Heather's Adventures: The Search for Maxamus

Chapter 25. Rheannah

"Now that's a big drop off..." I stated looking down the large cliff. A single rope bridge spanned across the chasm that was at least a soccer field wide, and of course, we were supposed to cross it.

"What, you scared?" Heather asked as she stood on the bridge, "it's fine I ran across here in the dark." It was nearly morning now. You could see all the way to the ground.

"It'll be fine, just one at a time. Heather get back here you can go last just in case someone is following us you can take the bridge down." The guy that Heather was wining to earlier said to her.

Heather rolled her eyes again at him, "Weird-o. Fine. Just hurry otherwise regular humans will see us up here."

I went first followed by Sheria, the other girl, and the guy Heather called a Weird-o. We were all standing on the other side fine that is until a group of men stood behind Heather and Max. Max was halfway across the bridge.

"Max! Behind you!" I shouted as I pointed to the man behind the two. Heather quickly dropped to the ground, rolled out of the way, and laced an arrow made of fire on her bow. How she managed to do this with a messenger bag on, I have no clue. But one arrow of fire and five men... didn't look so good.

"Max keep going!" Heather shouted to Max. He hesitated as he looked back at her and kept running towards us. However he hesitated again, drew his sword, and ran back at Heather. Heather took a shot at the ground, creating a wall of a brilliant fire between her and the men before she got up quickly and started to take off towards the bridge. Max met her at the edge. "You're sword!" Heather demanded. Max hesitated again and just looked at his sword.

"NOW!" Heather shouted. He threw the sword at her, "Now run go go go go go!" Heather shouted one more time. She watched Max run for a moment as her firewall started to simmer out.

Max was only halfway when she smirked and waved to the group of men, "bye!" With the sword in her right hand and bow in her left, she cut the rope supports for the bridge from the end she was at.

"Max!" I ran to the edge but the Weird-o and the girl that looked like she could be his sister held me back. "What are you doing?! I can save him!"

The Weird-o spoke, "saving your life. We can't lose a Merrywell when we could've saved one."

I watched as Max and Heather plummeted to their doom. Heather was able to turn in the air and lace an arrow on her bow, Max was gripping onto the bridge. It was Heather that did the amazing however. Heather shot an arrow of fire with a string made of fire at the top of the cliff. It landed only about a hand's length below the top off the cliff. The best part was it stuck. And the string of fire was attached to her bow. Somehow she changed Max's sword back into its watch form and slapped it on her wrist as she swung down through the air quickly.

She then grabbed Max right before the bridge would've hit the cliff and knocked him off. She was also quick enough to use fire to force her from hitting the rocks. "Hold onto the bow and don't you even dare think about letting go!" I heard her yell as she used enough fire to project the two of them through the air into almost a full 360 onto the ground. She of course even twisted herself so they landed on their feet.

She was quite something, I'd give her that much. I didn't even think she could do it by the first impression she gave.

Heather quickly dissolved the fire arrow and string as Max let go of her. The she turned to the men who just stared at her as she created a new arrow of fire, "let's see. Five men, one arrow, eh, close enough." She shot one arrow that landed on the ground in front of the men creating a huge explosion. "That should do it. Now where were we?" She turned around as if nothing just happened.

"I see your training really has paid off."

"Thanks Dawnlight. Honestly, I didn't think I would've actually made that. Guess it's just luck huh." Heather shrugged off as Sheria hugged her.

"I'm glad you're safe."

"Sheria I'm fine. You know I always will be fine." Heather smiled and lightly laughed. Her cheeks were covered in a black charcoal ash as well as her hands. Heather then walked over to where Max was standing silent in disbelief that he was still alive, "Hey, you alright?"

Max just shook his head at her, "you could've just saved yourself there, but you saved me too...why?"

Heather just shrugged, "you didn't deserve to die. You were innocent. Those men weren't after you. They were after me."

"You could've just projected yourself across the gap with your fire; you could've just saved yourself..."

"So?" Heather shrugged again, "I'm not letting a comrade die in battle when I could've done something to save them. That's what you don't understand. I won't leave anyone behind when I could've done something." Heather looked to her wrist and took off Max's watch-sword, "here. I think you need this more than I do. I've got a bow with unlimited ammo. I have no use for a sword."

The Weird-o leaned in on Max, "now you owe her your life because she saved yours. That's what we do here. She'll protect you. But now you have to protect her with your life."

"Cruel and unusual punishment there," I remarked, "you shouldn't be trading lives."

"It's not trading lives. It's a saying. When you've been training for battle you'll come to realize that a lifesaving means everything. You're forever grateful. Let's just say death and I aren't great friends. He won't take me, I won't accept him." Heather walked back over to her sister. "Alright, are we ready to move now or what? We're burning daylight here."

After very little hesitation, we finally started offdown the mountains and to the other portal back to Issola, the place where Iguess I'd be living now. Good thing I jammed my bedroom door with a knife so noone could get in and change the place while I was gone. I just hoped my motherwould be all right and my dreams wouldn't become a reality.