The Deepcombers

Chapter Thirteen

Clyde went wide-eyed at the revelation. He stared thoughtfully at the device as though trying to comprehend some hard-to-forecast future outcome of this auspicious development.

"Think again fool," the big cat growled. "If you carry that murder stone you'll doom us all."

"How's that?"

"You heard him. Such things have propensity," Jarl said. "You have a decision to make. Take-on that load and endure its trial, or throw it away and let's all journey together toward our homes."

"No. I will carry it," Lon said defiantly. He'd already made up his mind. "You can follow me. Or go your own way."

Silence.

"I'll follow Lonastasius," Clyde said.

Jarl looked ready to say something even more insulting, but Tharus covered his mouth.

"Come on," the swampkin likely worried he'd be the one left behind to nurse the big cat through a cursed wilderness. "Jusst keep tha thing away from uss."   

-

The mounds of rubble behind the roc's nest were alive with shorebirds of all sizes.  Lon had no doubt these flying fowl were also airborne killers who'd grow into monsters like their mother. None of the avian antagonists overhead seemed overly large at present, but they were really mad. They screamed with anger because they hated being hunted in their own habitat. The young lad looked back and saw how there was indeed a boiling mass above and behind, just as Jarl had described. They clustered there in growing brigades ready to dive and hammer unguarded shoulder blades.

This was the bird's realm and they were unwelcome guests. The residents had worked hard over many years to make their roost unfit for any other beings. An inch-thick carpet of creamy white dung covered the ground and dead fish heads could be seen all around the stone piles. The whole area exuded a pungent stench. The rubble strewn roost was coated with goose-down from centuries of summer nests and each sudden flight produced a flurry of fluff that soon covered the four fugitives.

"Group tight," Jarl commanded. "Lonny you walk ahead." The veteran arranged the company whereby he walked backwards with his arms around the necks and shoulders of Clyde and Tharus who lifted the injured cat to take his weight. In this way the four intruders made a square. They had one pair of eyes and one free arm available to defend each direction as they moved. Clyde was on the left and he watched the river, while Tharus was on the right and scanned the eastern slopes. Each supported the big cat who kept his eyes on the sky behind. In this way they passed through the aviary without incident despite the birds' airborne intimidations.  

The Pillars loomed-up over the promontory ahead and Lon picked a path toward the gap between the granite peaks. As the leader, and with the Death Stone chained around his neck, it fell upon him to find the way forward. He went first and hoped the others would watch his back. 

Just as he'd imagined, the river ran fast between the mountains and there was a rubble strewn causeway in-between. But several unsafe water obstacles prevented the party from following the stream directly. In search of a solution, he studied the ground. After a moment's pause he spied a footpath which continued-on toward menacing crags. It wasn't until he got closer that he saw how crude stairs had been chiseled into the rock.

The quartet climbed single-file up the riser until they found themselves in a flat canyon that stretched for several miles between the tooth-shaped Pillars. A stiff breeze blew through the gap. The four refugees moved slow and scrupulously maintained their square

It was noon and cloudy and the birds continued to circle. The river thrashed through a deep gorge on their left and the sound sent shivers down Lon's spine. He knew that to fall into that trench would bring certain death for there'd be no escaping that torrent. Anyone caught in that scar would surely get sucked away and carried out over the waterfall.  Ahead was more rubble and the beginnings of a rock-meadow. On the horizon between the cliffs was a dark green haze that hinted at the possibility of an alpine forest.