The Broken Ones

Chapter 7:2 -Climb every mountain

It was around dawn when he woke again. Over the fire hung meat and in a pot water was boiling for tea. In a pan Jagger carefully roasted some slices of bread.
-This is all I can do for breakfast, Jagger said and handed Soi some bread with meat and a cup of tea. She offered Ana the same but Ana put her hand up and silently shook her head.
-Ana I know you don’t usually eat breakfast but if we’re going to climb these mountains you can’t wait until dinner before eating. We’re not leaving until you at least have eaten one bread slice with meat.
Ana tiredly measures Jagger with her eyes, how serious this threat was. And then she took the offered meal with a grunt. Jagger smiled proudly.
The breakfast was soon done and the camp settled. The group continued their journey upwards. Mack might have killed off the monsters following them but there were still many of them out there. As Soi remembered there would be twice the number on the other side of the grey teeth in front of them. The mountains had nothing but offered them trouble so far. They had gotten this far by luck, at least Soi thought so. They had been attacked twice by monsters, he had been attacked three times by Sam and been unconscious twice, threatened to death so many times he had lost track, it was a miracle that they had gotten this far. But they hadn’t gotten there without sacrifices. Nibbles and Sassa were both left behind. And his deepest secrets had been lost along with the sense of trust he had for Ana. But a lot of other things had been revealed as well, what the missing box contained, the truth about Sam, Ana ad their past relation. The world of the broken ones might have been introduced to him but he didn’t know anymore than that. And Ana was still a mystery for Soi, though he had decided that he had no right to know, as her guard. Even if he was the only guard of hers that had ever survived. But even that was luck, maybe it was all it took. As Soi spun that thought in his mind, their luck was about to change as the landscape changed from a thick forest to nothing but plain mountain everywhere they turned their heads and the slope got steeper. A winding narrow path led up the mountain, it was nothing but rocks and stones and soon Soi understood that his beloved mare couldn’t cope with these mountains. His horse was good at long sprinting distances not mountain climbing. He had to set her free.
-Is there no other way we can take? He asked Jagger.
She saw his uneasy glance at his mare.
-If it’s a smart animal it’ll survive in the wild, she said in her own comforting way. –Take everything you really need and leave the rest. Skip the saddle.
-I could use the leather, Soi suggested.
-It’s you who have to drag it with you, Jagger said with shrug and left him to decide.
He decided to keep the saddle. He took off saddle, bridle and all other packing and the horse was set free. When he begun to walk away, the mare followed him faithfully. Soi stopped the horse and tried to scare it off. She seemed to understand because the mare stayed behind and neighed miserable after Soi. It took deeper than Soi thought it would and persistently kept his eyes on the rocky path in front of him, refusing to look back at his mare. They walked upwards for hours and the horse neighed yet, heartbreakingly. But soon another sound blended with the neighs, a sound all too familiar and made everyone’s spine chill. They all stopped and looked back at the path they had taken. The sunset was beautiful, red and orange and with the stunning view of the forest they had walked through all the way from Sofara. The sun disappeared between two mountains, diving into the rich green of the forest. But all Soi could think of was about the monster waiting for them at the bottom of the mountain, where Soi’s mare was left alone. Suddenly those heartbreaking neighs changed to terrified high pitched neighs of despair. Soi begun to run downhill, back to his horse, but he all of a sudden it was as if he’d run into an invisible wall. He could feel his arms and legs stretch and then he couldn’t move at all. He was turned around in the air and he could see Ana with her outstretched hand and Jagger’s big eyes fixed on Ana with a fascinated expression. She had obviously never seen Ana use her powers.
-Let me down, Soi growled.
-You are supposed to protect me, not a stupid horse, Ana said with some anger glowing in her eyes.
But then her eyes softened and she put him down on the ground but he was still unable to move.
-You can’t save her now anyway, you’re too far away and what harm can you really do against a monster. And isn’t it better for the horse to die a quick death rather than an outstretched suffering and a slow death in the mountains.
Soi could see the logic in her speech but still he glowered back at her with a resolute face. Then he lowered his head, a few tears trickled down his cheek and he nodded. Ana let him down and they continued. A lonely howl of the monster followed them in the path. They didn’t stop when the darkness settled down around them but Ana quickened their pace. After awhile Jagger stepped in.
-We can’t continue any further in the dark Ana. There’s a narrow passage up ahead and there’s no way we can pass it without falling. It’s hard to pass even in broad daylight.
There was no way to see Ana in the darkness but the longer it took for her to answer Soi could guess what she was thinking.
-Ana, she said it was difficult even during daylight, you cannot seriously consider…
-We’re going through that passage tonight, Ana said with a firm voice and Soi could feel her cold eyes on him. –If it’s so hard as you say, the monsters can’t follow us.
-Ana! We’ll die! Jagger protested.
-No, the moon is soon up, we’ll see were we put our feet.
-But won’t the monsters…
-No, they’re too large to pass and they are stupid.
A roar echoed in the mountains in protest, and then there were several responses. There were at least seven monsters after them. This was not the time to discuss whether or not they should tug in for the night.
-Let’s move, Ana said through her teeth.

To be continued...
By J.L.Frick