Primal Saga Volume 1: The Queen of Silence

Chapter 6: Seven Legends

My arms shook as if I was in an earthquake. Sweat poured down my face in a wet, sticky torrent. My hands turned white - clenched around rocky hand holds - refusing to budge. With my eyes closed, I tried to calm my breathing which came in short irregular breaths.

"Come on Don. Just don't look down and keep climbing and you will be at the top before you know it," Aila called down from somewhere above me.

"You know when someone says 'don't look down' I suddenly get the urge to do the complete opposite."

"Well, what would it matter at this point? You are only like, what? Five feet off the ground," Aila replied.

"It doesn't feel like five feet."

"Ok whatevs. It's more like eight feet. Either way, you can't fall because you are in a harness. Plus, Jenny is belaying you so you will be fine. Her breasts will make the perfect counterweight should you happen to slip," she said with laugh - turning away hoping Jenny didn't catch that last part.

"Heyyyy! I heard that" Jenny shouted from somewhere below me. "Grrrr. You are just lucky I'm not climbing Aila! I would kick your butt off that wall!"

"Oh please. You wouldn't be able to keep up with me let alone be able to kick these glorious glutes," Aila taunted shaking her behind mockingly.

"Oh yeah! Well, I think that your as...," Jenny began to retort.

"Hahahahahaha." I couldn't help but laugh. I felt guilty about it but Aila only makes these ridiculous comments because she knows Jenny will take the bait.

"Uuhhhh. Guys. I think we broke Donnie," Isaac said. He was standing on the ground belaying Aila.

"No, no. This is good," Jenny said. "Now just start climbing Donnie."

I began to pull myself up. Once I caught another handhold and advanced up the wall a few feet.

"See. Nothing to it," said Aila. Just keep climbing till you are at the top. We are on the easiest wall and you don't even have to climb over the overhangs  Just take it nice and easy."

"Don't push yourself too hard though," said Jenny. "Feel free to take a break if you need to. I'll lock the rope in place for you if you get tired."

I kept my focus on the wall in front of me and continued to climb little by little. As Aila had stated, out of the three rock walls in the Botanical Gardens, this was the easiest. However, it was also the one closest to the waterfall which was pouring in a torrent somewhere off to my right. The mist that was drifting in the air around me made the rocks slightly slick in some areas. Aila says it adds to the challenge but the added obstacle just makes me nervous. I made it up a few more feet before I began to lose focus.

"Jenny. Could you let me rest for a bit?" I asked.

"Sure thing."

I let my weight fall back slightly in the harness until I felt that my weight was supported. I made the mistake of checking to see how far I climbed and immediately began to tense up again.

"Guys, I don't think I can make it," I said.

"You will, Donnie, reassured Isaac. "Just rest for a minute. Breath and continue when you're ready."

I closed my eyes, inhaled and exhaled slowly. My hands were still shaking but my mind began to clear up. The sounds that echoed of the glass dome ceiling above me became more clear. The sound of the waterfall, the sound of Jenny timidly talking to Isaac, and the chirping sounds of the Botanical Garden's resident dinosaurs - chicken sized creatures Aila to as silvasornis. I was listening to dinosaurs darting between the trees when a loud crack snapped me back to attention.