When the Ground Gave Way
"Four single rooms, two nights."
"Of course. Sign here, and we'll take payment."
"Thanks for the two nights. Take care."
We settled the inn bill that morning and set out at once.
"Alright. Which way now? North, that's for certain, but..."
Maisha pulled out a map and spread it open.
"Kyle. We have a problem. The nearest village is here — but there is nowhere to lodge along the way."
"You're saying we have to walk the whole distance? Can't we at least hire a wagon?"
"We could hire one. We could not return it. Walking is our only option."
"How long would that take?"
Maisha traced the route with her finger.
"A full week, at the least. We shall have to camp as we go."
"Camp in country we know nothing about? That doesn't sound like a good idea."
"Have we another option?"
"Still, camping out in the middle of nowhere... Wait. Why are we looping around like this in the first place? Can't we just go straight this way?"
"We cannot. The mountains block that path."
"Mountains? How high?"
"Not especially. But consider it — camping in the mountains at night is far more dangerous."
"Hmm. Fair enough. What about water and food, then?"
"What of them?"
"You said we'd be walking for a week. We'd need to resupply along the way."
"Ah. I had not considered that."
"That's why I'm saying we take the mountain. If we push hard and start now — it's morning — we should make it across in time. We won't have to spend the night up there."
"Hah. You have a point. The mountain it is, then."
"Let's move. Now."
"Whew. Maisha — this it?"
"It is. This is the foot of the mountain."
"Better than I expected. I figured it'd be overgrown this time of year, but it's not, and there aren't many trees either. Should be easy going — fewer beasts and bugs, too."
"Well said. This is closer to a dirt hill than a true mountain. Aside from the dust, there is little to worry about. Your judgment was sound, Kyle."
"Yeah, well. Let's not waste time. Move."
The mountain really was little more than a dirt hill. Most of the trees had withered and died, and the soil itself was a vivid clay-red, the color of loess. Without trees or grass it was plenty hot, but that still beat pushing through undergrowth or getting eaten alive by insects.
"Hah... hah..."
"Hey, Lily. You holding up?"
I slowed to match her shorter stride and leaned in close to her ear.
"Nnh — why are you whispering all of a sudden..."
"So the others don't hear. Here. Water."
"Thanks."
She must have been parched. Lily gulped it down in great swallows.
"You're not okay, are you? You're sweating a lot."
"No, I'm fine..."
"Look, if it's too much, I can carry you for a bit. Like last time."
"No, it's okay..."
"There you go again. Don't be stubborn."
"I'm not being stubborn—"
I plucked her right off the ground and gathered her into my arms.
"Eek! What are you doing! Put me down!"
"Look at you. Soaked. You were struggling and you know it."
"Ah — I'm going to smell like sweat..."
"Who cares about that. Fine, I'll say it. Your sweat smells good. It's fragrant. Happy?"
"You pervert! Shut up!"
"Heh. Been a while since I got to tease you. Still fun."
I carried Lily for a stretch, then set her down and went to check our progress with Maisha.
"Hey, Maisha."
"What is it."
"Just wondering how far we've come."
"Mm. Distance is not the problem. Direction is."
"Direction? You don't know which way we're going?"
"Not that. Look at this first."
I took what she handed me. A compass.
"A compass. We can just follow this, then."
"Look again."
The needle was spinning on its own, twitching this way and that.
"What the hell? Why's it doing that?"
"I do not know. Do you know anything of compasses?"
"Well, they use magnets, so if there's magnetic ore under the mountain it could throw the needle off. But it shouldn't be spinning around like this..."
"That is what I thought. According to Clotine, some kind of magic has been laid over this mountain."
"Magic? On a mountain like this? Why?"
"I do not know either. What matters is that the compass is useless."
"So how are we navigating now?"
"Ah. By the sun, and the direction of our shadows."
"Right. That works."
"So for now, we are fine. The problem is after the sun goes down. No sun, and night on top of that — we could lose our bearings entirely. Worst case, we get lost."
"That won't happen. We'll be on our way down by then, and we should be able to see the village from there."
"A fair point."
"More importantly — eat this."
I held out a piece of candy.
"You need something sweet to keep your strength up. Drink some water, too."
"My thanks."
I felt her looking at me and asked.
"What are you staring at?"
"Mm. Nothing. I simply... felt that you were a good person."
"Ha. Good people recognize each other. I told you we'd make good friends, didn't I?"
"Perhaps this is the beginning of that."
Being around her, I felt something like the camaraderie men share with each other. How to put it... a kind of brotherhood-in-arms?
That was why, in the life before I came back, she had been the easiest person to be around, no matter how things stood.
"Um, Lady Maisha! Sir Kyle!"
"Yeah? What is it, Clotine."
"The sky. Please look at the sky."
Dark, ashen storm clouds had gathered overhead.
"They're coming this way, aren't they?"
Sure enough, the shadow was creeping slowly toward us.
"This is going to make it hard to keep our bearings..."
"Direction is the least of our worries. Clouds that thick always bring rain. There are no trees here. Nowhere to take shelter at all."
"We'll have to pick up the pace. If it rains, we just push through it."
In that instant, a single drop of water struck my forehead.
"Did... did something just drip on me?"
"Maisha, this..."
"You felt it too? So the rain has come after all."
"We'll just have to hope it's a passing shower."
But the rain did not stop. If anything it came down harder, and then the wind rose with it, and thunder began to roll across the mountain.
"Maisha! How much farther?"
She said nothing.
"Maisha?"
"I do not know. I have completely lost our direction."
"Clotine! Don't you have some kind of magic for finding our way?"
"I've been trying this whole time, but it won't work! It's as if something is interfering..."
"Kyle! We cannot last like this! If we are still out here when night falls, we will freeze to death!"
"I don't know either! All we can do is go back the way we came!"
"Go back?"
"It's the only path I know!"
"Understood. Clotine! Saintess! It seems we need to head back down!"
"We move in pairs! Don't lose each other in the rain! Maisha, you're with me!"
"Understood!"
"Sorry. For saying we should take the mountain. I didn't think it'd rain like this."
"This is not your fault. It would have rained either way. If we had taken the plains, we would have gone much farther by now — we would never have made it back to the village."
"Thanks for saying that."
In that instant, the ground in front of me simply vanished.
"What — what the hell! The ground's collapsing! Hey! Back! Get back! Back!"
"It is because there are no trees! No roots to hold the soil — when it rains, the earth just slides away!"
"Shit! Lily, Clotine! Watch your feet! The ground's giving way!"
No answer came.
"Lily, Clotine! Can you hear—"
"Kyle, they are gone! I cannot see them!"
Fuck.
"Lily! Clotine! Can you hear me!"
"They are not there, Kyle! With this wind and rain they might not even be able to hear us!"
"So what the hell do we do!"
"We get down. The two of us, at least."
"Are you out of your mind? You want to leave them behind?"
"We cannot even see them! How are we supposed to find them! At this rate we will all die!"
"We still can't just abandon them."
"Kyle! Get a hold of yourself! We have to survive first!"
"Then you go! I'm not giving up! Lily! Can you—"
I took a single step.
The ground beneath me could not take my weight. It gave way.
"Ah, fu—"
I was fucked.
I was so fucking fucked.
"Aaaaaagh!"
The mudslide caught me and dragged me down.
My mind was fading, but instinct was still there. I flailed my arms desperately and caught a jutting spur of rock.
Not fucked yet!
"Hah, hah... Maisha! You there!"
"Kyle! I see you! Take my hand!"
"Haha! Didn't die after all! They say even if the sky falls, there's always a hole to crawl through! The old sayings really do get it right!"
"Kyle! Stop talking nonsense and reach!"
"Right, right. Maisha."
I locked one arm around the rock and stretched the other toward her.
"A little... just a little more..."
"Got you! Kyle! I will pull you up — just hold on!"
"Huu. There. I'm alive! Don't worry. I've still got grip strength. I'm not letting go of this."
A dull, lifeless little pop — and Maisha's hand slipped from mine.
Because I was falling again.
What? What did I let go of?
I looked at the black stone still clenched in my fist.
"Haha. The whole rock came out with me, huh... Well. I'm fucked."
"Kyle!"
Maisha's voice calling my name was the last thing I heard as I fell.