In eternity, there is no sense of time, and while Valorian thought the wait was terribly long, in reality, the Harbingers came before his body had drawn another breath. There were two of them this time, as shining white and enigmatic as Valorian remembered. They had brought a saddled steed for the man’s soul and invited him to mount. If they sensed Valorian’s presence, they paid no attention to it.
Swifter than eagles they flew out of the mortal world into the curtain of mists, while Valorian’s mind followed, using his touch with the dead warrior as a guide. He was glad he had the warrior to accompany him, for the passage through’ the thick gray mist was longer than he recalled. Without the Harbingers and the soul for company, he could have become disoriented and lost forever in the eternal mists. He tried not to think how he was going to get back alone.
At last they broke through into the blessed light and touched down on the plains of the realm of the dead. With the mountain of Ealgoden in sight, Valorian’s mind bade a silent, sad farewell to his companion and sped over the green fields to the massive peak. He wondered if the gods knew he was there. He hoped they didn’t Lord Sorh might not appreciate a mortal borrowing one of his servants. He pushed the thought aside when Ealgoden’s peak loomed beneath him. This time he didn’t need to search for a doorway. He went directly to the entrance he had used before and plunged through the black rock into the cold, dark tunnel.
An intense aura of hatred and malice immediately struck him like a physical blow from the small, cunning minds of the gorthlings. It was a powerful mental sensation that he hadn’t picked up when his soul traveled through Gormoth, and it nearly smothered him in its depth and strength. He fought off the destructive aura with every bit of his and Hunnul’s combined strength and concentrated instead on finding a gorthling as quickly as possible.
He knew they were there in the rocks and crevices of the tunnel walls, waiting for condemned souls to come down the road, but he didn’t know exactly where to look, and he didn’t want to alert them by poking haphazardly into possible hiding places. However, there was one gorthling he remembered vividly, plus the place in the tunnel where it had been hiding. Perhaps it was still there. His mind probed deeper and deeper into the black holes. He didn’t need lights this time to find his way, but he wished for one if only to dispel the terrifying, devouring darkness. Like a wraith, he slipped along the trail, past the lava river, and down the long, twisting passages.
At last he came to the section of tunnel where the gorthling had tried to snatch his dagger. As he had hoped, the little beast was hiding in a crevice waiting to torment approaching souls. Valorian gathered his magic into a powerful kinetic force, channeled it through his mental link into Gormoth, and snatched the gorthling out of its hiding place before it realized its danger. It gave a furious screech of alarm.
In an instant, every gorthling was aware of Valorian’s presence and came swarming to stop him. The chief sensed rather than knew that if they caught up with him, they could . imprison his consciousness with their own powerful, cunning thoughts. Desperately he pulled his mind through the tunnels, taking the gorthling with him.
The other creatures ran furiously after him. Valorian pushed faster, holding the gorthling in his mental grip. He slowly forged ahead of the pursuers and reached the entrance before they could trap him. He didn’t know if the magic command to open the door would work from the inside, but he tried it anyway and was rewarded when the door cracked open. The darkness and the furious cries of the gorthlings vanished into light as Valorian brought himself and his prisoner out of Gormoth. Before the other gorthlings could escape, he slammed the door shut again and came hurtling back across the realm of the dead.
Too quickly they entered the mists that were the barrier between the mortal and immortal realms before the man had a chance to get his bearings. Now Valorian had no guide. He wasn’t sure how wide the mists were or which direction to turn. His mind became disoriented by the total lack of sight, sensation, or physical touch, and his momentum stumbled to a halt. He probed this way and that into the blank mists and found nothing. Fingers of panic began to clutch at his consciousness.
The gorthling in his grip cackled in glee at his predicament. Then it stiffened angrily.
Far away, on the edge of the mists came a voice, masculine, strong, and rich in timbre. Master! We are here! This way. It was Hunnul, his being reaching out to Valorian. The chieftain raced after the beloved voice, its touch like a light glowing in the darkness.
Suddenly he was back in the warm, dim shelter, with the noises of horses and men assailing his ears and the pressure of Hunnul’s legs against his back. Startled, he blinked and felt something squirm in his hands.
Master, the armband! Hunnul reminded him urgently.
Valorian snatched the gold armband and shoved it over the head of the furiously struggling creature in his grasp. When the gold settled around its neck, the gorthling subsided in his hands. Its high-pitched squeal of rage brought everyone’s attention snapping around to the chief.
“Gods above, what is that?” Karez gasped. They all stared in horrified surprise at the little, wizened beast crouched like a hairless, desiccated monkey on Valorian’s arm.
Another warrior cried, “That’s a gorthling! You’ve brought one of those things out of Gormoth?”
There was a collective exclamation of revulsion and horror, and everyone jumped back against the stone wall.
The chieftain climbed to his feet with the gorthling still clinging to his arm. Hissing, it sidled up to his shoulder and glared balefully at the clansmen. “Yes, it’s from Gormoth,” Valorian answered grimly. “And back to Gormoth it will go when we have destroyed the Tarns.”
The gorthling suddenly cackled, showing its sharp pointed teeth. “That’s what you think, dung-head. You’ll never send me back!” The men edged even farther away at the sound of its raspy, malicious voice.
Valorian ignored the creature. In truth, he wasn’t certain how he was going to return the gorthling, but he would worry about that later. “How long have we been in here?” he asked, striding to a slit in the wall to look out. The Tarns were busy .running back and forth and trying to shoot arrows between the stone slabs.
The clansmen looked at him strangely. One shrugged and replied, “Not for long, lord. You were only sitting there for a few minutes.” The chief drew a long breath of relief. A few minutes. The journey had seemed interminable to him. Maybe there was still time after all.
“Mount your horses,” he said tersely.
“Mount your horses, stupid mortals. You’re about to die,” repeated the gorthling, sneering.
“Be quiet,” demanded Valorian, “and stay put, or I’ll stuff that gold down your foul little throat.”
The gorthling’s mouth clicked shut and he clung to Valorian’s shoulder, looking sullen, while the clansman mounted Hunnul. The chief ran his hand down the stallion’s silky neck and said softly, “Thank you, my friend.” Hunnul bobbed his head in reply.
When everyone was ready, Valorian nodded once. “Cover your ears and hang on,” he warned. He closed his eyes to concentrate. Would the gorthling’s enhancement work here in the mortal world? he wondered. Had his quest into Gormoth been in vain? He began to summon the magic, and his answer came at once in an incredible flow of power. He felt invigorating strength flowing through his mind and body, enough strength to gather the magic out of the mountains themselves.
“Amara!” he cried in exultation and threw his arms wide to initiate his spell. At his command, the stone room suddenly exploded outward. The blast shattered the stone slabs and sent splinters and fragments of rock cutting like scythes through the Tarnish soldiers close by. The force of the explosion slammed others to the ground in a wide radius around the spot and leveled the entire ring of stone. The bodies of the dead lay scattered in the dirt and broken rubble.