The Unexpected
? Chapter Ten
THE STORY SO FAR: Although what they are doing is forbidden by the Elders, Rainera and Dalton have set off on their trek up the mountain.
Clouds closed in as Rainera and Dalton climbed higher. One minute the village was clearly visible below, the next it was gone, hidden by clouds and mist.
It seemed as if there were no world now but that of the mountain and its
ever-upward slant. The only sound was the crunch of their boots through snow, the only sight that of rocks and trees looming like ghosts through the fog. And the only feeling left was the ache in their legs as they strove against the pull of gravity to keep going, just keep going, step after weary step, higher and higher.
Rainera was too tired to think of what lay ahead. She needed to stay focused and to make sure that her boots didn’t slide between the icy rocks. Twist an ankle on these heights or break a leg, she knew, and it would be a long, hard way back down.
“Dalton,” she said as she paused to catch her breath. “Why didn’t you send them on this trail and let us take the main route? It’s not nearly as steep!”
“Yeah,” he panted, his breath hanging like a cloud between them. “I was just thinking the same thing. Of course, when I drew their map, I didn’t know I’d be going back up, did I?”
“Lame excuse,” she panted.
They started forward again.
At that moment Rainera heard an odd noise from ahead. She stopped. “What’s that? It sounds like voices – and like something’s wrong.”
“Shhh. I hear it, too,” Dalton whispered, keeping his voice low. “It must be the Elders. And it sounds like they’re close. Though in this fog and among these boulders, who knows? Sounds can get all screwy and distances hard to judge.”
They came to a plateau high on the mountain. On clear days the view from this spot, the edge of which hung out over open space, was tremendous, the drop sudden and sheer. Rainera sometimes climbed here on summer days to lie with her head over the edge and see the hills extending, row after row, for hundreds of miles to the distant mountains. Or she could look straight down and see the river winding like a silver snake below. Now all she could see was clouds. And surprisingly, the rocks were less snow covered than they had been further down, and the air was warmer, too. Everything was wet and dripping in the heavy mist. The path they were now on – mostly bare, slippery rock – wound along the cliff edge and disappeared into the fog. She and Dalton would have to be careful. A single misstep could plunge them off the mountain.
They moved forward, staying low, watching carefully where they placed their feet. They wanted to hear what was being said without being detected. When a rock shifted or tumbled, they stopped and waited till the echo died away before going on.
The voices were definitely getting closer. But they realized that they were coming from much farther off than they had thought, for they still saw no one, not even faint shapes in the mist.
“Dalton’s right,” thought Rainera. “The fog and boulders are doing weird things to sounds. Far-off ones seem close, and close ones, far.”
“I’m pretty sure their trail is over this way,” said Dalton, motioning with his head and turning off the trail they had been taking. Just ahead was a bend. From around it, the voices were even clearer. Rainera and Dalton crouched behind a boulder, stayed very quiet, and listened.
“How bad is it, Phil?”
“That’s my father talking,” whispered Rainera. There was concern in his voice.
“As long as I don’t laugh – or breathe, I’m … fine,” came the answer, with a gasp of pain.
“That’s the mayor,” whispered Dalton.
“I can’t believe … I missed my footing. I’ve been up and down this mountain a hundred times … if I’ve been up it once.”
“No point in beating yourself,” said Rainera’s father. “We’ve got to get you down. No. Don’t argue. You’ll freeze lying here. And that broken rib could tear your lung. You’ve got internal bleeding. I can feel the swelling. The sooner we get you down and warm, and someplace where I can examine and work on you, the better. Jenson and I are going to carry you. It will be slow going. And it’s going to hurt. I wish we could do more. I’ll wrap you tight to take some of the strain and ease the pain, but it’s going to be a long, slow, painful trip.”
“No. You’ve got to go on,” gasped the mayor. “The Eagles are waiting. Who knows what will happen … if we don’t show up on time? No meeting has ever taken more … time to put in place than thirty-six hours from when … they land. I’ve got the records since the first time. I know what … I’m saying. Go now. Leave me.”
“No. I’m the doctor! Remember? We go down now, together. Jenson and I will climb back up tomorrow.”
“Right,” said another voice, clearly Jenson’s. “Or if Doc needs to stay with you, I’ll return with someone else.”
“That’s the best we can do,” said Rainera’s father. “You have to accept this and be patient. You know how it goes.”
Rainera and Dalton looked at each other wide-eyed. They had found the official representatives; they had found trouble.
“I know the People’s ways,” gasped the mayor. “But someone … has to go. And now!”
Before Dalton knew what was happening, Rainera was gone, running through the fog, yelling, “I’ll do it! I’ll help!”
Dalton jumped up and started after her, shouting, “Rain, stop! The cliff! Remember the cliff! You’re running straight back toward it! And in this fog, you can’t see the edge!”
• NEXT WEEK: To the Rescue