Chapter 37

4.9K 91 0
                                    

Cassidian

I had been climbing silently in the mist for minutes on end when I started to lose hope.  Wrapped in the cool gray as I was, I had no bearing, no idea how far up I actually was.  I moved quickly, trying to hear any sign of Myria or Lei above me, but the higher I went the incessant humming of the desalination tower became louder and louder, like the dim roar of an engine.

     But then another gust of wind blew all of my doubt away.

     I could feel the mist rip from me like molting skin as the dark sky beyond became visible.  I looked down and for a split second panicked as I realized the incredible height I had attained.  Pinpricks of color lay far below me – the enraptured audience engaged in the show which was already underway.  Back at eye level I could see red glittering bodies somewhat nearer spinning as they descended from above like spiders, entangled in their shimmering ribbons.

     Just then, beyond the dim roar of the black tower next to me I heard a scream from above and looked up.

     Myria was surprisingly close – perhaps ten rungs up from where I hung.  She was looking down, holding onto one of the metal spokes by wedging it tightly into a crooked arm bent at the elbow.  Her gray shoes dangled wildly off the lattice as she struggled to find it again.  Lei was above her and looked at me with an open mouth, clearly surprised.  He had something in his hand which was bright blue and somewhat elongated.  At first I feared it was a weapon of sorts, but soon I realized it was only a nanoline gun.

     “Hold on,” I screamed upwards in Nahese so she would understand.  “And don’t look down.”  I wasn’t concerned about drawing any attention with my voice, knowing that both the sound of the tower next to me and my remote location would conceal it from the audience below.

Another inopportune gust of breeze turned our way, bringing a wide tendril of mist back over me as I quickly climbed upwards.  Myria and Lei were lost again in the gray, and I continued blindly until I could hear her voice clearly.  She was saying my name, and I called out to her repeatedly, telling her I was there.

     By the time I reached her feet, they were already firmly planted on the lattice again and I climbed up next to her, feeling her shiver violently as she clutched the metal lattice tightly with white knuckles.

     “It’s alright,” I said, putting a free arm around her, standing at her side.  She was obviously petrified of the height, refusing to move her arms or body at all, and when she spoke to me, her teeth clattered within her tight jaw.

     “I didn’t know where you went,” she said.  “Thank the Mother Sea you’re back.”

     “I’m sorry I left you.  You must be scared and confused beyond belief.”

     “What happened to you?” she asked with a hint of anger.  “You pushed me out of that place and I thought you were behind me.  But when I turned back you were gone.”

     “Blue tried to kill me.  It slowed me down.”

The Gardener of NahiWhere stories live. Discover now