Knox of the Bloom

Chapter 21 - An Empty Chamber

When the way gets hard, the hard get walking, or so Capard Hornbeard had always said. But Knox was used to rolling hills, green ridges, nuts and berries, enough game to keep your belly full. Not this. Never this.

The mountain pass was high and barren, wind-whipped and high enough to induce a strong case of vertigo in Knox's chest. He was a mountain man.... he was a mountain man. His feet were mountain feet. But the pass travelled along the skirt of a cliff face, hugging against an escarpment, just wide enough for four men to stand abreast on. There were no fires at night time, and strange creatures called up from the dark trees below, and there was movement, the breaking of twigs. Tapa growled at night-time, sending shivers up Knox's spine.

With no game to be had they relied upon their dried meat, for the vegetables had run out the previous day. Knox managed in digging up a root in the ground, but it was frozen solid and he had to stick it down his pants to try to defrost it.

He could only think of warmer days spent by the lake, fish smoking over the fire, a pot filled with nuts and berries by the fire, with a jug of firewater.

His heart panged at the thought of the jug, for he knew his good friend Clay-Jug would not be there whenever he returned to Capard's camp.

If he returned to Capard's camp...

"What's wrong, Knox?" asked Eriu that night, as they huddled in the pass, wind whipping at his nose and eyes, making tears stream down his cheeks.

"This isn't right, not this high, not this windy. It's as if the Gods are against us."

"It is unusual for the elements to be so strong," agreed Skral.

"Whatever it is, it won't stop us. Right?" said Eriu.

Knox nodded. Soon snow began to drift down, becoming heavier and heavier, until the pass was three feet below snow and building.

"We need to keep moving, or else we'll be snowed in!" shouted Knox over the tumultuous roar of the wind. Snow had built up on his face and eyes, and he had to wrap a cloth around his face to help shield his eyes from the bite of the cold.

They struggled on through the darkness, following in Knox's steps, for his sight was the keenest of the three, and Tapa huddled from the wind at the back of the group, for facing into a storm was not in her nature.

Just then, turning a slight corner in the path, the stone above them splintered and gave way, collapsing. It hit the ground and the pass in front of them was filled with debris.

"Gods, what now," shouted Skral.

"We'll have to dig our way through!" shouted Knox. He pulled off his mittens and began tossing rocks and lumps of frozen snow down below into the darkness. Eriu and Skral helped, and soon they made a slight crevice to the left of the debris, which they could squeeze through one at a time. Eriu went first, then Skral, and Knox pointed for Tapa to go next. As Tapa pushed her way through, there was a deafening cracking noise and the ground beneath his feet began to give way. Knox screamed and leapt from the falling debris, catching hold of the edge of the cliff with his chaffed hands, which soon began to burn. Skral appeared above him, his pale face standing out beneath the drooping hood. Skral leaned down and held out his hand. Knox took hold of it and pulled, but the man was not strong enough. Knox cursed and grabbed hold of Skrals wrist with both his hands, abandoning the ledge. He pulled, almost pulling the Druid off balance, but the man righted himself and leaned back, pulling Knox up slightly, enough for Knox to put his foot up on the corner of the ledge and push. Soon he was up on his feet, gasping as he pushed himself through the gap in the debris.

He lay on the ground and didn't try to fight off Tapa's kisses, for her warm tongue brought some feeling back into his frozen face. They soon walked the rest of the pass, coming to a decline, and back down into the other side of the valley. Behind them jagged ridges and high treelines spoke of the impossible route they'd climbed over, and the dark underbrush beneath the pine canopy sent shivers down his spine, for there was something odd about the sight of that stillness.