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Chapter 54

"Ash. We're not alone."
I hear Coal's voice, distantly, warbled through the haze that's surrounding me, pulling me in. But even then, I sense the forced calm, and it's the slight waver in his voice that actually gives me a good reason to sit up and open eyes. What could happen that makes Coal, fearless Royal warrior prince, scared? Oh...
For the first time, I get a good view of the peak. Imagine a two hundred foot diameter bowl, the walls rising a good ten feet up above the rest of the floor, which levels out fifteen or so feet from the edge. Darkness clouds my vision, and my head is pounding painfully-I'm on the verge of death, I know it... But even my muddled brain can pick up what lies in front of me.
There's an entire herd of them. And they're huge.
"Crap." I mutter, my lips cracking when they move, and sticky blood moistens my dry tongue.
The wind changes it's angle, then, and ruffles the thick white hair running up the creature's backs. I estimate there's around fifty of them, all about the size of Pine's small house, all big enough to tear us apart without a second thought, all their backs rising and falling with steady, sleeping breathing.
Suddenly my legs start to shake violently, and I fall to my knees, dry heaving until my chest aches. My elbows locked, arms braced against the ground, still shaking, I glance up to Coal, who's still trying to be strong, but has collapsed against the steep wall behind him, using the remaining strength in his arms to hold himself up while his legs have gone numb.
I just don't care anymore. Let the monsters have at me. I'm dead anyways. I've almost died so many times in the past few days, I'm not even surprised, not even scared. The physical stress of the hike is something that might almost have killed me even when my stomach is full and I'm hydrated. I want it to end.
"Coal..." I murmur, my voice dry and painful to hear. "Wh-Why did we do this to ourselves?" My arms begin to shake, and I fall to my chest, barely able to roll over to my back.
Finally, even he can't hold on anymore, and he falls to the ground as well, though at least he can retain a sitting position, of sorts. He looks down at me, and, for maybe just a second, Stone is there again, there to protect me. "I would have thought that was obvious. So the Rulers don't win, of course. So for once, they're the ones stranded and feral in the Wild, with no protection, nothing."
I almost say, 'You're one to talk', but decide that would be a waste of my remaining breath. Instead, I say, "Then it was all in vain, Coal. They did win. The Rulers won again.
I'm seeing Coal, now, his eyes growing hard and narrowing, once again proud and haughty. "Don't say that. No."
"Why not?" I manage to pick myself up on my elbows, glaring at him. "It's true, isn't it? They've won!"
"No," He says again, shaking his head, looking a little confused, almost as if he's arguing with himself. Maybe he is. Maybe Stone and Coal are fighting over what to say. He looks up, and his eyes are lit by a cold fire when they land on the sleeping Beasts.
"No, they haven't."