Out of the Mountain

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  No part of this work may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Kindle Press, Seattle, 2016

  A Kindle Scout selection

  Amazon, the Amazon logo, Kindle Scout, and Kindle Press are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  EPILOGUE

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CHAPTER ONE

  I burst through the heavy wooden doors of the monastery with as much noise as I could manage, my bare feet slapping the cold stone floor and echoing in the empty halls that led to my room. Some might call my antics a childish display of defiance, but I figured if they insisted on treating me like one, I may as well act the part. It was silent time, but I wasn’t feeling all that cooperative at the moment considering the extra chores that Master Ryu had doled out in order to “allow me time to reflect” on how my actions affected others—my actions being that I had accidentally slept in ten measly minutes late this morning and knocked his tightly planned day slightly off schedule. He hadn’t mentioned that though, no . . . he hadn’t said a word about it until I was preparing to leave his lesson. I had almost thought he hadn’t even noticed. The monks in this mountain were equally astounding in their endless patience, always believing that things happened for a reason and that there was a lesson to be learned from each mistake. I, however, was not known for that finer quality and refused to reflect on anything other than my resentment of cleaning the already-spotless floors.

  Rules, rules, and more rules. That’s all I have ever known. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, and not “reflect on” how Master Tatsu had shown up at the exact moment that I had finished my chores to take me into the garden and promptly kick me where it hurt. I winced at the ache in my muscles as I closed the door to my room and sagged against it. His insistence that I control my temper and morph it into mastering his seemingly countless fighting techniques was nothing new. There were twelve monks in the Mountain Monastery of Velia, and each of them had taught me different forms of fighting; grappling, kicking, punching, joint-locks, leveraging, and throwing. Eventually it all started to blur together, and Master Tatsu had taken over to teach me to use them all together. This might have been more fun if he ever actually let me hit him. The basics were instilled in me as a child, and now it was hours of practice formations, repetition, meditation, and conditioning. On fun days I got use my finely honed skills on a homemade practice dummy. It was exactly as anticlimactic as it sounds.

  There was a knock at the door and I turned, defiantly crossing my arms before it opened.

  “Vivienne?” I heard Master Liung call, and I relaxed my posture.

  “Yes, come in,” I replied quickly as the door swung inward to reveal my favorite monk.

  “I hear that you have had quite the day today.” He smiled as he entered my room. His almond-shaped eyes were bright with humor, and I couldn’t help but smile back. He wore the same thing all the monks wore: a simple robe with sandals. For outsiders it was hard to tell them apart, as they were all short and thin with bald heads and clean-shaven faces. My eyes, though more round than theirs, still held a hint of the same almond shape. I might have been able to pretend I was related to them, if that wouldn’t have been where our similarities ended.

  I stood a head taller than them, even though I only reach five foot seven. My hair was a dark brown, almost black that waved down into the middle of my back. Their almond eyes were a warm chocolaty brown, whereas mine were an icy blue that some found alarming. My body was thick compared to their thin and small frames. I had just enough soft curves to keep the muscle from making me appear too hard. At least that’s what I liked to tell myself when my self-esteem needed a boost.

  “I really do try to be reasonable, but it’s hard for me. I’ve sworn no oaths like one of you ancient, all-knowing beings! I don’t have an endless supply of kindness and patience. I wish they could remember to understand that. You seem to be the only one who gets it.” I whined, walking across my small room to sit on the bed. The specifics of the oaths the monks had taken were unknown to me, but I made sure to bring it up often when I felt they applied too much pressure to be perfect.

  I didn’t have much of my own, but even then I still had more than the monks kept. My room in the Mountain Monastery was sparse. I had tried to spruce it up over the years, but it was technically a cave, and there wasn’t any hiding that fact. I was the only other person who lived in the walls of the mountain with them, and it was a primitive way of living, that was for sure. The inside of the mountain held a strange kind of beauty for those who were lucky enough to witness it. The halls and doorways were sculpted into intricate arcs of stone by deft hands long before I or anyone I knew had been born. The ceilings were more roughly hewn, but they held deposits of ore that shone in the light of the lamps.

  I loved making trips into the valley with the monks, but they were few and far between as of late. Velia was a small village that rested in between two mountains. I had spent my childhood roaming the streets and playing with the other children while the monks attended to their business, but the older I got, the more segregated I became. The people of Velia loved the monks, but they shied away from me. I was an oddity. A girl raised by monks with no family or magic to be seen.

  It wasn’t that I hadn’t tried a fair share of times to wield magic: Water, Air, Fire, and Earth. In fact everyone I had ever met could wield some form of elemental magic, with the exception of my twelve buddies and me. These magic-wielding people were called Conduits, and they were fascinating to behold. As a girl with no magic, my studies were somewhat different than the school that the children of Velia went to. So, yes, that meant as well as being trained by the twelve monks, I was taught.

  The monks of the mountain were a multitalented group, and I quickly realized that what I saw as normal for the monks, would leave others in awe of their abilities. They taught me in almost every subject that they deemed fit, and my lessons were anything but orthodox. They had no qualms in pushing their thoughts into mine in order to further explain their teachings: how to plant my feet for a certain kick, how to bring down an opponent by leveraging my weight, the way to center my body, and the feeling of peace and Zen they can achieve when I am being overly emotional. They are masters of the mind. Some call them seers, but in truth they are much more than that title allows.

  I have overheard many prophecies and premonitions, quickly written and locked into a room of scrolls. I thought the peo
ple of Velia must know how powerful the monks really were, because all of my life I had lived here, and not one of them had appeared to have aged a day. Even so, no one had ever questioned it. I, on the other hand, never ran out of questions for them. One of the most important questions being, how exactly had I ended up here with them? Which was always met with a talk about patience and their token “all will be revealed in time.” I sighed aloud at the thought and watched as Master Liung crossed the room, pulled out a chair, and sat in front of me. He seemed to be thinking long and hard about something, so I sat in silence and waited. I was used to the thinking silences these men took, as if they needed to sift through their minds to find the right thoughts. It was better not to break the monks’ concentration.

  “Vivienne . . .” he began, before abruptly sucking in a sharp breath, his eyes going blank. His mouth formed a hard line and he sat perfectly still, not another breath leaving his lungs. My heart dropped in fear as I quickly realized that this was something else.

  “Master Liung?” I asked before reaching out to touch his arm.

  A shock of pain went through me as our skin touched and my vision blanked. I blinked, trying to focus my eyes, and what I saw confused me. It was night and the moon was full and bright in the sky. I was standing in housing district of Velia and people were flooding into the streets in panic. Screams cut through the air, and my blood ran cold as I tried to find the source of their fear. Monstrous creatures were attacking! Their bodies were covered in patches of dark fur, features stretched in unnatural angles, as they tore through the streets. The sight was unlike anything I had ever seen. As buildings burned and bodies were strewn about. My eyes were drawn to the rivulets of blood streaming from them, and a scream escaped my throat as I saw shadows moving of their own accord. One of the shadows grabbed a man by the neck, and suddenly where there had been nothing but darkness, bloodred eyes and rows of long, razor-sharp teeth appeared.

  As blood dripped from its fangs, it hissed, “Where is the girl?”

  I cried out as pain shot through my head, and I was back in my room, now lying on the floor. Master Liung was still blank faced, but his hands were outstretched, and I had no doubt that he had pushed me away. Another second of confusion passed as I jumped to my feet, and then he was back with me, pale and sweating.

  “What was that?” I whispered as terrified flashes of what I had seen kept playing in my head.

  “I am sorry that you bore witness to such horrible things.” He sighed, eyes concerned for a moment before he turned toward the door.

  “We must confer.” He continued quickly as he rushed out of my small room. I paused only a moment before I ran after him and stumbled to a halt, taking in the sight of all twelve monks gathering in the hall: Masters Manchu, Arach, Drache, Ryu, Tatsu, Yong, Drage, Smok, Zmeu, Ajddrha, Rong, and Liung.

  “It is time.” They said in unison, which would have been creepy if I hadn’t just seen evil creatures murdering innocents in Velia.

  “What is going on?” I demanded loudly when they stood facing one another in silence. I assumed they were communicating through their minds, tuning into their own telepathic network. Anyone who spent any amount of time around them could see that was what they were doing, and it got really old really quick.

  “Master Liung, was that real?” I asked when no one answered.

  “She saw?” Master Rong asked with about as much surprise I had ever heard from his usually dull tone.

  “Vivienne was pulled into my mind when she touched my arm,” Master Liung replied quietly, and they all nodded before sharing a look and seemingly communicating with their minds again.

  “So it was real? We have to do something! All those poor people! What were those things? Wait . . . it can’t be happening now; it’s not even dark!” I exclaimed as words tumbled out in a rush and my mind fought to catch up with my mouth.

  It was a premonition. I had seen a premonition through Master Liung.

  “We have to do something to prevent this!” I cried, pulse racing in my ears. The monks all shared a look and then bowed their heads. Master Manchu looked up at me and frowned sadly.

  “It is but one possibility and we can do nothing to prevent what is to come,” he said as they all turned to go back into their rooms and reflect, as per usual. I let out a frustrated wail as Master Liung ushered me back into my room and tears started falling down my face. My anger always seemed to send a signal straight to my tear ducts.

  “You must keep calm, Vivienne.”

  “How can I possibly keep calm after what I just saw?” I cried, and he shushed me before pulling me into a hug and patting my back. None of the other monks ever did things like this, but sometimes Master Liung would comfort me. I pulled away from him, still angry.

  “How could you be OK with this?” I yelped as I paced my room in agitation. He sat in the chair and watched me quietly for a moment. The village of Velia was a small community; I knew everyone at least in passing. None of them deserved such a grisly fate.

  “Vivienne. There is much you do not know about who you are and where you are from. We have seen things, and we have done what we thought was best in order to protect you as best as we could. Up until this point, you have unwittingly protected the people of Velia just by being here with us. The wards are breaking already, and your protection here is coming to an end.”

  “What wards?” I asked finally sinking to sit on the bed. I put my head in my hands and prayed for answers to come. Master Liung slowly stood and shuffled to the door.

  I was preparing for another round of tears when he reached out his hand and said, “Follow me.”

  We hurried through the stone halls as quietly as possible. My heart was beating out of my chest as I followed Master Liung to the farthest room in the long hall. I could hardly contain my excitement as we neared the one room I had never been allowed access to in all my time here. He opened the door, and I followed eagerly as we walked into the room full of scrolls. I breathed in the smell of old paper and ink as he searched through the stacks. The room was large; symbols were carved into the walls, and I knew that they were there to keep out anyone who wasn’t supposed to be there. Master Liung had allowed me in, and that in itself was forbidden.

  He plucked a scroll up and walked over to me, hesitating only a moment before handing it over. I unrolled the scroll and read aloud.

  Born of both royal lines, brothers three will be divine.

  Light, dark, and shrouded in gray, possessing magic of every array.

  Fighting, falling, revenge, and strife, a king will fail to keep his life.

  An infant that is blood-bound to lion, will be the one that we rely on.

  No longer hidden in the mountain, power released like a rushing fountain.

  Uncontrolled, wild, and untamed, evil will try to force its reign.

  Friends and allies armed with light will drive the darkness from the night.

  Royal once is royal again, and staff will glow brightly from within.

  I looked up at him confused, and he nodded, taking the scroll and putting it back onto the stack.

  “What does that even mean? What brothers? What baby?”

  “All will be revealed in time,” Master Liung replied before ushering me out into the hall again. I let out a loud sigh trying to keep my patience. The masters often spoke in riddles. It was nearly impossible to make sense of any of it.

  “You can’t expect me to just forget what I saw and try to figure out your riddles, Master Liung,” I protested to his back as he began walking to the stairs that would lead farther down into the mountain.

  All the masters chose that moment to exit their rooms and follow him. It was eerie to watch them all, who looked so much alike, in synchronization. I followed them into the main cavern as they sat around our table. Lit only by gas lamps, the room held an eerie glow. I could tell they were talking with their minds again, and I slammed my hand down hard on the wooden surface. I tried to hide the hiss that escaped as the sting wen
t through my hand and barely managed to do so before I had all eyes on me.

  “What is going on?” I demanded.

  “Sit,” Master Tatsu ordered loudly, and I did. If any of the monks could have been accused of having even an inkling of a temper, it was Master Tatsu.

  “OK, but talk with your mouths so I can hear too,” I replied defiantly.

  “The full moon is not until the end of this month,” Master Smok said, quickly filling the silence.

  “Yes, and what else falls at the end of this month?” Master Arach asked, eyes on me. He always wanted me to draw my own conclusions.

  “My birthday,” I replied reluctantly.

  “Yes, it seems that is true,” Master Rong agreed quietly.

  “We must send her before she is exposed.” Master Drache frowned.

  “She was not to leave until after the wards fell,” Master Ajddhra complained.

  “Yes, and they are already falling. The enemy will find her within a day’s time when they do!” Master Zmeu replied.

  “Wait. Send me where?” I yelped, admittedly a little excited by the prospect. I would love the chance to get out of this mountain, to travel and see the world . . . I had planned to do just that when I turned twenty at the end of this month. Two decades of living meant that you were finally fit to make it on your own. You were then magically deemed an adult and completely responsible for yourself and your actions overnight. I had always planned to make my great escape then, but what if those creatures found me?

  “What do they want with me?” I asked, my voice hitching up a few octaves in fear at the memory of blood dripping from long fangs.

  “All will be revealed in time,” they said in unison, and without even a moment of hesitation, I slammed my head down on the table.

  If I heard that one . . . more . . . time . . .

  “Vivienne,” Master Liung rebuked me. I looked up to see concern in his eyes.

  “We will make arrangements for her to travel and begin her quest. There is no need to draw the Shade here to these innocent people. The ward is already breaking around her; I can feel her magic pooling,” Master Tatsu said firmly.