Snippets

Chapter 6

We stopped for lunch in the middle of the desert. Closer to nowhere than anywhere, and farther from anywhere than nowhere.

So far, my attempts to get any information from iron-jaw had been fruitless, and, as we flopped down on the bigger red boulders that occasionally lined the highway, I was near giving up.

Sinking my teeth into the chunk of cheese Future had probably bought sometime last night, I let my thoughts wander. My eyes followed suit, perusing the barren landscape in front of me. We were closer to the mountains, almost imperceptibly, but closer nonetheless. I was grateful. My sore muscles from this morning would only feel tighter tomorrow, and it was bound to get worse the more we stopped and the farther we travelled. It had been too long since I'd attempted such veracious travel. Normally the towns I switched between were a mere days hike away at most.

How far were we going this time? Was that why Kiza had ordered an escort? I pictured the country in my mind. So far, we had taken the road as straight south as it went from Fallohn. After the last town, the absent traffic we had passed before was even more completely absent, if that's possible. It was only us, the sagebrush, and the red rocks around us, with taller ones rising closer in the distance.

I knew the next town on this road was hidden in the Palehrodo Mountains. It had once been a prized city, flourishing in the higher altitudes of the mountains. Hanging gardens bedecked its walls, trailing down the red stone into the river cut around the city. Bridges were in huge abundance, crossing the chuckling water from almost every side of the city. The water flowed year-round then, spurring the growth of the gardens, and the joy of the people. I had never had the privilege of witnessing the beauty, and I wondered what it would be like now.

Curiosity grew in me at the thought, what if the flourishing city was still flourishing, unlike the rest of the once-green landscape? I stood up eagerly, and Future popped the rest of the cheese in his mouth before standing also, following my gaze to the mountains.

His gaze returned to me after a moment, "What do you see?" he asked.

"My future," I replied, smiling ironically, "This road only leads to one place. Are you taking me there? Is it as beautiful as it was?" I wondered how long it would be before he clammed up again, and intended to make the most of the opportunity.

He shrugged, "Only one way to find out." Without further ado, he paced onto the road again, looking back to be sure I followed.

"How long until we reach the mountains?" I asked as I kicked up dust beside him.

"Sunset." He replied shortly, a grim expression crossing his face, "Tonight will be dangerous." He cautioned, glancing at me, "Be sure to stay close."

I cocked an eyebrow curiously at him, "There's no-one out here for miles around, you could see their dust trail if there was."

"Not all things are as they seem." He replied, smiling tightly.

"Well there aren't any wild animals left out here, anyway. They've all moved toward the cities, so what is there to be dangerous?"

"Not all things are as they seem." He repeated, staring into the mountains.

I followed his gaze, huffing slightly at his seemingly-unfounded fear. The mountains were as still and silent as ever. I doubted now that even the city was alive. Nothing could live out here except the sun and the rocks. Oh, and that crazy sagebrush. But still, I wanted to see the city. There's nothing like seeing a place you've never seen before.

I asked a few more meaningless questions as we travelled, but received no answers, and settled into the pace, knowing my sore feet wouldn't last many more days.

Evening came sooner than I expected, as the mountains that had now closed in on our left eagerly pulled the sun into their bellies, leaving us in the dusk.

"Almost there." Future muttered, unconsciously reaching for my arm. He took it gently, but increased our pace until we were almost running. Okay, definitely running--I panted for breath, feeling wholly like a blob, or totally out of shape, whichever way you'd like to put it.

The sky had completely turned black to the east, and to the west it was the color of bruised skin. Without warning, my escort yanked me off the road and into the low sage, our feet scrambling for ground not covered by the plant. I suppose it wasn't consequence, then, that I found myself with my face in one of them, or later I persuaded myself it wasn't consequence, because I had actually been yanked to the earth by some inhuman force that was apparently very human, and currently in the form of Future, who then hissed, "Stay still and don't make a sound," in my ear.

Of course, he would then completely vanish from my limited vision, forced as it was to face the network of tiny sage branches below me, and leave me with no greater urging than to move and to make many sounds.

Many, many sounds.

He was fortunate, then, that he returned in good time, before whichever side was my better side (because the better side always wins, even if it's in ill company) could release such sounds.

He lay down next to me on his back, moving his shoulders around and sighing in comfort. I could barely make out his outline by this point, but it was enough to see that he had closed his eyes. Suddenly one popped open and blinked at me. A smile tugged at his lips, "Comfy?" he asked sarcastically.

I graced him with an equally sarcastic snort, "Have I your permission to move, now?"

"Not yet." He said, his teeth catching the light of the moon in a grin.

It was silent for about five seconds.

"Okay, now you have my permission."

I grumbled about the unfairness of life incoherently under my breath as I shifted my face away from my pillow of sage, laying down between two of the plants and plopping my arms under my head. "So," I started, "Any explanation for your random actions earlier?"

He was quiet for a minute, and I knew it must be something serious. But what he said didn't sound very serious at all, "Checking to see if you could follow directions."

The feeling that that wasn't the truth only grew as he started to justify his reasoning.

I propped myself up on an elbow to peer at him over a branch of sage, "I guess I don't get to hear the real reason?" I asked calmly.

He jerked his head to look at me, shock registering on his face for a brief moment before he smoothed it down into a calm mask.

"No." he said, closing his eyes and leaning back to rest.

I grunted, laying back down and watching the stars.

A rock dug into my rib.

Nearby sage rattled in protest as its new neighbor, a rock, bounced into place beside it.

I sighed contentedly as I rubbed my back into the rock-free dirt beneath me.

A moment of precious silence passed as I closed my eyes, imagining the hard ground beneath me as a lush bed of comfortable grass. Or maybe a cloud...

"Was that necessary?" A voice hissed out of the darkness.

I jerked my eyes open, then smiled, "Oh yes, yes it was."

He grumbled something under his breath before saying, "Try to be less conspicuous next time, okay?"

"Mhm." I mumbled, my eyes drooping shut again as my tired muscles told me just exactly precisely how they felt about recent treatment, and what they said was tired.

My mind fled toward unconsciousness at an incredibly quick rate, and my breathing slowed to compensate, but before I was fully out, the gentle words, "Sleep well" drifted into my thoughts, lulling me fully into dreamland.