Quest's End: The Broken Key #3

by Brian S. Pratt

  “I can see why everyone avoids this area,” commented Chyfe.

  “I know,” acknowledged Soth. “And this is winter. Wonder what it’s like after the spring thaw.”

  “Couldn’t even imagine,” said Chad.

  As they neared the first drop, the roar from the turbulent area grew ever louder. Spray began filling the air and the river again picked up speed.

  Bart sought for the least chaotic area through which to pass through. Looking past the initial double drop, he saw that the side to the right of where the waters converged was slightly calmer, but not by much. He pointed it out to Seth. “Once we’re past the drops,” he hollered to be heard over the growing roar, “make for there.”

  Seth nodded and then they braced for the first drop. “Here we go!” he hollered.

  Riding in the front as he was, Riyan had a good view of what was to come. As they drew close to the first drop, his eyes widened and his hands had a death grip on the prow. Bracing himself, he felt the front of the boat dip as they reached the drop. Behind him he heard Bart yell, “Yeeeee-haaaaaw!”

  Over the drop they went and Riyan was wide-eyed as the boat raced for the frothing, churning mass at the bottom. Not a sheer drop to be sure, but rather one that dropped fifteen feet over a twenty foot span. Their boat plummeted along, rocked by waves crashing over submerged rock. They were thrown first one way and then another by competing eddies only to be brought up again by a swell and slammed back down.

  Bart and Seth rowed furiously to keep them pointed in the right direction. And when they had passed the first drop, they had but a moment’s reprieve before reaching the second.

  A much more precipitous drop than the first, the second was more like a small waterfall. As the prow edged over and began to tip, an inarticulate scream escaped Riyan as he saw the distance they were to plummet.

  “Hang on!” yelled Soth beside him.

  Dropping fast, their boat felt as if it was airborne for a second before impacting with the water once again. The prow actually went under the surface of the water for a brief moment before righting itself, completely soaking Riyan, Soth, and Chyfe who sat in the front. Now, the water in their boat was up to their calves and Riyan feared their boat may sink if it grew any deeper.

  With the second drop behind them, Bart hollered, “Row Seth! To the right!”

  Using all their might, he and Seth worked to get their boat away from the worst of the turbulent water where the two rivers converged. In the stern, Chad used the steerage oar to aid in altering their course toward the less chaotic area.

  Though calmer, it was a relative term. It was still an area fraught with whitewater crashing over submerged boulders, and strong currents working to pull them out into the more violent water.

  “Row!” yelled Bart.

  Waves crashed over them. As Bart and Seth worked to keep them from the submerged boulders, there was just so much they could accomplish against the force pitted against them.

  Smash! Crack!

  Unable to avoid one of the boulders, the bottom of the boat slammed on top of it. A six inch crack appeared in the bottom beneath Bart’s feet. Then a wave came crashing into them from the side and pushed them back into the roaring rapids.

  Violent eddies began turning their boat to the side. Seth and Bart fought hard to keep them straight but their efforts fell short. The boat was now running sideways on the river.

  “Row damn you!” cursed Bart. Stroke after fast stroke, their oars dipped into the water and strove to straighten themselves.

  Out of nowhere a fish leaped into the front of the boat and began thrashing about. Seth was quick to notice it and alerted his brother. Soth held on with one hand while he drew his knife with the other.

  The fish was flapping about wildly and was near to going over the side. “Quick!” Seth urged as he frantically rowed to get the boat pointed in the right direction.

  Soth struck with his knife just as the fish flipped and was about to go over the side. The blade pierced the fish’s flesh with such force, it embedded itself an inch into the wood of the boat.

  “Rock!” yelled Chyfe.

  Soth left the fish pinned to the side of the boat as he turned his attention back to the river.

  They were heading broadside directly toward a large boulder sticking out from the water. Bart and Seth doubled their efforts. Just before they hit, a massive wave struck the side of their boat, deluging them with water. The force of the wave had been just strong enough to alter their course sufficiently to avoid the boulder.

  “Almost through!” hollered Soth as they passed the boulder by scant inches.

  Chad worked his rudder, and between his efforts and those of Seth and Bart, they were able to turn the prow to face once again downriver. They maneuvered through two more small drops, was soaked as another wave crashed over them, and then they were past. Almost immediately, the water calmed as they floated out onto the lake.

  “Oh man!” exclaimed Bart with a gleeful shout. In front of him Riyan was still holding on tight to the prow. Leaning forward, he clapped him on the back. “Are you okay?”

  A subtle nod of his head was all the answer Riyan gave. It took a few moments, but he eventually let go of the boat.

  “We better get to the shore,” Chad said. The boat was all but filled with water and they were soaked to the skin. The ice cold water was quickly sapping the warmth from their bodies. He tapped Bart on the shoulder and pointed to where the banks of the river again flattened out into a beach area.

  Bart nodded. He and Seth began rowing once more while Chad used his oar as a rudder and steered them that way. The goo which had kept Kevik stuck to his seat was gone and Kevik gave him a smile.

  “Glad that’s over,” he said.

  “You know it,” agreed Chad. “Though we still have at least one more area to pass through.”

  “Can’t imagine it could be any worse than what we just went through,” Seth added as he continued to row.

  As they made their way toward the shore, Soth returned his attention back to the fish impaled by his knife. A sizable specimen, it’s struggles were growing weaker by the second. Soth took hold of the fish in one hand and removed his knife with the other. He caught Seth looking at him and grinned.

  “Nice strike,” admired Seth.

  “May not fill our bellies completely,” Soth said to his brother, “but it should take the edge off.”

  “We could use some of its meat as bait to catch others,” suggested Riyan.

  “Can you fish?” asked Soth.

  Riyan nodded. “Just need some string and a long stick,” he said. He glanced to Kevik seated beside him.

  Kevik saw the way he was eyeing his staff. “Don’t you even think about it,” he said defiantly.

  Riyan laughed. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t,” he assured him.

  By the time they reached the beach, everyone but the two rowers were froze to the bone. While Riyan fashioned a crude fishing pole and a makeshift hook from a piece of driftwood, the others gathered wood for a fire. Then just as they did previously, Chyfe and Kevik soon had a fire going.

  The six foot piece of driftwood he was using for his pole proved a bit bulky but serviceable. He unraveled some of his shirt for the fishing line, and with a small section of the fish as bait, he went and stood at the water’s edge.

  “Chad,” he hollered after casting his line out.

  “What?” replied his friend.

  “Take out the map and dry it for me would you?” he asked.

  “Sure thing,” said Chad. He then went to Riyan’s pack and removed the map. Carefully unfolding the soaked material, in no time he had it drying near the fire.

  While he was doing this, the twins had erected a spit upon which the fish Soth’s quick reflexes had skewered was starting to roast. When the droplets from the fish hit the fire with a hiss, the resulting aroma cramped everyone’s stomach in hunger.

  Bart had the boat upturned on the beach and was inspecting t
he bottom. Kevik noticed what he was doing and walked over. “What are you doing?” he asked.

  Glancing up, Bart said, “We hit a rock and I was checking the damage.” He pointed to a six inch crack that appeared along the midsection of the boat. Several other cracks radiated out from it like spidery tendrils.

  “Will it float?” asked Kevik.

  “Should,” he replied. “The crack isn’t very large, I’m sure there’ll be some leakage. Hopefully not too bad.” Then his stomach rumbled as the odor from the roasting fish wafted his way. He grinned at Kevik whose stomach had just done the same thing.

  “I got one!” yelled Riyan.

  They both turned to see Riyan standing in the water, a foot from the edge. The piece of driftwood he was using for a pole was bending as he tried to pull the fish from the water. Chad bolted up and raced to his aid.

  “Don’t pull too hard,” Chad advised as he entered the water.

  “I’m not,” replied Riyan. “It’s a big one.”

  Chad reached the string and began working his way further into the water toward where it passed beneath the surface. Even before he reached where the string entered the water, he could see a large shape at its end. He pulled out his knife and waded out even further.

  “Be careful,” Bart warned Chad as he came to stand beside Riyan.

  Too intent on the struggling fish, Chad failed to hear what Bart said. Moving closer, he came within a foot of where the fish fought to free itself from the hook. Just as he was about to strike, his foot slipped on a loose stone lying on the riverbed and fell face first into the water.

  “Chad!” exclaimed Riyan.

  Bart quickly entered the water and rushed to where Chad was thrashing about. Reaching out, he grabbed hold of Chad’s cloak and pulled him up. When Chad broke the surface, he had the fish impaled upon his knife.

  “Got him!” he exclaimed proudly.

  Bart laughed and clapped him on the back. “Good job,” he said.

  Chad held up the fish as he walked back to the beach. In a matter of minutes, it was on a second spit roasting beside the first. “There might be enough left over to take with us,” he commented. Shivering from his dunking in the water, he huddled close to the fire. But such was not the case. By the time everyone had been completely satiated, both fish had been reduced to skeletal remains.

  They remained on the beach for another hour until their clothes and packs had dried somewhat. Then they flipped the boat back over and set it on the water to get underway once more.

  Bart was the first to enter the boat and he kept his eye on the crack along the bottom. A small trickle of water began seeping into the bottom as the others climbed in. The last to enter was Riyan who pushed the boat from the shore as he hopped in.

  Once in, he pulled out his map while Chyfe and Soth rowed. Sitting next to him, Bart noticed Riyan perusing the map and asked, “How far is it until the next river joins this one?”

  “Not sure,” came the reply. “Maybe an hour or so.”

  Bart gazed to the sky and judged there still to be two or three hours of light left. Here at the bottom of the canyon, it tended to get dark fast once the sun started going down. “Be nice if we could get past it before nightfall,” he said. “Then we could see about making our way out in the morning.”

  Riyan nodded. “Then things get interesting,” he said.

  From the front of the boat they heard Chad say, “Not too interesting.”

  They grinned. “But interesting makes life fun,” replied Bart, egging him on.

  “I wouldn’t mind a touch of boredom here and there on occasion,” stated Chad.

  Bart laughed. “I’ll see what I can do,” he replied.

  They steadily made their way southward and had soon passed from the lake. The river was now wider and seemed to flow deeper. It was peaceful on the river, almost as if there were no cares in world. Birds flew overhead adding to the restful mood, their cries at times disturbing the quiet of the canyon.

  And so things remained calm for the next hour or so until once again, they began to hear the now unmistakable sound of rough water ahead. “Can we be there already?” asked Seth.

  “Maybe,” replied Riyan.

  Though what was making the sound continued to be out of sight, the sound coming from up ahead promised a less than relaxing experience. Chyfe and Soth rowed on as the roar gradually grew louder.

  When they finally saw the rough water ahead, it didn’t look all that bad. Some time in the past the right side of the canyon had slid into the river. Now, boulders of varying sizes caused the water to ripple and crash as it made its way through the debris.

  Bart, who was on rudder duty, began angling them toward the left side of the river, as far away from the worst of it as he could. “Just take it easy and we’ll be fine,” he said encouragingly. Then to the two rowers, he said, “Main thing for you two to worry about is keeping us pointed downriver.”

  Chyfe nodded his head in reply.

  The water began to grow rough as they neared the age old landslide. Waves and eddies caused their little boat to pitch and yaw. The two rowers worked hard to keep them in proper alignment with the flow of the river while Bart steered them around the more prominent obstacles.

  They dipped into watery valleys only to be thrust back upward with jarring force. Smashing back down onto the water with jaw rattling force, they maneuvered their way through the obstacle course.

  Then they were past and the river grew calm once again. They were just congratulating themselves on making it through when Chad, who was now at the prow, saw the beginnings of another stretch of whitewater approaching. Unlike what they had just passed through, this time there was mist clouding the air beyond it.

  “Bart!” Chad hollered. When he had Bart’s attention, he directed it to what was coming ahead.

  “That might be where the last river converges,” Bart said, when he saw the cloud of mist.

  As they left behind the roar of the whitewater where the canyon wall had collapsed, they began to hear the roar of turbulent water ahead. Drawing closer to the mist enshrouding the river, Chad was straining his eyes to pierce its concealing mass. When they reached the point where the roar of the water ahead of them drowned out that which was behind, Chad saw the water drop out of sight.

  “Another drop coming!” he hollered.

  “How bad is it?” shouted Bart from the rear of the boat.

  Chad strove to determine the severity of the drop but couldn’t see past where the water dropped from sight. As they drew nearer, fear came over him as he realized why he couldn’t. “Waterfall!” he cried out.

  “What?” hollered Bart.

  “Waterfall!” he replied, pointing ahead. “We’re heading for a waterfall!”

  Seth, who sat next to Chad in the prow, indicated a stretch of land not far off on their right. “There!” shouted Seth. “Take us there.”

  Soth and Chyfe began rowing for all they were worth for the safety of the shore.

  “Come on brother!” Seth exclaimed, encouraging his brother to greater efforts.

  As Chad watched the fast approaching lip of the drop-off, he could hear the oars of the two rowers striking the water over and over in rapid strokes. “Faster!” he yelled. Turning back to Soth and Chyfe he said, “You must row faster.”

  “Going…as fast…as I…can,” replied Chyfe.

  Returning his gaze to the fore, he saw the drop-off approaching at a fast pace. Faster in fact than the stretch of shore they were tying to get to. “We’re not going to make it!” he hollered.

  Bart glanced up and gauged their speed. Immediately, he knew Chad was right. “Straighten us out!” he shouted over the roar of the water. “We’re going over!” Using his oar vigorously, he worked with Soth and Chyfe as they struggled to straighten the boat out before reaching the drop-off.

  “Hang on!” shouted Seth as the prow of the boat neared the drop-off.

  Chad’s knuckles were gripping the edge of the boat s
o tightly they were practically digging into the wood. When at last he could see the water on the other side of the drop-off, his last hope of their making it through unscathed, died. For as far as he could see was churning water, massive swells, and tops of boulders jutting from the water. With a cry escaping his lips, the boat went over.

  The other side of the drop-off was a steeply inclined slope. The first several yards, the water remained smooth as the boat picked up speed. Then it hit the first of the swells. Knocked to the side abruptly, the occupants hung on for dear life as water crashed over them.

  “Row damn you!” cried out Bart to Soth and Chyfe. They had ceased their rowing to hang on as they went over the drop-off and the boat was beginning to turn sideways to the flow of the river. Dipping their oars once again back in the water, they struggled to straighten out.

  “Kevik,” hollered Bart. Then the current suddenly grabbed hold and they were shot forward toward a boulder jutting six feet out of the water. “To the right!” he yelled to the rowers and they managed to avoid a deadly collision.

  “Kevik!” Bart hollered again. “Goo us!”

  His voice was drowned out by the roar of the water as he cast his spell. Shortly, each of them was securely attached to the boat.

  The sudden appearance of the goo shocked Chyfe, but he was quick to realize the added stability gave him much needed leverage for rowing. Without the worry of being knocked from the boat, he could put his complete concentration on what he was doing.

  From the prow Seth would shout, “Rock!” and those with oars fought to keep the boat from striking it.

  Water began filling the boat from the continuous crashing of waves against them.

  Wham! Crack!

  The bottom of the boat struck an underwater rock and one of the boards gave way. “Kevik!” hollered Bart as he stared at the water rushing in. But then goo suddenly appeared to fill in the hole. It hadn’t covered the entire affected area completely and more water was seeping through.

  “Rock!” came Seth’s warning and the rowers again worked to bypass an obstacle threatening to take out their boat. Rowing hard, they swung around the left side of the boulder only to find themselves at the top of another drop-off.