Howling winds threw sand and pebbles into the faces of our heroes as the
sun rose higher in the pale blue sky. The temperature had reached its peak
of fifty degrees, which Virgil explained was rather balmy for this time of
year. This didn't bother Steph of Max as much so long as they kept moving.
Norman took care to walk in front of the trio, his arms slightly spread to
help shield the dusty projectiles. This was a light dust storm though, and
a mile ahead an eruption of jagged mountain peaks, painted with white
snowcaps could be seen.
"So Virge!" yelled Max, competing with the noisy winds. "Any idea where this Lemurian thing-a-ma-bob is? Or are we just gonna have to wander thousands of miles until destiny kicks in?"
"I cannot change the locations of the portals, Mighty One!" replied the fowl, struggling with the map. "The Gobi covers thousands of miles and to my knowledge there are only three portals which lead here! But do not despair, the artifact appears to be just through that mountain pass."
It had just occured to Max why Norman had his camping gear with him; Virgil obviously knew this would be a long hike. He turned to yell at the flustered fowl, but with a tear barely audible over the whistling sirocco, the map ripped free of Virgil's hands and writhed into the air.
"No! Do not let that map get away!" cried Virgil. "Without it I cannot discern the location of the artifact and I cannot allow humans to read it!"
Norman turned quickly and with a loud grunt leapt after the twisting piece of paper, but his splayed hands grabbed only a handful of dust as it had already been carried well out of his reach. He roared and took off after the map, much to Steph's disapproval, but slowed before the tiny airborne speck fluttered out of sight. Steph, her back to the winds, held the back of Virgil's robes with one hand and Max's white T-shirt with the other as Norman returned, growling and coughing up mouthfuls of dust.
"Well... what's plan B?" asked Steph after a moment of silence. She released Max and Virgil once Norman returned to his place behind her. Virgil opened his mouth wordlessly, before replying, "Through those mountains ahead is a narrow pass. We'll just have to use our instincts, I suppose..."
The climb between the mountains wasn't nearly as bad on the lungs as the trek in the desert, although it proved to be far more perilous. It was far more cold between the peaks, even though they were relatively low to the ground, and Norman had to cut up his blanket to make cloaks for Max and Steph. An uneven but clearly defined path had been cut along the sides of the mountains, which might have been used my merchants, but was now in a state of disrepair. Everyone had to walk in a single file, this time Norman bringing up the rear to catch anyone if they slipped. Virgil sat on Norman's shoulders, his face long and worn over the loss of the map.
Bracing herself on the rockface to catch her breath, Steph could make out, much to her surprise, an enormous green valley up ahead, flooded with a cloud of ivory white specks. To the right, a deep and wide fissure in the valley, which seemed to fork in two directions; to the left, a dead end, to the right, it spanned across the valley, narrowed and led out the opposite side of the mountain range. "Hey, Virgil!" she yelled, her eyes widening. "Check it out! That artifact must be here, or how else could anything live in a place like this without magic of some kind?"
Max joined his sister and whistled in astonishment. "Yeah, we're right on it, I can feel it! But what are all those white lint balls down there? Sheep or something?"
Norman squinted and sniffed the cleaner air. "Horses," he replied, readjusting Virgil on his shoulders.
"Horses?!" choked Steph. "There has to be almost... a hundred thousand of them! Horses don't live in herds that big! They can't! And besides, they're all white; there'd be massive inbreeding and -"
"I said horses." said Norman dryly. "Come on. If we don't find shelter soon it won't matter whether they're kittens or crocodiles. There are bears in these ranges, and it's almost dark. You do the math."
He gently nudged the two kids forward, who stumbled a little and made their ways down the path. Max mouthed "What's his problem?" to Steph, who only shrugged. She'd explain to Max later about Mujaji, she guessed. So, Max bantered on about the artifact and kicking the crap out of Skullmaster, but Steph kept her gaze dreamily forward.
They reached the edge of the valley while the moon was still low in the sky, and they set up camp in a rock alcove. Norman managed to find some desert scrub on the outskirts to use as kindling, and a small fire was lit. Max, Steph and Norman gnawed on leathery strips of jerky (Steph knew better than to ask Norman which animal this particular batch had been made from) while Virgil attempted to re-draw a map on a piece of parchment with a charcoal stick.
"You should rest, Mighty Ones." stated Norman, wiping his mouth on the back of his gauntlet. "I'll keep watch during the night. I expect we'll have a lot more walking ahead of us tomorrow." In addition to their makeshift cloaks, Steph and Max each pulled a smaller blanket on top of themselves and said nothing for some time. Soon, Virgil had made a nest, if you will, to roost for the night and Max's nasal snoring could be heard over the popping of the dying fire. Norman sat near the mouth of the alcove, his back to the three tired travellers, and stared at the clouds of stars which streaked across the sky.
Norman hadn't slept much since Mujaji's passing. By this time he had long anticipated "the" dream, the one where he could see her, running through a winding tunnel lined with searing flames. She was hurt, terrified... why didn't she slow down so he could help her? No matter how much he called to her, she never slowed. The closer he came to his beloved, the heavier his legs would feel, until he could not lift them from the floor which cooked them. The last image he always saw before waking up was her turning, and with eyes wide with terror and anger, screaming, "Stay away!!". Then, the flames would curl from the walls of the tunnel, envelop her lean and wounded body, and pull her into its scorching depths. Why.. why would she not let him protect her?
His heart betrayed by his body, the exhausted warrior eventually nodded off. His head and shoulder rested against the side of the alcove, his cavernous chest steadily rising and falling. Steph looked at Norman, silent and worn, and she rolled onto her back. Her body was wailing inside for her to go to sleep, but the faint whickering and snorts of the horses in the darkened sea of mist kept her quite awake.
'Horses. Norman was right, and this is something amazing! There's gotta be a reason no one's poached or touched those things for all these years. And they're white... could they all be albino? We'll see in the morning... or maybe, if I could get a closer look...'
"So Virge!" yelled Max, competing with the noisy winds. "Any idea where this Lemurian thing-a-ma-bob is? Or are we just gonna have to wander thousands of miles until destiny kicks in?"
"I cannot change the locations of the portals, Mighty One!" replied the fowl, struggling with the map. "The Gobi covers thousands of miles and to my knowledge there are only three portals which lead here! But do not despair, the artifact appears to be just through that mountain pass."
It had just occured to Max why Norman had his camping gear with him; Virgil obviously knew this would be a long hike. He turned to yell at the flustered fowl, but with a tear barely audible over the whistling sirocco, the map ripped free of Virgil's hands and writhed into the air.
"No! Do not let that map get away!" cried Virgil. "Without it I cannot discern the location of the artifact and I cannot allow humans to read it!"
Norman turned quickly and with a loud grunt leapt after the twisting piece of paper, but his splayed hands grabbed only a handful of dust as it had already been carried well out of his reach. He roared and took off after the map, much to Steph's disapproval, but slowed before the tiny airborne speck fluttered out of sight. Steph, her back to the winds, held the back of Virgil's robes with one hand and Max's white T-shirt with the other as Norman returned, growling and coughing up mouthfuls of dust.
"Well... what's plan B?" asked Steph after a moment of silence. She released Max and Virgil once Norman returned to his place behind her. Virgil opened his mouth wordlessly, before replying, "Through those mountains ahead is a narrow pass. We'll just have to use our instincts, I suppose..."
The climb between the mountains wasn't nearly as bad on the lungs as the trek in the desert, although it proved to be far more perilous. It was far more cold between the peaks, even though they were relatively low to the ground, and Norman had to cut up his blanket to make cloaks for Max and Steph. An uneven but clearly defined path had been cut along the sides of the mountains, which might have been used my merchants, but was now in a state of disrepair. Everyone had to walk in a single file, this time Norman bringing up the rear to catch anyone if they slipped. Virgil sat on Norman's shoulders, his face long and worn over the loss of the map.
Bracing herself on the rockface to catch her breath, Steph could make out, much to her surprise, an enormous green valley up ahead, flooded with a cloud of ivory white specks. To the right, a deep and wide fissure in the valley, which seemed to fork in two directions; to the left, a dead end, to the right, it spanned across the valley, narrowed and led out the opposite side of the mountain range. "Hey, Virgil!" she yelled, her eyes widening. "Check it out! That artifact must be here, or how else could anything live in a place like this without magic of some kind?"
Max joined his sister and whistled in astonishment. "Yeah, we're right on it, I can feel it! But what are all those white lint balls down there? Sheep or something?"
Norman squinted and sniffed the cleaner air. "Horses," he replied, readjusting Virgil on his shoulders.
"Horses?!" choked Steph. "There has to be almost... a hundred thousand of them! Horses don't live in herds that big! They can't! And besides, they're all white; there'd be massive inbreeding and -"
"I said horses." said Norman dryly. "Come on. If we don't find shelter soon it won't matter whether they're kittens or crocodiles. There are bears in these ranges, and it's almost dark. You do the math."
He gently nudged the two kids forward, who stumbled a little and made their ways down the path. Max mouthed "What's his problem?" to Steph, who only shrugged. She'd explain to Max later about Mujaji, she guessed. So, Max bantered on about the artifact and kicking the crap out of Skullmaster, but Steph kept her gaze dreamily forward.
They reached the edge of the valley while the moon was still low in the sky, and they set up camp in a rock alcove. Norman managed to find some desert scrub on the outskirts to use as kindling, and a small fire was lit. Max, Steph and Norman gnawed on leathery strips of jerky (Steph knew better than to ask Norman which animal this particular batch had been made from) while Virgil attempted to re-draw a map on a piece of parchment with a charcoal stick.
"You should rest, Mighty Ones." stated Norman, wiping his mouth on the back of his gauntlet. "I'll keep watch during the night. I expect we'll have a lot more walking ahead of us tomorrow." In addition to their makeshift cloaks, Steph and Max each pulled a smaller blanket on top of themselves and said nothing for some time. Soon, Virgil had made a nest, if you will, to roost for the night and Max's nasal snoring could be heard over the popping of the dying fire. Norman sat near the mouth of the alcove, his back to the three tired travellers, and stared at the clouds of stars which streaked across the sky.
Norman hadn't slept much since Mujaji's passing. By this time he had long anticipated "the" dream, the one where he could see her, running through a winding tunnel lined with searing flames. She was hurt, terrified... why didn't she slow down so he could help her? No matter how much he called to her, she never slowed. The closer he came to his beloved, the heavier his legs would feel, until he could not lift them from the floor which cooked them. The last image he always saw before waking up was her turning, and with eyes wide with terror and anger, screaming, "Stay away!!". Then, the flames would curl from the walls of the tunnel, envelop her lean and wounded body, and pull her into its scorching depths. Why.. why would she not let him protect her?
His heart betrayed by his body, the exhausted warrior eventually nodded off. His head and shoulder rested against the side of the alcove, his cavernous chest steadily rising and falling. Steph looked at Norman, silent and worn, and she rolled onto her back. Her body was wailing inside for her to go to sleep, but the faint whickering and snorts of the horses in the darkened sea of mist kept her quite awake.
'Horses. Norman was right, and this is something amazing! There's gotta be a reason no one's poached or touched those things for all these years. And they're white... could they all be albino? We'll see in the morning... or maybe, if I could get a closer look...'
