Eternal Darkness (The Cimmerian Cycle #1)

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

It was about week later when they finally stopped to rest and there was no wood for the fire so they set their bed rolls up miserably. Kiayani was shaking with cold. She lay down in her damp blankets and closed her eyes. Her body was shivering, and her teeth were chattering. She then felt movement close by her. She rolled over to see Mik setting up his bedroll beside Kiayani’s. They were so close when he lay down that they were touching. Concern was clear in his eyes. Wordlessly he wrapped his arms around Kiayani and she tried to push him away. What was he doing?

“You’ll freeze,” he said simply in a whisper.

Knowing he was right she stopped struggling, but she still felt like it was wrong somehow. He shouldn’t be this nice to lie close to. She was close enough to count his eyelashes. Feeling her heart pound and her head spin she moved closer to his chest beneath her blankets. He seemed to be immune to the cold and his body gave off a lot of heat. Feeling slightly uncomfortable she wriggled closer to him trying to stay warm.

Kiayani felt like she was invading his personal space but she couldn’t help herself. Her teeth had stopped chattering. She looked into his eyes as she whispered, “Aren’t you cold?”

He gave a little smile, “Not when I’m with you.”

Kiayani’s heart missed a beat and blood rose in her cheeks faster than a wild horse. More embarrassed than ever she buried her face into his chest and tried to get to sleep. She thought she heard him give a slight chuckle before consciousness slipped out from beneath her.

It was the shouting that woke her up. Her head was resting on something very comfortable, a pile of blankets perhaps? She kept her eyes shut but couldn’t help but listen.

“What do you think you were doing?” Koran’s voice yelled.

“She was cold,” Mik yelled back, “I wasn’t going to let her freeze.”

Kiayani opened her eyes quickly and shut them again, they were talking about her. About last night. There was no doubt that it was about her, she was the only girl in the camp. The thought that she had slept so close to Mik made her feel embarrassed. That was what they must have been arguing over.

“It is disrespectful,” snapped Koran.

“I wasn’t hurting her, she could have gotten sick and that is the last thing we need.” Mik said loudly.

“I don’t care! While I am in charge she will still be treated like a lady!” Koran’s words sounded final.

“Fine,” Mik said icily.

Kiayani heard the crunching of gravel get louder and she opened her eyes to see Mik storming towards her. He flung himself into a frenzy, hastily shoving his possessions into his pack. The girl sat up and starting packing up her own things. She folded the blanket which she had been using as a pillow up and placed it by Mik’s gear. He didn’t acknowledge her or even look up. Feeling as though the events of last night might of have ruined their friendship she tightened to drawstring of her bag and gave a sigh.

The rest of the time she walked that day Mik would not talk to her, let alone look at her. She felt the coldness like a large splinter of ice sticking out of her side. It was not fair that he had been told off. Mik was only helping her. If only she had had the strength to say no. Sure she would be cold, but Mik would be still be friendly towards her. Her heart ached for his company.

Feeling angry with Koran and Mik not talking to her, Kiayani spent most of that day’s trek with the twins and Leo.

It took them another week or so before they began climbing the main peak of the range. The trekking was steep and hard on their backs as the wound around the mountain.

It too threw its own obstacles at them. Large boulders made them divert. There were a few spots where there were deep ravines that had to be crossed. Each of them was nearing the end of their nerves. It was hard work and they really had to work together.

The first time they had to cross a ravine they did so very carefully. It was only metre or so across  so they almost missed it the first time. Leo had been walking in front and had almost fallen in if Koran had grabbed the back of his bag and jerked him back. He swung his arms wildly in circles.

Mik had crept close to the edge and peered over, “Wow, it goes really deep.”

Koran took a look as well and he frowned, “We are going to have to be very careful going about crossing it.”

“Maybe we should go around,” Leo said, eyeing it with mistrust.

Koran looked at Mik who gave him a nod and then down the ravine. He didn’t seem to be able to tell how long it was. Then he stood back up and turned away from them.

“I’m sure we can all make it if we jump. I’ll go first and help you guys across.”

Kiayani looked at the large crack in the ground nervously. She didn’t think she could make it.

She watched as Koran jogged a bit back and then turned to face the ravine. Kiayani and the others moved aside so that he would have a clear path. He broke into a run. Just before he hit the edge he leap and easily landed on the other side, rolling on the ground.

“See, easy,” he said from the other side. Koran dropped his bag on the ground and waved the next person across.

Rute, Yulan and Leo were all on the other side and it was finally Kiayani’s turn. She looked at it nervously. It was very deep and she didn’t want to fall. She moved back and broke into a run but she stopped right before the edge. Nerves had gotten the best of her.

Mik put a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, “You’ve faced giant, blood thirsty spiders with no more than a knife. I’m sure you can do it.”

Re-motivated by his encouragement she went back and after taking a deep breath, ran. Just before she reached the edge she jumped off as hard as she could. The blood was pounding through her ears and adrenaline running through her veins.

She flew through the air, watching as the ledge came closer. Then her feet touched the ground and it took her a split second to realise what was happen. The ground crumbled slightly beneath her and she felt herself falling. It all happened so fast. She tried to move forward and she felt hands close around her wrists, pulling her back in. Fear coursed through her and then at the same moment she found herself on solid ground, breathing hard.

Kiayani then felt another, gentler, pair of hands lift her up and guide her away from the edge by a large boulder. She was having troubling seeing anything and lights were flashing in her eyes. Even with the spiders she had never felt closer to death.

She heard another pair of feet touchdown and she assumed that it must have been Mik.

“Are you all right?” Leo asked her.

“Yeah, I’m fine,’ she said in a voice that was unlike her own.

The girl pulled herself to her feet, she didn’t want to keep the others waiting.

It seemed that even after his brief talk with Kiayani that Mik was still being indifferent to her and she ended up talking to Leo even when her heart ached terribly. Koran also seemed out of it. He had become more focused, always staring up at the peak.

Kiayani felt that they were lucky that there was no snow, if there had been it would have made their journey all the more difficult and painful. They all slept reasonably close together, for they were so high up they got cold very quickly.

 

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