“Yes, you’re right, Ador,” Zen agreed. “We encountered some pretty bad things while we were getting here, and there are undoubtedly more bad things we'll have to conquer. I suggest we retire now. Tomorrow we’ll get everything ready, and the next day we can depart.”
***
All the next day, they worked at preparing dried meat and fruit, gathered a supply of firestones, and packed blankets and hides to keep warm and provide shelter from the rain. They took extra care in packing the knives, shields, and arrows, and then watched the sun go down as they talked excitedly about seeing their families again.
“Tomorrow,” Zen said, “when the sun rises, we’ll follow the new river and hope it will show us a way around the Valley of Mist.”
***
Chapter 16
The Burning Mountain
For days and days, they traveled west. The river was clean, with various colorful fish that were so plentiful; the group could catch them with spears and didn’t even need to use the fishhooks that Lox had made. The sunlight glistened off the bright water as it splashed and tumbled over the rocks. They all marveled at what seemed to be a perfect day.
As they proceeded upstream, the water got colder. Zen commented on how different this river was from the one in the Valley of Mist. “It flows between the snow-covered mountains on the south and a row of hills on the north. The hills on the north extend west and continue to rise until they, too, become snow-covered. Those mountains are what created the misty valley, by not allowing the wind to blow the mist away. The snow-covered mountains on the south are the ones that Father and I saw in the distance, which gave us hope that there was another side to the Valley of Mist.”
“The melting snow creates the rivulets that drain into the larger river,” Jok noted.
The hills that formed the north side of the valley had trees that were different from any Zen and his party had ever seen--tall and straight, with branches that did not grow out to provide much shade, like the trees along the river of mist—these leaves were just spindles of green. Since the wood was easy to burn, and the green branches gave off a pleasant odor, the couples gathered the branches and placed them in piles, for soft beds.
As they climbed higher into the mountains, the nights grew colder and they had to sleep under more blankets.
After they had been traveling west for about four moons, they awoke one morning to find their blankets covered with snow. They shook the snow off and donned warmer clothes.
It was becoming more and more difficult to get the meat they needed. Wild goats with large curving horns grazed on the mountains, but they were not easy to shoot with bows and arrows. They could run very fast, jump and leap around the rocks with amazing speed.
If they were able to catch a goat, the hide made wonderful garments, so the men caught enough to make coats for Ador and Lela. The ground was so cold; they had to make heavier covers for their feet. At times, they had to travel through snowdrifts.
One morning, the sky was very clear.
“Let’s ride to the top of that tallest mountain and see if we can see Lalock,” Zen said hopefully.
When they reached the top, the mountain fell away to a long, rolling plateau. In the distance was a mountain standing alone, with smoke coming from its top. On the eastern slope, a dark-green valley covered with clouds extended east as far as they could see.
“I wonder if that could be the Valley of Mist,” Jok asked. “It is very wide, and I think I can see a river entering it from the north.”
“If it is,” Zen said, “then Lalock is located where that river enters the valley. I think we should go and see.”
“If that is the river we floated down,” cried Ador, “our families will be waiting for us where the river flows into the mist. Let’s hurry. I want to see my mother and father. I want them to know that we are still alive, and I want to tell them that there’s a better life waiting for them at our new village.”
“Not so fast!” Zen exclaimed, hugging Ador. “There is much we have to do before we can rescue our families. First, we must know if we have actually found a way around the valley. We don’t even know for sure if that is the valley we are looking for. We must get past that burning mountain before we can get to the valley, and it will take many phases of the moon to reach it.”
“I’ve never seen a burning mountain before,” Jok said, marveling. “I didn’t even know a mountain could burn.” And then to Zen, “But, I also didn’t know that there was a rock with fire inside it until you showed one to us. Do you think the fire rocks come from that fire mountain?”
“It is possible, of course, but I don’t think so,” Zen replied. “I think that is a very dangerous mountain. We must get past it before we can get to the other side of the valley covered with clouds. The smoking mountain is far away, and it will take us days to get to it. I can see rolling hills, covered with trees and streams running through them. We still have a long and dangerous journey before we can determine if we have found a way around the Valley of Mist.”
“Let’s start down this mountain,” Lela said. “It will get warmer as we go down, and I’m tired of being cold. I would like a bath and a warm place to sleep.”
“Then let’s go,” agreed Zen. “But be careful with the horses; it’s going to be steep in places. We’ll have to go around some of the canyons.”
“I know it’s cold,” Ador said, “but I’d like to stay here on top of this mountain and watch where Sun enters Mother Earth. Maybe that’s why the mountain is smoking. Could that be where Sun enters Earth?”
“I can see Earth going on beyond the mountain,” Jok said. “I think Earth is without end.”
“Maybe so, but Sun still has to go somewhere. Don’t you think we should find out, now that we are here and have an opportunity to know?” Ador asked.
“I thought you were in a hurry to get to your mother and father,” Zen said, laughing.
“I am,” Ador shot back. “But I’d like to know where Sun goes. Well, we’ll have to cross this mountain again on our way back to our new village. I guess we can watch Sun enter Earth then.”
“Then let’s get off this mountain, Ador,” urged Lela. “I’m cold.”
They began picking their way down the north side of the mountain. They had to lead the horses, as it was too dangerous to ride. They traveled all day, stopping only to eat, drink, and rest. It was much easier going down than it had been climbing up, but still tiring and difficult. At dusk, they entered an area where once again the trees had big leaves for shade.
“This looks familiar. There’ll be lions here,” Jok noted. “We’ll have to guard the horses carefully tonight. Those on watch will have to stay alert. We’ll need a big fire, and we'll sleep with our weapons close.”
They built a fire and tied the horses out in the open where the big cats could not jump on them from the trees.
“Lela and I will take the first watch,” Zen said.
The night was dark, and they could hear the roar of the big cats echoing through the hills.
Zen and Lela huddled beside the fire, talking of things they would do after they rescued their parents and returned to their new village.
The horses were getting nervous and neighed. Suddenly, Zen and Lela saw three pairs of eyes glowing just beyond the light of the fire.
“You take the pair of eyes on the right and aim for the center; I’ll take the left,” Zen said. They placed arrows in their bows and took steady aim. “Now!” Zen said; they released their arrows at the same time. Two high-pitched cries of pain came from the darkness. Zen and Lela retreated behind the fire.
One set of eyes charged right past the flames, whirled and came straight toward Lela. Zen grabbed his long knife, met the lion’s charge head-on, and penetrated the animal's throat. It lay dying at his feet. Lela stood over it, prepared to release her second arrow into its heart, but there was no need. Zen’s knife had done its work, but he had a few minor wounds from the claws of the lion.
“
Without these weapons,” Zen said, “we would have been the victims of these beasts.”
“Do you think we should wake Jok and Ador?” Lela asked.
“No, let them sleep. The other lions will smell death and leave us alone for tonight. We’ll continue our watch and wake Jok and Ador when it’s their turn to stand guard.”
When Jok and Ador came to relieve Zen and Lela, they saw the dead lions.
“It looks like you’ve been busy,” Jok said. “I hope you have convinced the rest of the lions that it will be unhealthy to try to invade this camp. I’m glad you were on watch and prevented them from getting at the horses or us. I shudder to think what would have happened if you had not had those new weapons.”
Then they noticed Zor’s wounds.
“Shouldn’t we dress those claw scratches before they become infected?” Ador said.
“Yes,” Zen replied. “Lela can do that. We had a few exciting moments, but now we’ll get some rest. I hope you don’t have as much trouble defending the camp as we did,” and added with a smile, “Call us if you encounter more than you can handle.”
The night passed without further incident.
***
The next morning, the four continued in the direction of the mountain with a plume of smoke rising from its top. It took them days just to reach the base.
“Let’s continue around the east side of this mountain until we reach the other side,” Zen said, “then we should be able to turn east and follow the north side of that cloud-covered valley until we reach Lalock.”
“I just felt the ground shaking!” Jok exclaimed, “Did anyone else feel it?”
“Yes, I felt it, but I thought it must be my imagination,” said Lela.
“No, I felt it, too!” Zen said.
“There it is again!” Jok exclaimed.
Ador yelled, “Look! Fire is coming out of the top of the mountain!”
“Yes!” exclaimed Lela, “and a river of fire is flowing down this side of the mountain, and it’s coming our way!”
“I think we should run, but I don’t know which way to go,” Ador said.
“It looks like the river of fire will be running into that green, cloud-covered valley,” Jok remarked.
“If we don’t get past the end of that valley before the fire gets to it, we’ll be trapped on this side,” Zen noted.
“I don’t think we should try to cross; I think we should go around the south side of the mountain,” Lela said.
“That will take a long time,” Ador noted.
“Yes, but at least we’ll survive,” Zen said. “If we get caught by that river of fire, there’ll be no way to cross it without going into that awful valley, and there’s no way these horses could cross all that boiling mud. We would be trapped. We can’t cross the river of fire, and we might not survive that terrible valley again. I agree with Lela, we should go back, and go around the mountain.”
“I also agree,” Jok said, “and we’d better hurry. That fire is coming fast, and it’s burning everything in its path.”
“Then, let’s go!” said Zen. “I can see two streams of fire coming down now. One is coming down ahead of us, and the other is going to come down behind us. Hurry! Hurry! We must get back before it overtakes us! Jok, you take the lead. You girls follow him, and I’ll bring up the rear.”
“I don’t think we’re going to make it,” Jok yelled.
“We have to make it! Run!” Zen hollered.
They rode as fast as they could, crossing ditches and valleys. The river of fire was coming rapidly down the mountain from their right.
“We have to get across that deep canyon ahead,” Jok called back. “That’s where the fire is going. Follow me as fast as you can. I remember how we crossed the canyon when we were not in such a hurry. If we can get across that canyon, I think we’ll be safe.”
As they rode into the canyon, they could see the fire only a few hundred paces above them.
Zen urged the girls to ride as fast as they could. The river was only a stone’s throw away when Zen’s horse started up the other side of the canyon. Jok had reached the ridge and was yelling for them to hurry. The noise of the fire was deafening, and the horses were frightened. They scrambled up the other side just in time to avoid the deadly flow.
When they reached high ground, they looked back and saw the river of fire tearing away the mountainside as it cascaded into the densely forested, mist-filled valley below. Steam billowed from the valley, and they heard animal screams coming from the burning trees. When the stream of fire cooled, it changed color, and in only a short time, the river of fire became a river of stone. The stones they were standing on looked like the ones being formed by the river of fire. That flow was not fire—it was molten rock.
“Let’s get out of here!” Zen yelled. “This is a place of death!”
They rode around the mountain to their right as fast as they could. They had no way of knowing how far it was and what danger they might face before they got to the other side. By the time they reached the west side of the mountain, the sun was low and had an ominous orange glow.
This side of the mountain, however, was beautiful. Green valleys stretched from the base of the mountain into the west. About an hour's ride ahead to their right, they saw huge caves. In the distance was a large overhanging rock, with something that looked like a village underneath. Vine ladders led to stone dwellings.
“I think we’d better spend the night here,” Zen said. “We’ll hide under these trees until we can find out if these people are friendly. They might be glad to see us, or they might take us prisoners. We can lead the horses up under the rocks, where we’ll be able to defend ourselves with bows and arrows. Whatever tries to get to us will have to climb up the face of that cliff. It will be difficult to get the horses up there, but I think we can do it. We’ll have to eat smoked meat tonight.”
The horses didn’t like climbing, but the four friends pulled and coaxed them onto the rocky ledge. Using their sharp knives, they gathered grass for the horses to eat; the horses were nervous, but settled down after being fed. Zen and Jok had to use their arrows on two occasions to chase lions away. It was a long night. Even though everyone was exhausted, no one slept well. Finally morning came. They climbed down from their perch and rode to a nearby stream to drink and bathe, giving the horses time to graze while they tried to decide how to get around the village without being seen.
Suddenly, a frightened man came staggering, trembling, into their camp. Although his long black hair covered his eyes and his clothes were torn, they all recognized him at once. He was a man from their old village, Lalock.
“I know you,” he said to Ador. “Your father is the medicine man in our village.” He stared at the others. “Aren’t you the people who ran away into the Valley of Mist? We thought you were dead. No one has ever come back from the Valley of Death.” Then he noticed the horses. “Why do you have those animals with you?”
“Well, we know you, too. You’re Nadd,” Jok said.
“Why are you coming into our camp so frightened and asking so many questions?” Zen asked.
Nadd stammered, “The fire in that mountain is the God of these cliff dwellers. The mountain is angry, and they were going to sacrifice me to the fire. They believe that if they throw me into the pit of fire, their God will be appeased, and will not destroy their village.”
“How did you happen to be their prisoner?” Jok asked.
“My two companions and I were hunting, and we traveled farther west than anyone from our village had ever traveled. These cliff dwellers saw us and took us captive. They sacrificed one of my companions to the fire last night, but the mountain is still angry, so they are going to sacrifice me and my other companion tonight. I managed to escape, but they still have my friend. They’ll soon be hunting for me. Will you help me?”
“Who was with you on your hunting trip?” Jok asked.
“Cam and Den. They threw Den into the flames last night. Cam was still
all right when I escaped, but they’ll be guarding him closely now.”
“We’ll help you to rescue Cam, if you and Cam will help us to rescue our parents from your awful God of Fire,” Jok offered.
“I can’t do that!” Nadd pleaded as he got on his knees. “My God would reject me. No telling what might happen. Who knows what revenge the Fire God might take?”
“We defied the God of Fire,” Zen responded. “The priests forced us to flee into the Valley of Death, yet we survived. You submit to your God, yet you’re in danger of being thrown into the mouth of yet another God. How do you account for that?”
“I cannot defy my God,” Nadd cried.
“We’re sorry to hear you say that, Nadd.” Zen shook his head. “We cannot help you if you won’t help us, and we cannot allow you to return to your village and tell the priests that we’re coming. They’ll kill our mothers and fathers.”
Nadd clutched Jok's arms. “It’s too bad about Cam,” Jok said, shaking his head. “He’s a good man. But it’s better that he dies than our mothers and fathers be killed by the priests.” He released Nadd’s hands from his arms. “Why does anyone have to worship Gods who throw people into fire?”
“Not everyone’s God kills people,” Zen corrected. “The God of the people in the Village by the Sea does not kill people. Sorry, Nadd, we cannot help you if your fear of your God is so great that you cannot overcome it long enough to rescue your friend.”
“Oh, all right,” Nadd said reluctantly, wringing his hands. “I’ll help you, but you have to promise never to tell anyone that I did. If they find out, I’ll have been saved from being sacrificed to this Fire God only to be sacrificed to my own Fire God.”
“One is about as bad as the other, isn’t it?” Jok commented in disgust. “Don’t you think it’s about time you realized that?”
“But we have to have a God,” Nadd insisted.
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