Veyra had always considered herself a patient woman.
It was a quality that had kept her alive through several unpleasant experiences, including a three-month apprenticeship under a wizard who believed that mistakes were best corrected through exposure to increasingly dangerous curses.
She had learned not to rush.
She had learned to observe before acting.
And, most importantly, she had learned that when something looked dangerous, it was generally unwise to touch it.
Unfortunately, her current assignment required her to touch something extraordinarily dangerous.
She stood on a narrow stone ledge halfway down the mountain's exposed scar, staring at the mineral formation before her.
It was larger than she had expected.
The dark metallic veins ran through the mountain like enormous roots. Some were barely visible beneath the surrounding rock, while others protruded from the surface in twisted, jagged formations.
Every few seconds, a flash of blue-white lightning travelled through them.
The electricity didn't behave naturally.
It moved through the ore in branching patterns, sometimes disappearing into the mountain before suddenly reappearing several metres away. Occasionally, the entire formation illuminated, revealing a network of blue veins extending much farther beneath the stone.
Veyra swallowed.
"Twenty grams."
She repeated the number quietly.
"Just twenty grams."
The problem was that the ore wasn't lying around in convenient little pieces.
It was part of the mountain.
And extracting it incorrectly could release an electrical discharge powerful enough to kill her.
She crouched and opened her satchel.
First came the measuring scale.
Then the five black containment capsules.
Finally, the white-bone chisel.
The tool was not ordinary bone. It had been harvested from an ancient creature that had lived in a place where lightning magic was completely absent. Its structure was naturally resistant to magical electrical conduction.
It was one of the few materials capable of cutting the ore without immediately triggering a violent reaction.
Veyra placed the tool beside her.
Then she removed her gloves.
The silver-tipped gloves were designed to prevent accidental contact with the mineral, but they weren't completely insulated. They merely reduced the risk.
She had been warned about that.
She had also been warned that the extraction process could become increasingly dangerous as the surrounding ore reacted to the removal of each fragment.
Which meant she needed to work slowly.
One piece at a time.
She selected a small protrusion near the edge of the formation.
It was barely larger than her fingernail.
Veyra leaned closer.
The surface was cold.
Not ordinary cold.
It felt as though she had placed her hand against a piece of metal left outside during winter, despite the warm morning air.
She carefully positioned the chisel.
Then stopped.
Something was wrong.
She frowned.
The blue veins inside the mineral had stopped moving.
For several seconds, the entire formation was dark.
No electrical discharges.
No flickering.
No movement.
Veyra looked around.
The wind had stopped too.
Even the distant birds had fallen silent.
She slowly withdrew the chisel.
A faint clicking noise came from somewhere beneath her.
She froze.
Then the lightning returned.
A thin blue flash travelled through the exposed vein, illuminating the entire formation.
Veyra exhaled.
"Just the mountain settling."
She didn't believe that explanation.
But she needed the ore.
And she had already come too far to turn around because a rock had behaved strangely.
She repositioned the chisel.
This time, she worked.
The bone tool touched the mineral.
A tiny spark jumped between them.
Veyra held her breath.
She applied pressure.
A thin crack appeared.
Then another.
The fragment separated.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Veyra carefully lifted the tiny piece.
It was dark silver, with a faint blue line running through its centre.
She held it with the extraction tongs and placed it inside the first containment capsule.
The capsule clicked shut.
A faint glow appeared around its edges.
EXTRACTION SUCCESSFUL
Veyra stared at the capsule.
Then smiled.
"One."
She checked the scale.
0.8 grams
She frowned.
"That's smaller than I expected."
At this rate, she would need at least twenty-five fragments.
Perhaps more.
She looked at the formation.
Then back at the capsule.
"Wonderful."
She began searching for the next suitable piece.
### An unexpected visitor
It took another forty minutes to extract the second fragment.
This one weighed 1.1 grams.
Veyra placed it in the second capsule.
She was beginning to understand the mineral's structure. The exposed fragments were connected to the larger veins through thin metallic bridges. Removing one required separating it from those connections without disturbing the surrounding formation.
It was delicate work.
Almost surgical.
She was preparing to extract a third piece when she heard something above her.
A stone shifted.
Then another.
Veyra looked up.
At the top of the ledge stood a small creature.
It resembled a goat, except its body was covered in patches of blue-grey fur and its horns were made of dark crystal. A long tongue hung from its mouth, and several small sparks danced between its horns.
The creature stared at her.
Veyra stared back.
"Hello."
The goat bleated.
Then it began descending the slope.
Veyra watched it carefully.
"Careful. It's dangerous."
The creature ignored her.
It reached the ledge, lowered its head, and began licking the stone.
A small spark jumped from its tongue.
Veyra blinked.
The goat continued licking.
"You're eating the mountain?"
The creature bleated again.
Then it moved closer to the exposed ore.
Veyra immediately raised her hand.
"No. Don't."
The goat looked at her.
Then it licked the mineral.
A flash of blue light erupted.
The goat's entire body illuminated.
For one terrifying second, Veyra thought it had been electrocuted.
Then the creature shook itself.
The light vanished.
It looked perfectly fine.
Veyra stared.
"Well, that's interesting."
The goat walked toward her and sniffed her satchel.
She gently pushed its head away.
"Don't eat my equipment."
The creature bleated.
Then it turned toward the mountain.
Its ears suddenly flattened.
Veyra noticed.
The goat took several steps backward.
Then it began trembling.
"What is it?"
The creature looked directly at her.
A strange clicking noise came from its throat.
Then it ran.
Not walked.
Not trotted.
Ran.
It scrambled up the slope with an urgency that seemed entirely disproportionate to the situation.
Veyra watched it disappear.
A moment later, a faint vibration passed through the ledge.
She looked down.
The ore beneath her feet had begun glowing.
Not brightly.
Just enough to reveal a faint blue pulse moving through the surrounding stone.
Once.
Twice.
Then it stopped.
Veyra slowly stood.
"All right."
She looked toward the mountain.
"That was probably a warning."
She glanced at the two capsules in her satchel.
Then at the exposed deposit.
She had two grams.
She needed twenty.
And she was beginning to suspect that the mountain was paying attention.
Deep beneath the Thunder Scar, the buried presence shifted.
The sensation was small.
A fragment had been removed.
It felt the absence.
The pain was almost insignificant compared to the immense pressure of the mountain resting upon its body.
But it was unfamiliar.
It had been sleeping for a very long time.
Its thoughts moved slowly, like stones grinding against one another.
Something had touched it.
Something had taken a piece.
The creature tried to understand.
A memory surfaced.
Bright light.
A terrible sound.
A burning sensation spreading through its body.
Then darkness.
It had forgotten most things.
But it remembered this.
It remembered the pain of being cut.
A deep vibration travelled through the mountain.
The blue veins brightened.
Far above, a small stone rolled off a ledge.
Then another.
Veyra decided to continue.
Not because she was comfortable.
She wasn't.
But the mountain hadn't attacked her, and she wasn't prepared to abandon the mission after collecting barely two grams.
She moved to another exposed section.
This time, she selected a fragment that appeared slightly larger.
She checked the surrounding veins.
No unusual activity.
No movement.
No obvious instability.
She positioned the chisel.
Then began cutting.
The first crack appeared.
A second followed.
The fragment shifted.
Veyra adjusted her grip.
A faint sound emerged from the mineral.
A low metallic hum.
She stopped.
The sound continued.
It grew slightly louder.
The blue veins around the fragment began illuminating.
Veyra slowly withdrew the chisel.
The hum stopped.
She waited.
Nothing happened.
She tried again.
The hum returned.
"Interesting."
She examined the fragment.
The mineral was reacting to the extraction process.
Perhaps the pressure of the chisel was disturbing the electrical charge held within the surrounding structure.
She took out a small measuring tool and examined the surface.
The readings were strange.
The ore was accumulating electrical energy.
Not releasing it.
Accumulating it.
Veyra frowned.
That wasn't supposed to happen.
She had been told that small fragments could be extracted safely if the surrounding veins remained undisturbed.
But the readings suggested that the mineral was drawing energy from somewhere.
She looked at the sky.
It was clear.
No lightning.
No storm.
Then where was the energy coming from?
She looked back at the mineral.
The blue glow intensified.
Veyra stepped backward.
The entire exposed formation suddenly flashed.
A tremendous electrical discharge travelled through the mountain.
KRRRRAAAAK!
Veyra threw herself against the rock.
A wave of blue light swept across the ledge.
Every loose stone jumped.
The chisel flew from her hand.
For a moment, the entire mountain seemed to vibrate.
Then silence.
Veyra remained crouched, one arm covering her head.
Her ears rang.
She slowly looked up.
The fragment she had been cutting was gone.
In its place was a small, perfectly smooth indentation.
She stared.
"That..."
She swallowed.
"That wasn't normal."
Something moved above her.
Veyra looked up.
A large shadow passed over the ledge.
She couldn't identify it.
It was too high and disappeared too quickly.
Then came a sound.
A low, distant groan.
Not thunder.
Something deeper.
Something that seemed to come from inside the mountain.
Veyra picked up her chisel.
Her hands were shaking.
She needed to leave.
But before she could move, a voice came from behind her.
"You're hurting it."
Veyra spun around.
A figure stood at the far end of the ledge.
It was a young woman.
At least, it looked like one.
Her skin was pale grey, her hair was made of thin metallic strands, and her eyes were completely blue.
She wore a long cloak that appeared to be woven from mineral fibres.
Veyra raised her staff.
"Who are you?"
The woman didn't answer.
She looked at the exposed formation.
Then at the capsules hanging from Veyra's satchel.
"You're taking its pieces."
Veyra's grip tightened.
"How did you get here?"
The stranger tilted her head.
"That isn't important."
"Who are you?"
The woman looked directly at her.
"Do you know what happens when the mountain becomes angry?"
Veyra said nothing.
The woman stepped forward.
The stones beneath her feet glowed faintly.
"It wakes."
Veyra raised her staff higher.
"Stay back."
The woman stopped.
Then she smiled.
It wasn't a friendly expression.
"You're afraid of me."
"You're standing on a mountain that apparently has a heartbeat."
The woman laughed.
"That's because it does."
Veyra's stomach tightened.
The stranger looked at the exposed ore.
"How much have you taken?"
"None of your business."
"Two grams?"
Veyra froze.
The woman smiled wider.
"Two point something."
Veyra's fingers tightened around the staff.
"How do you know?"
"Because I can hear it."
The woman placed one hand against the mountain.
A faint pulse travelled through the stone.
Then she looked back at Veyra.
"Leave the rest."
Veyra stared at her.
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because I have an assignment."
The stranger's expression changed.
For a moment, something almost human appeared in her eyes.
"An assignment."
She repeated the word quietly.
Then she laughed.
"Of course."
She lowered her hand.
"People always come here with assignments."
Veyra's eyes narrowed.
"Who are you?"
The woman stepped closer.
This time, Veyra noticed something unusual.
The stranger's feet weren't touching the stone.
She was floating.
Only a few centimetres above the surface, but enough to make the distinction obvious.
A magical being.
Perhaps a spirit.
Perhaps something else.
The woman raised one hand.
A thin line of blue electricity appeared between her fingers.
Veyra immediately prepared a shield.
But the stranger didn't attack.
Instead, she pointed toward the upper slopes.
"Go."
Veyra hesitated.
"Why?"
The woman's expression became serious.
"Because the next time it feels pain, it won't merely shake the mountain."
The blue light in her eyes intensified.
"It will reach for you."
Then she disappeared.
No smoke.
No flash.
No dramatic burst of magic.
One moment she was there.
The next, she wasn't.
Veyra remained motionless.
Her breathing was shallow.
She looked toward the mountain.
The exposed veins had stopped glowing.
The air was completely still.
Then she heard something.
A faint sound.
Like a heartbeat.
Thump.
Veyra slowly turned toward the rock.
Thump.
The sound came again.
She looked down at the mineral formation.
A thin crack had appeared beneath the place where she had been extracting the ore.
Thump.
The entire ledge shifted.
Veyra stumbled.
A small stone fell from the mountain.
Then a larger one.
Then an enormous slab broke loose from the upper slope.
It crashed downward.
Veyra threw herself against the wall.
The slab struck the ledge below her and shattered.
Dust filled the air.
She coughed.
When the dust cleared, the narrow path she had used to descend was gone.
A large section of the mountain had collapsed.
Veyra stared at the destruction.
Then she looked toward the upper slopes.
The way back was blocked.
She had reached the deposit.
But now she was trapped on the mountain.
Veyra spent the next hour searching for another route.
She found a narrow passage along the eastern side of the ledge. It descended toward a lower section of the mountain, where several natural caves opened into the rock.
The passage was dangerous.
The stones were loose, and the air carried a faint electrical charge.
But it was the only way forward.
She carefully descended.
As she reached the bottom, she noticed something strange.
The caves were not empty.
They contained structures.
Not natural formations.
Someone had built them.
Small stone pillars stood around the cave entrances, each decorated with spiralling symbols. Some were broken. Others had been partially buried by rock.
Veyra approached the nearest one.
The markings were unfamiliar.
They resembled ancient protective runes, but the arrangement was different from any wizarding language she knew.
She touched one.
A faint blue glow appeared beneath her fingertips.
Then she heard a voice.
"Do not touch the stones."
Veyra spun around.
A short creature stood inside the cave.
It had a humanoid body, large ears, and a face covered in white fur. Its eyes were yellow, and its nose was long and pointed.
It wore a brown robe and carried a wooden staff decorated with tiny bells.
Veyra raised her staff.
The creature raised both hands.
"Peace! Peace!"
"Who are you?"
"Grindle."
"What are you?"
The creature frowned.
"Rude question."
Veyra lowered her staff slightly.
"Apologies."
Grindle examined her.
"Wizard?"
"Yes."
"Human?"
"Yes."
"Lost?"
"Not originally."
Grindle nodded.
"That happens."
He looked toward the exposed mountain.
Then at her satchel.
His expression changed.
"You took the metal."
Veyra remained silent.
Grindle sighed.
"Always the metal."
He turned and walked deeper into the cave.
Veyra hesitated.
"Where are you going?"
"Home."
"Is this your home?"
"Yes."
He glanced back.
"Are you coming?"
Veyra looked at the cave.
Then at the blocked passage behind her.
She had little choice.
She followed.
The cave opened into a large underground chamber.
Veyra stopped at the entrance.
The place was enormous.
A small settlement had been built inside the cavern, with wooden houses attached to stone platforms and narrow bridges crossing a dark underground stream.
Strange glowing plants grew from the walls.
Small creatures moved between the buildings.
Some were humanoid.
Others were not.
One resembled a blue rabbit with four eyes and a long, feathered tail. Another was a floating ball of moss with tiny arms. Several small figures with mushroom-like heads were carrying baskets of glowing stones.
Veyra watched them.
"Who are these people?"
"Neighbours."
"All of them?"
"Most."
Grindle continued walking.
Veyra followed.
A tall creature with a body made of translucent crystal passed them, carrying a basket of mushrooms.
It turned its head toward Veyra.
Its face contained three small eyes arranged vertically.
It stared.
Then continued walking.
Grindle glanced at her.
"Don't worry. They're mostly friendly."
"Mostly?"
"One bites."
"Which one?"
"Depends."
Veyra decided not to ask.
They reached a small house built against the cavern wall.
Grindle opened the door.
Inside was a simple room containing a wooden table, several chairs, and shelves filled with books.
A small blue flame burned inside a stone fireplace.
Grindle gestured toward a chair.
"Sit."
Veyra sat cautiously.
Grindle placed his staff against the wall.
Then he looked at her.
"How much did you take?"
"Two point something grams."
Grindle closed his eyes.
"That's bad."
"Why?"
"Because it noticed."
"Yes. I've gathered that."
Grindle sighed.
He walked toward the table and opened a small wooden box.
Inside were several fragments of dark silver ore.
Veyra immediately leaned forward.
Her eyes widened.
"That's"
"Yes."
"How did you get it?"
"Long ago."
"Can I buy it?"
Grindle slammed the box shut.
"No."
Veyra sat back.
"All right."
He stared at her.
"You're very determined."
"I have an assignment."
"From whom?"
She hesitated.
"Wizard City."
Grindle's expression darkened.
"Ah."
He looked toward the ceiling.
Then shook his head.
"That explains it."
"What?"
"Nothing."
He sat opposite her.
"Listen carefully, wizard. The mountain isn't a mine. It's a sleeping creature."
Veyra leaned forward.
"What kind of creature?"
Grindle rubbed his forehead.
"Nobody knows."
"How long has it been there?"
"Longer than the first wizards. Longer than the old kingdoms. Longer than most things that still have names."
"Then why does it contain the ore?"
"Because the ore is part of its body."
Veyra looked down at her satchel.
The two capsules suddenly felt heavier.
Grindle continued.
"It catches lightning. All lightning. Natural, magical, divine, cursed. It doesn't care how powerful the discharge is. The ore catches it."
"That is what I was told."
"Then you were told correctly."
Grindle paused.
"But you weren't told why."
Veyra looked at him.
"Why?"
Grindle leaned closer.
"Because the mountain is hungry."
Silence.
Then he continued.
"Long ago, lightning struck the mountain. It absorbed the energy. Then more lightning came. It absorbed that too. Eventually, the creature beneath the stone began to feed on the energy."
Veyra frowned.
"You're saying it feeds on lightning?"
"Yes."
"Then why does it attack when the ore is removed?"
"Because the ore is how it eats."
Grindle tapped the table.
"Imagine someone cutting pieces out of your mouth while you're eating."
Veyra said nothing.
Grindle leaned back.
"Now imagine they're doing it while you're asleep."
Veyra looked toward the door.
She remembered the heartbeat.
The strange woman.
The warning.
"Can it wake up?"
Grindle didn't answer immediately.
Then he said:
"It already has."
That night, Veyra stayed in Grindle's home.
She had little choice.
The mountain's upper passages had become unstable, and the old creature was apparently stirring beneath the stone.
Grindle insisted that she remain inside until morning.
He also insisted that she place her satchel outside the sleeping room.
Veyra refused.
They argued for nearly twenty minutes.
Eventually, Grindle gave up.
"Fine. Keep your dangerous little rocks."
"They're not dangerous."
He stared at her.
She sighed.
"All right. They're somewhat dangerous."
"Somewhat?"
Veyra placed the satchel beside her bed.
Grindle shook his head.
"Young wizards."
"I'm twenty-seven."
"Young."
He left.
Veyra sat on the bed.
The underground settlement was quiet.
She could hear distant voices, the movement of water, and the occasional creaking of the wooden structures.
She removed the first capsule and examined it.
The fragment inside was faintly glowing.
She checked the second.
It was brighter.
She frowned.
The glow seemed to be increasing.
She took out her measuring scale and checked both capsules.
The weight had not changed.
But the electrical readings were rising.
Veyra slowly placed them back inside the satchel.
Then she heard a sound.
A soft metallic click.
She looked toward the door.
Another click.
Then a third.
She stood.
"Grindle?"
No answer.
She approached the door.
The sound came again.
This time, it seemed to come from inside her satchel.
Veyra turned.
The five black capsules were trembling.
She stared.
Then the first capsule's lid opened by itself.
A thin blue line appeared around its edge.
Veyra froze.
The fragment inside rose slightly.
It was floating.
She took one step forward.
The second capsule opened.
Then the third.
Except there was no third fragment.
She looked down.
Her blood turned cold.
Something was moving inside the satchel.
A tiny blue light.
Then another.
Then another.
She slowly reached for her staff.
The lights gathered above the bag.
They formed a small cluster.
A shape.
Almost like a face.
Veyra stumbled backward.
The lights vanished.
The capsules dropped onto the floor.
Silence.
Then
THUMP.
The underground chamber shook.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
A distant scream echoed through the settlement.
Veyra grabbed her satchel and rushed toward the door.
Outside, Grindle was already standing in the corridor.
His face was pale.
"What's happening?" Veyra demanded.
Grindle looked toward the far end of the cavern.
The underground stream had stopped flowing.
Every glowing plant in the settlement had gone dark.
The small creatures were emerging from their homes, looking toward the eastern wall.
Then the stone began to move.
A deep crack travelled across the cavern ceiling.
Grindle whispered something.
Veyra couldn't hear it.
"What?"
He looked at her.
"Run."
A second heartbeat shook the cavern.
THUMP.
Then a third.
THUMP.
And from somewhere beneath the settlement, something enormous began to breathe.
Far away
Beneath Wizard City
The soul matrix pulsed.
A thin silver thread brightened.
Then another.
Chief Ritualist Malrec stood before the sphere, watching the readings.
"Synchronization?"
Othra examined the instruments.
"Ninety-five point six percent."
"Excellent."
Brindle approached.
"How long until completion?"
"With the final component, the binding can begin."
Malrec nodded.
"Then Veyra should be approaching the deposit."
Othra looked toward the doorway.
"Assuming she's alive."
Malrec's expression remained unchanged.
"She is expendable."
The soul matrix pulsed again.
For a moment, the dark centre seemed to distort.
A strange vibration travelled through the chamber.
Othra frowned.
"Did you feel that?"
Malrec looked at the sphere.
"Yes."
"Was that the matrix?"
He studied the readings.
Then shook his head.
"No."
He turned toward the ritual platform.
"Continue monitoring the synchronization. I want the final component ready the moment Veyra returns."
He did not notice the faint blue light appearing along the silver threads.
Nor did he hear the distant sound of something breathing.
_
Veyra stood frozen.
Grindle had already begun shouting orders.
"Everyone to the western tunnels! Move! Move!"
The inhabitants of the underground settlement scattered.
A small creature carrying a basket dropped it and ran.
The crystal-bodied being from earlier emerged from a nearby house, its three eyes glowing bright yellow.
"What is happening?" Veyra shouted.
Grindle grabbed her sleeve.
"It's waking!"
The ground shook.
A section of the eastern wall collapsed.
Beyond it was darkness.
Not ordinary darkness.
A vast black space stretching deeper into the mountain.
Then something moved.
Veyra saw a shape.
An enormous curve of dark stone.
A ridge covered in glowing blue veins.
It shifted slowly.
The mountain itself seemed to be turning.
Grindle pulled her toward the western tunnel.
"Move!"
Veyra stumbled after him.
Behind them, the cavern trembled again.
The creature's body continued moving.
A deep sound rolled through the underground chambers.
Then a voice emerged.
It was not spoken in words.
It was a vibration that seemed to pass directly through the bones.
WHO...
Veyra stopped.
Grindle turned.
"Don't listen!"
The vibration came again.
TOOK...
The blue veins along the cavern walls brightened.
Veyra felt the two capsules inside her satchel begin trembling.
She clutched them.
MY...
The enormous shape shifted.
A massive blue eye opened within the darkness.
Veyra stared.
She had never seen anything like it.
It was larger than the entire village.
And it was looking directly at her.
PIECES?
Veyra couldn't move.
Grindle grabbed her arm and dragged her into the tunnel.
"RUN!"
Behind them, the mountain roared.
And for the first time since arriving at the Thunder Scar, Veyra understood something that Malrec had never bothered to explain.
The mission had never been about mining.
It had been about stealing from something ancient enough to remember every injury it had ever suffered.
And now it knew exactly who had taken the first pieces.