by M J Webb
This was it, the closest he could get. He had to act now!
He raised himself up with lightning speed until he was standing on the saddle, using all his strength and skill to balance. A split second later, he jumped for the ledge.
Jake failed to allow for the drag of the wind as it caught the bag on his shoulder. It felt as if someone had deliberately grabbed his belt. He landed just short of his target and his feet smashed against the rockface. His shins and knees hit the jagged mountainside hard, with tremendous force and a downwards, scraping motion that immediately had him screaming out in pain. He began falling at once, hurtling towards the abyss below for the briefest of moments, before he reached out instinctively with his arms and hands in an act of pure desperation and instinct to survive.
He managed to claw at the very edge of the cliff. His fingers took the full weight of his falling body. Unbelievably, they held! His elbows seared with pain as they locked out to stop his rapid descent. His arms almost tore themselves from their sockets as he came to a sudden and violent halt.
Jake had very nearly fallen to his death but his heart was thumping and beating so fast and his body was in so much agony, that he could think of nothing at all but trying to get up and onto the ledge above. But, he couldn’t move! His fingers, legs and arms hurt so terribly that he began to think that it was impossible, that he would not make it.
‘I can’t... I can’t do it!’ he thought to himself, for a split second actually contemplating the possibility of his own death.
The impact with the mountainside had winded him temporarily and his energy had been immediately sapped. Blood was oozing out of some nasty cuts to his knees and shins, he could feel it running down his leg. His fingers were hurting so badly now that he really didn’t know how much more he could take. Given all that had happened before, he expected to receive some help. He screamed out inside his mind trying to communicate to anyone who would listen.
‘Where are you??!! Where are the spirits? Where’s Tien? Granddad! Anyone! Why don’t you help me? Please!!!’
No one came. The wind whistled its way across the mountainside and cut into his cheeks with an icy cold bitterness that was like a hefty slap in the face. He realised to his absolute horror that he was alone.
Then, he suddenly began to feel as if he was invincible and could do anything. But, unlike his previous sensations, nothing else had changed but his state of mind. His body was still throbbing continuously from the effects of the jump. However, his true strength of character began to surface.
“Right Jake, come on!” he roared. “You can’t stay here forever. There’s only one way for you to go. You can do it. Ignore the pain. It’s only confirming that you’re still alive, nothing more. Concentrate on what you have to do, that’s what the Heynai would say if they were here.”
He fixed his eyes on the ledge above and tightened his grasp, ignoring the agonising surge of heat that ran up his hands and through his arms as he readied himself to begin the climb. Then, he looked for any kind of a foothold he could use to lever himself upwards. He managed to spot a tiny piece of rock which was jutting out slightly from the rest of the mountain. Pushing against it with his foot, he locked out his knees and his entire body lifted so that he was able to raise himself up onto his elbows and swing his left foot onto the ledge, before rolling his aching frame up and over the side to reach the safety of the solid rock.
He had been a matter of mere inches and seconds away from certain death. Now that he had a moment to think about what had happened, Jake was absolutely livid with himself.
“You stupid idiot!!!” he yelled, so loud that it echoed across the mountainside. “You nearly ruined everything with your impatience!”
It was several minutes before he calmed down enough to begin taking stock of his situation. His body was still hurting in ways he never knew possible, but he knew that he had to push on, he dare not rest. He felt for the bag of stones to reassure himself that they were still there and was relieved to find them unharmed by his exertions. Then, he stared up at the mountain above. There was still some way to go to the summit and Jake was suddenly beginning to feel very, very cold. He hadn’t realised how bitter the wind was before, but now that he was standing still, it felt like waves of actual ice hitting his body. He began shaking uncontrollably to add to his worries, bringing with every tensing of his muscles a whole new world of misery.
“Oh m-my G-g-god, th-th-is is i-im-impossible!!!” he screamed, as he began his ascent.
Within moments, a wall of tiredness hit him like a sledgehammer. Breathing became impossible and he had to stop. The air was now so incredibly thin that his body just couldn’t get enough of it. His lungs were already close to bursting point, there was no way he was going to be able to continue. He searched his mind frantically for ideas, remembering all that had gone before and trying to draw upon his experiences to think of something, anything that might help.
Then, he suddenly had another idea. He closed his eyes once more and tried hard to listen to the sound of his beating heart. It was running like an express train and showing no signs at all of calming down. Jake willed it to slow down and, unbelievably, it did!
Gradually, his pulse rate lowered until it was virtually at a standstill. Each breath he took seemed to take several minutes to complete, filling his lungs with all the oxygen he needed even though he had no idea how it was possible. His movements were unaffected and he began to climb up the mountain, only now it was so incredibly easy for him that he ascended the rocks with the speed and skill of an expert mountaineer. He began to make excellent progress and covered the distance to the highest peak in no time at all, despite the incredible difficulty of the ascent.
Just over an hour later, he caught sight of the peak. He was just beginning to climb the final stretch to it, when he suddenly heard a terrifying cry from the sky above.
“Rrrreeeaakkhhsshh.”
He looked up in horror to see that he was no longer alone. Several flying creatures were now circling him, around eight or nine of them as far as he could tell, and they were clearly waiting for something, sizing him up as they prepared themselves to dive in for the kill. They were huge and awesome, like something he might find in a book on dinosaurs at his local library. Their bodies were black and white and grey in patches. They looked like birds of some description, only they had no feathers and they seemed to be more like reptiles. The beaks at the end of their heads were enormous and filled with razor sharp teeth. And their feet contained a set of sharp, horrendous claws!
Jake did not know what to do. He was hugging the mountain as he climbed, caught out in the open with nowhere to go. The first of the predators suddenly changed its direction and began to swoop down upon him. Once more, the young Keeper was in fear of his life.
But yet again, his instincts took over and he had another moment of inspiration. He shouted out as loud as he could a word which came from deep within his subconscious, just in the nick of time.
“Zsabrutt!!”
A great, protective shield of bright light appeared from nowhere and covered him immediately from head to toe, fixing itself upon the surrounding rock and forming an impregnable barrier all around the frightened teenager, just as he flinched and hugged the rock more closely in an instinctive reaction to the creatures attack. Jake was sure he was about to die. But the hurtling beast hit the shield almost simultaneously, with such speed and venom that it made a deafening crash which almost caused Jake to loosen his grip of the mountain and fall to his death.
The creature was hurt badly and it fell from the sky, tumbling like a rag doll to its doom. It disappeared through the clouds and out of sight. Another of the beasts followed soon after, but it slammed into the shield also, as it tried desperately to get to Jake. It fell, only this one was not so seriously hurt and it recovered the power of flight to rejoin the flock, wounded, but still able to stalk the Keeper as he continued his climb.
No more attacks came. The ferocious beasts shad
owed Jake’s every move closely but the shield remained intact, protecting him from harm. It grew weaker and weaker though, and Jake knew that somehow its strength was waning because the power left in the stones was not sufficient to maintain it. He knew also that the first two attacks had seriously weakened it. He prayed that there would be no cause to use it again, as he pushed on as fast as he could.
Finally, he reached a small plateau which seemed so oddly out of place high on the mountain peak. It did not seem to belong there and Jake thought it very strange. He climbed onto the open area to find it carpeted by a yellow moss. He noticed also that it was populated sparsely by several small tufts of weeds and a lot of thin, wiry vines, which littered the ground in thick patches here and there. At the end of the plateau he could see several small trees, all covered with beautiful, pink flowers, some of which had fallen and lay on the surrounding ground.
“That’s it!” he yelled. “I’ve done it! The flowers of herethdar.”
He was just congratulating himself on a job well done, when four of the most hideous creatures he had ever seen (and that was saying something now) dropped out of the sky from the rock ledges above. They landed about twelve feet in front of him, blocking his path to the trees and flowers which were the object of his quest.
The horrifying monsters were almost lizard like, but they had eight legs like a spider and they were incredibly fast as they moved to face him. Their faces were deformed. Eyes, blemishes and teeth protruded from everywhere, to no discernable pattern. They lived on the mountainside and they were now quite clearly intent on securing their lunch for the next week or so by killing the intruder who had walked straight into their lair!
They approached Jake slowly and cautiously at first, but when the nearest of them was almost upon him, it suddenly emitted an ear splitting scream which made Jake jump. It was obviously intended to intimidate and disorientate their prey. It was accompanied by the rapid deployment of a thin skin membrane which shot out like an opening umbrella from its neck, circling all around the creature’s head.
“Whooaa!! Yeah, okay pal, that’s some party trick you got there!” said Jake, as he drew his sword and prepared to fight. “What do you do for an encore, eh?”
Suddenly, one of the birds flying overhead dived down and landed on the nearest creature, sinking its claws deep into his flesh and trying to lift him off the ground so that it could carry him away. But, the hideous creature was too heavy and the bird failed in its attempt. The winged attacker fell to the ground as a powerful sweep of the creature’s arm caught it squarely in the face. The others pounced upon it, killing it swiftly with an array of sharp teeth and claws.
Whilst all of this was happening, Jake tried quickly to circle around the creatures and reach the trees. He was spotted by one of them however and confronted by it before he was half way there. Again, the creature’s skin membrane shot out and it launched itself at Jake. The Keeper was too quick for it and he sidestepped the attack before bringing his sword down and cutting off his assailant’s head in one swift movement, so that it fell dead on the ground.
The other creatures witnessed what had happened and they backed off, returning to their feeding frenzy and ignoring Jake completely, as if nothing had happened. He gathered up the flowers from the floor, filled his bag and shook the trees. More of the blossom fell and he realised quickly that he needed something else to carry them in. So, he cut off the skin membrane from around the severed head and fashioned several small pouches and wraps, using the small vines on the ground as ropes to bind them. Then, he tied them to his belt and the straps of his bag. After several minutes, during which time he kept a watchful eye on both sets of creatures, he was weighed down with all the flowers he could carry and he began his descent.
It took a lot longer to make his way down the mountainside, hampered as he was by his load and the constant sniping of the birds, which flew closer and closer in their frustration, threatening to launch another attack upon him at any time. But eventually, he reached the clouds and passed through them into relative safety, to the clear blue sky where the birds did not fly.
On another small ledge he stopped for a much needed rest.
His breathing suddenly returned to its usual state with an almighty surge that had him wide eyed and open mouthed in shock. He gasped violently for air as his lungs returned to normal. His chest began to burn fiercely with tremendous pain, as if it were ablaze. An agony which was far worse than anything he could have imagined flooded his senses and every muscle in his body contracted, until he was writhing on the ground and screaming over and over for his mum.
It lasted for several minutes and it was without doubt the worst experience of his life. At one point he actually prayed for death, so that it would end his suffering. Sweat was pouring from every part of him, drenching him from head to toe.
When it was finally over, he curled himself up in a ball and sobbed uncontrollably. He longed for home but he knew he would not be able to return until his battles were won. He knew what he had to do, he was certain of the task before him beyond a shadow of a doubt. Everyone was depending on him. The urgency of the situation was all he could think about now that the pain had disappeared. But, try as he might, he could not fight the incredible, irresistible urge that had just overtaken his body. He had to sleep!
His eyelids began to close of their own free will. He fought against it with every fibre of his being, trying desperately to keep them open. But, it was no use and they closed completely. His mind cleared and everything went black.
Chapter 31
Just Before Dawn – 28th August – Dassilliak – Perosya
A faint noise like rumbling thunder far away in the distance woke Princess Zephany on the morning of the 28th. Though it was still dark, the constant drone was relentless. She sat upright in her bed and strained her ears to identify the sound. It was quite clearly coming from way beyond the city wall, from the direction of the enemy legions. It grew gradually louder as she listened, until it was interrupted by the sound of several pairs of feet running rapidly along the palace hallways. Panic had set in amongst the Estian defenders of the city.
A much heavier, slower set of feet then approached her room. The large, wooden door was flung open without so much as a knock. It was Lord Caro and his face was bright red. He hurriedly finished attaching his sword and belt to his person. He did not look up to greet the Princess as he spoke, wasting no time at all in delivering his news.
“Srr… Forgive me, but they are coming!” he stated, with more than a degree of urgency. He finished doing up his buckle and lifted the belt into place, positioning it perfectly around his waist so that it almost became a part of him.
“Yes Caro, I can hear them, thank you. That noise would be their siege weaponry I take it, their towers?” the Princess asked, in a calm and controlled manner. The Perosyan champion simply nodded an instant reply. “Well then, let us be about the business of the day. Sound the alarm. All available warriors are to report to their positions. Archers to the wall, and all those who cannot fight are to head to the rear, to take shelter in the caves.”
Caro departed swiftly. Princess Zephany rushed out of bed and readied herself for battle. She ran out of the palace as soon as she was dressed and immediately bumped into Queen Bressial and Lord Castrad. The Nadjan Queen and her knight were running across the main courtyard, making their way to the wall as fast as their wounds would allow, when they caught sight of the young Princess and limped over to her.
“Good morning,” Zephany said, in a surprisingly upbeat tone as they continued their run. “I trust you slept well?”
Queen Bressial smirked and nodded her head politely. Like Lord Castrad, she understood the need to remain positive and she approved of the young leader’s approach to their terrifying predicament.
“Why yes, thank you my dear,” the monarch replied, almost mocking the young royal with her reply, though that was not her intention. “...Though, the bed was a little soft for my liking,
given what I have become accustomed to.”
They laughed as they picked up the pace. When they arrived at the ramparts, they could see nothing in the darkness beyond the wall, no sign of the enemy, but they could hear the shouts and cries of thousands of soldiers from across the fields, and the thunderous rumblings of the wheels of the siege towers and other weaponry was making the ground and wall foundations shake beneath them. In fact, the noise was now so great that it was becoming almost impossible to make themselves heard.
“What is it? What is happening out there?” someone bellowed from behind.
They all turned around to see Tien making his way up the steps to join them. He looked completely worn out; it was clear that he had been up all night.
“Do you know, wizard, that is probably the least sage thing you have ever said?” stated the Princess, though she was smiling as she said it. Everyone laughed, including Tien. The tension was relieved a little, but Zephany cut short the moment with another, far more serious enquiry. “My father, how is he?”
Tien approached her and looked the young royal in her eyes. “I have done all I can for him. His life is now in the hands of the Gods. He has lost a lot of blood and it is imperative that he is not moved, at least for the time being. I have stemmed the blood loss and applied the healing wraps, to move him now would be to kill him, I am afraid. It is amazing that he still lives. Most warriors would already be dead given his wounds. He has…”
“But what if the city falls? What then?” asked Caro. Zephany shook her head slightly at the impressive figure of a warrior who was standing before her.