Now all he had to do was think of a way to reach it.
There was certainly no immediate solution. There were no trails in the cave, no ledges or handholds on the smooth, sheer walls, and no bridges. There were what looked like three other tunnel entrances exactly like the one he and Hunnul were standing by, but they were spaced out along the walls of the cavern at equal distances and may as well have been in another world. Valorian shook his head, his hopes almost dead. There was no way to go . . . and almost no more time.
Gorthlings were gathering in the tunnel behind them again, and Valorian could see other gorthlings creeping along the walls of the cavern toward his position.
The creature in his hand cackled. “Save us some effort, nag rider. Jump! We’ll go easier on you.” Valorian glanced down at his prisoner, then back to the stalactite and the whirlwind. He studied the black hole far away on the opposite wall for a moment, and a vague plan began to form in his mind. “Quickly,” he snapped, giving the gorthling a shake. “What are those other openings?”
“Other tunnels, dung-breath. I told you there were lots of ways to get into Gormoth. You just can’t get out!” The gorthling howled in glee.
Four entrances? So there were other ways to get out—if he could reach one. Valorian’s hopes rose a little as he silently worked out his plan. It would be tricky at best. He would need every shred of power the gorthling could give him, a huge share of luck, and the help of one black stallion. If he failed, he and Hunnul would fall into the whirlwind, and there would be no escape from that.
He shifted his weight in the saddle, silently signaling Hunnul with his toes. The stallion automatically backed up several steps until they were within the tunnel again. The gorthlings behind them hooted with laughter.
“You’ve seen your fate, mortal,” one shouted. “What’s the matter? Are you scared?” Their crude, harsh laughter made Hunnul flatten his ears.
Valorian disregarded their noise, thankful that the creatures were hanging back for the moment. They were probably, waiting to see what the clansman with the magic powers was going to do. In the cavern, the other gorthlings were almost to the tunnel entrance.
Valorian leaned forward and said quietly, “Hunnul, you have seen the power Lady Amara gave me. I intend to use it now, but I also need your help.” He scratched the stallion’s mane in his favorite place until Hunnul arched his neck and his ears came up. “You’ll have to trust me.”
“Trust me!” the gorthling mimicked snidely. “Don’t bother, dog food. This man will only dump you in the stew.”
The stallion tossed his head angrily.
Valorian was thoroughly sick of his little prisoner, but he needed it for just a while longer. He shot a look back at the gorthlings behind them, then at the gnarled faces peering around the edges of the tunnel entrance. It was time to move while the creatures were still hesitating. Swiftly he clamped the gorthling between his knee and the saddle leather to free his hands. Then he pictured in his mind what he wanted to do and dug his heels into the stallion’s ribs.
Hunnul obeyed without hesitation. He took four running steps forward and with a mighty heave of his powerful haunches, he leaped off the edge into space. . . and abruptly dropped. Instantly the sucking winds of the tornado caught at the horse and man and pulled them with sickening speed toward its burning funnel.
Valorian’s mind went blank with terror. The magic hadn’t worked even with the gorthling, and now they were plummeting uncontrollably into the whirlwind. Already he could feel the heat scorching his skin and the winds tearing at his body. Hunnul struggled frantically beneath him, but all Valorian could see was the whirlwind filling his sight with its horror.
Under his knee, the gorthling squirmed to get out. “You failed, mortal!” it cried over the thunder of the winds. “There’s a thought for eternity!”
Failed! The word struck Valorian like a whiplash. He had never liked to fail, and he was about to spend forever in agony, having failed his family, himself, and his goddess. The realization jerked his head up and his eyes away from the whirlwind. “Think!” he cried to himself. He couldn’t have more than a few moments left.
The magic hadn’t failed, he suddenly realized. He had. It wasn’t enough to simply imagine that his horse could jump a mighty chasm, he had to be more exact. He had to decide how Hunnul was going to jump that distance, then channel his magic into making that happen.
Valorian didn’t waste another second. With the whirlwind roaring in his ears and the swirling fires burning his skin, he remembered the great wind like an unseen hand that had carried him and Hunnul to the plain of stone. Desperately he held that memory in his mind, concentrated on exactly what he wanted, and formed his spell.
The spell was faltering and clumsy, but the magic, enhanced by the gorthling’s touch, surged through Valorian, and this time it worked. Wind from the tornado itself formed an invisible platform beneath the stallion’s body. Their descent began to slow against the relentless pull of the funnel, and just as Hunnul’s hooves skimmed the uppermost ring of fire, the horse and his rider began to rise. The stallion’s legs instinctively moved into a galloping motion, his hooves plunging through the hot air. Valorian, his jaw clenched with his effort to force the magic power to his bidding, slowly raised his palms toward the ceiling and lifted the horse higher and higher above the ferocious winds.
The gorthlings flew into shrieking fits of rage. Some hurled stones from the tunnel’s mouth, while others scampered upside down along the ceiling and threw broken stalactites at him, but their efforts were useless. Swifter than an eagle, the black stallion soared through the hot air toward the center stalactite.
Valorian braced himself in the saddle. He could feel the gorthling squirm under his knee, and he prayed its touch would enhance his powers enough to do one more thing.
He raised his hand. More magic gathered at his command until it surged through every fiber of his being. They were nearing the stalactite when he fired a blazing bolt of energy that seared through the air to the base of the stone and exploded in a shower of blue sparks. A crack as loud as thunder shot over the roar of the funnel. The stalactite shattered in an explosion of fragments, and its precious burden started to plummet toward the bottomless chasm in the heart of the whirling winds and fires.
Hunnul stretched out his neck and his legs; his nostrils flared, and his tail flew like a storm-whipped banner. Valorian reached out frantically. He caught the crown of Amara with one hand just as it dropped by Hunnul’s head. His breath went out in one great gasp. His relief was so strong, his concentration faltered, almost tumbling Hunnul sideways. But with the glowing golden crown held tightly to his chest, Valorian strengthened the supporting wind beneath Hunnul’s feet and pressed his heels into the horse’s sides.
The black steed responded with all his heart. His hooves’ dug into the invisible wind and went racing over the bottomless chasm toward the distant wall. The gorthlings yelled in fury and chased him along the cavern roof, but it was too late. With the wind at his heels, the stallion galloped the long distance to the far wall and reached it unscathed.
Carefully Valorian ended his spell just as Hunnul’s feet touched down on solid stone at the mouth of the second opening. The horse bounded forward into the passage onto a trail sloping upward and quickly left the noise and light of the cavern behind.
The tunnel was totally black, yet Valorian didn’t waste his strength on a light. Instead, he held the crown above his head and let its radiance light their way. It was no great surprise to see that this path was much like the other—lightless, twisting, and steeply sloped. There could be gorthlings watching the passage, too. That thought made Valorian queasy. He’d had enough of gorthlings and had no wish to be caught now. He and Hunnul had come too far to lose their prize.