I pulled one of the boats down with my telekinesis, since I could because I'd already seen them. It would be easier to carry the boat and then we wouldn't have to trek up and then back down to get the boat to the passable part of the river again. I wasn't really thinking too much about what we would do next. Shean was talking us through where the river would take us and what we would do there and yadda, yadda, yadda. I wasn't really listening. I was still thinking through what I could have done to save Relakk.
If I had realized sooner that we were coming up on a waterfall, I could have gotten a picture of the bank and teleported ALL of us there.
If I had realized sooner that we were coming up on a waterfall, I would have made sure Relakk was safe, too.
If I had realized sooner that we were coming up on a waterfall… I couldn't really think of anything else that I could have done, but I would have done SOMETHING else. I wouldn't have let Relakk die! I –
"VAL." Oh, Shean. It sounded like he'd said my name several times before getting my attention.
"Oh, hmm?"
"I SAID, how do you think we'll get the dwarves to give us the Hammer?"
"I don't know," I replied irritably. "Just leave me alone."
Shean sighed impatiently. "Val, THERE WAS NOTHING YOU COULD HAVE DONE," he stressed. "It was pretty much inevitable. It must have been God's will. You have to get over it and get on with life. Who knows how much time we have to get that Hammer and find Sselth's heart and destroy it. We have to keep focused on that and not dwell on the past."
"How can you be so cold-hearted?" I yelled. "He was your mentor and friend! He gave his LIFE for us, and all you can say is, 'get on with life'? Shean, you are the most impossible human being I've ever known."
"Besides your parents?"
I almost smiled, but not quite. I glowered at him. "Shean, I'm REALLY not open to jokes right now. Relakk just DIED for you; how can you not show any emotion about it? How can you seem to not even notice that he's gone?"
Shean turned to face me head-on, a pained expression on his face. "How can you think I don't notice? I feel his loss more than you seem to realize. He may have been a pain in the neck near the end there, but he was my friend, as you seemed to feel it so necessary to point out. I am hurting. Maybe I just don't show it the same way as you," he added in a quieter, more subdued tone and turned a stony face towards the ongoing river.
I winced. Rarely did Shean and I have such violent disagreements. The tension must be getting to us, I decided. But that didn't mean I had to take that kind of flak from him.
"Shean, if you don't leave me alone, I'll – I'll –"
"You'll what?" He interrupted hostilely. "Glare at me? Shoot fire from your eyes? Come off it, Val."
My mouth flapped open and shut, but no words came to me that would properly chastise him. "You – you – you –"
He rolled his eyes and turned back to the river. We both started to paddle furiously.
Because of that, we came out of the river sooner than I thought we would. We emerged into a huge lake, surrounded by mountains that illogically protruded to almost form a dome of sorts, their point meeting in the middle. It was the most amazing sight I'd ever seen. And we had to climb it.
A/N: Sorry I took so long to update again. But hey, at least I did. ;) Also, I need everyone who wants to Beta Read the coming chapters to make a note of that at the END of your review, please! I need to know so that I can start sending chapters to my Beta Readers before posting them…
Thank you so much to Guinevere and Kat, who were the only ones who actually reviewed the last chapter. huggles Sorry this is so short. I've been working on my script, and my friend and I are working on a cool new fantasy script. :D