“The magic is here, clansman! Concentrate!” he heard Amara say sharply.
Startled, he quickly erased his mind of all thought but the one of a bolt of power, a brilliant, sizzling bolt that would terrify gorthlings and bring him safely out of Gormoth.
Something stirred within him. Valorian felt an odd sensation of power that he had never experienced before suddenly fill his mind and flow through his body. Slowly he raised his right arm and threw his hand forward. To his surprise, the strange power surged. He opened his eyes in time to see a blue bolt pop out of his fingers and shoot across the plain of stone. It wasn’t large or dazzling, but it was his, and he watched it with his mouth ajar until it dissipated in the distance.
Amara tilted her head up, looking pleased. “Well done, Valorian. You will learn. ”
The clansman bowed to her, his face full of shock, excitement, and success. “Lady Amara, just one question.” She nodded once. “Why did you choose me?” he wanted to know. “Surely there are others who are better warriors or who have greater courage than I.”
She laughed, a rich, warm sound of affection. “Perhaps there are others, Valorian. But my champion must have every bit as much intelligence as courage. It would not be wise to rush blindly into the gorthlings’ lair.”
Without warning, the goddess suddenly coalesced into a glowing cloud of brilliant light and scintillating color that rose high over the clansman’s head. She glittered in the gray air like a radiant star.
“Wait!” he shouted. “Where do I go? How will I find you again?”
“The Harbingers will take you,” Amara’s voice called, “and I will find you when the time comes.” Hunnul neighed a ringing farewell.
Valorian watched the glowing cloud soar high in the dull sky, then streak away with the speed of a comet. A mixture of emotions rose in his heart at her leaving, not the least of which was fear. Now that the goddess and her loving comfort were gone, Valorian felt a rush of cold apprehension at what he had agreed to do. No man in his right mind would deliberately volunteer to enter the foul caverns of Ealgoden and hope to escape unscathed. It was impossible. Nevertheless, he had offered to go, and one way or another—even with this strange power of magic—he was going to try to succeed.
He heard again the thundering hooves of the Harbingers’ steeds. Like huge white phantoms they rode out of the sky, swift and shining, to come to a neighing, prancing stop in front of the clansman.
This time Valorian reluctantly bowed his head to their summons. Hunnul stepped forward into the midst of the white steeds, and the clansman and his escort rode forward across the plain of stone.
3
Swifter than storm clouds the Harbingers galloped forth, carrying the black stallion along by the force of their impetus. Almost immediately a wall of dark mist rose up before them; they passed through without pause. Valorian glanced over his shoulder and saw that the plain of stone, whatever and wherever it had been, was gone. He and his escort were plunging through a wall of cloud that was unfathomable and totally lightless. There was no sound other than the faint vibration of the horses’ hooves on air and no light except for a pale, phosphorescent glow emanating from the four Harbingers. Valorian could just barely make out Hunnul’s head in the gloom. The numbing lack of any real sensation began to disorient him, and he locked his eyes on the stallion’s flattened ears as a center of focus.
Then, before his mind and eyes had time to adjust, the horses galloped out of the mist into the realm of the dead. The clansman gasped; his eyes screwed shut in the sudden clear light that assailed him. Hunnul, too, faltered and would have stumbled. if Valorian hadn’t automatically shifted his weight to help steady the startled horse. The stallion jerked to a stop and bobbed his head in confusion.
Valorian had to squint before he very slowly opened his eyes and looked about with wonder. The four Harbingers were still with him, waiting patiently for him to follow them. The dark wall of mist was gone, replaced by what looked like a vast meadow of grass. Far in the distance, he could see a single mountain rising out of the plain like a gigantic sentinel. The light that illuminated the scene shone from the mountain’s peak as bright and splendid as the sun of the mortal world. The clansman knew without asking that the mountain was the sacred peak of Ealgoden, where the gods lived in immortal splendor, keeping watch over their people.
Awed, Valorian urged Hunnul forward, and the four Harbingers took their places, two to the front and two behind the clansman. They rode slowly across the vast meadow while Valorian examined and marveled over the unearthly beauty of the place. Never had he seen such a huge, perfectly created plain of grass. It was gently rolling, treeless, and thickly covered with a verdant coat of grass and delicately colored flowers that barely reached Hunnul’s hocks. The sky overhead was a vivid azure, and the light from the peak shone warm and mellow.
The only things missing, Valorian realized, were the wind, insects, animal life, and people. The lack of these things seemed very odd to him, since he was used to the lively meadows of the mortal world. After a while, the quiet and the emptiness began to bother him. He was about to try asking the silent Harbingers a few questions when a movement caught his eye.
Several people were coming over the crest of a hill off to Valorian’s right. They saw him and waved joyfully, their excitement evident even over the distance. One person broke away from the small group to come running toward him. Valorian realized there was something very familiar about the long-legged stride of the runner. He stared as the person came nearer. Other people were coming toward him now from all directions, men, women, and children, some on foot, a few on horseback, and all waving and calling cheerfully to him. He glanced around at them in growing surprise before looking back again at the person running toward him.
All at once the runner’s dark hair came unbound in long waves, and Valorian recognized who it was—his youngest sister, who had died when she was fourteen. Behind her were their parents, another brother, and their grandparents.
All had been dead for years, but Valorian hadn’t realized until that moment how much he had missed them.
He cantered Hunnul forward to meet them. “Adala!” he cried happily. He was about to jump down to greet her when a small, urgent warning spoke in his ear. Startled, he looked around at the Harbingers, at the air above him, and at the fields nearby. There was no one close enough to have spoken, but the warning remained clear and persistent in his mind. It must be Amara urging him on, he decided, for he knew now that if he dismounted, if he left his horse and his escort to join the throng coming to greet him, he could become enthralled by the lovely meadow and the happiness of his kinsmen. He could lose his sense of purpose and any chance of helping the goddess, thus unwittingly condemning his world to destruction. Reluctantly but firmly he shifted back into his saddle and let Hunnul continue walking.
“Valorian, you old dog! You’ve come!” Adala shouted gleefully. Her young, lovely face beamed up at him as she came to jog beside Hunnul. “You have a horse with you, you lucky slug. They must have buried you with honors. And four escorts! Sorh does you great honor. Though I don’t know why.”
Valorian grinned at her. Adala had always loved to talk. She had always loved to do everything with an exuberant gaiety that lit her every move and expression with fire. She had even loved the vicious little mare that one day slammed her headlong into a tree.
By this time, his father, mother, and baby brother had caught up with him, and other people were crowding around. The whole chattering entourage walked along with the horses, calling to him and asking questions.
Valorian looked down at them all and was startled by how many faces he recognized. There were friends, acquaintances, and even a few enemies here, and relatives he knew only by family history. He waved and smiled, but he didn’t dismount or stop to meet them.