Free The Soul Sphere: Book 01 - The Shattered Sphere by David Adams Page A

time to study the ground, trying to plan ahead as much as possible so they could avoid backtracking. At a particularly difficult spot they proposed breaking for lunch, but even the extended time did not yield a good plan for moving on. They asked Tala to take her bearings again, and when she reported that they needed to keep moving in the same direction, the two men exchanged disappointed looks.
    “There are decent hand and footholds ahead,” Demetrius said, “but nowhere for a horse to go. Let’s take what provisions we can. We’ll have to let him go.”
    After taking a moment to study the climb before them, as well as the lay of the land to the west and east, they began to relieve the horse of its burdens. Corson whispered a kind word in his ear and gave him a gentle swat on the hindquarters, then watched as he fled down the hill and turned east—back towards what he thought of as home.
    They camped on the mountain that evening, estimating they were a quarter of the way up its sloping face. They found a small recess that shielded them from the worst of the wind, but knew they would have little success lighting and sustaining a fire.
    “It’s fortunate it’s not the heart of winter yet,” said Demetrius as the group huddled together for warmth. “It would be hard to pass the night without a fire if it were much colder.”
    In response the group simply pulled closer to one another, hoping to share what little heat their bodies held.
    As frigid as they were, it was hard to determine if the next day’s cold was worse, but clouds that matched the gray color of the mountain moved in, and snow began to gently drift down from the leaden sky.
    The progress they made was slow, each step taken with caution. As the day wore on, the elements worsened and the battle against them became more personal, a driving wind blowing snow into their faces, stinging cheeks and eyes. They spoke little, and when they did, the words were carried away more often than not by the gusting wind.
    Aching muscles and rumbling stomachs begged for rest, but they pressed on, hoping for shelter or at least to shorten the ordeal as much as possible. Finding a ledge that yielded a decent foothold, Tala paused to consult the Sphere. She frowned at what she learned.
    “What’s wrong?” Demetrius shouted over the gale.
    “We have ascended above where we need to be. I think we need to go into the mountain somehow.”
    “Are you sure it’s not on the other side?”
    “It is not. It is almost directly below us. It is under the rock we stand on. We need to look for an entrance.”
    “I’ve been looking. We’ve all been looking. I’ve found nothing.”
    “I know. But we need to keep searching. We should spread out; some go higher, others east or west.”
    Two bone-chilling hours later Corson called out, grimacing as he did so due to his still-tender ribs. “I’ve found something. An opening with a warm draft of air coming out.”
    Whether it was the right way or not, the promise of warmth drew them all quickly inside. A small outcropping of rock hid a vertical opening not much wider than a man. The hole was visible only to someone standing right in front of it.
    Inside a passage was rough-hewn out of the rock. They could walk two abreast if they desired, and it was high enough that even Lucien could pass without stooping. “If dwarves did this,” said Rowan, “they did it for something other than their own use. They rarely carve their access tunnels larger than what they need in order to pass through them themselves.”
    The dim light of the snowy day faded quickly once they were inside, forcing them to light one of the few torches they had.
    “I can cast a light spell if we need it,” Tala said. “But I’d prefer to save my strength for what lies ahead.”
    Recalling the battle in the swamp, no one questioned the wisdom of that decision.
    The tunnel wound slowly down and to the left, making it difficult to see more than a few steps ahead