To left and right the Icewall rose as a perfect precipice, a barrier to all land-bound creatures. Only here, where the great cliff was notched by the pass, was there a place for passage, so Drago knew at once that they would be coming up to the gate that it was his solemn duty to protect.
The big ogre lifted the club from his back, withdrew from the lip of the cliff, and settled down to wait. He thought about rousting his garrison but decided to wait. After all, there were only a few hundred humans, and they had a very long climb in front of them before they could really begin to make trouble.
“You have a care now, y’hear?” warned Dinekki, squinting in concern as she looked up at the steep, smooth face of Icewall Pass. “I’ve got an ache in my bones that tells me there’s danger here-real, nasty danger.”
“Thank you for the warning, Grandmother,” replied Moreen, seated on the narrow strand of gravel beach at the base of the steep incline. She was draining her boots, which had gotten soaked as the war party had been forced to wade through shallow water to skirt the foot of the Icewall. “It’s the gateway to an ogre fortress-I’d be more worried if your bones told you there was no danger here.”
The warriors, numbering around three hundred after casualties from battle with the tuskers and the remorhaz, were still filing through the placid water, following a gravel shelf where it was only a foot or two deep. They gathered in this shallow and calm cove at the very southern end of the White Bear Sea. A few gulls cawed and circled overhead. Aside from the birds and an occasional seal, the companions had seen no sign of life along this barren and desolate shore. The looming bulk of Winterheim rose twenty miles or more away, down the coast and along the Icewall. The summit rose high into the clear air, trailing wisps of clouds draped over the peak like royal pennants.
The old shaman clucked in irritation. “I don’t mean just general trouble. There’s something up there watching and waiting.”
“I take that very seriously,” Kerrick said. He stood beside Moreen, stringing his bow as he studied the impressive height. “Whatever is guarding up there has all the advantages. There’s no cover on that pass, and it looks slippery enough that we’ll have to really watch our step. A well-placed rockslide could bring this whole mission to an end before we even get started.”
“Bah,” snorted Barq One-Tooth contemptuously. He held his great axe in his hands and scowled at the slope as if it was a sentient foe. “This is nothing to deter a Highlander. You seashore types wait here, and I’ll take care of it meself. I’ll tell you when it’s safe to come up. You’d better be right about finding a cave up there!”
Kerrick ignored the blustering human, turning to look at the next member of the party, Bruni, as she waded ashore. Her large pack bulked high, rising even over her broad shoulders. Jutting from the top of that pack, with its golden blade still wrapped in dark sealskin, the Axe of Gonnas seemed to wave like an exotic headdress.
“You might want that somewhere you can get it out easier,” noted the Highlander thane, pointing to the big weapon.
Bruni hefted her walking stick, a stout piece of knobby cedar that was more than six feet long. “I have this. As to the talisman of the ogre god … let’s just say I’m saving it for a special occasion.”
Kerrick was glad of this. He knew that she had used it, reluctantly, against the remorhaz, but he agreed with her that it was best to keep it out of sight and quiet as much as possible.
“I think a few of us should go ahead and scout out the pass,” said the chiefwoman. “That slope is terribly exposed. I don’t like the thought of our whole war party getting caught there.”
“Good idea,” Barq said quickly. “I’ll lead the way. You pick who’s to come along behind.”
Moreen declared that she would come too, and Kerrick and Bruni quickly insisted upon joining the scouting force. The chiefwoman’s hand went to the hilt of her sword, the weapon dangling freely from her belt. She clenched, almost drew the blade, then relaxed her grip. “I think I might need both hands just to climb this thing.”
Still holding his bow, Kerrick was wondering the same thing. Though this notch in the Icewall had been termed a “pass,” it bore no resemblance to any kind of pass he knew about. True, the top of the massive precipice dipped significantly here. It was perhaps eight hundred or a thousand feet above them, as opposed to nearly twice that elevation for much of the barrier. However, there was no discernable path or road leading from this narrow beach to the gap atop the wall. Instead, the slope ascended steeply at an angle approaching forty-five degrees.
He corrected his first impression of a featureless slope, however, when he saw that the wall was in fact scored by a series of parallel gullies or ravines that ran like vertical stripes from the summit all the way down to the shore. While this barrier was termed the Icewall, he saw that the terrain was mostly rough bedrock. Long strips of ice and hard packed snow had accumulated in the beds of the gullies, adding to the appearance of stripes.
“I think we can stick to the rocks and get fairly decent footing,” he said.
Barq One-Tooth had not waited for this observation to commence his own approach. Swaggering across the beach, he went up to the same gully the elf had been eyeing as the most promising route. The Highlander stepped onto a rock, used his free hand to reach for another handhold, and quickly started to pull himself up. He didn’t look back.
Moreen scowled in exasperation, but Kerrick merely smiled and patted her on the shoulder. She glared at him then started after the Highlander.
“Give him a little room,” the elf suggested, sauntering behind the chiefwoman, with Bruni bringing up the rear. “If he knocks a rock loose, you’d like to have enough time to duck out of the way.”
Heeding his advice, Moreen waited another minute before starting onto the slope. Kerrick did the same before following. He was impressed to see that Barq was actually picking out a fairly decent route up the steep incline. It was more like climbing a stairway than walking along a path, but many of the stone “steps” had flat tops, and all of them seemed firmly anchored to the mountain. Working steadily, placing his feet with care and using his hands when necessary to aid his balance, he moved upward.
Kerrick was surprised when a half hour later he looked down to see that the warriors gathered along the beach had dwindled to the size of ants next to the placid water. They were drying off, resting, wiping salt off of their swords and spearheads, and watching the progress of the four scouts. Kerrick chuckled as he saw Slyce get slapped away from a Highlander’s pack. The gully dwarf was still bemoaning the loss of the warqat they had expended in attacking the remorhaz. He had displayed considerable ingenuity in trying to pilfer the loads of the fighters, who as a consequence had become vigilant in looking out for him.
Pausing to catch his breath, the elf enjoyed the sparkling expanse of the sea, with a few rocky islands barely visible on the northern horizon. He watched Bruni climbing steadily toward him and saw that the big woman advanced with measured strides. Despite her heavy load-she and Barq both carried huge packs-she didn’t seem to be tired. When she looked upward, he saw that her face was slicked with sweat, but that didn’t stop her from smiling broadly as she met his gaze.