THE UNDERGROWTH MADE WALKING A bit difficult, though not as much as Tyler had feared. They were making good time and had crossed a large expanse of forest by cutting diagonally across the stretch. After only two hours, he called for a much needed rest.
Anwen slumped against a tree, breathing hard. She tried to convince herself she was only out of shape, that nothing was wrong, but knew better.
When Tyler came over to give her a sip of water, she evaded his touch. She felt sure her skin was radiating enough heat that he didn't need to touch her to feel it. When asked how she was doing, she pressed that she was fine, glad when he left her alone.
Ten minutes later, they were back on the trail.
As they approached the sides of the deep valley, the incline increased. Above, the road beckoned like an invisible ribbon of safety, though they all knew that was a mirage. There was no safety in the exposed expanse.
The small group took another halt a half a mile or so away from the small fishing village Tyler had shown Anwen only days before. It felt like a century had passed since then.
Zigzagging up the steep incline, they clung like insects to the trail. They ducked at the sound of the occasional vehicle passing above. Thankfully, the same outcropping that kept the lake from view above also kept them from view to those looking down.
The higher up they got, the slower Anwen went. Her legs felt like lead and she felt more than ready to keel over and just lie there like road kill.
The sun continued to beat down on her like a heat lamp and she felt blistered inside and out. “How much further,” she panted, shading her eyes from the intense light.
Tyler turned from his position in the lead. He noted how flushed Anwen was, more so than Courtney. He supposed he was also flushed, but that was of little concern. “Almost there,” he called back to her. “One more turn and we should reach the top.” He ushered Courtney to go ahead of him, falling back to keep a closer eye on his young charge.
Anwen huffed the rest of the way to the top, glad to flop down in the high weeds that screened them from the roadside. “Can we be done for the day?” she complained. “Or maybe even the year? I think I've had enough hiking to last a life time.”
Courtney dropped down beside her, also more than happy for the respite from walking. “I wouldn't mind a vacation after this,” she admitted. “My feet are killing me.” She removed a shoe, flinching a bit as her damp socks pulled at blisters. “I should have worn different shoes!”
Tyler didn't comment as he moved towards the roadside, looking up and down the long expanse. He didn't see any traffic, though that didn't mean it would stay that way.
Shrugging, he rejoined the others. He surveyed their condition before taking up a sitting position between Anwen and Courtney. “Road's clear for now. We can follow it to the trail's head, unnoticed, if we don't wait too long.”
Anwen didn't answer, preferring to close her eyes and savor the slight breeze that made the long grasses sway. It felt so good against her skin. She wanted to just lie there and never get up.
Hearing her name, Anwen opened her eyes just enough to see a sliver in front of her. “Huh?”
“Are you sure you're all right?” Tyler asked, his brows rising. He moved to feel her forehead, but she evaded his touch, rolling to a sitting position.
“I'm fine,” she hedged. “Nothing a little nap won't fix.”
Courtney looked at her friend. “Um... Anwen, Tyler's been calling you for the last five minutes. I'd say you already had your little nap.”
Anwen almost shot to her feet in surprise. “What? No way. I only just closed my eyes.” She looked at Courtney, noticing that not only was she wearing her shoes again, but she also had her pack over one shoulder. “You mean, I really--?”
“Afraid so,” Courtney confirmed, shrugging. “You've been out for about ten minutes, more or less.”
Tyler moved to stand, resisting the urge to shake his head at the whole situation. “If you're fine, we should get going. I don't know when another vehicle will come this way and I'd rather not stick around to find out. Everyone in the village hopefully believes you've left the Mountain by now, but we can't rely on that. Not after everything that's happened.”
Anwen ran a hand through her hair and bit her lip. She wanted to utter a few colorful metaphors but refrained. It wasn't her style.
She scrambled to her feet, brushing off her clothes. The key pressed against her sternum, causing a slight indentation where it had dug into the skin.
Following Tyler once more, they made sure no one was coming down the road before crossing it. Going down into the gully, they skirted as close to the ditch-like run-off as possible. There, they got their toes wet but kept out of view from at least one side of the road.
Another couple hours' walk brought them back to the turnaround with the picnic tables. Since they were already down in the gully, it was only a matter of climbing back up to the other side where the path started out strongly. They accomplished this quickly, heading towards the inner trail.
Tyler kept a watchful eye the entire time they were out in the open. The back of his neck prickled for some odd reason, though he couldn't sense anything out of place.
The skies were clear, free even from clouds. Only the usual wild animals seemed to inhabit the low hills around them. Despite that reassurance, the feeling persisted. He called a halt when they reached the open tunnel section of the path.
Both girls sank to the ground with grateful sighs. They took sips from water bottles and stretched tired muscles. Anwen blinked to stave off drowsiness. When that didn't work, she poured some of her precious water over her head. The water felt like ice against her flushed face, but it did the trick.
Overhead, the sun bore down, baking the dun and faded red walls, leeching more color from the stone. A lone raven flew over the canyon, cawing. Seeing its passage, Tyler had them get up and move along.
It took longer than last time to reach the next checkpoint where the wall on one side fell away, exposing them to a sheer drop off. Soon, the path would narrow to an even smaller track.
Anwen didn't have the energy to brush Tyler's hands away as he helped tie the rope around her waist, putting her in the middle again. The dragon pursed his lips as his fingers touched her skin.
Without a word, he gave her the flask of dragon mead and turned to help Courtney with her end of the rope. On his way back to the front, he took the flask, noting Anwen had indeed taken a sip before surrendering it. It wouldn't take away the fever, but it might help keep her alert enough to not fall off the mountain, taking everyone else with her.
“Remember to breathe,” Tyler encouraged.
Anwen nodded, feeling the heat coursing through her. It was almost uncomfortable, heat upon the heat she already felt inside, but it made her feel more awake. Following Tyler, she tried to not think about the last time they'd done this. The vertigo then was the last thing she wanted to repeat; even though she now knew it hadn't been entirely her own reaction to the sheer drop.
They all navigated around the initial protrusion of rock without too much trouble. Moving past that first turn, Anwen felt a sense of relief. Because of the dragon mead, she felt no more dizzy than usual.
It didn't take long to reach the segment where the path had fallen through, leaving a gap. The span had grown by about a foot and Tyler paused to assess the situation, the others spaced a bit back to give him room.
A birdcall echoed around them, maybe from a falcon, though Tyler wasn't sure. Something about it sounded off and he looked around, trying to locate the bird.
The sky remained clear. Despite that, he noticed a faint glint from across the Endless Chasm, all the way on the other side where the cliffs rose up again. He squinted to try and find the source but was unable to see what might have caused it.
Almost as if the mead had worn off prematurely, Anwen felt the dizziness of vertigo fill her once more. Her breathing increased, head spinning as she clutched at the mo
untainside. “I don't feel so good,” she moaned, closing her eyes and swayed ever so slightly.
Courtney looked up sharply. Feeling a stirring of energy, she returned her attention to her friend. "Not this time," she muttered with determination as she pressed her hands against the rock wall.
Tyler turned at Anwen's declaration and saw Courtney with a look of intense concentration on her face. Anger flared up inside and he went to move over to them when two loud metallic pings sounded.
Sparks shot off between him and Anwen. He felt the rope between them go slack. Watching in horror, he saw Anwen tilt dangerously close to the side, then tumble over the edge.
“Anwen!”
Not even stopping to think about what he was doing, Tyler dove towards the falling girl. Overhead, a cry, as though from some ancient creature, filled the air, along with high-pitched laughter.
As Tyler fell, he vowed that if Courtney had done this, he would kill her. Shedding the thought aside for later, he concentrated on how to save Anwen. The chasm was almost as endless as the ocean was wet. She would suffocate long before she reached the bottom.
With no other choice readily at hand, Tyler called upon his inner core and shed the mortal skin he'd worn for so long.
Claws tore through the air as scales shimmered into existence along his elongated back and neck. A tail sprouted, curling in the air as the spiked end formed. His elongated head and feathery beard pressed against his neck as he dove. His body slashed through the sky like quicksilver. His amber eyes shone with determination and rage.
TWENTY