Chapter 83: Ambush
The whereabouts of the basilisk were entirely unknown, yet the villagers assured us it found any who wandered too close to the mountains. We traveled at a pace Soltair and Trithe felt cautious and slow, but as the terrain turned rugged, I found myself flagging behind. Large monolithic towers of rock broke the dense forests, gradually building toward the shattered peaks looming high above.
As the sun reached its zenith we successfully penetrated the foothills and began our climb up the jagged mountain roots, sticking to the winding canyons and valleys. The game trail we followed was thin and wild, occasionally vanishing into the underbrush for some time before suddenly reappearing. I stumbled several times, clinging to my staff for balance as much as the reassuring comfort of my hand on its familiar glassy shaft.
At some point, Soltair stopped and raised his hand, scanning the rising terrain on either side of the valley. "We’re no longer alone."
I staggered to stop, taking advantage of the reprieve to fill my aching lungs with air. As my breathing stabilized, I wiped the sweat from my brow and looked around. The walls of the valley were rough and sheer, with little topsoil welding the boulders together. A small stream trickled between our feet, hardly an inch deep this late in the year. Aside from a few twisted trees growing between the rocks, the ground was barren. Everything was quiet, the stillness pierced only by the constant drone of the mountain breeze.
Soltair drew his sword, the metallic screech harshly resounding off the walls of the valley. "Xiviyah, check for magic."
Unsure of what made this particular spot any different than the countless we’d trudged through, I obeyed and activated the Eyes of Fate. Scarcely had the golden haze appeared my hands gripped my staff, the blood rushing from my face.
"Aegis!" I cried, triple-casting the protective spell and shielding Soltair and Trithe.
Before the words had left my lips, the ground trembled, and a hail of stone rained upon me from above. Soltair shouted, hand thrust upwards, and a blinding light flowed from his fingertips, forming a translucent umbrella above us. The largest of the debris clashed with the magic, ricocheting off to the side and piling up around us. The lighter debris penetrated the shield but bounced harmlessly off the Aegis.
"What is it?" Trithe cried, lowering her stance and raising her swords. A fiery aura ignited around her, whipping up a storm and pushing the dust and dirt to the edges of Soltair’s shield.