The evening sun is resting on the tips
of mountains jagged on th'horizon's brim
which Spouse can see, for she is also high
upon the winding path of this ascent
from Earth below to Sky above which was
directed t'her by clues the village found
depicting Pilgrim's path to be toward
this terrifying peak that now she climbs
alone, for there are cannibals among
the caves and paths of this particular 10
ascent of slopes; yet on she presses still,
regardless of her fears, for Pilgrim needs
her help, or so she hopes, for if it turns
out that he dothn't, that is like to mean
already he's been ended on this peak. . .
Nay, stop—she casts the thought upon the rocks
for never could she come t'imagine harm
befalling him; her heart could not sustain
the damage, so she holds her hope in front
of all her fears to shield from their woes, 20
and presses forward up the dusk-lit face
with apprehensions mounting as she climbs,
as eeriness presides the present scene.
Its silence in the face of certain risk
produces incongruity which shapes
a pit inside her stomach, set to drop. . .
. . .And plunge it doth, her eyes now wide and round
upon the sight of two of them before
a cavern's mouth with spears in each their grips
and muscles lin'd with shade by setting sun 30
below a pair of antler'd helmet skulls.
With urgency before they see her form,
she hides behind a rock to think a plan,
whereat she notices another path
above the one they guard, and silently
she sneaks above their sights and looks around
for something like an option she can take,
for certainly they guard an entryway
toward their tunnels where her Pilgrim's kept.
But as she looks upon the shaded walls 40
of solid rock that seem to end in naught,
she knows she must continue with this cave
below that she hath spotted at their rears
by finding here a way to break their guard.
She searches this plateau on which she stands
of stone and sand and grabs a heavy rock
and holds it at the edge above one's head
with aim betwixt the antlers of his helm.
Her apprehensions build again at thoughts
remembering the Owner's lifeless eyes, 50
but once again she knows her lover's life's
in mortal danger, and this mouth they guard's
the greatest chance she hath far as she knows
to find him in their clutches, so she stuffs
her hesitation down inside herself
and drops the rock to fall upon its mark.
A hollow crunch on impact resonates,
which fells the cannibal and causes him
to leak out from his skull a bloody pool;
the other guard looks up and spots our Spouse, 60
now loudly crying out t'alert his aid
whilst running t'ward the path she took to climb
above their heads before. The Spouse from here
now slides and drops from off the edge to fall
beside the bloody body whilst the guard
alive is turn'd away to capture her
and on her landing with the ground doth feel
the tingling shock of impact in her heels,
which she ignores to enter cave before
enforcement can arrive and spot her here; 70
immed'ately upon her entry, though
a voice doth pierce the darkness with these words:
"My love, thou'st come! It's unbelievable!"
our Pilgrim's disembodied voice declares.
"That thou wouldst brave such danger for a man
who can't remember half the life he lives,
for that's the only explanation I
can give for all these situations which
we find me in for thee to save me from."
The Spouse—with arms before herself to touch 80
around the darkness—comes in contact with
our Pilgrim, where the two of them embrace
and she replies: "I've said it once before,
again I'll say the same; I'd walk through flame
to be with thee, for thine is th'heart I love
above all others—even th'one I own."
And here our Pilgrim says: "This ownership
of thine extends beyond the one that beats
inside thy chest, for also thou possess
the one inside of mine, as have I thine. 90
But later may we speak our honey'd words,
for now is time t'escape away from here."
To this the Spouse agrees and adds to this:
"I know a path descending from this place,
but one of those who guarded thee and still's
alive hath call'd for aid, which may impede
our progress down the slope if don't we take
more careful an approach than what I did
in coming here before I handled th'one
who lies upon the rock outside the mouth." 100
Our Pilgrim grimaces upon the sight
as both of them emerge from in the cave,
but isn't given much the chance to dwell
as from the path the Spouse did hope to take
are cannibals who wave their spears and beat
their music instruments and wail cries
accompanied by quick pursuing gait.
The two of them—one hand within the next—
now turn the other way and run along
the mountain path until, ahead of them, 110
another band of cannibals comes round
the corner; but another cave is here
which both they enter, finding this one lit
by braziers made of stone that stink with what
is being burn'd within to keep their flames
alight. They run, their pants reverberate,
and air is tougher here to breathe as it's
not fresh as what they breath'd outside had been.
Behind the cannibals are entering
and shout their cries which echo off the walls, 120
and to the side of Pilgrim's head a twang
erupts as arrows fire from their bows,
and back he looks to see if more will launch
when Spouse exclaims to: "Duck!" but he doth not
quite turn his head in time to see the rock
that hangs much lower from the ceiling here
and blocks their path so that they both must crouch,
resulting in his smacking head upon
the stone and falling back as all goes black,
whereat Pariah wakens, taking hold 130
his knife to swat missile from the air
with not dexterity, but frantic luck
before it hits its mark in Spouse's back.
They crouch below the overhang and come
upon an open area that's fill'd
with many fuming braziers hanging by
some many chains with hooks in ceiling jamm'd
to light the farther corners of the room
and cast from ev'ry item dancing shade
whilst in the centre is an open flame 140
whereon a massive cauldron's bubbling steam
doth find release out from a hole in th'roof,
and all around the pot's a myriad
of sanded slabs of smooth'd and flatten'd stone,
upon a few of which are knives of bone
and some of metal, large enough to chop
through bones of beasts and humans equally,
and some of finer size and sharpness for
precision, for the slicing of the meat.
The Spouse now swallows hard—a sheen of sweat 150
doth form upon her brow; Pariah takes
her hand again and urges them to run,
continuing th'escape the cannibals
through one of many paths that branch from here.
But shadows seem to close from every way
they go and soon the cannibals enclose
on this location that they occupy
with whooping cries of glee and hate alike
and pointed spears directing them toward
the cauldron in the centre of the room. 160