The Mercury Wars: The Clearing

Chapter 15 - Carter

"That's bullshit!"

Connor is full of rage as he paces around the cave that the trio had found to rest in overnight. A small fire burns, lighting up the dark expanse with oranges and yellows. Genesis and Carter sit calmly as they explain to him what Benny meant by putting Connor on trial.

Turns out that a trial meant exactly what had happened. Connor was to be left somewhere, with no knowledge of where he was and if he made his way back to the clearing alive and unassisted, then he was allowed to continue living with them.

"He can't do that!" Connor shouts as he tugs at his hair, pacing the small room. "There has to be some law against this? He just goes from dick to dictator even more every day!"

"But that's just it," Carter emphasises. "There are no laws here. He can do what he wants. He's the self-appointed leader of our group and we have to go with what he says. He may be a huge arse, but without him, we wouldn't be where we are right now."

"What? Living under his tyranny?" Connor snaps back. The way his words make Genesis flinch causes him to calm immediately. "I'm sorry, it's just that I can't help shake the feeling he isn't being honest and all he does is to gain more power. It doesn't feel right."

"None of this is right," Carter mumbles, kicking a stone away with his foot as silence descends upon the cave.

"It is what it is," Genesis argues back firmly, standing and making her way towards the opening of the cave. "Just ride it out until the end and everything will be better."

"But there is no end," Connor sighs. "The only way this ends is with death."

They don't talk much for the rest of the night. For once, Carter is unusually quiet as he takes the first watch by the cave's entrance so that Connor and Genesis can rest. By the time morning comes, they are heading up the mountain path, trying to find whatever they can to take back to camp.

The plan is for Connor to stay with them until they are a day away from camp. Then he can circle around the forest and enter through the north whilst the twins arrive from the east. That way it won't be suspicious that they arrived on the same day. If Benny found out he had been assisted, then he would make Connor do the trial all over again.

This part of the world is a very different experience from the rest. The colourful pallet of greens, rich oaks and blues against a backdrop of the open sky are gone. Instead, they are replaced with greys and faded browns, stained yellowing on the ground that is dry and hard underfoot. There's no shade from the sun when it beams directly down onto them, so the heat causes them to need more rest breaks than usual. 

After a few days of walking, they come across a steep cliff at the end of their path.

"Here we go then," Carter smirks at Connor as they stand beneath the cliff face that stretches up for at least 40 feet. "You're about to become a real adventurer now Con. Think you can keep up?"

"A little climb like this?" Connor laughs, trying to hide his almost-diminished optimism. "I'll be the one at the top begging you to hurry the hell up."

Carter doesn't wait for another second, he just picks up his feet and starts to climb. Connor stares up in amazement as he makes his way across the surface. Feet finding the tiniest of holes to fit in, his hands finding a dip in the rock to grip onto. He even, at one point, has to almost jump across to get to the next available hook. Connor watched all the while with his heart in his mouth and his fingernails becoming rapidly shorter.

"The boys a show-off," Genesis snorts. "You and I are going up there the easy way. He's just having another attempt at a dick-measuring competition."

She points her bow upwards and fires an arrow on a rope towards the ledge. As it nears the ledge, Carter sticks his hand out and intercepts it, looping it into his belt as he continues upwards.