Chapter 5
After placing their wine in some holes in the rocky surface of the mountains, Kaiden placed some rocks around it and made sure it would be obvious to them but not others. Kaiden even contemplated trying some but knew it wouldn’t be ready. He knew the village had some stored and planned on bring some back with him.
The brothers had decided to follow the river through the mountains because that would be the way the villagers would need to take. Some of the elders would not be able to climb the side of the mountain, it had been difficult enough for them and they were young and fit. Although it also occurred to them that some of the elders would not be able to travel at all and would have to stay behind and hope that the winter didn’t take them.
By the end of the first day, the brothers had covered enough ground for them to camp at just under half way through. They set up far enough from the river to keep them from getting wet but not too far, so they could see if anyone or anything came their way.
Their fire was small, just large enough to keep them warm and to cook on. They weren’t planning on staying long, just enough time to rest but as they settled in for the night, they both heard a cry fill the dark night.
Both men jumped up and looked at each other. “What was that?” Kaiden gasped quietly.
“It sounded like a woman’s cry” Gabriel said and looked around while he silently waited to hear the noise again.
Kaiden’s mouth dropped open and without saying a word, he copied Gabriel in listening for another cry. Kaiden’s blood was now racing through his veins, he had never heard a cry quite like it and had to take Gabriel’s word as truth.
As moments passed, Gabriel sighed, not sure of what he had heard anymore and started heading toward the river. As he reached the waters edge, they heard the cry again, stopping them where they were. This time he could set his doubt aside and as he looked to the other side of the river, where he was sure the cry had come from he called out.
Gabriel's calls were answered with cries for help and the more he called out the more she answered, giving him an opportunity to figure where she was. Desperation filled Gabriel's mind as he frantically made his way across the river and began searching the other side.
Frustrated and out of ideas, Gabriel stopped where he was and looked to Kaiden, the look on Kaiden's face reflected Gabriel's. Neither of them had a clue where the woman was and they had looked everywhere. They had looked in and around the tress and even under rocks but came up empty handed.
“Can you describe where you are?” Gabriel called out, not sure if that was going to help but it was worth a try.
“I'm trapped in between some rocks” she replied, sadness and desperation filling her voice. “I can see the mountain above and the stars beyond them.”
“Can you sing?” Kaiden asked, hoping it would help them to find her as it would be something constant.
Suddenly the air was filled with the woman's beautiful soft voice that made its way into their souls. Her voice was like nothing either of them had heard and through the stress of the situation, both brothers found themselves relaxing slightly.
Desperately the brothers followed her sweet voice, with only the moonlight to help them navigate through the rocky terrain. Although sound of her voice seemed to travel around the rocky area and bounced around the mountains, making it difficult for the men to locate her.
They searched several crevices in amongst the rocks, neither of them giving in until Kaiden finally saw some movement between some rocks. The shadow of the woman was barely noticeable and Kaiden knew he was lucky to have seen her at all.
“Can you see me?” Kaiden called out, looking down at the shadow.
“Oh my goodness yes” she called out, sounding relieved.
“Are you hurt?” Gabriel asked, as he dropped to his knees to see her shadow. Just the sight of her shadow had his heart aching and all he could think about was the girl in his dreams.
"No, I’m okay” she answered, looking up at the two men.
Both men sighed with relief and began to look around. The gap in the rocks wouldn't have fit Iris through, leading them to believe that the woman would have had to have fallen in somewhere else.
“How did you get on there?” Gabriel asked, sliding his hand along the edge of the crevice, looking for anything that might give him some kind of clue as to how she got in there.
“I was put down here” she said, sounding sad.
“Why?” Kaiden gasped, looking concerned because he didn’t think anyone deserved to be tapped like that, especially not a woman.
“Kaiden, that’s not our business” Gabriel snapped, frowning at his brother.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you” Kaiden said, looking down at the shadow feeling terrible that he might have upset her.
“It’s okay you didn’t offend me, I was put here by the gods because I would not submit to their demands” she told them, with a deep laboured sigh.
“I’m sorry to hear that” Gabriel said, looking at her shadow curiously. “What is your name?”
“My name is Sabiha” she answered, her voice still silky smooth. “What is yours?”
“This is my brother Kaiden and I’m Gabriel” Gabriel told her, keeping his voice calm for her. “How large is the area you’re in?”
“Barely big enough for me be fit into” she said, moving slightly.
“So if the gods put you in there, then how do we get you out?” Gabriel asked, pushing his hand into the crevice to see if he could cut the rock away but the rock seemed too thick. “I don’t think we will be able to get through this rock.”
“No, you won’t, the rock is too thick and you are much too big” Sebiha told them. “There is a golden staff in a cave near the top of this mountain. It will easily get through this rock.”
“How do you know there’s a golden staff in these mountains?” Gabriel asked, not sure he should help her if the gods had put her in there to begin with. He had to question what she had done to get herself into this situation in the first place.
“I was looking for it before one of the gods found me” Sabiha answered, giving nothing away in her voice.
“Then I will leave in the morning, it’s too dangerous to climb right now” Gabriel sighed, not sure if he was doing the right thing but he couldn’t find it in his heart to leave her trapped like she was. “Kaiden will stay here with you.”
“I will?” Kaiden breathed, not sure if that was a good idea.
“She’s going to need food and water, can you handle that?” Gabriel asked and waited for Kaiden to nod. “If I can’t find it after four days, I’ll come back.”
Gabriel then got up and signalled for Kaiden to remain where he was. He then headed back across the river to where they had made camp and packed their belongings before heading back. He then set up on the soft sandy soil near the crevice Sabiha was trapped in and headed over with his blanket and some water.
After dropping the blanket and water down, Gabriel sat down beside Kaiden and relaxed. He knew that no matter what she did to get herself in the crevice, he didn’t have the heart to leave her in there, it would be to cruel and he wouldn’t be able to live with that. He figured that if the gods wanted her back, they could claim her once she was free.
“So tell me, what are you two doing out here?” Sabiha asked, her voice sweet and innocent.
“The winter was harsh” Gabriel answered, staring up at the diamond studded sky as he rested his head in his hands.
“I thought men hunted in larger groups” Sabiha stated, sounding curious.
“We weren’t hunting” Gabriel told her, sounding more guarded than he intended.
“We were looking for somewhere to spend the winter” Kaiden said, frowning at his brother but Gabriel didn’t see his frown it was too dark but Kaiden felt better in doing it anyway.
“The south is a beautiful place to spend the winter but there are dangers there that you don’t find in the north” Sabiha warned.
> “And what are these dangers you speak of?” Gabriel questioned.
“Did your parents ever tell you of the creatures that lurk in the night?” Sabiha asked.
“Children's stories to frighten them into behaving” Gabriel groaned.
“Many of those stories are true but those creatures don’t just lurk in the night” Sabiha said. “They also lurk during the day, watching and waiting for an opportune moment to strike. They are patient hunters, almost perfect.”
“Then the hunters will become the hunted” Kaiden said but felt a wave of fear brush over his body as he spoke his words.
“Perhaps the hunter has already become the hunted” Sabiha stated, sounding as if she was warning them but neither of them had any clue what she was talking about, these stories were for children. “These creatures are witty and strong, and you will have to be smarter than them to defeat them.”
“Then I shall find one and study it” Kaiden declared, sounding unconvinced. “I will learn from them and become just as strong and witty, perhaps even become the perfect hunter.”
“So you want to be a monster?” Sabiha asked, grabbing Gabriel’s attention.
“Sometimes you need to be a monster in order to survive, we all have one inside” Gabriel said, glancing at Kaiden. “You just need to make sure you can control that monster.”
“And can you control your monster Gabriel?” Sabiha asked.
“Sabiha why were you looking for the golden staff to begin with?” Gabriel asked, ignoring her question.
“My lover is trapped and I was trying to free him” Sabiha answered, with a sigh. “But the gods had other ideas.”
“I'm sorry that hear that” Gabriel said sadly, wondering what it would be like to have a lover and loose them. “I hope you will be reunited with him soon.”
"Thank you Gabriel, your words are kind” Sabiha said sweetly. “And what is it that you want Gabriel?”
“I don't know, life seems too short to accomplish everything I hope to do” Gabriel sighed, wondering if his partner won't think he was too old when they met. He wanted a family but feared that his age might hinder his ability to be a good father or to be a father at all.
“So you want time” Sabiha said. “I can understand that, time is very precious.”
“Speaking of time, we should get some rest” Kaiden said, noticing the weary look on Gabriel's face. “Gabriel will need the rest if he's going to be successful.”
“Good night sweet gentlemen” Sabiha said, the sweetness of her voice echoed up through the crevice and into both men as if she was caressing the very thing that made them who they were. “And thank you for helping me.”
“Good night Sabiha” Gabriel responded, as he pushed himself up. He then headed down to where he had set up and made himself comfortable. He had given Sabiha his blanket so he had to share with Kaely. Although the nights were warm and he didn’t think he was going to need it anyway.
Moments later, Kaiden dropped down beside Gabriel and completely cover Gabriel with the only blanket they had. Kaiden knew that the next few days were probably going to be easier for him and wanted to offer what little comfort he could to his brother. He feared that his brother might be getting himself into more than he knew and prayed that he stayed safe.
It didn’t take long for both men to fall asleep. They had been travelling for well over a month and were both ready to take some time to relax. They knew that the sooner they gave their village the information they had set out to get, the sooner they could head south again and set up their own lives, ultimately giving themselves the freedom they both desired.
Gabriel rose with the sun and headed straight to Sabiha. He needed to know more about where he had to go and what he was looking for. He still wasn’t convinced that he was doing the right thing but he couldn't leave her trapped in the crevice either.
After dropping some food down to her, Gabriel sat down and started asking questions about where he was going and what the staff looked like. Her directions seemed precise but her description of the staff was vague at best, he wasn’t even sure if the staff was actually gold or if it was just given the name for other reasons.
Once Gabriel fully understood where he was going, he went back and packed what he figured he might need but he wasn’t entirely sure what he was going to need once he reached the cave Sabiha had described.
Kaiden was still asleep when Gabriel left but before he left, Gabriel wrote Kaely a note in the sand, telling him he had left and to head back to the village if he hadn’t returned in four days. Gabriel knew Kaiden would probably stay longer and eventually go looking for him instead of heading back to the village. Although Gabriel felt better in the fact that he had at least tried to point Kaiden in the right direction.
As Gabriel started his climb, he thought about what his parents were going to say when they told them about their decision not to stay with their village. He knew his mother would protest and try to stop them but his father was going to be a different story.
All three of the brothers had looked up to their father, he was strong and always gave them good council when they needed it. This time however, neither Gabriel nor Kaiden had even spoken to him before they left and Gabriel knew he wouldn't have been happy about that. Now that they planned on leaving the village permanently and heading off on their own, he knew his father was probably going to go crazy at him for leading Kaiden astray but he wasn’t quite sure that was what he was doing.
The elders were probably going to advise against their decision to leave as well. They needed young strong men and Gabriel and Kaiden were exactly that. They would especially need all three of the bothers if they were going to head south, there was a lot of work to be done but Gabriel didn’t want any part of it. He didn’t want to hang around and watch other couples love each and bring new life into the world, especially when it was something he couldn’t have. He figured he had done enough for his village and certainly didn’t plan on being a work horse for others.
Gabriel knew it was going to be hard enough to meet Tiria’s child, a child he wished would have been his own. He also knew he didn’t have the strength to watch Tiria love both Arika and their child, just thinking about hurt.
About half way up the mountain, Gabriel stopped to rest. The wind was strong but refreshing and the view of the valley below was spectacular but Gabriel couldn’t clear his mind. For some reason, meeting Sabiha and hearing about how she wanted to free her lover, made him wish he had someone who loved him that much. He wasn’t sure if that was something he was ever going to have or could he even let himself love someone like that?
The more he thought about it the less he was convinced that the seer’s abilities to match people worked. Would Arika want to free Tiria if he was trapped and not just because she felt obligated but because she wanted to, as a result of the love she held in her heart for him. Arika hadn’t paid much attention to him until they were paired, which made Gabriel wonder how much love was in their relationship.
Ever since Gabriel could remember, his parents had barely spent much time together. They always had their own tasks to do and spent more time apart than together and while he didn’t notice it as child, he now knew there was a lack of love in their relationship. They didn’t choose each other, the seer did that for them.
After resting for about half an hour, Gabriel continued his climb until he came across a cave opening. It was nothing like the cave opening Sabiha had described but he was curious and decided to he would have a quick look. He needed a distraction anyway, his mind was going in circles and he wanted to find something to stop himself from thinking about love.
Once his eyes adjusted, Gabriel started to look around and was surprised by how bright the cave actually was. The roof of the cave was covered in glow worms and the floor was covered with about an inch of water. The cavern he stood in was long and narrow, and appeared to bend to the left toward the end.
The sound of Gabriel's wet footsteps echoed throughout t
he cave as he walked toward the bend. He wasn’t sure what he was going to find but he felt like he was a kid again, exploring something new and smiled to himself as he moved deeper into the cavern, it was exactly the distraction he had needed.
The moment Gabriel turned the bend, he noticed a stone arch on the far wall that didn't appear to be natural. Curious, he walked over to have a closer look and was surprised to see that the arch was covered markings.
As he ran his fingers over the engravings, he tried to work out what they said but although he was literate, he couldn't read these markings. They appeared to be in a language he had never seen before, it was so different that he couldn't even make out the letters and although he couldn't read it, something inside him told him that these were words and not just a fancy design.
Knowing he didn't have all the time in the world, Gabriel tried to commit as much of the arch as he could to memory and vowed to return to explore some more. He then took one last quick look around before heading outside.
Above him, Gabriel could see dark clouds starting to build. He had been around long enough to know when a storm was coming, the air felt charged and the wind had significantly dropped in speed. He knew he had to reach the top before the storm hit, it would be too dangerous to be outside at this height, especially when the lightening show started.
Once the breeze died off, Gabriel noticed that it was starting to heat up and with no breeze to cool him off, he was feeling it. His only comfort was that at his height, the air was cooler than what it would have been at the base of the mountain.
Gabriel knew Kaiden would be okay with access to the cool water in the river, he just hoped Sabiha wasn't getting too hot in her small crevice. He knew Kaiden would give here everything she needed but he just prayed that, that was enough.
By the time Gabriel reached the cave Sabiha had described, it had started to rain and he could hear the sky rumbling in the distance. With the sun going down and the thick dark clouds above, it was already getting quite dark and Gabriel wasn’t willing to go into the dark cave. At lease not until he could see what was in the cave, so he set up under an overhanging rock and made himself comfortable.
The sky lit up in a spectacular display of light and sound, as Gabriel watched lightening spread across the sky. There wasn't much else he could do but he didn't mind, he had always loved watching lightening storms and his current spot gave him the best view he had ever had.