The Arrowstone

Chapter 16 - Descent into Banrak

CHAPTER  16

DESCENT  INTO  BANRAK

As the day wore on, the going became considerably more difficult for Gem and Gorthlob. Eddying gusts of bitter wind brought increasingly heavy snow from higher up the mountains, and the Pass was soon lost as the snow settled, turning the terrain white and featureless. By the afternoon their pace had become a crawl as the snow clouded their vision and the way ahead could be discerned only by the side of the mountain that rose from it.

'If this gets any worse we shall really have to stop,” Gem grimaced. He pulled his hood tighter around his face, and they struggled on for a while. But soon they ground to a halt. The snow had made Gorthlob’s movement almost impossible, and Gem would soon be knee-high in it. 'This is hopeless!' he exclaimed. 'You can’t move, and I am virtually bogged down myself! We must find some shelter and wait for this storm to pass. How the wind howls!' He looked down at the big doleful eyes of Gorthlob that sought him pleadingly. 'Come on,' smiled Gem grimly as he picked up his friend. Carrying him now, he laboured forward with bent back and aching limbs. He had almost lost hope when, to his great surprise, he discovered a hollow undercutting the mountainside. He waded through the snow towards it, overwhelmed with relief. On reaching it he saw that it ran some way beneath the overhanging rock, and was reasonably dry and untouched by the ravages of the storm outside. They crawled into the hollow and rested gladly upon its rocky floor, thankfully out of the snow and blasting winds.

'I dread to think what we would have done if we hadn't found this place!' breathed Gem as he flopped onto his back. 'What disgusting weather!  Blizzaro said it would be cold, but he didn't warn me of this!'

An hour passed before the storm eased, and the winds calmed. Gem stuck his head out from their haven of refuge, and looked around. Everywhere was clothed in a thick blanket of white, but the clouds were beginning to break, and Gem caught a glimpse of blue sky beyond. The storm had passed, and late afternoon was approaching. Gem scrambled back into the hollow.

'Well, Gorthlob,' he said, 'I think the sun is coming out, but it is late in doing so. I fear that it will be stolen away again, before it has a chance of melting all that hateful snow. It's just our luck. Oh well, I suppose we had better stay here until the morning. At least we can get our strength back, and there is shelter for the night. I just hate to waste more time than is necessary, but we can really do nothing else. I'll put the blankets out.'

They ate a berry each, and waited for the night to fall. There was no more snow that evening, or during the night, and they woke to a brighter day. They had a late start; for once they had slept longer than intended. As they emerged into the snow-covered highlands, Gem shielded his eyes from the glare of the sun on the vast whiteness that lay all around them for miles. Picking Gorthlob up and placing him on his shoulders, Gem started on the day's trudging. The snow was still fairly deep, but this condition improved as they came further across the Pass. Clearly the main bulk of the storm had been concentrated on the northern slopes of the mountain, for as Gem came slowly round to its north-eastern corner he saw the Pass descending into drier places. This was a welcome sight indeed, and Gem yearned for the feel of good solid ground under his feet again. He rounded the corner and started to make his way downwards through two lofty rock walls. These opened out as the Pass widened, and at last Gem found himself walking at a normal pace again, instead of the laborious trudging he had suffered for the first few hours of the day's journey. Gladly he let Gorthlob down and stretched.

'Well, old friend, we have beaten the snow and the storm!' he said, relaxing against a boulder. 'I will be happy when we get out of these mountains. I have had quite enough of them, haven’t you?' At this Gorthlob gave a grunt and jumped up onto the rock, landing beside Gem’s head. He scoured the surroundings with keen eyes. There was no living thing to be seen, save the occasional lone bird floating beneath the clouds. After a rest, they continued on their way. The Pass carried them steadily downwards now, towards and around the white flanks of one smaller mountain that faced them. They came down tumbled scree-slopes but soon found themselves climbing once more as the rising Pass cut across the edges of a deep ravine, and found its way around the side of the new mountain.  The going here was much easier, and the Pass kept a fairly steady course around the mountain wall. In places it would narrow to a mere ledge, but elsewhere it was safe, and held no surprises. By nightfall they were halfway round the mountain. They laid out their blankets under an overhanging rockface, and settled down for the night.