“You heard him yesterday?”
“Yes, and before that.”
Gareth wasn’t sure of what Tad meant. Gareth could listen to people, feel their emotions and reactions, but not hear them unless they were communicating. What Tad seemed to be describing might be subtly different—and important.
But they had a mountain pass to cross, in one day if possible. Gareth nodded to Ann, and she took the lead. As they left the clearing Gareth’s eyes were drawn to the extra pair of fur leggings, the extra blankets, and the place where Ramos had died in his sleep thinking he was warm and snug so he kicked off the blankets and wriggled out of his coat.
A fierce desire welled inside him. A pledge to himself to make things right. He had not especially liked Ramos, but he hadn’t had time to know him well, and their short time together had been while the boy was drugged. However, he was a young boy, and if Gareth had left him where he found him, the boy would still be alive.
Possibly alive, Gareth amended his train of thought. The mistreatment of Ramos and the callous treatment by Belcher indicated Ramos probably had a finite lifespan that was nearing its end. The boy would not have lasted another winter probably, but who can be sure?
As he lost himself in recriminations and deep thoughts, the path grew even steeper, climbing up the side of a white mountain. Before their muscles were stretched out for the morning, they found snow on the shaded sides of the road and some on the road itself. They came to a place where the snow covered the entire road and paused to wrap their legs in the fur leggings, tying the leather thongs securely to keep them in place. They would keep their pants dry to the knee, the feet and ankles warm in the snow and their travel slightly easier.
The steep incline and thin air prevented casual talking. Each of them huffed and puffed, fighting for each breath and each new step. They moved slowly, not by choice but by necessity. The snow covering the ground grew deeper, obscuring the trail in many places. A layer of ice lay below the fresh snow, making each step a test of their balance.
The trail wound around the base of a smaller white mountain and then continued to climb. They paused three times to eat small amounts. None wanted a full meal, but all needed the energy. They wore the fur hats with flaps pulled down over their ears and when the wind started blowing they covered their heads and faces with blankets wrapped around, keeping their fingers inside where it was warmer, but still it was cold and dangerous to halt.
Ann motioned for his attention. Gareth moved closer. “Look at the sun.”
He already had. The position of the sun indicated it was late in the day, and they were still climbing. Spending a night at the top of the pass would be more than dangerous. He already felt light-headed and had been nauseous for all afternoon. A headache was pounding, and Tad complained his head hurt, and he didn’t feel good.
Gareth said, “Let me contact Blackie.”
She looked at him as if she didn’t understand his intentions, or if she thought it an odd time to contact his dragon. Gareth ignored her and stumbled ahead as he touched the mind of the dragon. Blackie was behind them, huddled on a cliff where he was protected from the wind.
“Will flying ahead of us so I can see where we’re going be a problem for you? Is it too cold or too hard to fly in these mountains?”
Blackie responded by leaping from the ledge and flapping his wings as he flew directly at them. As he passed over a short while later, Gareth watched himself trudging in the snow below through the eyes of Blackie. It was not the first time he’d watched himself from above, and it was no less awkward. On impulse, he gave himself a friendly little wave.
Blackie followed the trail ahead around the sheer cliff on their right and rounded a bend in the trail. It started to descend. The trail wound around more hills and obstacles ahead, but also dropped lower and lower. Instead of breaking the news to Ann right away and finding out later that the trail then went up another mountain, he allowed Blackie to fly further.
The path went down the other slope until the snow was scarce. At that time, Gareth ordered the dragon to find a deer for his dinner and a place to sleep for the night while waiting for them to arrive.
“Ann, good news. Just up ahead is the top of the pass. We’ll reach it long before dark. Moving down the other side should be faster, and easier on us.”
She nodded, too tired and winded to talk. Tad had overheard and tried to smile. His footsteps were becoming ragged, and he stumbled more than the adults. Gareth hoped the boy could make the summit without help.
They all reached the summit with daylight left. Tad tripped again, his seven-year-old body exhausted. Gareth tossed Tad over his shoulder like he was carrying a small sack of grain. The boy weighed little and walking down the other side of the mountain used different muscles, ones not already tired and wore out. Before dark, he heard Tad softly snoring even while being carried. Gareth pulled the blanket tighter around him and continued. He walked without observing what lay around. One weary footstep in front of the other.
He counted his steps for a while to keep his mind awake. When he lost track, he started over. The weight of Tad on his shoulder didn’t exist. The twilight at the end of the day didn’t slow him. One more step. Then another.
“I think we should stop here,” Ann’s voice sounded as weary as he felt.
Gareth looked around at the darkness in near awe. Snow still existed under a few trees where the sun couldn’t reach, but otherwise, the ground was clear. He drew in a breath and felt it fill his lungs, unlike the thin, cold air on the summit. He set Tad down and made a complete turn.
There was no water, shelter, or clear space to make a camp, which was just as well because he wasn’t going to make a camp. A blanket unrolled for Tad to sleep on and another thrown over him was enough for the boy. Gareth made his own bed and pulled the blanket over his head, both for warmth and so he didn’t have to talk.
He heard his old friend the Brother trying to speak to him in his mind, but didn’t answer. There was nothing that couldn’t wait until morning.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Gareth fell into a deep sleep, shutting out all minds except Tad’s. The hike down the mountain trail all day had tired his body, but it had not nearly affected him as much as the death of Ramos, a boy he hardly knew but felt responsible for. He felt like curling into a ball and skipping the next few days.
Belcher probed and prodded, waking him twice, trying to find any information or weakness. Gareth had no doubt he wanted to gloat and remind Gareth of his power after killing Ramos. Belcher’s power used without discrimination or restraint was often stronger. But the immaturity of Belcher, who wanted to brag and pose about killing Ramos, told of his own weaknesses. Gareth determined to prevent him from enjoying his victory for long and refused to acknowledge Belcher.
Rolling over to his side, he pulled the curtain of his mind closer around himself, shutting out Belcher fully, and went back to sleep. When he woke in the morning, both Tad and Ann were sitting on a blanket off to one side, eating and talking softly among themselves. Tad said something and she laughed.
Tad turned to him and said with a mischievous grin, “We thought you were going to sleep all day.”
Gareth climbed to his feet wearing a smile he didn’t feel. “It looks like I almost did.”
“Will we be out of the snow today?” Tad asked, his voice sounding hopeful.
“You just want to be warm again. Yes, I think we’ll be out of the snow soon.” Looking around, only patches of snow lay in shady places. Sprigs of green appeared in places where the sun struck. If this side of the mountains is anything like the other, they will travel quickly, down the slopes of the steep mountains that descend into flatlands. By mid-day, they should be well down the mountainside and by tomorrow, they should be on level ground.