Falls

     By that time, it was nearing evening and we were in as good a place as any to spend the night.  We both were exhausted after the events of the day and we both fell asleep the moment we lay down.  We spent the night tangled in each other’s arms and when we woke, we both were rested.  For him, it had been a night without fear and for me, one without longings.
     In the cold, gray light of morning, sobering reality set in once again.  Ezra was still trapped there by those monsters, and I now knew it was all my fault and I did not know if I could trust Ren to stand behind me when the time came.
     When I was young, my father had told me stories of valiant knights and their courageous quests for truth, justice and fair damsels.  I would sit on his knee, eyes shining as he told of lightning fast sword fights and races on horse back, of bright armour flashing in the sunlight and beautiful ladies waiting to welcome their champion with true love’s kiss.  As a child, I longed for that adventure and excitement, bored with the sedentary life of the valley.
     Now here I was, on my own quest.  The stories never tell how hungry one can get when on the trail.  They don’t mention the exhaustion that comes from poor sleep, worry and the hard ground.  They don’t tell you what to do when your champion turns out to be your enemy, or at least a hindrance, and if the story has a less than happy ending, they don’t bother to tell it at all.
     I wasn’t snuggled up in my father’s arms in his favourite chair by the fire.  I couldn’t bury my face in his chest at the scary parts and I had no assurance that things would turn out right.  All I had was my hope and my love, both for my brother and for Ren.  It was not much, but just enough to get me off the ground in the morning and to look into Ren’s face, ready to continue on.
     Ren found a nest of eggs and a few berries.  We ate them raw for, as we drew farther up the mountain, our risk of discovery was greater.  Our only hope lay in surprise.  I know the Khresh feared me, but I had not mastered the power they dreaded.
     I had to choke down the slimy eggs and they did little to satisfy my ravenous hunger.  Worst of all, there was once again complete silence between me and Ren.  It had given him great relief to confess his plans, but the shame of what he had intended to do still hung around him and I did not want to remove his guilt for fear he would lose his conscience and thus his heart.
     “Ready to go?” He spoke his first words to me of the morning.
     “Of course,” I mustered my cheeriest, most sincere smile that I had within me and stood, following him onto the mountain path once more.
     It was another long day.  The only clue that we were getting anywhere was the increasing treachery of the path we followed.  The twisting path gradually grew steeper until we were crawling on our hands and knees, testing every step before we made it.  I could see Ren reeling from exhaustion as he climbed stoically onward.  I too could feel my legs turning to jelly and every step was harder than the last, but neither of us was willing to stop for a short break.  I, because I was worried and every wasted moment was one in which my brother could take his last breath.  Ren, because his resolve to fight was strong and he was afraid to stop and think for fear that he would once again resolve to betray me.
     To the left of the path, the mountain dropped away into a sheer cliff.  A roaring cataract leapt freely down the rock and carved a gorge through the mountain range.  The mist from the fall boiled around us until we were drenched.  There were moments when our trail wound behind the waterfall and I could have reached out my hand and felt the crushing weight of the plunging water.
     It is never what you expect.  My mind churned with fears.  I worried we would meet up with another beast like the one before and that we would be unable to escape.  I feared one of us would get sick from lack of water and overabundance of sun.  Most of all, I feared the Khresh would look into Ren’s mind and see that he had revealed all to me and, cutting their losses, they would come to fetch us themselves.  I feared that the path would give way and we would fall to our deaths, crushed beneath tons of granite.
     In the end, it was a tiny rolling pebble that betrayed us.  Ren stepped and that insignificant little rock slid out from under him.  He was already close to the edge and his fatigue was such that he did not realize what was happening until it was too late.  He was over the edge before he could even cry out.
I screamed and ran to the edge, narrowly avoiding falling myself and I saw him hanging there, grasping a dead tree with all his strength. 
     “Ren, hold on,” I believe I yelled to him, but it may have been lost in hysteria.  The rock was wet and slippery.  There was no way to climb down to him.  I searched for a vine, a bit of rope, anything to toss over the edge so I could pull him to safety, but the rock was barren of all life and I had nothing with me but the clothes on my back.  I was gazing helplessly into Ren’s eyes when the tree snapped in his hand and he plummeted into the maelstrom beneath us.
     At that moment, something seemed to connect in my head and I was seeing Ren, even though I was not touching him.  The colours of fear and pain overwhelmed me at first.  I pushed, trying to reach past the colour to see pictures.  I could sense a sickening tumbling and falling.  I could feel him gasp for air, his lungs filling with liquid fire as he slammed into boulders, pulled along by the current.
     I had never felt so helpless.  There was a crushing blow to his head that shook my whole body and I sensed him slipping from consciousness, giving up the fight to stay afloat.  With every fibre of my being, I willed him to stay awake, to fight to return to me, but I could feel his battered body crying out for rest.  I could do nothing but send him my meagre strength.  It wasn’t enough.  He went limp as a rag doll and all his consciousness fled and with it, he took what remained of my strength.
     I struggled to hold the connection with his mind even though he was no longer conscious, but the strain proved too much for my untrained mind and I collapsed on the wet path, the killer falls thundering beneath me, the world drifting away.
 

Reviews

[Katherine Hall]

Vivid descriptions in this chapter--I like them very much! These are the things that move the story along with grace and good attention. Keep that up, for sure!
I am not entirely sold on the importance of the segway into the 'tales of knighthood' anecdote Elyssa relates to readers in the beginning of the chapter. It does not seem to hold much significance, or move the story forward. Since it does serve some small purpose (her quest parallel to that of a knight) I would suggest perhaps making it a small reference, rather than three paragraphs.
I am becoming increasingly curious about these Khresh. What exactly are the extent of their powers? I hope this becomes clearer to the reader as the story continues: were the winged beasts the Khresh, or are the old men Ren described the Khresh? If the birds aren't the Khresh, then what were they? I hope some of these questions are answered later on!
~Katherine

[Martina]

*GASPS* Did he die? Did Ren die? Oh my god.........EEP! I hope he didn't but also Elissa seems to faint a lot but maybe that's just the way it is! I loved it and iIve been waiting forEVER!!! But now I've read it I'll be demanding the next one like NOW so please write the next one ASAP!!!!!!