The Dreaming Land

Chapter 14: Separated

The early morning light poured in through a crack in the blinds as the four of them slept soundly. A knock on the door made them stir a little bit, then the knocker opened the door and entered the room. Orius squinted, rubbing his eyes to see who it was, and much to his surprise, it was Dean.

"Rise and shine, people. No time to lose." He said, trying to wake them up.

"You've got to be kidding me." Misha groaned.

"Five more minutes, okay? Thanks." Imara said, rolling over.

Quintir didn't answer. All four of them turned to see if he was awake, or even alive. He groaned, but didn't move or say anything. Orius could only imagine how he was feeling right now after last night. He had a bit of a hangover himself, but over all felt alright. It was only now that he regretted getting so drunk last night, but it was worth it.

"I'll be waiting downstairs. You've got five minutes." He said, clasping his hands together and walking out of the room.

"How is he so damn peppy this early?" Misha asked.

"Beats me." Orius said, shrugging.

"Can't we postpone this one more day?" Imara asked, curling up into a little ball.

"I don't think so." Orius sighed, "Come on, help me get this one out of bed and get some water into him."

Misha pulled herself out of bed and help Orius drag Quintir off his bed. He managed to sit up straight, but looked like hell. Orius shook his head, handing him a water skin. He took a generous gulp, and tried to wake himself up.

"I'm okay." He said, lazily.

"You made it, my friend, good job." Orius said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Let's do this." He said, taking a deep breath and standing up.

Orius handed him is staff so he could keep himself steady, and each of them started to get ready. They met Dean on the main floor, and grabbed some food for the road. Stepping outside, Orius and Quintir could barely open their eyes. The sunlight was harsh, making their headaches worse. Groggily they followed Dean along the road. They had a long walk ahead of them.

"Not many people know this," Dean said, "but the Trasa's Pass was actually formed by a falling moon piece. It crashed into the side of the mountains, carving a pathway through. Since then landslides and natural erosion have helped to cover it up, making the pass look more natural."

"Wow, really? Tell us more!" Misha said with forced enthusiasm.

"I'm glad you're so enthusiastic." Dean smiled, completely missing her sarcasm, "The name Trasa actually comes from the first man to find it; Trasa Magani. He was an early explorer after the moon fall events, looking for an easy path through the mountains."

"Wow!" Misha gasped.

Orius smacked her on the arm, and she just giggled. Rolling his eyes, he turned to Quintir, helping him have another sip of water. He'd need it if he wanted to feel better, soon. The path wound side to side, gradually getting higher and higher. The mountain side was too steep to traverse straight up, the only way was side step your way up, making the slope a little more bearable.

They began to notice the air growing thin after a while, making it just a little bit harder to breath. After a while they found themselves growing closer to the cloud level. It looked like a dense fog, the closer they got. About two hours into their hike, the clouds had surrounded them, making it impossible to see.

"Here we are." Dean said suddenly.

"Where? I don't see anything." Imara said.

"Just wait." Dean said, holding his hand up.