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Keira had slept fairly well in Maude’s hideout. She praised the woman for having an eye for safety. The creatures that had chased her the night before hadn’t resurrected after the energy shock. Keira still didn’t quite understand what had happened. She sucked on her finger where the cut was. She understood her blood must have activated something, but it didn’t make sense. Artizan wasn’t supposed to have any technology on the island anymore, since the split from Vertex. It was forbidden. The whole point was to live a simple life, with nature. Some towns took that further than others. There were places along the coastline where the buildings were just rickety sticks held together with vines. Her town, in comparison, was a lot more lavish, but it was excused because of the harsh winters. At least that’s what they said. Even then, they ensured that there was only fire for cooking and basic devices made from wood and rope to engineer and build.
They had some of the best mechanical minds around in Artizan, and yet, Keira had realised, that just because you know how to put two and two together doesn’t mean you have common sense. Keira crawled out of Maude’s hideout. The morning sun was only now peering over the horizon. Her stomach rumbled, but there was nothing she could do about that. If she was going to get anywhere near the top of the great waterfall mountain, she was going to have to skip foraging for breakfast and get going.
The way out from the forest became easier. The pink hues of the morning sun shone through, showing where the forest got lighter. The dark blues and greens that seemed to hug her in the swamp now turned to bright greens and yellows. Life started to wake up all around her. As Keira was a child, she paid no attention to the wildlife and took it for granted, as only the youth can.
But she did appreciate the noises, as it meant that the biggest danger around was herself. The silence that had swept over when those other foul beasts chased her yesterday was long gone. As she walked around, boulders and rocks revealed themselves, and she could feel in her calves that the terrain was slowly ascending. The change from forest to mountainside was subtle, because the waterfall caused rivers that ensured the greenery stayed green all the way along most of its side. But eventually Keira found herself using her hands to hoist herself onto rocks.
The Shadow cat, or Shadow as Keira decided to call it, didn’t seem to even notice the uneven landscape. She easily pounced on creatures too quick and small for Keira’s eyes, and darted past her when she had to stop to gasp for breath. The hike was becoming a bit much for her low energy. She wished she had taken a moment to forage, as her tummy ached from the lack of nutrition. The little paths disappeared, and she had to look up at small cliffs and crevices to decide the best way up. Once or twice, her foot slipped, and she heard stones and pebbles bounce their way down to the bottom. She dared not look down herself, else she knew she would panic at the height. Instead, she focused upwards, towards the top. The cool air breezing on her cheeks told her all she had to know about the altitude she was at.
She heard water roaring and realised one of the many waterfalls on the mountain must be close by. She needed to only climb a little further, and she would be at some large ledge that seemed fairly sufficient. She could rest there. If she was lucky, she might even be able to find some food. Perhaps delicious, juicy blackberries could be growing on thorny branches. Or maybe there could be ribwort leaves, and she could have the foundation for a salad. What she really wanted was some good stew with marrow-filled bones and fistfuls of soft, tender meat, surrounded by chunks of carrots and potatoes and maybe some chopped beans for a little green.
Her hand reached up onto the ledge. She kicked her toes into a small crevice and hoped it held her. Her arms were tired and exhausted. She could feel them have little shiver spasms as they struggled to hold her body weight. But she just needed to get her other foot up onto a small ledge, and then she pushed up. Her upper body folded over the ledge, and she squirreled the bottom half onto it as well, her fingers refusing to uncurl from the rock as if the mountain might still try to shake her loose. There, she lay for a few moments, panting at the last push of energy she had to use. But she didn’t want to stay there long. Her body was incredibly close to the edge, and if she only did half a roll without thinking, she could roll herself completely off the ledge and plummet to her death.
She slowly moved her hands to her side, palm face down. With little movements, she shifted herself slowly towards the heart of the mountain. She wasn’t going to risk getting up. Her pulse thudded in her ears, and her blood sugar scraped rock bottom. She needed to wait a few minutes.
As her heart slowed down and her breathing quieted, the sound of nature became louder to her. The roar of the waterfall took prominence over all the birds and the breeze blowing through the leaves. She rolled herself over and lifted her head. A couple of meters ahead was the river pulling itself over the cliff. Her eyes followed the water back towards the mountain, and she realised the ledge she was on was a lot wider than she thought. There were trees, rocks, and enough space for her village should they wish to come up all this way. Keira got up and staggered towards the river, but was sure to be a fair distance from where the current would take her over the edge. As she got closer, she saw there were several calm pools of moving water, and she knelt near to one to drink and cool herself off. As she splashed the ice water on the back of her neck, she could see movement in the crystal-clear liquid. Maybe she didn’t have to settle for berries. Maybe she could have a decent crab for lunch. She looked up and saw Shadow was also peering in the pools. Keira leaned back and sat in the dirt, watching Shadow. Perhaps the cat knew more about this place than she did.
Shadow’s outline became a blur as the moving shade of the tree washed over her and then shifted back to let the sunlight through. But she didn’t seem concerned about it. She was definitely watching, with keen blue eyes, the life in the water. Keira couldn’t see what the cat was peering at, but she was pretty sure it was going to be edible. With a flash of a paw, Shadow struck the water. She did it with such clear precision that the water’s surface barely rippled at all. A large fish got flung out and landed on a flat boulder a little bit away. Shadow immediately pounced on the rocks to get to it and sank her fangs in.
Keira’s own mouth watered. Perhaps she wouldn’t try to chase crabs. Maybe Shadow had a better idea and that fishing was going to be quicker.
“Your cat has the right idea,” a voice said behind her.
Keira’s heart jumped, and she quickly spun around and tried to get up onto her knees so that she could defend herself. The water had been so loud that she hadn’t heard him approaching her.
“It’s OK, it’s OK,” the man said. “I mean no harm. I was just thinking out loud that your cat is probably correct. It probably is about lunchtime right now. I don’t suppose you would be interested in coming back to the village with me? You’ve probably had one hell of a climb to get here.”
“What village?” Keira asked. Her hand grasped at a large rock, in case she needed it.
“The village where I live. It’s just beyond those trees. Come, I’ll show you.”
The man turned around, and Keira watched for a moment. She could fling the rock right now while his back was turned and he wouldn’t see it coming. He had put himself in a completely vulnerable position, but she wasn’t sure if she should take advantage of it or not. The rock hovered in her hand, but then she decided against it. It landed with a soft thud, and she slowly got up. As she got on her feet, As she got to her feet, she noticed a woman a little way ahead on a higher ledge. She nodded at Keira, then turned and walked in the same direction as the man. Keira wondered if the woman had seen her drop the rock. As Keira started walking, she saw the same markings from the swamp, etched on the rocks around her. The lines were leading to where the man was going.
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