"I assume the Iron Mountain has spies within the camp," Arran said. "Which means they will learn of Snowcloud's arrival soon. And once they do, they will stop us from reaching the Valley no matter what." He shook his head. "We cannot let that happen. To have a chance of reaching the Sixth Valley, we need them to believe that she is in the Waning Moon camp."
"A reasonable suggestion," Elder Naran said, his expression neutral, "but how do you propose we achieve that?"
Arran looked the giant Elder in the eyes. "I assume you have spies within both enemy camps?"
"Of course," the man replied. "But even if my agents spread word that she's in the Waning Moon camp, the deception will not last long."
"It doesn't have to," Arran said.
He took out a void bag, then handed it to the Elder. "This bag contains the Lifesense amulets of two Iron Mountain Masters, both sent to capture Snowcloud. If the amulets are taken out in the Waning Moon camp, the Iron Mountain traitors will know about it."
Now, a look of interest appeared in the Elder's eyes, and he motioned for Arran to continue.
Arran took a deep breath, then said, "If they already suspect that Snowcloud has returned, to them, the most logical explanation should be that one of the Waning Moon Elders saved her, and is showing the amulets to the others as evidence of the Iron Mountain's betrayal."
Elder Naran frowned. "You will have to explain how you acquired these sometime. But for now…" His frown grew deeper, but after a moment, he nodded. "It should work. But while that will divert the traitors' attention to the Waning Moon camp, it doesn't bring us any closer to the Valley — not unless they act on your ruse."
"There's more," Arran said, and he took out another void bag — the one he had retrieved from Uvar. "This contains the Lifesense amulet of Ardesh Tir's son. If it is taken out within the Iron Mountain camp—"
"He will attack them," Elder Naran interrupted, eyes wide with shock as he stared at the bag. "And if the traitors believe that the Waning Moon intends to bring Snowcloud into the Valley…" He turned his eyes to Arran, and his expression was grave. "This plan of yours, it will start a battle. Tens of thousands will die."
Arran simply nodded. "But their battle will give us the opening we need."
Elder Naran did not respond, and it was clear that he struggled to make a decision that would send thousands of Shadowflame mages to their deaths — even if they were in enemy factions.
Yet after some moments, a woman's voice suddenly sounded. "We will do it."
The voice had come from the far wall, but there was no one there — neither Arran's eyes, his Sense, nor his Shadowsight detected any sign of another person in the room, and briefly, he found himself at a loss.
But then, a small flicker appeared in the stone wall, and a moment later a woman walked through it. Dark-haired and beautiful, she was tall, but not unusually so. She smiled pleasantly as she nodded to Arran and Snowcloud, then turned to Elder Naran.
"My love, you are too soft-hearted. This young man has just handed us a way to save the Patriarch, cripple our foes, and prevent a war with the Seventh Valley, and you would reject it to spare the lives of our enemies?"
"Thousands will die," Elder Naran replied, although his voice lacked conviction.
"And many more will be saved," the woman said in a soft but firm voice.
She walked up to the giant Elder, then gently took the two void bags from his hand. "I will expose the Masters' amulets in the Waning Moon camp at sundown, and Elder Tir son's amulet an hour later in the Iron Mountain camp. After that, be ready to move."
She turned around and left without saying another word, disappearing through the wall as if it wasn't there.
As soon as she disappeared, Snowcloud turned to Elder Naran. "Your wife is the one who actually commands the Soaring Sun?"
"She is," the Elder confirmed. "And it seems the matter has been decided." While he still did not seem happy with the matter, there was a look to his eyes that suggested he was glad to have the matter taken out of his hands.
"What do we do now?" Arran knew that despite the diversion, the matter of actually crossing the border and reaching the Patriarch would not be an easy one.
"Let me call the others inside, and I'll explain," Elder Naran said. He waved his hand, then called out, "All of you, come in!"
It was obvious that the mages who had left earlier had been waiting by the door, because they entered the room almost immediately, bringing Rockblaze and Zehava with them.
"Our path has been decided," the Elder said. He gestured at two of the mages. "You two. An hour after sundown, break camp and lead our army west. Keep it quiet beforehand, and avoid battle." He glanced at Rockblaze and Zehava, then added, "Take the Iron Mountain girl and the Seventh Valley spy with you, and keep a close watch on them."
The two mages gave him small bows in response, then rapidly departed with Rockblaze and Zehava in tow, their muted protests going ignored.
Five of the mages remained, three men and two women, and although Arran could not be certain, he thought these were the strongest ones. While they hid their power too well for him to Sense it, something about them caused him a sense of awe that bordered on dread.
Elder Naran faced the mages, then spoke. "Tonight, an hour after sundown, a battle will erupt between the Iron Mountain and Waning Moon armies. When that happens, the six of us will guide Snowcloud through the Iron Mountain camp."
"What about the boy? Is there a need to take him?" The one who spoke was the gray-haired man, and he looked at Arran somewhat dismissively.
"Do you wish to join us?" Elder Naran asked Arran.
"I do," Arran replied. Although the mages did not know it, he also carried the antidote in his body. If something were to happen to Snowcloud, he would be their only chance of curing the Patriarch.
"Then he comes along," Elder Naran said. "Brightblade, Thunderblood, the two of you will protect them. The rest of us will take the lead."
Two of the mages stepped forward, a dark-haired woman who looked to be in her thirties, and a blond, rough-looking man who vaguely resembled Arran, albeit several decades older and with twice the muscle on his body.
The woman stood next to Arran, then gave him a cheerful smile. "I'm Brightblade."
"Ghostblade," Arran replied with a friendly nod.
She grinned. "Good name."
Elder Naran gave a slight cough, then continued speaking. "We will use no magic until it is absolutely necessary, and then only as little as needed. If the Iron Mountain Elders discover our intentions, they will not let us pass easily."
"Might want to do something about your appearance, then," Brightblade interjected. "You don't exactly blend in."
The giant Elder did not reply. Instead, a look of intense concentration appeared on his face, and slowly, his ten-foot body began to shrink. It took several minutes, but finally, his size dwindled to something just barely under seven feet, after which his expression relaxed.
"That should suffice," he said. "Now, all of you, follow me."
A few minutes later they stood atop the fort's tallest tower. The position offered an excellent view of the enemy camp, and the sight gave Arran a better understanding of the situation — which did little to soothe his worries.
He had known the Iron Mountain camp was large, but actually seeing it was a different matter altogether. There were several miles of empty land between the two camps, but even from a distance, he could see that the Iron Mountain camp stretched out for miles, covering the ground all the way up to the foot of the mountains.
To reach the Sixth Valley, they would have to cross through all of it — miles of land where every pace was crawling with enemies, any one of whom might discover them. And if they were discovered, the Iron Mountain held enough powerful mages to vaporize both Arran and Snowcloud a thousand times over.
That they had powerful protectors was no guarantee of safety, either — Elder Naran and the others were strong, but against the might of the Iron Mountain, they might struggle just to protect themselves. And in a serious battle, having to protect Arran and Snowcloud would put them at a serious disadvantage.
But despite his worries, Arran felt far from hopeless. The night ahead would be dangerous, yet their goal lay within reach. And for the first time, they would have allies at their side.
The few remaining hours until sunset passed slowly, with none of those present speaking more than a few words. Their plan was a simple one, and although it was dangerous, all of them knew the dangers that lay ahead.
Finally, the last few rays of sunshine disappeared behind the horizon, and the light of the day slowly began to fade. Arran could see no commotion in the Iron Mountain camp just yet, but he knew it wouldn't be much longer.
"Time to go," Elder Naran said. "If we leave now, we'll reach their camp right when the battle begins."
Assuming, of course, that Arran's plan actually worked. If it didn't, they would find themselves in hostile territory, and likely with all their enemies' attention focused on them.
After a moment of thought, Arran dismissed the possibility. It was too late to change the plan, and their best hope now was to follow through without hesitation.
Arran took a deep breath, then hurriedly followed Elder Naran.