Dawn's Fire, book 2 of the Dawn Fire trilogy

Chapter 5; Trapped

Chapter 5

Trapped

   The relatively flat ground that they had walked over for the past three days now started to rise upward in a gradually increasing incline. Large stones began to protrude from the forest sod and the gently flowing river beside them began to grow narrower and swifter the higher they walked. Soon, its previously smooth and gently rippled surface was replaced by white froth where jutting stones too heavy for it to carry away obstructed its course.

   As the band rounded a large outcropping of rocks which rose above their heads like sentinels, a steep rise suddenly came into view with an angrily hissing waterfall churning beside it. Vegetation thinned out the higher up their eyes traveled until there was only bare stone and stunted trees at its crowing pinnacle. Clumps of snow sheltered in the shadows of the large jagged rocks and here and there sheets of ice glittered in the afternoon sun. 

   With extreme care the mounted men and the pack horse train behind them began to pick their way up over the hard stone studded surface. They took a slightly zigzagging path as they tried to avoid the worst of the ice. The older captives took a hold of the younger ones and aided them as best as they could on their slow upward ascent. 

   As they neared the crest of the rise, abruptly the hooves of Burning Coal’s mount came in contact with a nearly invisible layer of thin ice. All of a sudden horse and rider began to slide backwards and then slightly sideways. The grizzly of a man uttered a curse as his brown and white stallion began to whicker in fear, his hooves refusing to find purchase as they scrabbled on the ice. Lion Claw watched the mount and his master as they slid helplessly down the way they had come, past the riders behind him and the startled pack horses. With increasing speed Burning Coal headed straight towards the tallest pine tree upon the entire hill side and with a brutal impact both horse and man collided with the tree’s solid surface, sending down a rain of needles and snow upon them from above. The distinct sound of a muffled crunch was followed immediately by a bellowed of pain from Burning Coal’s wide open mouth. As his trembling horse regained his footing and pulled away from its unwilling contact with the offensive tree, its rider pressed a massive hand to the back of his wounded leg. With a grunt of pain Burning Coal extracted the first bloody shard of glass from the lacerations on the back of his left thigh and threw it angrily to the rocky ground where it shattered into small glittering bits. The acrid stench of whiskey reached the nostrils of the onlookers who stood upon the ridge’s edge, silently watching the scene below. 

   As it became evident what had happened, Laughing Bear turned shocked eyes towards Lion Claw. The warm red- brown color of his face suddenly drained away until it was reduced to a lifeless mud tone. His breathing quickened as he whispered to his friend, “It is what I asked their god to do?!! He heard me, Lion Claw!”

   “It appears so. Best not to call his attention to us again, don’t you think?” Laughing Bear only nodded silently in answer as he continued to watch the massive brave pull glass out of his cut up leg. 

   When a fuming Burning Coal finally reached the top of the incline, he silently entered into their gathered group. Lion Claw rode up beside the still fuming brave. “Does your leg need tending?” The black humored man sent a withering look towards his leader as answer and looked disgusted away. Lion Claw didn’t let the man deter him from his duty of caring for the men under his command. With raised voice he called again, “I asked, does your leg need tending?!!” Still Burning Coal didn’t utter a word in response. Lion Claw saw a trickle of red escaping between the thick fingers of the hand which Burning Coal had clamped over his wound. “You will show me your leg now, Burning Coal!” 

   As he glowered at his leader fit to melt stones, Burning Coal finally removed his hand from the four gaping wounds at the back of his thigh. A red stream began to pour forth from their now unhindered openings. Lion Claw inspected the wounds closely and spread apart the walls of torn flesh. “There is still glass inside of it. Brave Bear, come here! You will let Brave Bear care for these wounds so they won’t become infected.”