Forever Young

Chapter Twenty-six. The Road to Engelsbay.

Chapter Twenty-six

The Road to Engelsbay

Erika, given the choice, decided to occupy the front passenger seat of the jeep, next to Lars. Leitus and Janik sat in the back. There was little room to move because personal belongings occupied most of the space. They had piled camping gear on the roof rack, and placed the food supplies, along with the refrigeration unit, behind the back seat. A small trailer, attached a safe distance to the rear, contained essential replacement parts and full petrol containers. 

The road from Cabot led due west towards an imposing bridge spanning the River Palumbo. Potholes pitted the highway, and large cracks covered the entire surface. Progress was slow, but no matter how carefully Lars drove, occasional jolts shook the jeep.  

"Merdi, Crux, Lars! Can't you avoid the bumps?" protested Janik from the back seat. 

"It's damned near impossible. Obviously there's been no maintenance for some time, and alternating freezing and thawing has played havoc with the surface." 

"Wouldn't it have been better to bring the ATV?" 

"It would be smoother, but it consumes so much fuel." 

"Stop Lars! Stop right now!" Erika yelled. She had spotted the buckling in the road ahead. Lars braked and the jeep rumbled to a stop on the edge of a slight drop. A supporting column of the bridge had subsided causing the road to collapse. Luckily they were heading in the right direction, but even so they had to uncouple the trailer, unload the supplies, and gingerly lower the empty jeep and trailer down across a narrow fissure through which they could see the foaming currents of the turbulent river.  

"Any more delays like this, and we'll never reach Engelsbay by nightfall," said Leitus as he helped to reload. 

Once reorganized, the party continued their journey along a highway flanking the western edge of the awesome river. The greatest rivers of Darsis paled in comparison. From one particular rise, they spotted the boiling surge of the Patobo Rapids. The increasing whine of their straining engine indicated that the river's elevation dropped considerably in this region of white water. 

At the head of the rapids, they saw their first signs of habitation. Leitus knew from his reading, that Pergamon had been sparsely populated, but even so, he was unprepared for the vast distances that separated the inhabited areas. It had taken them more than an hour to reach this outpost. 

"Why would anyone want to live here?" Erika queried. 

"Why don't you go and have a look around? See if you three can find out. I'm going to check that building on the other side of the road," said Leitus. 

***** 

. Four small cabins, built in the traditional Myrian style, using local timber and smooth stone, probably garnered from the edges of the nearby river, stood by the roadside. The homes were in a state of disrepair and contained little of interest. At the back of the houses, Lars spotted an overgrown path disappearing into the undergrowth.

"That has to lead somewhere," he said. 

"Probably down to the river," suggested Janik. "Maybe we should follow it. What do you think?" 

"We'll need hatchets by the look of it. That new growth looks quite dense." 

"What do you mean by new growth, Lars?" asked Erika. 

"The forest is just reclaiming land the inhabitants cleared at one time. The trees are mere saplings. People must have been farming here not too long ago. It sort of fits with your idea, Janik."