mutters as he bursts by, but I only give him the finger again, my laughter spilling out of me freely.
Chapter 25
Eliph
Steph sits silently on my back as we labor up the rough mountain terrain. Now that we are nearing the top of the pass, the simple tree line has given way to rough rock and plant life that tenaciously clings to the inhospitable environment. There has been little relief from the oppressive sun for hours now, and no water except for what we brought with us in the refilled water skins from the waterfall. Despite the unpleasant business with the nagas, I am still grateful that we were equipped with them at the inn.
I just hadn’t imagined that I would find her lapse into silence amid this barren and overly exposed atmosphere so distressing. Not when, for much of the day, she has sung or hummed to herself one song after another. All of them are unfamiliar to me, but they filled the air with her beautiful voice and called out to something within me as the air itself seems to tremble with the power of her voice.
Unicorns may have magic in the weave of our words, but her voice is like what I imagined that of a siren to be, beckoning and ensnaring me with every note. From her songs I got glimpses of her world—her joy, her passion for her family, her devotion and heart—and now that she’s silent I feel bereft of it.
She’s tired. We all are. Even Grimsal is lagging a bit, rather than racing out ahead of us to scout as he has been. He stands on the rocky outcropping at the top, staring out in the distance grimly as he waits for us to catch up. Even his babbling has quieted, although I’m surprised that he isn’t urging us to hurry so we can begin our descent.
I just hope that it won’t be too much farther until we enter into the Lorandral valley where the elvish kingdom is safely nestled. I can feel the warmth of the sun slowly sinking from the sky and am dismayed that we still haven’t arrived within the Lorandral kingdom. That may have as much to do with my discomfort as does my mate’s silence. I hadn’t imagined that the route from this side of the mountain was so far.
Just up this last bit to the top here, I assure her. Once we begin to descend into the valley you can get down and walk again.
“Sounds good,” she mumbles, her voice strained.
Hold tight.
Loose rocks break from beneath my dexterous cloven hooves as I propel us up a small incline, carrying us the final distance to the flat area at the top. I promptly drop my head in an .attempt to catch my breath and I feel my mate lean slightly over my withers. This is nothing unusual, as she often leans forward to look at something just ahead of us. No doubt the valley below is a welcoming sight. My attention however is drawn up when Steph groans unhappily.
What is it? I ask as I lift my head and I immediately echo her dismay at the sight before us.
“I guess you’ve never come up this way before,” she remarks incredulously.
I shake my head and Grimsal turns a haggard look quite unsuited to his usual youthful, energetic countenance.
“I had heard that the southern path was undesirable… and now we know why,” he says, gesturing to the steep drop into the dark valley below us.
The trees begin about halfway down the sheer rock face that only a unicorn or a mountain-born goat could safely descend, but the sight of the trees bring no comfort. They are gnarled from the elements with clusters of coarse, dark leaves. The sparse outcropping of trees thickens with just a narrow path descending into the yawning darkness below. I doubt much of the sun at its zenith penetrates that gloom, but with the sun dropping behind us, little will penetrate to the forest floor.
Steph shifts on my back and sighs.
“This is totally déjà vu. As a kid, I remember watching Beauty and the Beast and telling her daddy, ‘Are you stupid? Don’t enter that dark, spooky path,’ and here we are getting ready to do just that.”
I have no idea what she is talking about, but I understand the implication that I am a fool for even considering taking the path before us. But what other choice do we have? This is the nearest direct route