Eternal Darkness (The Cimmerian Cycle #1)

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

When Leo woke her, she lay there for a few more minutes than she would have normally done. Her eyelids seemed glued shut, and she assumed that it was probably for lack of sleep. However she managed to force them open and very sleepily she packed away her belongings. Her shoulders ached when she looked at her bag. She had been lugging that thing around for a months now and her shoulders were always red. She didn’t bother the others with this information; they had too much to worry about.

“You didn’t get much sleep, did you Kiayani?” Leo asked her, staring at her eyes.

“No, not really,” she said shrugging it off, “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.”

She could tell by the look on his face that he was worried. She tried to smile at him but he turned his head and shouldered his pack onto his good arm (the other was still in a sling).

When they got going, Koran’s compass told them that they would have to wade across the river. Mik argued (for what Kiayani thought was probably her sake) that they she go around and find another way to go west.

“That will take far too long,” said Koran.

Then she had a brain wave, “why don’t we follow the river?” she asked, she could vaguely remember the lesson where her tutor had told her how rivers flowed from the mountains.

She quickly explained this to the others and they nodded enthusiastically before Koran pointed something important out, “This river flows north-south,” he said, “We want to go west. If we follow this river then we would have to go to the very northern end of the ranges and swing back around to the centre. In other words it won’t save us time.”

“What time?” said Mik, he was starting to get angry, “it’s not like we are on a race or anything. We have all the time in the world.”

Koran snapped, “People are dying as we speak, of starvation or because of monsters. Probably even both. We have been walking for weeks now and how much closer are we to our goal?”

“We have our own safety to think about Koran,” Mik said as the others and Kiayani stared at them, “What good will it do if one of us is killed?”

“I think you are forgetting who is in charge,” said Koran icily, “Everyone here knew the risks. We would all die to give our Kingdom back its long awaited sun.”

Mik backed off after that. He had his head bowed when he said, “If you think it is right.”

“We go across the river then,” said Koran looking around at his companions.

Kiayani stared at the two boys; she had just witnessed another one of their arguments. Mik was clearly worried about the safety of the group and Koran was just trying to do the right thing.

Very silently they marched to the side of the river. Then Kiayani heard a very familiar sound.

“Stop,’ she said to the others, making them halt.

The blood drained from her face and she whipped around and accidently backed into Leo.

“Kiayani what’s wrong,” asked Koran.

She raised an arm in the direction of where the sound was coming from. From what she could make out there was more than one this time. Then they emerged, a whole herd of them.

Mik laughed and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Kiayani that’s a moose, it is not going to hurt you,” he said, his face growing slightly red.

She looked at the beasts which were making their way to the river, seemingly oblivious to the fact five boys and one girl were standing at the shore. Moose.