Harper's Pathos

Chapter Seven: Glass Mirage

"The priest then screamed, 'What all is gone?' When he walked inside at dawn! The thief had tricked this man of gods, stole from him, made him her pawn!" Harper sang as enthusiastically as they could with a throat as dry as a Nayak mummy. They had passed hours like this, attempting to distract Morgan from the horrors of their situation. It seemed to be working... At least while the girl was coherent.

Morgan stumbled a little as she mumbled the next line of the ballad, "The altar boy in haste then spoke, 'She took the coins before we woke!' He showed the empty offering chest, 'You see, good priest? We're bloody broke!'" 

The nephilim began the next verse, "Well go and get the sheriff then, we can't aff-" their singing was cut off by a sudden bout of intense nausea. The sentence ended halfway through and hung in the air as this dizziness threatened to throw them to the ground. Lights and colors that weren't truly there flashed through Harper's vision. The world twisted and bent through the lens of their sight in ways that weren't possible. Motion blur followed their eyes' every advance until the whole desert distorted around them.

"Are you alright?" Morgan asked, gripping her friend's hand tighter.

Harper's head continued to spin, now splitting into a terrible headache as the colors in their vision brightened. Their body swayed and almost fell to the ground. However, they planted one foot firmly against the sand, then the other. They closed their eyes and pinched the bridge of their nose. Even as they felt their head would crack in half, they took a deep, steady breath inwards. As their lungs filled, their eyes were able to focus back in. Then, they exhaled. The flashing, pulsing colors were forced out of their vision, and the blinding pain was slowly reduced to a dull ache.

"I'm-" the small traveller took a few more deep breaths as they anchored themself back to reality, "I'm fine!" they assured their friend, beginning the trek forward once more.

"We can take a break if you need..." Morgan suggested, only half able to speak at the moment.

"No," Harper insisted, "I'm fine! Let's keep moving... Unless you need a break?" When Morgan shook her head, they continued moving.

This had happened several times since they had been bitten by the snake, and each time was worse than the last. They were almost certain that this was some effect of their snake bite. It had been venomous. They weren't sure if the symptoms would stop, get worse, or even if they were life threatening. It didn't really matter now. They had no way to treat the bite in the middle of the desert. The only thing they could do was push through and keep moving.

* * *

The situation only continued to grow worse over the next few days. Harper's venom-fueled migraines became yet more intense, and each lasted longer than the last. That, coupled with increasing symptoms of starvation, dehydration, and exhaustion, made it nearly impossible to remain on their feet.

Morgan became only more of a mess. She had stopped talking, save one or two word answers to questions asked of her. The glazed look in her eyes returned and stayed at some point, giving her the look of an empty husk. Harper wondered if her friend was even capable of thought at the moment, or if her remaining stores of energy were all reserved for walking.

Eventually the pair stumbled across something troublesome in their path, and the blonde stopped to take in the surroundings. Before them stood yet another ravine, a gash cut through the endless sea of sand. In either direction it stretched farther than Harper could see, so getting around it would likely take at least a day, perhaps longer. 

There was, however, a visible path over the chasm. A narrow land bridge -carved of desert limestone and glass- hung over the pit: a tempting but seemingly hazardous shortcut.