Before the Sky Fell

[ 28 ] The Sky is Angry

-28-

The Sky is Angry

As the Lundar flowers lost luminance with movement from the moon, Whik began to worry. "We have to move tonight," he urged.

"We'll still be able to find the patch in the morning," John muttered, slowly emerging from his grogginess. "You have any idea what it'll be like to hike down this mountain in pitch black?"

The glowing embers from the fire barely lit up his worn sandals. The moon, though full, cast little light on the rock formations that stood between them and the tip of the glowing arrow. It'd be a trek through complete darkness.

John kicked the coals. "There's not even enough twigs for torches."

Well there's not enough time to wait. Whik stood. They had to move before the arrow disappeared. "I'll go by myself if I need to. If we can see that arrow, so can somebody else. There's no time to wait for day."

John grumbled. "Right then, looks like we'll have to find some more twigs or wait for the fire breathers of Kolos to find us."

Whik used his shoe to push some of the embers towards the edge of the cliff. The glowing remnants of light did little to illuminate the trees crawling out of the cliff like shadowed serpents. It took them half an hour to bend the sticks together in tight webs. The breeze that cascaded down the mountain agitated the flames when Pelk lit them. They had to hurry.

The ledge would have been treacherous enough to pass without torches in hand, and Whik knew they were all putting their lives on the line for an ambiguous quest in unknown territory. Still, they had to cross the shelf. Whik was most worried about John, whose balance and belly made the task much more difficult.

Pelk crossed first, nimbly side-stepping his way to the opposite ledge. His dark skin vanished into the night. Whik took his first step, his heart beating with the sound of thousand drums. The stars painted the sky like spiders from sticky webs, tempting him to take a peek and risk a fall. Concentrate, he told himself. It's just a few feet. I've balanced on worse. Yet this was taller than anything he'd traversed before. If he fell it meant death. He would bounce off each branch like a fallen apple, the juice exploding upon impact. Don't look down. His fingers shook as he felt the rough rocks of the cliff face, and the heat from the torch warmed his cheeks and threatened to singe his hair. With four more steps he safely crossed, shaking off his fear and nerves.

"It's beautiful up here," John said from the opposite ledge, splitting the silence.

"Just focus on walking across," Whik said, shaking his head. There was no doubting that John was right. Whik had wanted to explore the northern mountains since he first spotted them years ago, on a day trip with Millstone. The beauty was poisoned with a sense of urgency now, and if John admired the stars on the way across, he could risk losing his footing. Regardless of how beautiful it was, this was no time for idle chat.

"Sounds like ole Whik is worried about me," said John. "These legs have been through wars and back. They could teach you a thing or two."

"Care," Pelk told him. "No talking."

John began walking across, his back to the cliff side. Whik wanted to tell him to turn the other way, like he and Pelk had, but it was too late. He was already nearing half way. A hot breeze hit Whik's torch and the flames danced in the night.

"Woah there," John said. The flames of his torch spiraled upward and what followed made Whik's stomach churn. He heard John's foot slip and then saw the torch fall. John lunged to the side, throwing his hands into the air and landing on the opposite ledge with a thud. His torch was swallowed by the darkness. "See," he said in between breaths. "These old legs save me again."