After a short trip back to the camp where the Rising Sun stayed to grab the animals and the rest of their supplies, they were away and standing at the base of the mountains.
This was where it really began.
“You know,” Peter cleared his throat as the rest of them stared up at their mighty peaks, “They look a lot bigger up close.”
“And more dangerous,” Helen added.
Luke gulped, before trying to smile. “Well, nothing we haven’t handled before,” he glanced over at Skylar, whose face betrayed her true fear to the height of the mountains. “But, it’s probably best if we don’t look down. For everyone’s sake.”
But especially for him.
Luke had feared heights since he was very young, and he’d never truly gotten over it. Although, it wasn’t so much fear of being up in the heights, fearing that he might fall.
They didn’t need that to happen again.
But he couldn’t think about the events that had occurred months ago when Skylar had fallen and they spent nearly two months crossing the Waters of Abdomes not only to reach Dueglestein but also Luke’s own personal mission of finding Skylar.
He knew by looking at her that she remembered it, too. Why wouldn’t she remember? And now they were facing an even taller obstacle.
Luke’s hand instinctively reached for hers, feeling her fingers intertwine with his.
“Hey,” he said, turning his head to look at her, “Don’t worry, we’ve got this.”
“Yeah,” she agreed, although her voice was filled with fear, “We’ve got this.”
…
The first few days of travel were rather uneventful. They quickly learned to climb some sections in shifts, throwing the stake connected to a rope, where they would slowly climb with the guidance of the rope.
Then they would pull the rope out of the ice and rock, and throw it above them again.
It was the fifth day when things began to go downhill.
Literally.
They were beginning to pass a section of a plateau when there was a rumbling sound from above.
Luke looked up as the snow began to fall on top of them, a mini avalanche on their place on the mountain. He gasped, frozen in fear before he was pushed away from the avalanche.
There was a sliding sound as Luke opened his eyes to see Skylar, who had pushed him out of the way, sliding through the snow and over the edge of the mountain.
Luke gasped and lunged forward, his hand locking on her arm. Skylar’s voice came out in a gasp, her eyes wide as she looked up at him.
No, no, no, this was not happening again.
“It’s okay,” Luke breathed, “I-I’ve got you.”
He felt Richard’s arms reach under his armpits, pulling him up and over back onto solid ground, bringing Skylar with him.
Luke quickly pulled Skylar into his arms, her body shaking uncontrollably with fear. Luke was shaking as well, but it was more from relief than fear.
He…he had saved her.
His breath came out in a shaky gasp as he hugged Skylar closer to him. He was holding her tight and he would never let her go.
…
After the scary events that had occurred in the last few hours, the rest of the group decided it was best for them to make camp for the night.
The wind was blowing hard against the group so they looked for shelter in a nearby cave cut into the side of the mountain.
While giving them shelter from the weather that was growing worse by the day, they couldn’t build a fire.
Luke looked around at the group, who sat huddling together as they shivered under their coats. Despite the heavy furs they were bundled under, it was still freezing.
Even worse, they looked exhausted. Helen’s nose and ears were turning pink, and Richard was blowing hot air into his hands before rubbing them.
Peter had pulled his hood up Luke could only see his eyes and Alice was shaking under her coat. Skylar had even snuggled up next to her wolf, Luna, whose thick fur was protecting her from the cold.
The only one who seemed quite unaffected by the weather was Adalene, although she looked like she was ready to fall asleep. Her eyes had become bloodshot over the past few days as she stared off into the distance, her expression blank.
He felt weary as well, his back aching from the constant climbing up the mountain. Luke’s eyes felt like they were burning in their sockets, deep exhaustion running over him.
They needed to finish this climb, and fast.
Luke forced his feet to move him over to where Skylar was laying next to Luna and sat down himself. He glanced over at her, looking deep into her eyes. They didn’t say anything for a while, almost as if they didn’t need to.
Her expression was tired and sad, but she still offered a smile to him, and Luke smiled back. He knew his crooked grin would cheer her up, if only a little.
“You need to get some sleep,” Skylar told him, acknowledging the bags that were most likely under his eyes, “You look like you’re about ready to pass out.”
“So do you,” he said back, letting out a soundless chuckle as he saw his own breath. But he knew she was right.
Between his getting sick and the scary encounter with the Rising Sun, along with the tiring adventure they had only just started, he felt like his body would barely be able to carry him a few more steps.
But something stopped him as he stared out at the howling wind ahead of him, the snow blowing hard outside of the cave. A deep fear in his gut of falling asleep.
Although he hadn’t had them yet, he still remembered the nightmares that would keep him up in the months before, how they wouldn’t lighten up for weeks. He would skip sleep, but the members of his group would start making him lie down and drift off.
But they hadn’t hit him in a while. Maybe it would be better now. Afterall, he had Skylar back. Perhaps they had all just been stress induced by the panic and worry of losing Skylar and searching for her.
His eyes ached, and he rested his head on Skylar’s shoulder. If he could only sit with her forever, she would protect him from the nightmares that plagued him.
She was his light, the only hope he had held on to for so many weeks of darkness.
Luke closed his eyes and eventually drifted off to sleep...
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