Sun Broken (The Wild Hunt #11) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,85

going will be slow—the grade is steep and the road is full of potholes and rocks. The drive up the side of the mountain takes about thirty minutes. Be cautious. I chose a low-rise vehicle so you don’t tip over from being top-heavy. If you forget my instructions, Trinity can lead you.” Niles handed Herne the keys as we approached the SUV. It was a Subaru.

Herne motioned for Viktor to stow our gear, and we climbed in, with Kipa sitting between Morgana and Merlin, and Trinity and Viktor squeezing into the back. It would be a tight return with Raven, but I had the feeling Morgana could just blink herself back home if need be. We said our good-byes and headed out, across the bridge.

The Skykomish River was popular for rafting, and kayakers abounded during the summer months when the water wasn’t running high and dangerous. Salmon and trout filled the waterways, and fishermen lined the banks during fishing season.

There were two main forks to the river—the south and the north forks—and both had a number of tributaries branching off of them. Some of the stream names were evocative—like Troublesome Creek and Goblin Creek. The river was at the heart of an environmental controversy, with the local PUD wanting to build a hydroelectric project in the South Fork, and environmentalists and locals objecting that the project would destroy spawning grounds and disrupt the ecological balance of the area.

In the car, no one said much of anything, including Trinity. I glanced back, but all I could see was that he had taken out a tablet and was glued to something on it. I wanted to ask what he was doing, but decided to hold off.

We passed through the tall timber lining both sides of the river and sure enough, once over the bridge, it was only a short distance to the access road. Herne took a left, and we passed through a short patch of forest, coming out on the wide branch of the North Fork. There was a narrow one-lane bridge that led across a sand bar in the river to the Old Gold Bar–Index Road that ran parallel to a set of even older train tracks.

Crossing the tracks, we found the access road that led through the bare cliffsides that climbers referred to as the Lower Town Wall. The cliff face wasn’t terribly high, but it was extremely steep and climbers came here to challenge themselves. We passed several of them who were crossing from the parking lot over to the base of the wall, roped up and ready to go.

The access road leading to the top, then past the Upper Town Wall—yet another more challenging bare cliff—wasn’t well maintained, and as we chugged up the steep grade, I found myself grateful we weren’t in Herne’s Expedition. Any top-heavy vehicles could easily tip here, and roll down the embankment.

About three miles past the wall, we were headed up the back route to Mount Bracken, a jagged hill rising out from the treeline. I glanced up at the top. It was barren and bleak, with patches of snow left in places, and I realized it looked oddly familiar to me.

“I think…I’ve been here. The visions—we’re nearing where they took place.” I caught my breath, staring out of the window. “Why do you think Pandora brought her out here?”

Morgana looked up at Mount Bracken. “That would be a good place for—” She stopped, glancing back at Trinity.

“Say what you like,” Trinity said, not even looking up from his tablet. “I’m not interested in much of what goes on outside my sphere.”

Morgana paused, then shrugged. “It would be a good place for Typhon to settle when he comes in. Or for other dragons. I wonder…”

I felt an alarm go off in the pit of my stomach. “You think he’s going to establish outposts?”

“It would make sense, wouldn’t it?” Herne said. He paused, then said, “I’m going to just get something over with and out into the open. Trinity, heads up.”

Trinity glanced up as I swiveled to see if he was paying attention.

“I brought you along for a reason other than to guide us,” Herne said. “I’m going to fill the others in on who you are, so they don’t feel like they’re walking on eggshells. That is, unless you want to introduce yourself.”

Trinity rolled his eyes and said, “Very well. I have no problem with telling you all. I’m Trinity, the Keeper of the Keys. I can unlock almost any lock, open