Free The Wrathful Mountains by Lana Axe Page B

it’s the right one?”
    “It will take us to
your mines,” she promised. Stepping ahead, she pointed out a narrow clearing
that existed among the rocks. It was far from straight, but it would provide
safe passage.
    Single file the
travelers moved on, stumbling each time they lost the path—all except Tashi,
who had no trouble finding where to step. The clearing was made for small feet,
not the wide boots of the dwarves.
    The path grew
steeper as they trudged ahead, their legs already aching with exertion. Several
times Kaiya nearly slipped, forcing her to put more effort into her magic. Raad
seemed to notice the improvement, and patted her on the back.
    Cresting the hill,
the travelers looked upon a scene of true beauty. The rock-strewn path gave way
to a grassy clearing, powdered with the purest white snow. Evergreens
stretched out before them, their rich green needles peppered with white snow.
    “It’s beautiful,” Kaiya
commented, her gray eyes full of wonder.
    “This is how our
mountains looked before the miners came,” Tashi said.
    “Now hold on, missy,”
Raad said, waving his good arm. “We haven’t done any damage anywhere. We build
settlements and dig deep. That doesn’t include destroying any landscapes.”
    “Doesn’t it?” Tashi
asked. “Your kind do not respect the land or those who dwell there.”
    “There are only two
mines at this elevation,” Raad replied knowingly.
    “In this area,
yes,” Tashi said. “But the mountains are vast, and my people have been driven
out of many areas. Once we were nomads, traveling throughout the region. Now we
move only to avoid the mines.”
    “That isn’t our
doing,” Raad said. “Unless your kind used to live down in the holes, we haven’t
disturbed your land.”
    The heat rising to
her face, Tashi replied, “For millennia my people dwelt here. Our numbers were
great, our children strong. Our sacred sites have disappeared, fallen to the
hammers and axes of the dwarves.”
    Grunting his
disagreement, Raad said, “I’ve never heard of any mining operation running
people off their land. Those sites are scouted thoroughly, and anything that
looks like it’ll pose an expensive problem is a deal-breaker. We want ore, not
trouble with the natives.”
    “You take more than
you need, and you leave only destruction,” the priestess shot back.
    Galen spoke up,
attempting to soften the argument. “It’s possible that a nomadic people
wouldn’t have been home when scouting was completed,” he suggested. “No one
would know there had been an intrusion until the tribe returned.”
    “And we cannot
stand against your kind in a fight, so we must go wherever we can find,” Tashi
said. “Soon there will be nowhere to go.” Not that it mattered much. With no
children surviving to adulthood, the Ulihi would soon be extinct. The sentiment
found its way to her tongue, but she swallowed it, refusing to admit defeat in
front of the miner.
    “You make a valid
point, Galen,” Kaiya cut in. “It is not unlike my people to think only of
themselves.” To Tashi, she said, “Until we met, I had no idea your people
existed. You were a bedtime story of a people long gone from this world. We
can’t protect what we don’t know exists, but I agree we should have looked
harder. I apologize for that.” What more could she say? She could not change
the past, but it was still possible to shape the future.
    After a moment of thought, Kaiya said, “As soon as
I return, I’ll speak to leadership about protecting tribal lands. It shouldn’t
be too difficult to convince them.” Due to the small size of the Ulihi tribe,
they didn’t need much room. In addition, the land they inhabited was not where
the dwarves preferred to dwell. But the men in charge could be stubborn when
they saw something they wanted, and the glint of gold or some other ore could
drive them to break any treaty signed with the Ulihi. In all likelihood, Kaiya
would have to take her argument all the