Majic squinted as they finally emerged into the sunlight. Like a man just freed from a lifetime of captivity, he stood at the exit, arms outstretched and his face turned upward toward the sun's healing light. He felt like they had been inside the dark tunnel for years, and, in the back of his mind, Majic had begun to feel that they would never leave that dark prison. But, they had finally emerged into the bright morning sun of a beautiful spring day to find their pathway snaking out of the tunnel and off into a forest. Near the forest's edge, a river of clear, blue water flowed through high banks covered with the greenest grass he thought he had ever seen. In the distance, Majic could hear the roar of a waterfall. He would never know for sure how much time they had spent in the tunnel and maze of caverns, but, by the time they exited into the sunlight, he had placed nine marks in his journal, indicating a nine-day long imprisonment.
Once they started moving toward the exit, Orphen had told Majic that they should be out of the tunnel within a day or two, but the trip out had taken much longer than he had expected. The sorcerer had been trying to hide his condition from his two companions, but Majic knew that Morph's poison had really begun to affect Orphen. He stumbled and fell often during the trip out of the caverns, and, although he knew the way out of the tunnel, he got lost several times, leading them into various dark, abandoned chambers before they finally saw the white light signaling the exit to the outside world. With each stumble and each tortured step Orphen had made toward the exit, Majic had felt his hopes fall. Orphen had shrugged off each mistake, blaming it on the darkness, but Majic knew that his master was suffering. It was obvious to him that the older boy's coordination was failing, as was his eyesight. Majic and Cleao had both begged Orphen to stop and rest, but he had refused, and continued moving toward the exit with an urgency that was unlike him. That had confirmed Majic's worst fear --- his master's time was clearly running out. By the time they had reached the exit, Orphen was clearly exhausted, and Majic wondered where the sorcerer even found the strength to remain standing.
"Majic."
The sound of his master's voice broke through Majic's thoughts and dragged him back to the present. He turned to find Orphen sitting near the tunnel exit. He quickly went to the sorcerer's side and knelt next to him.
"Master? Are you OK? What is it?" Majic asked, a worried look on his face. He looked up to see Cleao, who was standing on the other side of Orphen, staring at him over the top of the sorcerer's head. Majic thought that Cleao looked just as scared and worried as he did. Suddenly, he realized that the only one in their little trio who didn't seem worried was Orphen, and he found that fact to be very strange.
Orphen shook his head in response to Majic's questions. "I'm OK. Help me up. I need you to come with me." The sorcerer took the hand Majic extended to him and grunted as he pulled himself up off of the ground. Once he was standing, he swayed back and forth, almost falling, and Majic reached out quickly to steady him. "Thanks," Orphen said, placing his hand on top of Majic's head. "Cleao, we're going to camp over there, on the riverbank. You set up camp." Without waiting for the girl's answer, he started toward the waterfall Majic heard roaring in the distance.
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Without saying a word, Orphen slowly made his way toward the waterfall situated a short distance from the spot he had picked for their camp. Even though it was less than half a mile away, he had to stop to rest, and he had a hard time finding solid footing on the smooth path. Majic walked a few steps behind his master, watching as Orphen stumbled, almost falling, and then managed to catch himself just in time. Each near fall felt like a needle piercing Majic's heart. It was painful for him to watch his master, who was normally strong, powerful, and sure of himself, stumble slowly along like a sick, old man. Majic could tell that Orphen remained on his feet through willpower alone. The sorcerer's clothes, which had once fit perfectly, now hung off of him, making him resemble a scarecrow. Even through the loose clothes, he could see Orphen's backbone and the jagged, broken ends of his ribs. He could tell that just breathing had become a painful, difficult task for his master, and he could almost feel every step painfully jarring Orphen's bruised body and broken bones.
After what seemed like an eternity to Majic, they finally reached the waterfall he had heard when they had exited the tunnel. He stood on the bank and stared, amazed, at one of the biggest waterfalls he had ever seen. It began about twenty feet above them and poured over the river's upper lip to roll down the side of a rocky cliff, crashing into large, protruding boulders on its downward journey, until it ended its free-fall by smashing into several gigantic rocks at its base, where it ran into a deep pool directly in front of him. The water's roar was almost deafening, and the water in the pool was so clear that Majic could see all the way to its rocky bottom, almost thirty feet below him. He jumped back from the pool's edge, startled, as a fish exploded from the surface and snatched a bug out of mid air.
"Wow!" Majic whispered. "It's so beautiful. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it."
Almost reluctantly, the young blonde turned away from the depths of the crystal clear pool to find his master. Orphen had collapsed on the riverbank a little away from the waterfall. He was leaning against a tree, his knees drawn up to his chest, and his head resting on his knees. Any elation Majic felt at the waterfall's beauty vanished as he saw his exhausted, broken master. Orphen clearly looked like a man who had reached the end of his rope only to find that someone had already set it on fire. In the dark of the tunnel, it had been easy for him to fool himself, but here, in the bright sunlight, it was painfully obvious that his master was dying.
"Master?" Majic asked as he knelt next to Orphen. The sorcerer didn't reply to Majic's question, or even move to indicate that he knew the boy was there. He just remained still, his head resting on his knees. Majic reached out to gently touch his arm, and Orphen jumped when Majic touched him, as if the contact had been painful. Slowly, he looked up at the young blonde.
"Master, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" Majic asked.
"It's OK," Orphen replied, giving Majic a weak smile. "You couldn't help it. Everything hurts, anyhow. Even breathing." He sighed and leaned his head back against the tree, closing his eyes. "I am so damn tired. And cold." He leaned forward and placed his head between his knees as he started to cough.
Majic watched silently. He had never felt so helpless. "Master," he said softly, leaning forward to put his arms around Orphen and give him some extra support. He could feel every bone in the sorcerer's body, as his master shuddered and shook violently with every cough. He gently rubbed Orphen's back and waited for the fit to pass. When it finally did, Orphen remained sitting, slumped over, his head between his knees, as he struggled to catch his breath. "Master," Majic continued, "Maybe you should rest for a while. You haven't really slept or eaten in days."
Slowly, Orphen shook his head. "Can't. Time is too short. If I rest, I won't wake up, and, somehow, we need to get out of this mess. I have to have to keep going for as long as I can." He looked up, into Majic's eyes, and saw fear there. He sighed and gently ruffled the boy's hair. "Majic," he said softly, "I'm sorry. I've been a pretty poor excuse for a master, haven't I? I'm " He paused as he struggled to choke back another coughing fit, and then continued, "I'm sorry to put you through this. You and Cleao, too." He looked away from Majic and toward the pool and waterfall, and softly, almost inaudibly, said, "You'll tell her for me, right, Majic?"
Majic suddenly realized he was hearing his master say goodbye, and a surge of panic shot through him like a bolt of lightening. "NO!" he yelled, shaking Orphen. "No! I won't. You're not getting out of this that easy. You're just going to have to tell her yourself."
Orphen put his hand out to stop Majic from shaking him. "Majic, stop stop it. You're making me sick." Majic quickly released him with a mumbled "Sorry", and he looked so dejected that Orphen wanted to laugh. "Aw hell," he said, pushing himself into a standing position using Majic's head as leverage, "that crazy broad never listens to me, anyhow." As Majic stood to help Orphen steady himself, the sorcerer started walking slowly toward the pool and waterfall.
"Master, what do you want me to do?" Majic called after him.
Orphen paused for a moment as he thought about Majic's question. As he started walking toward the waterfall again, he called over his shoulder, "Just wait there. And fish me out if I fall into the pool. I've gotta make a call."