POV Casimir
I read the note three times by candlelight, memorizing the crude handwriting, then held it to the flame and watched it burn. Beside me, Selene paced the length of our chambers like a caged animal.
"Could be another attempt to manipulate us," she said. "Make us paranoid and abandon the quest."
"Or a genuine warning." I studied the ashes curling black on the plate. "Your uncle has every reason to want us dead on that mountain. We humiliated him publicly before his entire court. Threatened his rule and exposed his crimes."
"So what do we do?"
"We trust only our own men. The Lysaran guides stay at base camp or return home entirely. We climb with Vesperan soldiers only."
"Casimir, these are treacherous peaks according to every account. We need experienced mountain guides who know the terrain—"
"We need people we trust more than we need local expertise." My voice came out harder than intended. "I will not risk your life on Aldous's cooperation or good faith."
We spent the night reorganizing our entire approach. My best climber, Captain Theron, would lead the ascent. Ten soldiers with mountaineering experience from campaigns in the Northern Highlands would accompany us. The Lysaran guides could assist at the mountain's base or leave entirely.
At dawn we assembled in the courtyard. Aldous appeared looking bleary-eyed and nervous, understanding something had shifted.
"Slight change of plans," I announced to the gathered men. "My soldiers will handle the climb independently. Your guides can assist at base camp if they wish, or return to the palace."
Aldous's face flickered with something I could not quite read. Disappointment? Fear? "Your Majesty, the peaks are extremely dangerous without local knowledge of weather patterns and safe routes—"
"We'll manage. Thank you for your hospitality." I let the word drip with irony we both understood.
As we rode out through the gates, Selene looked back at the white palace. Her uncle stood on the battlements watching our departure. I wondered if either of us would return to hold him accountable, or if we would die on his cursed mountain.
We reached the base of Cloudmount by midday. The peak soared above us like a jagged black tooth biting at clouds. Sheer rock faces, narrow ridges, snow clinging to impossible angles. It looked impossible to climb, much less survive.
We established base camp in a rocky meadow where stubborn grass still grew. Half our soldiers would remain here with supplies and horses. The other half would establish progressive camps during the ascent. Only Selene, Captain Theron, and I would attempt the final peak where legends claimed dragons nested.
Theron studied the mountain through his spyglass, experienced eyes mapping routes. "The route is treacherous but manageable for experienced climbers. Three days to the summit if weather holds and no major obstacles present themselves."
"And if weather turns?" Selene asked.
"Then we shelter in whatever protection we find and wait for it to pass. These peaks are notorious for sudden storms that kill unprepared climbers."
We spent the afternoon in meticulous preparation. Checking equipment for flaws. Distributing supplies between camps. Reviewing emergency protocols for falls, storms, and getting separated. I barely spoke, focused entirely on eliminating every variable I could control.
That evening as we ate around the campfire, one of the Lysaran guides approached nervously. A weathered man perhaps fifty years old with hands scarred from ropes and ice.
"Your Majesty? A word in private?"
I nodded and we stepped away from the firelight.
The man spoke quietly, shame heavy in his voice. "I was instructed to lead you into an avalanche zone on the third day. Told to trigger a slide when you reached the narrow pass below the summit." He would not meet my eyes. "I couldn't do it. Not to a man seeking medicine for his dying son. But the others who were hired... they might still try if given opportunity."
"Thank you for your honesty." I kept my voice calm though fury burned beneath like banked coals. "You're dismissed with payment for your time. Return to Lysara immediately and tell no one of this conversation."
After he left, Selene whispered close to my ear. "My uncle really did try to have us murdered."
"We knew he might. Now we proceed with extreme caution and trust no one from Lysara."
We started the ascent at dawn. Casimir, Selene, Captain Theron, and ten soldiers. We climbed in pairs, roped together for safety in case of falls. The weakest link could pull down their partner, but falling alone meant certain death.
The first day proved manageable. Steep trails through alpine forest where twisted pines gave way to scrub then bare rock. We made good time despite heavy packs, establishing Camp One by late afternoon at the tree line where nothing would grow higher.
The second day tested us harder. Terrain turned to bare rock face requiring careful navigation. Steep switchbacks along narrow ledges where one wrong step meant falling hundreds of feet. Sections requiring climbing gear, pitons driven into cracks, ropes secured with lives depending on each knot.
Selene's arms shook with exhaustion, legs trembling on steep sections, but she pushed forward without complaint. During a rest on a narrow shelf, I offered water and encouragement.
"You're doing remarkably well."
"I'm terrified," she admitted, hands gripping rock. "But I won't slow you down or give up."
"You're not slowing anyone. You're keeping pace with trained soldiers who've climbed mountains in campaign. I'm genuinely impressed."
We reached Camp Two as sunset painted the peaks gold and bloody red. The soldiers pitched tents on a narrow ledge barely wide enough for our small group. The drop on the eastern side was dizzying, making my stomach clench despite years of military discipline.
That night huddled in our tent against cold that bit through layers, Selene asked the question we had both been avoiding.
"What if there's no dragon? What if the legends are just stories?"
"Then we tried. That's more than most people do when faced with impossible situations."
"Is it enough if Ari dies anyway?"
I pulled her close, sharing warmth. "It has to be."
The third day, we left most soldiers at Camp Two. Only Selene, Theron, and I would continue. The final approach was too dangerous for more bodies, too exposed for large groups.
We climbed a near-vertical rock face using ropes and iron spikes driven into cracks. Selene's hands bled through her leather gloves, but she made no sound of complaint. At the top after hours of brutal ascent, we found it.
A massive cave entrance, dark as midnight, exhaling cold stale air that smelled of stone and time.
"This is it," Theron said, consulting maps copied from ancient texts. "The dragon's lair from the legends."
I lit a torch, flame guttering in the strange wind from the cave. Inside we could hear water dripping, echoing strangely.
"Wait here," I told Theron. "If we're not back by sunset—"
"I come after you with ropes and the others," he finished firmly.
I nodded. Selene and I entered the cave together, leaving daylight behind.
The passage was narrow at first, forcing us to turn sideways in places. Then it widened dramatically into a vast chamber our torchlight barely illuminated. Stone formations hung like teeth from the ceiling. Stalagmites rose from the floor like bones. The ground was treacherous with loose rocks, hidden crevasses, surfaces slick with moisture.
We picked our way carefully, deeper into the mountain's heart. The air grew colder with each step. Water echoed strangely, making it impossible to judge distances.
"Casimir," Selene whispered urgently. "Look."
I followed her gaze and my breath caught. The walls bore markings we had not seen from the entrance. Claw marks gouged deep into solid rock, too large for any animal that should exist. And scorch marks as if from immense heat that had melted stone.
"Something lives here," I said, hope and fear warring in my chest. "Or lived recently enough to leave signs."
We continued forward, torch held high, watching every step.
Selene stepped on what appeared to be solid rock. It shifted beneath her weight with a grinding sound. She gasped, tried to catch herself on the wall, but the stone crumbled like rotten wood.
She fell, tumbling down a hidden slope we had not seen in the darkness.
I lunged instinctively, grabbed her arm, caught her sleeve. But the momentum pulled me off balance. We slid together, unable to stop, loose rocks cascading around us.
The torch flew from my hand, spinning away into darkness.
We plunged into water so cold it drove the air from my lungs. Black water that closed over our heads like a grave.