Chapter 11: The Beast

Berin and Glavino cannot pass the mountain range, so they backtrack straight into the path of the beast.

The Beast

Berin and Glavino traded for bulkier haversacks than the one they commandeered on the path with the leftover supplies and packed them as best they could with the natural food they found in and around Hakkas.

“We know not what strange food awaits us in the Kiriathain Mountains, so it is best to come prepared.”

Starting out from Hakkas as the rays broke the deadlock of darkness, rain began to descend on them. It was not terribly dense rain, but it drove into the heart of Berin. Still, he hastened his footsteps to give up momentum, but also to stave off any hopelessness that may creep up.

“This rain will make it difficult to maintain a foothold,” said Berin as they squelched up the incline, growing muddier and muddier with each step.

“It stinks.”

“Never mind the smell, Glavino.”

“I wish I could, but it stings my nose.”

“I know, we cannot escape it. I wonder from where it comes?”

Ferns dripped water onto the ground around them, their leaves sagging with the rain increase. Here they reached where trees, higher than any Berin had seen, acted like shelter against the rain.

“Look how green everything is!”

Berin nodded in agreement. The canopy above was so high was not certain he could actually see the top. The trees, unknown to Berin, had green moss trickling down the trunks. Surrounding them was stunted growth, not only ferns, but also plenty of silky shrubs. The leaves all pointed outwards away from their trunk or stem, dangling downwards to the ground. Berin noted it was to allow the excess water to flow away from the stem and instead keep the ground moist. A sudden chill broke through Berin’s upper garment. The cooler air was definitely noticeable, even with or without the rain.

“I cannot wait to climb atop this mountain and reach the other side.”

In an instant the landscape altered without warning. The mud disappeared, along with the heavy undergrowth of trees and the pelting rain. A rock face stood before them.

“Gee, this is enormous!”

“Just like home,” Glavino said, reaching inside his nostrils with his index finger.

“What do you mean?”

Glavino felt the rock face with his feet and hands.

 “I have climbed a rock face like this before, Berin.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I have. Why so surprised?”

“I am not, but where have you climbed rock faces such as this?” Berin was already plotting an alternate course in his mind.

Perhaps there is another route, perhaps to the west.

Glavino’s calm voice invaded his thoughts.

“Remember, I live near mountains back home! How else do you think I get nice-tasting mushrooms?”

“Will we not require equipment to help us climb?”

“Let me see, I can see footholds up to there,” Glavino pointed up to a small crevice in the rock face, about twenty-five men above them.

“But has not the rain made it slippery?”

“No, I think we can make it.”

“Are you certain?”

“If I can make it, you can make it.”

Berin’s mouth started to run dry.

“You learnt to climb, all for those mushrooms?”

“Yes.”

“If you can learn for mushrooms, I can learn for my son.”

“Exactly.”

“Let us pause for a drink,” Berin suggested.

I need not a drink. I need time to muster up the courage to tackle the rock face.

It was not the fact he did not want to be outdone by a simpleton such as Glavino. Far from it. Anyway, Glavino was no simpleton. He was as far from being a simpleton as they were from Vergara. It was the desire for his son to be returned was so great that overcoming any fears was the only option he possessed.

I can do it. I have overcome the fear of soldiers when I killed the Keturah soldier, and the thought of dying while escaping the Manas Hu prison. And the slave trader…so much has happened, but I sense there is a long way to go.

Glavino stopped Berin’s thoughts.

“It is best if we climb when the sun is high. Shadows make it harder to find footholds.”

“Let us begin,” replied Berin, his weak voice sounding like the first time Rini hunted for boar.

Glavino began, showing where the footholds were for Berin.

“But it is slippery.”

“Never mind, the sun will soon dry the rock.”

Glavino was correct. It became easier to get a grip of the crag the further they and the sun climbed.

“I am surprised how many cracks and crevices there are across the crag.”

Glavino showed a path formed across the face. It was not a direct ascent into the sky; there was a slight angle, before it turned and angled back in the other direction.

“I never noticed this at the bottom.”

“Sometimes you tackle a problem to find the answer.”

“How profound, Glavino.”

“Profound?”

“Wise.”

“Ah.”

Berin soon lost track of his fear and concentrated on tracking Glavino’s footholds.

After an hour of solid rock climbing, the two found a ledge on where to rest. They did not talk, but there was no need. Berin knew Glavino was peckish, as he was rubbing his stomach and pouting his lips. Glavino knew Berin was content, almost proud, with himself, presumably from having climbed this section of the crag. Berin gave Glavino some nuts they had packed. He only drank water to lighten the load for the next phase.

“How are your arms?” asked Glavino.

“Sore.”

“Use leg muscles to push; they are larger than your arm muscles.”

Berin had not thought of that.”

“Thanks.”

“Keep going, Berin,” said Glavino, swallowing the last of the nuts. He arose and began climbing. Berin quickly tied up his haversack and tightened it onto his back. In his urgency, he took to the crag too quickly and nearly fell back to the ledge.

“Careful, Berin. You must be like a sneal.”

Suddenly, from below them, a blood-curdling scream reverberated off the rock and into the deep unknown.

“The beast?” asked Berin, remembering the stories of this scream.

“Must be.”

“It must be close.” The sheer proximity of it caused them to freeze on the rock face as though any movement would end their lives. Bumps crawled across Berin’s skin. He gripped the rock face until his fingers ached.

Once again the scream pulsated through the valley, and some rustling could be heard in the trees below.

“Climb!” cried Glavino. They shot up the cliff as fast they could manage. Berin nearly slipped but kept his composure. Soon both were at the top. They ran away from the cliff face and the strange noise below until they reached the next challenge.

“There really must be a monster about the place,” said Glavino. His face whitened like the clouds above.

My face must be as well.

“Terrifying as it is, we must keep moving.”

“Good idea.”

For an hour they attempted to raise their bodies up the next crag. Up they climbed, each time reaching a point where Glavino could climb no further. Each time they descended and attempted another route.

“It is futile,” said Berin.

“There must be a way,” said Glavino as he started a fourth attempt up the cliff. Again, after a few moments, he looked below to Berin.

“Descend again, Berin.”

“Surrender, Glavino.”

“Never.”

“We must find shelter. I suspect the rain will return.”

Glavino looked into the sky. Dark clouds covered the sun. Misty rain could be seen in the distance, edging closer to them. Glavino raised his palms, then punched the rock face.

“Argh!” he cried. They reached the bottom, where they started the second phase, and walked in the opposite direction from which they first starting the climb. There were no trees at the top of the cliff as far as they could see, only rock, so they ventured away from the cliff in a southerly direction.

After an hour, they reached some woodland that seemed to slope downwards.

“Phew,’ said Berin. “Does that mean there will be no crag descent? That is far worse than an ascent.”

“Are we not going to climb up?”

“I think not, Glavino. We should retreat and find an alternate route.”

“I am worried about the monster below.”

“True. But we are safe, for now at least.”

“Safe?”

“How can the monster get us up here? Unless it can fly…”

Glavino’s tapping against his hip started.

“Fly? We must leave.”

“Nonsense. We are safe. Now, let us find some shelter. The rain will start soon.”

 

Berin and Glavino found plenty of dry bunches of crackling bush, despite the earlier rain, and made a warm fire before the sun began to find its resting place. They found a strange-smelling bush, one neither had seen before in the shape of a tiny cave. It provided great shelter from the wind. They settled their belongings inside and ate some of the bread with odd-tasting seeds.

As the sun was beginning to set, and Berin was placing wood on the fire, he could feel Glavino’s eyes following him.

“You want to ask me a question?”

“Berin, you were born in Vinues, not in Vergara. Tell me, how did you and Juolo meet?”

Berin’s eyes began to gleam as they looked back, back to the day when he met the woman he instantly loved. He fiddled with the beads on Juolo’s necklace, repaired by Glavino and now tied to his belt as a constant reminder of his lover, as he told the story.

“I was walking through the woods near your home one vero, picking some berries, when I spotted a young lady walking along the path that leads up to Mount Chifre. She was so beautiful, so radiant, so wonderful to look at. So I thought I would follow her. She must have had the same idea as I did, for she was also picking berries. After she filled her basket full of berries, she returned the way she came. The next vero, she returned, and I decided to converse with her. As I climbed down from the tree, we both were startled by a noise. Looking we could see a large dog coming in our direction. I looked to her; her eyes wild with fear. She strode towards my tree and pointed upwards. I nodded. We both climbed and sat at the top, me about half a branch length above her, to give her some room. By golly, she was so beautiful, and I could hardly keep my eyes away from her. The dog, meanwhile, barked incessantly at the base of the tree. It soon grew bored and left, possibly to scavenge for some other prey, leaving the two of us alone. At first she was a little frightened by me, for I knew only a little Vergaran, but soon she warmed to me and we talked right through the vero. We arranged to meet at a certain tree each week, and soon we fell in love. Each week, Juolo would teach me some Vergaran, and I would teach her about all the fruits in the woods, about which ones were good and which were evil. Except those ones I nearly ate the other vero. I never knew about them.”

Glavino giggled.

“She knew most of them already,’ Berin continued, ‘but there were some she thought were fine to eat, but are indeed poisonous.

“We wed in secret and it was not until later that we told her mother and father. They were furious and wanted nothing to do with her. Time has now passed and her mother has resumed relations with her. Only her father will not speak to her. That is why we now live out on the plains, near the stream.

“She saved my life, Juolo did. I was to die out there in the wilderness. I mean, not from the elements, but from loneliness, from a lack of contact with my own kinship. She restored hope back to a man that had hope removed by the Alangans.”

The two talked long into the night about Juolo until Berin’s voice collapsed with exhaustion.

“Juolo always mentioned you were good friends. How long have you known each other?”

Glavino’s eyes gleamed in the deep firelight.

“Since we were babies. Our families always worked together. We always played together.”

“You must care about her a great deal.”

“I do.”

“Thank you for coming with me.”

“Of course.”

Glavino, with warning, made his way to the bush cave. Berin stoked the fire while eating the last of the seeds. His eyes began to droop. He placed the stoking stick alongside him and crept into the cave.

“Still awake, Glavino?”

“Mmm.”

“It’s cold. Lie close to me. That may help.”

“Just remember in your dreams, I am not Juolo.”

“Ha! You will never, ever, remind me of my sweet wife.”

They both struggled to get comfortable lying down, for the ground was rough. Glavino suggested they sit back to back. Sheer exhaustion took over and they both fell asleep, content with their achievements for the day.

A distant, ruffling sound stirred Berin out of the dark, deep sleep. At first he thought it was a dream, but when he realised he was conscious, the ruffling sound grew louder. Something was approaching them. Berin shifted into a standing position as Glavino, who was leaning on him, fell backwards and woke with a startled cry. At that, the rustling noise stopped. Berin grabbed Glavino. He pulled him to his feet, motioning for him to be silent. Something was out there, something nearby, and Berin did not desire to reveal their position. Was it the monster? If it was, Berin clasped for his sword on the ground. He found the hilt by feel and raised it at the ready, ready to fight, ready to kill.

Suddenly from behind them, where they thought the cave-shaped bush was most dense, a figure leaped at them. Berin reacted the quickest and swivelled around on his leg. He plunged the sword towards the figure, about the same size as them.

“A bear!” thought Berin aloud. He did not pause to ponder if his guess was correct. Berin simply continued stabbing at the figure, keeping it at a distance. There was a mighty hole where there once was bush. The figure had gnawed through without their knowledge!

“It would soon realise my swordsmanship at night is not very effective, and will attack,” he half-said to Glavino, whose presence was unknown to Berin.

From behind him, Glavino jumped back into the cove of the bush. Berin did not see him exit before. He grasped a branch covered with fire, and thrust it forth at the figure. The figure screeched, similar to the sound they had heard earlier that day.

It is the monster, no doubt!

And it hated fire, for every time Glavino thrust the flames forth, the monster retreated into the bush, snarling and screeching like a trapped animal. Berin wanted to capture it inside the bush.

“Light the bush with fire, Glavino!” yelled Berin as he exited the bush and ran around to the rear. If the monster retreated into the hole, Berin would try to stab him with the sword.

Glavino lighted the base of the strange-smelling bush. It was a great accelerant. The flames rose like the speed of lightning, only reaching upwards instead of towards the ground. The monster screeched and screamed. Both men had to cover their ears, though Glavino found it difficult while clenching a large, lighted stick. As the flames soared well above their heads, the monster jumped out of the cove of the bush, and ran off, too swift for Berin to react. Its now ablaze figure resembled a bear, and yet it was not. It was wider at the hips, rather than the stomach, and ran more on its hind legs like a man than on all four legs.

“No seven heads like in the tales, only one.”

The monster continued running, the flames flickering larger. Berin wondered if there was a creek or river nearby to quench the flames, and immediately ran in the same direction as the monster.

“I have to make sure the beast dies!”

Berin ran into the darkness, following the glow of the crazed animal as it wildly darted between the trees. After a time, he slowed down and saw the last part of the flames disappear behind the growth. He lifted his head to the skies and gulped for air. After a while, his breath returned.

By this stage Glavino had caught up. He, too, required air back in his lungs. They stood there, crouched over, panting, though Berin was only half pretending by now.

“We keep chasing it, in case it recovers,” gasped Glavino.

“Agreed.”

Glavino started jogging away.

“It went this way, Glavino,’ Berin pointed. It was futile, in the moonless dark, for body language. ‘To your adunai, silly. I shall lead the way.”

They headed where Berin last saw the flaming beast. Berin was uncertain exactly where to run, but when they slowed again, Glavino noticed in the slightest of moonlight that patches of grass were singed at regular intervals.

“That must be the beast’s footprints.”

“How can you see them?”

Glavino gave no answer. Instead, he quickly picked up the trail and set off into the darkness. The darkness did not last for long. Lightning struck in the distance.

“Here comes the rain you mentioned,” said Glavino.

“Rain will quench the flames.”

“We must find the beast!”

“Keep going! I am right behind.”

Further lightning interrupted Berin’s night vision. The thunder rolled in moments later.

“We still have time before the rain comes,” he gasped.

Berin, following Glavino, soon spotted the now-familiar glow of the beast. He raced past Glavino, sword at the ready to defend himself. As he reached the flames, the figure attached to the flames was not moving.

“It is dead.”

They had defeated the monster. Relief awashed Berin as he sank to his knees. Glavino dropped to the ground in breathless agony by his side. They both let out a lengthy sigh as the raindrops began falling on their head.

Berin felt deep inside they had cheated death. It would not be the last time, either.