1 The Center of the World The Frostheart tore across the snow plain, its ragged red sails swelling in the wind. It was a large Pathfinder sleigh, but even so, it was dwarfed by the immense mountain that loomed before it. Ash gripped on to the side rail, his black messy hair thrashing about in front of his eyes, which stared in wonder as they drew under the mountain's colossal shadow. Towers jutted out of the mountainside like a forest of ornate trees, warm light glowing from within. Ash could just make out a large domed spire sitting atop the mountain's summit, faint and shrouded, as though the clouds wanted to keep it a secret. "It's incredible . . ." The roof of Alderman Kindil's lodge had been the tallest thing he had ever seen before he left his old home a moon ago, but the entire Fira Stronghold would've only risen to the lowest stones of this gargantuan peak. Ash's excitement had grown each day they'd drawn closer to the mountain, and now he couldn't help but whoop and laugh. "Pretty cool, eh . . . ?" Ash's best friend, Lunah, said from beside him, her constellation-embroidered cloak flowing behind her. The Frostheart approached a second great wall that encircled the mountain, having passed through the first several leagues back. It stood as tall as a cliff, and was lined with watchtowers and windmills high above, whose turning vanes seemed to be waving at the sleigh, beckoning them through. "The walls go as far under the snow as they do above it," said Lunah, as proud as if she'd built it herself. "Keeps any snoopin' Leviathans out, y'see?" Ash could see other Pathfinder sleighs in the distance, drifting toward different gateways in the wall's enormous circumference, leagues upon leagues in length. Ash wondered who crewed them, and the kind of adventures they were returning from. Whether they too had feared they'd never make it back at all, like the Frostheart had. A warmth filled Ash's cold bones as he looked back at the crew who had taken him under their wing. He knew there was no other group in the whole Snow Sea he'd rather be with. "CHECKPOINT AHOY!" the sleigh's lookout, Teya, called down. "Signal flags!" ordered Captain Nuk from the bridge. "Aye aye!" Kailen answered, releasing a line of colored flags at the sleigh's prow up into the air, alerting the guards atop the wall as to who was approaching. Her short flaxen hair swept in front of her scarred blind eye as she watched the gatekeepers pull on large wheels, the massive gateway creaking open to allow the Frostheart in. Passing through, Ash finally got his first view of the mountain's base, which was surrounded by bubbling pools that breathed steam into the cold air. To Ash's surprise he saw that large patches of green vegetation clung to the mountain's sides, with workers tending to them with tools he didn't recognize. "What--" Ash began. "Farms," Lunah answered before he could finish. "Farms?" "Farms. This mountain used to be a mega-volcano, an' what with the heat still comin' from below, an' all the water channeled out here, s'one of the few places in the Snow Sea you can grow things. Saves hunters havin' to go out for food all the time. Pretty clever stuff." Ash had to agree. He grinned as he saw his large yeti guardian, Tobu, approaching from the healing tent. Tobu had been wounded during the Frostheart 's daring escape from a Wraith attack a few weeks ago, and, after lots of rest (thanks only to the sleigh's old healer, Arla, begging the yeti not to train with his spear), Tobu had quickly recovered and was now almost standing up to his full, imposing height. "Food grown right on your doorstep, Tobu!" Ash said to him as he came to stand beside them. "Imagine not having to worry about hunting!" Tobu grunted, which was about as impressed as Tobu was ever likely to sound. "Trust me: you ent seen nothin' yet, fire-boy . . ." Lunah said, clearly enjoying being Ash's unofficial guide. The enormous gateway that allowed entrance into the mountain--and the Stronghold of Aurora itself--drew close. Ash could make out intricate designs on the mighty wooden doors, carvings that appeared to tell the history of the Pathfinders. He didn't have long to take them in, however; ice rained down on the Frostheart 's deck as it passed through the gateway and into the mountain itself. Yallah, the sleigh's enjineer, cut the power to the sunstone enjin, and the Frostheart drifted to a stop inside a deep cavern just large enough for the vessel to sit in. Doors thudded shut behind them, plunging the cavern into darkness. After the blinding white of the snow outside, it took a few beats of Ash's thrumming heart for him to become accustomed to the gloom. He craned his neck to look up at the cavern's ceiling, and was surprised to make out a light at the top, illuminating what looked like large hollowed-out tree trunks protruding from the walls. Was it the way in? In which case, how on earth were they meant to get up there? The rest of the crew didn't seem concerned, though. Teya climbed down from the crow's nest to help Kob, Twinge, and Kailen lower the sails. "So . . . how're we going to get up there?" Ash asked. "We're gonna take the sleigh for a little swim . . ." Lunah grinned in reply, just as Ash heard a rushing sound from above. Water gushed out of the tree trunks and thundered down into the cavern like waterfalls. "Here we go . . . !" Lunah whooped. To Ash's amazement the cavern began to fill with water and the Frostheart rose with it. Up, up, up it went. Lunah giggled, spreading her arms wide and running about as though she were flying. Unable to contain himself, Ash joined her, laughing with joy as they leaped and danced through the mist the torrents created around the sleigh. "You kids gonna do some work around here or what?" Kailen called over, holding out a line of rigging for them to take, an eyebrow raised. Captain Nuk chuckled. "Oh, leave the tykes alone, Kailen. Even you must remember the thrill you felt when you first rode Aurora's aqualifts!" Kailen didn't answer, but Ash noticed she allowed herself a little smile. "Now, crew," Nuk declared. "As always, Master Podd and I would like to thank you all for your valiant service aboard the Frostheart and your continued bravery toward the Pathfinder cause." "Indeed," confirmed Master Podd in his deep voice. The small vulpis stood at Nuk's side, his arms behind his back and head held high. "We did it, my dearest fellows. We made it back home!" The crew cheered, and as they did the sleigh rose above the aqualift's rim. Light washed over the deck as the true grandeur of Aurora came into view. Ash's jaw dropped. Never mind the cave they'd just left--the whole mountain was hollow, and filling the immense space was the largest, most awesome Stronghold Ash could ever have dreamed of. A mighty tiered city rose up all the way to the top of the dizzying heights of the dormant volcano, lava thankfully nowhere to be seen. The stone buildings, palaces, and spires were bigger than Ash could ever have imagined, each one intricately decorated with carvings, tiles, and moss-covered pillars. Dazzling curtains of light poured down from large openings in the mountain wall, illuminating the dense crowds that roamed the lofty streets. Bridges and aqueducts crisscrossed the vast space, canoes and sleighs traversing canals that weaved their way about the city, which also seemed to power huge waterwheels and other strange wooden machinery. Compared to the Fira, the other Strongholds Ash had seen over the last few weeks had been impressive, each one mightier than the last. But this was different. They all paled in comparison. This was so vast Ash's eyes could barely comprehend what they were seeing. This was awe-inspiring. This was beautiful . "Might wanna pick your jaw off the floor, there, Ash," Lunah said, nudging him in the side. "They have a strict no-drool policy here, y'know." Ash barely even heard her. He gasped. "We've made it, I can't believe we've made it . . ." After all the stories he'd heard from traveling Pathfinders--from the Fira themselves. After traveling halfway across the Snow Sea with only a lullaby as a guide. After battling Wraiths and Leviathans . . . after nearly losing everything he'd come to hold dear. After all that, he'd finally arrived. He knew that the lullaby his parents had left him had been leading him here, that the next clue was hidden somewhere in the Stronghold's depths . . . but what if his parents were here themselves? Ash's belly leaped at the thought. He might finally find them, be able to speak to them, to touch them, to at last be pulled into the safety of their arms. Ash knew one thing for sure. Whatever he discovered here, he knew it would be big. For at last he was in Aurora: the center of the world. Excerpted from Escape from Aurora by Jamie Littler All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
