Chapter 37

Ancient World

- In vain they sought to build towers and citadels, making great the name of Man -

It was morning on the second day and it was Thonavar that first noticed the subtle change in the air. The temperature was dropping. And it was dropping quickly. Fortunately for the trio, the skin-tight clothing that was supplied to them at the start of the journey was made of a certain material designed to keep their bodies warm enough to survive. But with the temperature dropping every minute, Thonavar was concerned.

"Be ready," said Thonavar to Lyla, who nodded. "Wake Chaeron up."

But Lyla did not move.

"You have not slept yet Thonavar," said Lyla. "I have, and after me, Chaeron has rested too. But you have not. Surely, I can keep watch while you rest?"

"It is too cold to sleep now," said Thonavar, brushing aside her offer. "Besides, we must be alert now. Look, the current is different. The water is moving more swiftly than before. The terrain changes."

Thonavar’s eyes scanned the surrounding trees. His eyes were tired but he would not rest until they had finished their task.

He passed the time talking in low voices with Lyla and learned much about her and her troubled background.

"I am an orphan. Like you, I too was born and raised in city below," said Lyla.

"What happened to your folk?"

"My father, the Almin curse him, abandoned my mother when he found out she was going to have me," said Lyla, her face expressionless.

"I am sorry to hear that," said Thonavar. Lyla shook her head.

"My mother was stricken by his leaving and suffered from regular bouts of depression," said Lyla, and this time, Thonavar saw her face take on a slightly haunted look. "Once she even tried to kill herself with the kitchen blade. I stopped her."

Thonavar listened intently.

Lyla is usually guarded. So, it is good for her to open up like this. She is beginning to trust us.

"My mother could not work. She was too weak. I had to go out to find food for us both. I was caught by the wardens on one occasion."

Lyla looked directly at Thonavar.

"You know of what they are like."

Thonavar nodded. He felt sick in his stomach.

"I was beaten. Violently. And that was not all they did to me."

A wave of anger surged through Thonavar.

"They were evil men," said Thonavar quietly, shaking his head. "I am sorry Lyla."

"The bastards kept me locked up for days," said Lyla. "All I could think of was my mother. Thankfully when I returned home, my mother was still fine. Some kind neighbours had brought over food. But her condition was getting worse. And so, I had to still go out and source for food. This time I vowed that I would not get caught."

Lyla shared a few strategies with Thonavar who also exchanged some of his own.

"Over time, I had to adopt cleverer, more elaborate strategies in order not to get caught. It was then that I must have been spotted by a member of the Order and subsequently recommended for a testing."

"Your mother must have been proud to hear this then," said Thonavar. "I take it she agreed?"

"Yes, we agreed. I was arranged for my neighbours to provide food for my mother and was told that the Order would ensure she was cared for in my absence. I was determined to pass so as to give my mother a new lease of life with the credit she would subsequently earn."

Thonavar nodded. This was familiar to him. He too shared a similar yearning.

Lyla laughed suddenly. The sound was chilling to Thonavar.

"But, the Almin is cruel," she said. "For alas, on the eve of my departure to begin the testing, I found her dead in our small dirty house. There was blood everywhere. I still remember like it was yesterday."

Thonavar sucked in air quickly. "What happened?"

"I knew that she did not want me to go away. She had told me many a time. Upon hearing that I was going away, she had in a severe bout of depression taken the kitchen knife and slit her wrists. She bled to death. This time, I was not there to stop her."

"You blame herself for her death," said Thonavar softly. "That is a hard burden."

"Yes, she was already lonely. With me gone, she could not bear it. I should have foreseen it," said Lyla, shaking her head, her face remaining expressionless. "If I had not gone on, and if I had stayed with her, she would still be alive. What I intended for good went horribly wrong."

Thonavar was deeply saddened by Lyla’s story. Lyla’s life had been touched by darkness. She was haunted by her past. He patted Lyla on her back and the two shared a moment of silence. Lyla remained staring into the distance, expressionless.

"I have no one," she whispered.

"That is untrue," said Thonavar gently. "You have us now. We will stand by you," he assured her softly. Lyla said nothing.

"We shall indeed," mumbled Chaeron sleepily, sitting up slowly. "Have we reached yet?"

Lyla glared at a groggy-eyed Chaeron.

"Were you listening the whole time?"

"Well, yes. I could not help it. I am afraid this barkboat does not exactly allow for private conversations," said Chaeron, grinning widely. Chaeron’s grin was infectious. Thonavar found himself breaking into a smile. Even Lyla’s expression softened.

"Very well then," said Lyla. "At any rate, the air is changing and so is the surrounding land."

She spoke the truth. Gone was the thick leafy foliage of trees providing shade and cover for them as they sped through the forest earlier in the day. The forest was thinning out. More and more trees were being seen to have fewer leaves.

Then as they passed around a bend in the river, the Cold Mountains loomed forbiddingly into view and the three of them stared up at it.

They were colossal.

The apex of the mountain could not be seen as a substantial part of the mountaintop was hidden, enveloped by the clouds and obscured from sight. Thonavar could make out towering sharp rock structures protruding from all around the mountain face. Thick sheets of ice and snow wrapped the mountain face.

The very idea of a climb seemed virtually impossible.

"What is the plan?" Lyla asked, tearing her eyes from the towering mountain. "Do we go on foot? Gargan and his ilk could still be out there and I do not wish to meet them again."

At this, Thonavar saw Chaeron’s eyes dart fearfully all around. Thonavar shook his head.

"We will go as close as we can to the mountain as this stream permits. Then we shall leave the stream and travel by foot. Once at the foot of the mountain, we will think of a way to scale it. This shall be our plan," said Thonavar, looking to Chaeron and Lyla. “And I am not afraid of Gargan. Neither should you. Now what do you both think?"

Lyla shrugged. "You have brought us this far Thonavar. I will follow your lead." She turned to look at the mountain. "It will be a steep climb."

Thonavar looked at Chaeron who simply nodded. "Aye. I’m with it. And, I am not afraid of Gargan. I just do not want to see him."

"Good. Then let us be ready. The mountain is almost upon us," said Thonavar, and he turned to watch the front as the barkboat sped downstream toward the nearing mountain.

As the temperature fell, the landscape began to change quickly. The grass had changed from green to dark grey, dull and seemingly lifeless. Here and there patches of ice and snow could be seen along with dry spots of ground. The water had become so cold such that Chaeron gave a small cry when his leg dipped in. Thonavar stuck a finger into the water. He withdrew his finger quickly as the cold bit into his finger. Gone were the warm tropical waters of the forest behind. Above, the clouds were misty and grey. A white winter world loomed not too far in the distance now.

"Wait," said Chaeron suddenly, peering into the trees. "What is that?"

"Where?" asked Thonavar, peering into the forest, eager to see what Chaeron had saw.

"Stop the bark-boat!" said Chaeron.

Thonavar looked at Lyla, puzzled. Lyla shot back a similar look.

Using long sticks they had found alongside the bank, Chaeron and Thonavar steered the boat to the shore.

"What do you see Chaeron?" asked Thonavar as they both leapt to ashore.

"Let us not stay for too long," whispered Lyla. She was afraid to linger. Her eyes darted nervously around.

"My eyes do not lie," muttered Chaeron.

"I will stay by the boat”, said Lyla, remaining on the boat. "Please return with speed."

"Nay, come Lyla. We must stick together. Leave the boat by the shore," said Thonavar assuredly, and he helped her out of the boat. "We will be quick. Chaeron wait for us."

Chaeron walked back the way they had come along the side of the river bank but suddenly veered away from the bank to walk up a grassy slope. Lyla and Thonavar came up behind him. The slope grew steeper toward the end and the three of them were forced to climb slowly.

"What do you see Chaeron?" persisted Lyla, but Chaeron made no answer.

At last, they came to the top and the slope smoothened out into a mound of flat ground that ended at a sharp cliff.

Lyla was the first to see it and she sucked in a breath of air. Thonavar’s eyes narrowed. Chaeron beamed.

A large vehicle or machine of some sort lay in a ruined heap. Its body was grey and metallic. It had a propeller structure at its nose and large wing-like structures built to its sides. Some parts of the machine had rusted away. The machine lay half-embedded in the ground and had become one with its surroundings. Moss and leech had almost consumed it and many a branch and twig could be seen springing and growing up from within the hollow empty insides of the machine.

"What is it?" asked Lyla, her eyes wide, leaning in for a closer look. "It is a most strange sight."

"It is a machine of the ancient world," said Chaeron. "I chanced upon a digital picture of one of these strange machines in a digi-book a few months ago. Can you believe it? These machines were once used to fly in the skies above. But this is a truly thing of the past."

There was a certain wistful sadness about the broken machine and the three of them stared at it for a minute longer.

"How did it end up on the ground, bent and broken? Did it run out of energy?" asked Lyla.

"Perhaps it once soared the skies, free as a bird," said Chaeron. "Then something caused it to drop from skydom, spinning and spiraling downwards, crashing into the earth."

"It is a thing of beauty," said Thonavar. "A remnant of an ancient world."

The wind began to pick up. It was getting colder now.

"We best get back to the bark-boat," he said, and the three started to make their way down the slope.

Returning to the barkboat, they pushed it out into the dark waters and climbed aboard. Not long, they bark-boat began picking up speed again and they resumed their journey toward the mountain in silence.

Thonavar, however, was still lost in the skies above, flying strange machines in the light of the dying sun, and flying into the great beyond.