Garinor decided he couldn’t pursue Tomli just yet. The prince had taken a sizable guard for an unarmed boy to tackle. He didn’t think he could penetrate through them and free his friend. He would need to find another way.
The only path open to him was to the north, so Garinor started that way, but then broke off toward the west. He ran with all his strength, hoping to get away from the screams and shouts behind him. The rocky base of the mountains provided ample hiding places for him, so he was able to dodge pursuit for a while. It also helped that the guards were busy fighting off the Daggerfists.
He couldn’t believe his father was not only involved with them, but had created the group years ago. He wondered what his father would think of him for running away from the battle. Even though Terrian had told him to go, he still didn’t know if it was the right thing to do.
Footsteps crunched down on gravel nearby and Garinor held his breath. Someone had followed him after all. He wondered if it was one person or several, but there wasn’t any way to be sure except to peer out from his hiding place and look.
The crunching sound echoed again and he looked about, trying to decide if he should scamper ahead to the next large boulder or wait there longer. The sounds came more frequently with each passing second and he thought it was odd the stalkers would give up their position so easily.
A rock fell and cracked him on the head. He rubbed the spot and looked around to see where it had come from. It was from behind him, from the mountain itself. He didn’t see any figures up there, but his eyes were playing tricks on him, for the whole landscape seemed to be wavering.
The footsteps crunched again louder and louder, and when more rocks pelted him, he realized that they weren’t footsteps at all. The mountain was crumbling behind him. He had to move.
Stones and boulders picked up speed and cascaded down the mountainside. The sounds of furious battle must have disturbed enough of the smaller pieces, releasing this rocky flow. Garinor sprinted west as hard as he could, determined to find a way to escape the stony rain.
Pieces of rock tumbled all around him. He was blasted several times by chunks larger than his fist. He ran with all his might, lowering his chin and pumping his arms and legs as hard as he could. Twenty more leaps and he would be clear of the cascade and he could then collapse to catch his breath.
Rocks tumbled faster and faster and Garinor wasn’t able to dodge all the stones. One particularly large rock blasted against the side of his head and knocked him over. From there, there was no escape. The rocks and dirt rolled right over him, dragging him down under their weight and trapping him in eternal darkness.