Page 100 of The Iron Dagger
“Do you really think the sorbite is infusing the water with magic?” asked Hara.
“I spoke to an expert on minerals, and he seemed to think it was possible,” said Gideon. “Think about it. There are an untold number of magical people trapped inside of the stone, and if it is absorbing their magic, then that means anything that comes into contact with it will become enchanted.”
Hara shuddered. Every time she thought of the many people over the years who had disappeared within the stone, she felt a sickening coldness descend upon her.
Soon the waving grasses gave way to stony ground, and drifts of half-melted snow began to appear between the trees.
There was a faint sound to the right, and Gideon suddenly stuck out his arm to prevent Hara from taking another step. The cracking of twigs grew louder, and Hara’s heart began to pound as she gripped the handles of her knives.
A gigantic brown bear lumbered through the trees and crossed their path. It was so close that Hara could smell its earthy musk and could probably reach out to touch it if she tried. It stopped to look at them curiously for a moment, then continued on its way. Two small cubs tumbled in its wake. Hara’s spine felt as though ants were crawling along it, but she dared not move a muscle to startle the she-bear.
They stopped at a raspberry bush nearby and began to nose through the leaves, slurping fat, shiny berries into their mouths. The berries looked like large rubies, tempting and juicy.
“Do you think the berries are safe to eat?” Gideon said in a low voice, not wishing to disturb the mother bear.
“I don’t know,” said Hara. “They could be enchanted with Planter’s magic, or they could be cursed. Best not to eat anything we find on the mountain.”
With bated breath, they inched along slowly and continued on their way. The bears did not spare them a backwards glance.
Once they were out of sight of the mother and her cubs, Hara felt that she could breathe properly again.
“Good thing I brought provisions,” said Gideon, digging rolls and apples out of his pack. He passed them to Hara, glancing over his shoulder every few steps.
“What is your plan when we find this place?” asked Gideon.
“I don’t know,” said Hara slowly. It had bothered her ever since she saw Corvus’ memory. There was a reason no witches escaped this prison. There had been no guards around the glacier in the memory. He would never leave such a place unguarded and unfettered with walls or chains if he had any doubt that prisoners could escape.
That fact was what scared Hara most of all. She was frightened by what she would find if she stepped through the stone. And once she did, then what? She would try to find a way to escape with her mother, but what about the rest of them?
“I don’t know what I can do other than go inside myself.”
“Could you try to transform it into a metal?” asked Gideon.
“I don’t think so. I cannot grasp it; it’s empty space to me. And it would be difficult to get down into the pit without falling. Besides, I don’t know what that would do to the people who are trapped inside.”
“Perhaps they would all be expelled from it unharmed,” said Gideon with half-hearted hope.
“They could. Or they could be crushed instantly, pulled apart, frozen inside, or transformed into metal themselves. It’s impossible to know. I doubt there are any books on the subject.”
The riverbank they were following began to slope sharply on their left so that their footing became more and more precarious. Eventually, it was so steep that they were forced to find a place to cross. The recent rain made the water roar and churn dangerously, and any debris they could have used as a bridge had been washed away.
“I don’t think it’s very deep,” said Hara.
“No, but it’s the speed that worries me,” said Gideon.
“Let’s go back farther downstream and see if there’s a safer way.”
They both knew that the entire length of river they had passed on the way up was just as swollen and treacherous, but they doubled back anyway.
Finally, they found a sapling that had been caught by some rocks and formed a weak dam. It was not ideal, but as there were no other fallen trees nearby to fortify it, it would have to do.
Gideon went first, and then Hara carefully followed. He turned to catch her hands when she slipped once, and she gripped onto him. They hobbled like this for the latter half of the crossing. The sapling did not reach the bank, and there was a deep, swirling pool between them and dry land. Gideon took a breath, and then he made a great leap, landing on the slippery mud and scrabbling up the side.
“You can do it, I’ll catch you,” he said, turning back to her and holding out his arms. The eddy was brown and white with froth, surging through the channel. Hara tossed Seraphine first, and the cat landed safely on land. Then she steeled herself and jumped as hard as she could.
The water was heavy on her feet, and with horror, she realized she had not judged the distance correctly. Her foot slipped, and she scrabbled with her fingernails to find purchase, but within a moment, the water caught at her feet and the current quickly swept her downstream.
She heard shouts over the roar of the rapids, and then she saw something sleek and dark cutting through the water. She was about to scream when her head went under and a burst of pain shattered on the side of her face. She swept past the underwater boulder, and her scream died in her throat.
