Free Valorian by Mary H. Herbert

rage.
    Valorian felt Hunnul stop his terrified prancing. Slowly he opened his eyes. He and Hunnul were completely surrounded by a pale red tent of glowing energy, while just outside, the gorthlings leaped and yelled in frustration as their missiles bounced harmlessly off the magical walls.
    Valorian took a deep breath. He brushed off the last of the cooling splattered lava from his legs and took a moment to examine Hunnul. The stal ion seemed to be well enough. He had calmed down and was standing on the ledge, his eyes warily watching the gorthlings outside.
    "Come on, boy," Valorian said softly. "Let's try this again."
    Step by step they walked forward along the path, the shelter moving with them like a faintly glowing shield. The gorthlings surrounded them on both sides of the trail and followed their every step.
    The creatures attacked the shelter in a frenzy of rage, but their attempts to break it with their fists and hurled stones were useless.
    The man studied his attackers as he led Hunnul along the trail. The gorthlings were small, vicious, evil, and had dominion over the souls that entered Gormoth. But unlike the Harbingers, they hadn't yet shown any power of their own to wield magic. Valorian thanked the gods for that blessing. Despite his luck with his spells thus far, he realized he was barely tapping the surface of the vast reservoirs of magic.
    He would be in serious trouble if he had to face an opponent who was skil ed in using the power.
    He was also beginning to notice that wielding magic could be tiring. He and Hunnul were only halfway along the treacherous trail through the cavern, and already he was feeling the effort of maintaining the shelter. It took more concentration and mental wil power than he expected.
    To help conserve his strength, he banished the sphere of light and struggled along the trail, leading Hunnul by the flickering glow of the lava river. Ahead, at the opposite end of the cavern, he could see where the trail entered the rock wall once more. Valorian focused on that black hole while he struggled to hold his shelter intact. As his strength slowly drained away, the tent of energy started to fade.
    Twenty paces from the tunnel entrance, the trail began to widen. Valorian hauled himself onto Hunnul's back. He was so weary he knew he would have to stop using his shield.
    The gorthlings realized it, too, and increased their efforts to break through.
    At ten paces from the tunnel, Valorian made his move. In one motion, he clamped his legs against Hunnul's sides, dissolved the magic shield, and bent low over the stal ion's neck. Hunnul responded as he had been trained to do. In a violent lunge forward, he burst through the crowd of gorthlings on the trail and plunged into the darkness of the tunnel entrance at a full gallop, leaving the angry creatures behind.
    Valorian immediately renewed his sphere of light—it didn't use as much strength or concentration to maintain and urged on his horse. He wanted to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the gorthlings. He knew with a sinking certainty that he didn't have the strength at that moment to put up another shield or fend off another attack.
    The tunnel was straighter now and stil sloping downhil . Valorian wondered how far they had traveled into the mountain and how long they had been there. Surely this trail came to an end somewhere. So far he had seen no other paths, other souls, or any sign of Amara's crown. There seemed to be only the gorthlings and the featureless tunnel winding endlessly through the mountain.
    After a short while, the clansman felt his stal ion's pace begin to slow. He eased Hunnul to a halt, and together they listened in the darkness. The tunnel was silent.
    Nevertheless, Hunnul pricked his ears and shifted his feet nervously. Ever alert to his horse's cues, Valorian sharpened his own senses until he, too, was aware of a strange stirring in the tunnel. The cold, fetid draft that had blown into his face