Discoveries

10

What was this business with owls and wolves?

Stupid first thought. I meant, when you're lying at the bottom of a canyon, bloodied and sore, there were more important things to think about. Like, did I really not break anything? Well, at least not my neck.

I opened my eyes and saw nothing at first. Was I blind? No, it must be night. A damn cold night. And wet. My clothes were soaked, and not just with water.

Water.

Water.

Thirst.

I turned from my side to my belly, and drank deeply from the river underneath. The cold water disagreed with my stomach, but I didn't care. The turn had awakened a throbbing pain in my right shoulder, that added to my headache.

Great.

Jas.

No reply.

Jasmin.

Please. Help.

Could she hear me? Was she ignoring me? Was the distance too great? There was no way of knowing.

With difficulty I hoisted myself onto my feet. The night was dark, clouds blocking any light from above.

Even greater.

Every step sent a knife through my shoulder, but for the rest I seemed fine.

I thought.

Probably.

Hopefully.

Usually, I would have been able to climb out, only with one arm it was a challenge. Just walking out wasn't an option; it probably went on for miles.

"Help! Anyone? Help, can you hear me?"

Nobody did.

It was climbing then. Unless there was some secret staircase hewn into the rock, which I wouldn't be able to see because of the dark.

Greatest.

The stones in the river were sharp, and the icy water cut through my calves. Maybe walking barefoot wasn't such a good idea.

I had lain in the water for most of the day and part of a night – well, I assumed it wasn't more – but my skin wasn't wrinkled like an old woman's. It never had. Even when all the others where squiggled all around, I was always smooth.

Must be an elf thing.

Now, if I had those wings...

All the stumbling in the dark would be unnecessary, the pains, the fall in the first place. And if only Jas where here...

What was that?

I stumbled into a net-like thing. Sort of vines, no, tree roots. They must be coming from the bridge. And if I could just...

It was easy to clamber up through those roots, that'd grown into each other and formed a net or rope ladder-like curtain. At least compared to climbing up fairly sheer rock.

Two steps up, hook bad arm around, grasp as high as possible with good hand, two steps up. Sometimes a step more or less. On the bridge I paused, panting.

Gods.

And still an hour or so to go.

After a few minutes it started to rain. Softly at first, then bucketing down. It felt almost warm against my frozen skin. Dried blood washed from my hair and face, flowing into the earth below. In the distance the sky flashed, followed by a low rumble.