you can work from, though it is not a very hard mountain to scale and should only take you a few days to search the area.
“That might be it, but from what I understood, it should be in a more remote location,” Bren said looking at the map.
“What are you looking for?” The elder asked, his voice deepening into a near whisper.
Bren thought about keeping it vague but he knew this was his first real chance to learn what he wanted, and after a moment of thought, decided there was little reason to keep it hidden. “I am looking for a hidden valley that is supposed to hold the key to the doorway to the abyss.”
The female elder said something in a language that Bren didn’t understand, but it was clear that Bren had touched on something that had put them on guard. “I would guess that you know the place I am looking for,” Bren said, getting up from his chair and advancing toward the elders.
“We know of the place you are talking about,” the elder said, leaning back in his chair trying to get some distance from Bren. “Or at least I believe we know where you are talking about.”
“Then tell me” Bren demanded.
“It is not that simple,” the elder said. “The place you are looking for is taboo. Each hidden village is tasked with providing two people every three years to guard the entrance to the valley. Even if I told you where the valley was at, they would never allow you to enter it.”
The air in the room grew chilly as ice crystals began to form on the large window overlooking the city. “I can be very persuasive,” Bren said as small sparks of energy flashed around him.
“Calm down,” the elder said in a palliative tone. “You might be able to get out of the village without trouble but what about your friends.”
The mention of his friends brought Bren back to his senses and the air the room quickly began to warm. “Where is the valley?” Bren asked, placing his hands on the elder’s table and leaning in close. “No matter what the cost I will learn what I want to know.”
“Here,” the elder said pointing to a place far to the north of the village. “It is settled in the Kami Mountains. There are no towns or villages along the way. Even the village that we send our children to remains unknown to us.”
“Thank you,” Bren said turning toward the door. “We will leave in the morning and do our best to take our friends with us.”
“One thing before you go, Master Torin,” the elder said half rising from his chair. “The valley of the gods is sacred to us. It is said to hold the doorway to the home of the gods. If that is true or not, I don’t know. I have never seen a god, but remember that a portion of the guardians are made up of our children.”
“I will do my best to kill as few as possible,” Bren said continuing on his way toward the door.
As he left the room, the others quickly followed, but they kept a few steps behind him. “Are you okay?” Faye asked touching his arm lightly.
“Fine…Why?” Bren said, looking at her and noticing that her face was pinched tightly.
“You’re still… Sparkling,” Cass said lightly.
Bren stopped in mid-stride and took a deep breath and tried to clear his body of the excess magic. “Better?” Bren asked, once he was sure he was clear of magical energy.
“A little, though the air around you still seems a bit chilly,” Faye said laughing.
As soon as they were back in their room, everyone started readying for the journey without Bren having to say a word. Bren did the same though he kept most of his things in order, but as he always did when he planned a long journey he emptied out his father’s old pack and went through it once again.
There was still a little food stored in the pack as well as a few canteens of water but not enough to last more than a few days should they run a dry spell between villages. “Hayao,” Bren hollered causing the young warrior to come running from where he had been.
“Yes, Lord Torin,” the man said quickly.
“We need supplies for a long trip,” Bren said. “Do you think you can get us enough to last us for most of the trip?”
“Getting the supplies will be easy, my lord, but