by Jeff Gunzel
He helped her sit up then kneeled down behind her, vigorously rubbing her arms and shoulders to generate as much warmth as possible. She was cold as ice and didn’t say a word; not that he expected she could do much of anything after such a near brush with death. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her cold body close to his. Even though he was cold too, he was certainly warmer than she was. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I knew it. I knew you wouldn’t quit on me.”
****
The distant sounds of muffled voices infiltrated Jade’s twisted dreams. Nightmares filled with the choked-off screams of men as the last of their precious air was replaced with icy water. Frosty waves twisted and contorted helpless bodies as they were thrown about like paper toys. Powerless they were against nature’s fury, as her insatiable appetite for death simply couldn’t be satisfied.
Again she heard the voices tugging at her, pulling her back from the hellish visions. Her eyes slowly opened as she made a feeble effort to sit up. Her body felt as if it were floating along, and for some reason she couldn’t seem to move. Her head began to clear as panic set it. She suddenly tried to move her arms with more force this time, but still could not lift them. Her head darted around as growing panic soon turned to terror. In a brief burst driven by adrenaline she thrashed wildly while the tight leather straps more than did their job.
“Shhh,” a female voice whispered in her ear as she felt a gentle hand come to rest on her forehead. “Everything is going to be fine.”
Jade leaned up as far as she could, now getting a downward view of her tightly strapped body. Two men clad in black garments were carrying her on a poorly constructed stretcher. As best she could tell while looking down at her feet, it seemed to be made of some kind of bamboo strung together with coarse, frayed twine.
The adrenaline surge was short-lived, as her ailing body soon melted back down into the stretcher. Her body felt more numb than hurt, but it was clear to her she was quite broken. Her voice came soft and feeble, “Where are taking me? Why are you—What are you doi—”
“We should have just left her,” came a man’s gruff voice from behind. “What’s to be gained from bringing this outsider back with us? We have no idea what diseases she carries. She could even be a spy for all we know.”
“You know she would have died without our help,” the female voice replied. “That in itself is all the reason I need. As to whether or not she is a spy, Kelus will make that final judgment when the time comes. In the meantime I will accept full responsibility for her.”
“Oh, you can be certain of that.”
“Besides,” she replied, calmly ignoring the man’s snide remark, “she has clearly been brought here by way of the sea. Her garments are odd, and I can’t place her accent. I’ll bet she is from the old world. Do you understand how long it’s been since someone from the old world has set foot in these lands? If my hunch is correct, I will have many questions.”
Emotion had all but fled from Jade as the blunt conversation about her seemed to fade off with every passing word. She fought hard to stay conscious but felt herself slipping back into darkness. A final coherent thought tugged at her before she returned to her world of twisted dreams:
Eric...where are you?
****
Eric squinted hard against the frigid wind as its icy chill blasted right through him. Tiny ice crystals pelted his exposed face and hands in an agonizing assault. He moved his head from side to side to try and alleviate some of the icy onslaught, but it was no use, as the constant battering had made his already reddened skin feel like fire, and the pain only intensified. He also didn’t think it wise to move about any more than necessary. It was not likely this beast could be tricked into believing the journey had killed him, but it was best if it thought Eric was at least weak and harmless. This way it was less likely to get any ideas of dropping him before they reached their destination, wherever that was.
The trip through the icy air had indeed weakened him significantly, though. Eric felt so numb he wasn’t even sure he could grip his sword at this point. But harmless? He was the farthest thing from harmless. You can’t fly forever. Anger swelled up inside him as he thought about the very real possibility that his friends were all dead, which was more likely than possible. And now this thing had ahold of him and was carrying him off to who knows where. If you had just left me I might have been able to save them. You’ll pay for that!
It was clear they were heading into the mountains. The already sparse trees down below seemed to spread out thinner and thinner as the terrain became more dry and rocky, and soon there was very little vegetation in any direction. At first all he could see through his heavily impeded vision was the first row of tall, jagged mountains—solid gray and red structures that had withstood the ravishing of time itself. A withered tree here and there dotted the awesome structures.
The beast began to gain altitude as its leathery wings beat hard against the thin air. Then, with a final lazy flap, it leaned forward and nosedived towards the base of the first mountain. Eric’s stomach felt lodged in his throat as the beast sped towards the mountain with speed he never even thought possible. Thoughts of Jade flashed through his head; thoughts he was sure would be his last as the suicidal beast accelerated towards certain doom.
At the last moment the beast began to right itself in a stomach-turning loop just as it approached the mountain’s base. Keeping almost all of the speed gained by the suicidal nosedive, it began to scale the side of the mountain. Eric’s feet dangled a mere ten feet or so from the steep face of the rocky surface as they climbed higher and higher. He once again considered trying to free himself and take his chances with the fall, but knew there was no way to survive such a drop. The only difference in falling this time would be a slow death through a long, lethargic bludgeoning as he tumbled down the mountainside.
The beast labored as they neared the mountaintop, its wings pumping hard in the thin air barely clearing the top of the sharp peak. Eric’s breath was stolen in an instant as his eyes went wide with the wondrous sight before him. A vast sprawl of jagged mountains spread out as far as the eye could see, each one topped with a similar snowcap, yet seeming dark and shadowed due to the brilliant sun setting in the background.
The beast was now using almost no energy as it glided over the smaller peaks. Eric looked down helplessly while watching them pass underneath his dangling feet. It was impossible to calculate how far they had traveled, but he knew they had to be hundreds of miles from the sea by now. He thought hard, trying to get inside the beast’s head as he gazed down at the dry, lifeless terrain. It hadn’t tried to eat him yet, but it was clear there was not much growing around here either. Perhaps it really had traveled all the way to the seashore just to get food. But if that were the case, why hadn’t it eaten him already? Why travel all this way using all that energy with the added weight? I shouldn’t be so eager to seek answers to these questions.
They smoothly glided along for a while as the beast flapped its strong wings now and again, just enough to keep them moving along at an even pace. Eric watched patiently as they passed by the smaller mountains only to have others come into view. The scenery didn’t seem to change much at all. His mind drifted as the chilling air continued to drive itself deep into his bones. I’m still alive. It’s possible...isn’t it? They still could be... He suddenly found himself pulled from his wishful thinking filled with false hope.
He could see they were headed straight for a rather unnatural-looking stone formation that lay just ahead. The gray rock structure stood taller than any of the surrounding mountains and looked to be impossibly thin at various points, looking more like a giant gray mushroom than any sort of natural rock formation. The top of the structure was completely flat and extremely wide, making it seem like nothing less than a miracle it hadn’t crumbled to the ground. There was even grass and trees spread out across the flat surface, as well as something else that stood out against the vegetation: a large, brown, tan
gled nest perched on top of a pile of tightly packed white stones.
Eric’s heart began to race as they approached the large flat platform. With a deep, steady flapping sound, they glided down to the edge of the nest. The beast spread its weight out evenly between both clawed talons, pressing Eric deep into the sticks and straw. Air was forced from his lungs with a sharp gasp as the bits of dry wood and brush dug deep into his face and chest. He would have screamed if he had any air to do so. The creature began cooing into the nest as it leaned its weight forward, but in doing so a tiny bit of pressure was taken off Eric. He needed to take advantage of this small window of opportunity.
His hand wiggled its way across his body as he pulled in the sweet air one short breath at a time. Sharp twigs carved deep red lines across his arm as he twisted it back and forth, inching along desperately for the jeweled hilt strapped to his side. Inch by inch he moved closer to it, paying a price in skin with each agonizing twist. Just as he barely touched the hilt with his fingertips, the beast noticed his subtle movements and looked down at him, letting out a high-pitched screech. For the first time Eric looked the creature right in the eye as he gazed up. It looked to be a flying lizard of sorts, with a long neck and an even longer forked tongue which waved around like a whip as its angry high-pitched screeching filled the air once more.
Its final shift in weight was just enough for Eric to fully grip the hilt. He released the hungry blade from its sheath and it erupted into red flames the moment it was free. Freed from its peaceful sleep, it was now ready to feed.
Startled, the creature leaped back from the magical flames, releasing Eric instantly. It spread its green leathery wings wide while hissing like a snake. He leaped from the giant nest and rolled along the ground towards the beast, his cold, stiff muscles functioning on adrenaline and instinct alone. A flaming trail danced around him like a streaking demon as the twirling blade seemed to come to life in his hand, light as a feather yet yielding enough force to turn boulders to pebbles.
The creature used its significant reach advantage to keep out of harm’s way, all the while snapping at Eric with its viselike jaw from a distance. He whirled his blade with animalistic tenacity as he charged in without any regard for his own safety. His primal scream didn’t match the beauty and ease with which the blade danced the many forms he had learned over the years. Complex twists and thrusts melted into a graceful dance as the deadly flaming tornado bore down on the creature. Its snapping jaw cracked all around him, missing him by mere inches more than once, but his lightning-quick counters missed the creature’s head and neck by no less.
The frustrated beast leaned its slender head back and roared into the air, its snakelike tongue quivering like a ribbon in a windstorm. With its rage overtaking caution, it lunged straight forward with a wide-open jaw, intent on biting Eric in half in a single shot.
The world around him suddenly changed. Time moved differently...didn’t move at all. Everything looked clear and sharp. Like an oil painting; the still animated image frozen in time forever. The creature’s hard, green scales overlapping one another. A ridged fan made of bone and cartilage across its long slender head. Yellow eyes with slitted pupils wide with murder and primal hate. Small, yet razor- sharp teeth glistening with saliva as its jaw opened wider and wider, yet moving no faster than sap dripping from a tree. Every tiny detail around him became crystal clear as time slowly crept along like grains of sand. A wicked smile split his face before he took a single step backward. He vanished through a yellow glowing gate which swallowed him whole before snapping shut with a loud popping sound.
The beast snapped down hard on nothing but golden sparks floating where its prey had been standing a second ago. A golden line split the air right behind it and opened wide into a doorway to nowhere. It whirled around just in time to see a flaming blade flash across its face. Its steaming lower jaw hit the ground, still smoldering and fizzing. The creature went down in a heap as its leather wings opened wide and flapped three more times; nerves that simply refused to accept its life was no more.
After a few jerks and twitches, the creature finally stopped moving. With no more than a single thought, the sword went from angry flame to ice-cold steel. It was sleeping now, but would be waiting eagerly for the next meal. Eric sheathed the blade and stared at the carcass for some time. He took no joy in taking life, and felt an odd sorrow for this creature. Killing it had been on his mind the entire time, but now that he had gratified that urge, he felt...empty. Something about this tugged at the back of his mind. Something...
A soft gurgling sound made him turn, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword in a flash, ready to awaken the blade once more without a moment’s hesitation. But readiness quickly turned to sadness as his hand fell limply from the hilt. He looked on as a tiny reptilian head popped up from the nest.
Chapter 8
The reptile-like head rested itself on the edge of the nest. With a half circle of bone covered in a thin layer of skin across the top of its slender head, it looked similar to its mother. It also had two long, thin horns just above its bluish slitted eyes. Its scales were not green, but more of a reddish brown, as best he could tell. The little creature stood perfectly still as it watched Eric with a sort of curiosity. It tilted its head to the side and blinked several times just before unleashing and impossibly long forked tongue that quickly swiped across its eyes and forehead with shocking speed, then snapped back behind two separate rows of razor-sharp teeth.
A long, thin tail crept up from behind its head and swayed in the air, slowly rippling like some sort of snake. “You’re not my problem,” shouted Eric, pointing a finger towards the baby creature. He turned away from it and looked around. “I need to find a way down from here,” he mumbled, but when he started to walk away, the creature began chirping incessantly. Trying to ignore it, he kept his back turned, refusing to make any eye contact. The moment he walked away, the chirping stopped.
That’s better. Now, where do I even start to— A light nudge in the middle of his back pulled him from his thoughts. He sighed loudly, not even wanting to turn around at first. Then an idea hit him. Kind of mean, but I can’t have this creature following me around. He took a few more steps as he counted down from ten. “Three...two...one.” Eric whirled around, shouting and waving his hands in the air like a madman. The little creature dropped its head all the way to the ground, but at the same time held its back end up in the air as its snakelike tail waggled back and forth. It was acting like a...dog. Eric smacked an open palm to his forehead and tilted his head back. By the Gods...it thinks we are playing a game!
“Shoo! Shoo!” he said, flicking the back of his hands towards it. “Go back to your nest and—” And what? Starve? Eric crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at the little creature. Feelings of guilt and sadness washed over him as he watched it gaze around at the trees. Its remarkably flexible tail rippled with waves as it looked back at him. With its head tilted slightly, that long, forked tongue lashed out across its forehead and eyes once more, then retracted with the same viper-like speed. Except for the constant blinking, it just sat there, still as a statue.
This poor creature was a victim of circumstance, similar to himself. Being born was its only crime, and now it had no mother to care for it...because of him. He knew it was a kill or be killed situation and really hadn’t had a choice. But still...the trusting creature was never going to be able to survive on its own. That much was clear. Who knew if it had enough instincts to hunt its own food or even find water? Is there even anything to hunt up here?
Eric sighed, knowing in his heart what he had to do. After all, he singlehandedly orphaned this beast, so it was now his responsibility. “All right then, come on, but understand that this arrangement will not be permanent. For now, let’s explore a little bit and see what’s up here.” For now, I’m afraid you might be my only friend. The creature eagerly trotted after him with its snakelike tail waving high in the air.
****
&n
bsp; Athel leaned heavily on Jacob with her arm draped across his shoulder while his was wrapped around her waist. Together they limped up the beach towards the odd-looking trees. They found a spot with patches of grass mixed in with the white sand. Jacob gently set her down on a patch, then began to rub her shoulders vigorously. She was cold as ice and still hadn’t uttered a single word. “Wait here,” he said while his eyes darted around. At least now that they were on slightly higher ground, he could get a better feel for their surroundings.
The scenery to the east was not much different from this vantage point. Beyond these odd-looking trees there appeared to be nothing but open field and long, dead grass for a good long stretch. He could still see the mountain range far off in the distance; to the north was a wall of thick black-barked trees with large yellow and green leaves fanning out in all directions. The suddenness of the living wall reminded him of the Mogan Forest, as if the wild trees had somehow been planted in a perfect row. He thought it best to stay clear of that for now. “I’ll be right back. We’re going to be fine, you’ll see.” Athel just sat there, staring off into the distance while saying nothing. She was not even shivering any more, which he found very disturbing.
Jacob stumbled back down the beach and scanned the water as wave after wave rolled up onto the sand. He really wasn’t even sure what he was looking for. There has to be something we can use. He could see bits and pieces of wood both on the beach and still floating in the water. It was clear these broken planks were all that remained of the ship. I can use these to start a fire. I have to hurry or Athel will...no. Don’t even think about that. I won’t lose her twice!
He waded out into the freezing water as rolling waves crawled up his shins, their icy touch biting into to his already numb legs. But he didn’t care. As cold as he was, Athel was much worse, and he needed to collect these pieces of wood. With his arms full of completely saturated planks, he headed back towards the beach. He quickly found that making his frozen legs function, now with an armful of wet wood, was not going to be all that easy. Each labored step took a tremendous amount of concentration as frigid water assaulted the backs of his calves.