The Journey--Ch. 3

Munt, Lenz's hawk, was set loose to fly ahead. He was scouting for any possible hidden dangers. The warm thermals from the canyon let him soar high into the sky.

They were well along the length of the canyon by midday, still following the river. Instead of a thin trickle, as it'd been when they'd first seen it, the river had now grown several widths. Its water no longer flowed gently, instead it growled along with increasing speed.

"What happened?" Jexxi asked, pointing to the current. Pieces of debris bobbled on the water's surface, occasionally sinking and resurfacing as the river raged past.

"We're getting close to the Chasm of Cowards", Lenz replied. Lines of worry etched his face.

Daj didn't look concerned though. Instead, Jexxi thought he seemed excited. The boredom of an uneventful day had been difficult for him to bear.

"Chasm of Cowards?" she asked towards Lenz's ear. His braids still tickled at her arms as they rode along on the camel.

"You'll see. We'll reach the ruins first and then we'll have to alter our plans."

"Why?"

Lenz jerked his chin towards the canyon ahead.

"Because of that." He signaled for them to stop.

At first, Jexxi didn't see what he was talking about. In the distance, the walls of the canyon became sheer, with no bank on either side. That in itself was alarming. Her heartbeat quickened with anxiety as her eyes scanned the river.

"No. Up there. Do you see the ruins on this side of the river yet?" Lenz asked. His finger pointed to a series of openings that pock-marked the sandstone walls. Even from where they stood, she could see pieces of stone walls jutting from the openings.

She nodded.

"Now, look to your left over the river." His finger traced an arc in the air and her eyes followed.

Then she saw it. The rock sides were so steep at that point, she couldn't even see the sky. But she did see the stone bridge over the river.

Daj snorted beside them. Frowning, he shook his head in disbelief.

"How are we going to get the camels across that puny thing? They'd never make it up there in the first place."

Lenz sighed. Thankfully, he was blessed with patience.

"We're going to have to leave them. Lighten our packs. Take only what we n--" he stopped.

Sharp screeches suddenly echoed from behind them. An arrow suddenly embedded itself in Jexxi's pack. Green and yellow feathers tufted the shaft.

"RUN! Get up to the ruins! NOW!!" Lenz was already pulling Jexxi off the camel.

She only had time to grab her pack, nearly falling in the process. Daj was beside her in an instant, jerking her towards a crumbling staircase carved into the canyon wall. They scrambled upwards like mad, Lenz following behind.

He had his bow out, arrow at the ready.

The screeches got louder. Daj's camel fell to its knees, grunting in pain. An arrow protruded from one of its legs.

By then, the group had climbed high enough to see their attackers. Lenz's face grew grim. He pushed at Jexxi's legs, urging her up the rest of the way.

"Needle Monkeys. We have to get across that bridge or we'll never escape them."

"Why...the...bridge?" Jexxi was unaccustomed to all the physical exertion.

"We'll destroy it once we cross", Daj replied. He grabbed her hand and they were off again.

They reached the ruins quickly. Through a maze of deteriorating houses and pathways, they found the bridge with little effort. By then, they had to stop running.

Jexxi was gasping for air, her face was flushed. She bent over, hands on knees, taking in lungfuls of air in a most unladylike fashion.

Lenz and Daj both took a hand.

"No time to catch your breath! We've got to go! NOW!"

Daj looked back over his shoulder, at the way they'd just come from. Shrill screams and a shuffling of many small feet thundered towards the group.

"I can hear them!" he yelled. Then he simply tossed the exhausted Jexxi over his shoulder, without breaking his stride.

The bridge itself was not even a body's length wide at their end. It tapered out over the raging river. Pieces of stonework were missing in places.

They rushed on across, feeling the breeze pick up over the center of the bridge. It blew in hard angry gusts, nearly sweeping them off their feet. And before they knew it, they were on the other side.

Still clutching the young woman, Daj fumbled in his pocket briefly. Then he handed Lenz a small leather pouch.

"Explosive dust. Just throw it!" he barked.

From her strange vantage point, Jexxi could see the small horde of Needle Monkeys appearing. The small wirey simians were armed to the teeth with bows, arrows, and dangerously sharp daggers.

Lenz took aim and threw with all his might. The tiny bag soared through the air and struck the stonework just in front of the advancing enemies.

A spectacular explosion blasted the bridge to bits, taking the monkeys with it. The ones that didn't die in the blast shrieked their frustration as they fell to certain deaths. Debris crumbled into the river below as thick smoke drifted in the wind.

Daj gently set Jexxi down at last. Her heart was still hammering and her knees felt all wobbley. In a raspy voice, she murmured, "That was close."