear as fresh water on a crisp spring mornin', she replied.

Then, how did you know we were here?

What? Did the floating bed not give you away? she replied.

Fallon cocked an eyebrow. She had a point. While she couldn't see them because of their cloaking shields, he'd forgotten that she could still see Simon and his bed.

You need not fear us, madam, as we are here on his behalf and for his good, he replied.

For his good!? replied the woman. Goin' and carryin' him off into the cold night air like that. You'll be the death of him if you do.

He shall not freeze, madam, for our bodies are warm and will shelter him from the cold air of an evening flight.

Really? Are you of the dragon kin? she asked.

Fallon was impressed that she'd already figured that out.

We are, he replied.

And what is your business with him? she asked.

Fallon pondered this for a moment, before replying, It's complicated.

Oh, I'm sure it is. It always is. However, I will not let you take him away from here, as he needs our care, protested the woman.

Madam, there is no better place for him than in the company of dragons. We will let no harm come to him, no matter what.

The woman seemed annoyed at this. However, eventually she relented, knowing that she couldn't talk them out of it. On top of that, they were dragons. How exactly she planned to stop them was a far bigger question than she was ready to answer.

Well, if you're gonna go, at least take some supplies with you, she said.

The two dragons looked at each other briefly in surprise before turning back to her.

What kind of supplies? asked Garloond.

Why, medical supplies, of course.

Fallon thought about this briefly, and then nodded. Those would come in very handy for tending to Simon's injuries, as they were ultimately forbidden from healing him personally since he was not officially under their care anymore. So they would have to treat his injuries the old fashioned way, and that meant lots of bandages, salves and other ointments.

We would be honored by your gift, he replied.

The woman smiled.

Alright, give me a moment and I'll gather up what you need, she replied.

She then hurried off to the back of the barn to collect the needed supplies. As she did, Garloond looked down at Fallon.

Why did you agree to take her gift? he asked.

Fallon's eyes narrowed slightly.

Simon will be in need of those supplies for some time to come until he has completely healed. So they will be of great benefit to us, and to him as well.

Garloond nodded in understanding.

That is very wise, he replied.

The woman returned a few minutes later with a large bundle in her hand.

There are fresh bandages and ointments in here. Change his dressings once every other day and cover them with a fresh coating of salve. It will help his wounds heal quickly, and with as little scaring as possible, she said.

Fallon stepped forward and took the bundle from the woman.

We thank you for your generosity, he replied.

Oy, you can thank me later. Just keep him alive, okay? she replied.

Fallon nodded.

We will.

He then hopped on Garloond's back as the dragon commander turned and hurried out of the barn. Then, with a couple deep, thunder like strokes of his wings, he leapt quickly but gently into the air and off into the night. As they did, the woman walked up to the barn door, looked off into the distance and shook her head.

Oy, pesky dragons. Always causing mischief wherever they go.

She then closed the barn door and returned to her patients.

Chapter 2

Narcella watched as her tracker continued to wander back and forth across the trail in front of her in search of their prey. However, he was having little, if any luck, and it was starting to make her very irate, and him extremely nervous.

Well!? What have you found!? she demanded.

One moment, my queen, said the tracker as he tried to buy himself some more time.

But the queen was one step short of having him slain. The only thing stopping her was that, as far as she knew, he was the only qualified tracker in their party. It was all that was keeping him alive. So the queen bit her lip and waited, even though she didn't want to. The tracker continued to sweep the road back and forth in front of her in a vain search for tracks. However, as he did, he soon came upon what looked like wolf tracks. Very, very large wolf tracks. Suddenly an idea came to him as a sly grin drew across his face. He soon turned to Narcella.

My queen! I have found their trail! he said excitedly.

Narcella perked up with excitement.

Where? she asked.

The tracker pointed down the trail further.

They're heading towards the White Mountains, and at a fair clip from what I can see.

Immediately Narcella spurred her horse forward, her captain and the other guardsmen following close behind her. As they did, one of the soldiers brought the tracker his horse, which he then mounted, and quickly followed in behind them, but not at a fast enough pace to keep stride with them. Instead, he chose to fall back, to keep his distance. Because, if those tracks belonged to Wolves of Ratinar, as he suspected they did, then he didn't want to be any closer to the rest of the party than he absolutely had to be. Especially since he knew that, if they were anywhere nearby, then he and the others were almost certainly riding to their deaths. However, this also held some possible benefits for him as well. If the wolves were in the area, even though it meant great danger and personal risk to himself, it could also provide him with an opportunity to get rid of the queen; something he and many others had wanted for a long time. All he had to do now was ensure that she crossed into their territory, and he didn't, lest he also incur their wrath as she would. If he could do that, the wolves would do the rest of the work for him. Or, at least he hoped they would, as the last thing he wanted to be was their next meal.

Trevor woke with a start as what sounded like thunder echoed from outside. But it wasn't a normal thunder he heard. This had a rhythm to it. In fact, it sounded a lot like…

Dragons! he cried, leaping to his feet.

This startled everyone else awake.

What is it? asked Aria in surprise, despite still being half asleep.

I think the dragons are coming! exclaimed Trevor.

He then leapt over the others and began running for the door. The others, those among the group who could, soon followed him.