Chapter 41

Lightning Storm

- Lightning flashed and thunder rolled, the rains, the winds, the clouds and snow -

"Whoa!" Chaeron cried as he slipped.

Sand and small stones loosened and fell from the edge of the path, falling to the earth below.

"By the Almin," Lyla swore. "Watch your step Chaeron! One slip and that could be the end of you."

"Apologies," said Chaeron, his face pale and voice trembling. "I - I am scared of heights."

"Yes, but you need to watch where you step," chided Lyla. "Do not step on loose sand."

"Focus, the both of you" said Thonavar, his voice stern but calm. "This is no time to bicker. You have done well thus far Chaeron. Let us keep focus and continue along the path ahead."

Lyla was right though. Being just barely wide enough for two persons, the stairway was dangerous terrain to traverse. A small misstep could send a person tumbling to their doom.

With the lithe and nimble Lyla in the lead, the trio tried to cover as much ground as they could. After about an hour, Thonavar called for a halt.

"Let us stop for a bit to rest our legs. I have been observing our surroundings. The scenery constantly changes around us," observed Thonavar. "This is because the stairway encircles the mountainface. It goes round and around and continues upward."

"How far longer do we have to go to reach the summit?" Lyla asked. Her face looked worn and weary.

"I am not sure," said Thonavar, triggering a groan from Chaeron who sat on a step, massaging his calve muscles.

"First a stairway of ice. Now a stairway of rock," said Chaeron, shaking his head. "These Watchers sure know how to devise a challenge do they not?"

"Stop complaining," chided Lyla. "My legs burn from the exertion and I am tired as well."

"I shall say what I want to say," countered Chaeron, his face becoming red. "I am sick of your scolding. You are not my mother. Why should I have to listen to you?"

"And what has your mother taught you then?" Lyla retorted. "Nothing, it appears. What are you even doing here?"

"You leave my mother out of this!" roared Chaeron, his face turning white with anger. "And how dare you look down on me? Who do you think you are? I am a candidate that passed the testing on his own merit!"

Thonavar sighed. The group were exhausted and tempers were beginning to fray.

"You mentioned your mother first," said Lyla coolly.

Thonavar saw the look of daggers in Chaeron eyes as he said the next few words.

"At least I still have a mother," whispered Chaeron. "What about you?"

At this point, Thonavar had had enough and decided to step in.

"That is enough. Stop it! Both of you!"

Thonavar’s voice rose over the angry shouts.

Lyla’s eyes were frosty blue as she glared at Chaeron murderously.

"Why do you both bicker at a time like this? Already, our common enemies hunt us from behind. And the mountain now seems poised to defeat us. How then are we to conquer the mountain?"

Chaeron backed down but Lyla was still visibly angry.

"Come, forget this foolish bickering. It will avail us nothing," said Thonavar. "Let us be on our way."

Lyla shot another murderous glare at Chaeron who pretended not to notice before turning around to continue climbing.

As the trio climbed higher and higher, the atmosphere began to change, becoming more hostile. The winds howled and whistled all around the mountainside sending swirling clouds of sand, ice and dust into the air. It was fast becoming difficult to see ahead.

This is not good. The path before us is treacherous. We need all the visibility we can get.

Thonavar squinted through the wind at Chaeron who was a few steps ahead of him upon the stairway of rock. Thonavar could see that he was struggling and that each step forward was taken with great difficulty. Chaeron risked a glance back at Thonavar and managed a grin. But his face was haggard.

The winds were getting stronger and battered the trio with sand and rock, making their way up the mountain tremendously difficult. Thonavar felt the pull of a gust of wind at his feet and he almost lost his balance. Thonavar feared the possibility that at any moment, the wind could pick one of them up, and toss him or her down the mountainside.

We need to stop. This is getting too dangerous.

"Chaeron!" shouted Thonavar. But there was no response. Chaeron continued moving upwards. The sound of Thonavar’s voice was drowned out by the noise of the blizzard of sand which raged all around the mountainside. He shouted again but it was no use. With his back to Thonavar, Chaeron could not hear a thing.

Summoning his energy, Thonavar surged up the stairway and tapped Chaeron on the back. Chaeron spun around, his eyes wide with alarm.

"Chaeron! We must stop!", shouted Thonavar. Even at such close range, the noise of the roaring wind was deafening, snatching his words even before they left his mouth.

"The winds are too dangerous! Go! Tell Lyla!" shouted Thonavar, pointing at the still-climbing figure of Lyla, a few steps above. Chaeron nodded, and shielding his face, he leapt up a few steps and caught up with Lyla. Thonavar waited as Lyla and Chaeron descended the steps and joined him, each taking a step.

"Lyla! The wind is too strong! It is too dangerous! We must stop!" shouted Thonavar.

“No. We must continue. I think we are almost there," said Lyla. She did not shout and Thonavar could barely hear her words if not for their close proximity.

The blizzard raged around them, almost threatening to engulf them.

"How can you be sure?" Chaeron shouted, his brown hair flying in all directions.

"I am sure," said Lyla back at him. "We press forward."

"You have clearly lost your mind!" Chaeron shouted.

"Look around," said Thonavar. "The storm is growing! It will only get worse. We must stop!"

"No! I must press on," said Lyla, her voice rising. Even in the midst of the storm, her face was defiant. "I am strong."

"Lyla!"

"You do not want to wait for Gargan to catch up to you? Do you not Chaeron?"

Thonavar recognised Lyla’s taunt and saw Chaeron’s face fall.

"I do not fear Gargan," continued Lyla. "But you do."

Thonavar knew that Chaeron was in a difficult position. His face was a mix of emotions.

He likes not what Lyla had said. But knows he is afraid of Gargan.

"I am not afraid of Gargan!" shouted Thonavar. "I would rather face him and live then die in the storm!"

It took tremendous energy to shout above the noise of the storm. Thonavar’s frustration mounted and he began to become angry. He was angry that Chaeron was afraid. And he was also angry at Lyla’s cunning in using Chaeron’s fears against him.

"I will stay!" said Thonavar, simply, struggling to control his anger. "It is too dangerous. I am not afraid of Gargan and neither should you Chaeron!"

Lyla folded her arms and stared. But Thonavar did not move and it became apparent that Thonavar was serious.

Lyla, still defiant, nodded.

"Then you have chosen to abandon us!"

Turning around, she moved up a step. Thonavar however took a step back. The winds howled and shrieked.

"Nay, you have abandoned us," said Thonavar. But he knew Lyla could not hear him.

She has decided to leave.

"Come Chaeron! We must move!" shouted Lyla.

But Chaeron still stood between Lyla above and Thonavar below, his mind crippled with indecision. Turning his back on Thonavar, Chaeron made as if to follow after Lyla but suddenly stopped and turned back, shaking his head.

"Fine by me," said Lyla. "Just as well then. I will manage on my own. As I always have."

"Lyla! Thonavar has led us this far! He has not failed us! We cannot leave him here! Let us wait the storm out!" shouted Chaeron.

Lyla stared at both of them for a moment, her icy blonde hair fluttering madly in the wind behind her. And without a backward glance, she leaped up the next step and moved up the stairway, fast disappearing from sight, obscured by the wind, sand and snow.

"Lyla!" shouted Chaeron desperately.

"Leave her. She has made her choice," said Thonavar grimly, putting a hand on Chaeron’s shoulder. Chaeron sat down on a step, his back against the mountain wall, a look of disbelief evident on his face.

He stared out into the horizon. It was getting dark now and the wind and snow seemed relentless.

"The storm is coming Chaeron. It is in the wind," said Thonavar, his hair flying in all directions. "Can you not sense it?"

"Aye. It is growing," whispered Chaeron, his eyes studying the gathering of dark clouds in the near distance. "The Overseer did warn us about storms on the mountainside," he said, as he saw the skies above turn a dark warm orange glow.

"We can only hope Lyla finds refuge," said Thonavar. "This is about survival now."

A minute passed and then another. The wind swirled all around them and began to become violent. It scooped up the mountain snow and tossed it into the air where it dissipated. Soon, snow was flying in every direction and the wrath of the blizzard was in full force. Lightning flashed across the skies and thunder rolled. Then all hell broke loose as the lightning storm struck. Thick bolts of pure energy rained down upon the earth, pounding craters the size of hovercraft into the land. Electric blue and green lightning flashed across the skies, illuminating for a brief moment what was about to come.

"Brace yourself!" shouted Thonavar as the first wave of hailstones came into view. Glinting in the dying light, they looked like mini-asteroids entering the earth’s atmosphere. The moment was beautiful but Thonavar knew the destruction that would soon follow.

"It comes!"

Chaeron’s eyes widened and he scrambled backward. But cold rock greeted him. There was no escape. The hailstones smashed into the side of the mountain face with ferocity, tearing small chunks of rock off. Thonavar and Chaeron turned and covered their faces. They tried to make their bodies as small as possible so as to minimise the possibility of being struck. But this was of little use. It was as if the winds carrying the hailstones had purposefully directed them to smash into the side of the mountain face. A rock struck Thonavar’s exposed shoulder and he cried out in pain. Another smashed his hip. Thonavar heard a shout of pain from Chaeron and dread entered his heart. He knew that if they did not find shelter of a kind, they would not survive the night.

Giant streaks of multi-coloured lightning illuminated the skies above, illuminating the thick clouds of dark grey. Lightning flashed, following by a sickening cracking sound. It sounded terribly close to where they were. Sand and dust fell from the rock-ceiling above their heads.

"Thonavar! Above!" yelled Chaeron, pointing to the space above Thonavar’s head.

Thonavar managed to leap up the stairway when a large chunk of the rock ceiling collapsed crashed down onto the steps where he lay moments before, covering it in rubble. Chaeron grabbed Thonavar’s hand and pulled him upwards as more of the ceiling collapsed.

In the midst of the destruction, Thonavar saw that the collapsed ceiling had created a kind of shield from the onslaught of the hailstones. There was a small space behind the fallen rubble.

Grabbing his friend by the arm, Thonavar leaped toward the fallen rubble. He gestured for Chaeron to squeeze into the small space behind the rocks. Chaeron nodded and did so. Thonavar too then squeezed beside Chaeron. They were fortunate that the space was just large enough for both of them.

Meanwhile, rocks and hailstones struck the face of the mountain all around them. Large streaks of blue, pink and green lightning flashed every few seconds, forking randomly in all directions. The world became night and then day, and night again, and then day.

All around them, the deafening noise of clattering hailstones, the howls of the wind and the constant peals and rolls of thunder went on and on. Shutting his eyes, Thonavar prayed for the storm to subside.

One thing plagued his mind, however. Thonavar opened his eyes and looked to Chaeron. He was hugging his knees and looked frightened. Lightning flashed and Thonavar saw blood trickling from a wound at the side of his head where a hailstone had struck him.

Without cover, no one could hope to survive the storm. Chaeron looked up. Lightning flashed. Their eyes met. Thonavar knew what he was thinking.

Lyla was out there.