Finding More Than Magic

Chapter 3

The three of them walked in silence for quite some time, as the trail started to climb further and further up the hill, and the sun climbed higher into the sky. Derin’s legs ached as he forced his legs to move forward. Marna’s face was burning red, and beads of sweat on her forehead glistened in the sun. Krob’s breathing was hard as he seemed to be throwing himself from one foot onto the other, taking all his effort. The sun was beating down on them all, and burning through their layers of clothing.

 

When the sun was high up above them, they approached the top of the mountain. On the side of the track was a large, flat stone, and with a sudden surge of energy Derin ran up the final slope, and collapsed in his bags on top of it. He was still lying there, on a bed of all sorts of equipment and supplies, when Marna and Krob got to the top. They all lay on the platform, too exhausted from the trek to talk. When the pain in Derin’s legs had subsided, Marna’s face was no longer burning, and Krob’s breathing had returned to normal, the group began to feel hungry.

 

‘What I wouldn’t give to bite into a soft sandwich right now!’ Derin sighed, gazing down the steep mountainside.

 

‘Psh! I’d be happy with a stale one!’ Marna spat, grumpily tapping her crutch on the stone. ‘But there is no use dreaming of food right now. It won’t be for another few hours, of more difficult terrain might I add, that we get anywhere near the next town!’

 

‘It may be hours before we come to the next town, but we won’t have to go hungry. I packed a few sandwiches when I left my brother’s house. They’re not stale,’ he looked pointedly at Marna ‘but they’re not much better.’ He said, frowning and looking unhappily out across the mountains. He reached for his bag, rummaged around in it and produced a package. He pulled out three squashed sandwiches, and passed one to Derin and one to Marna. Then all three of them sat, hungrily devouring their food. In a few minutes it was gone, and they were sitting once again in silence.

 

Soon Krob spoke up. ‘So Marna, why is it again that you are travelling to Kilgrove, if you don’t mind my asking?’ Krob’s tone was nonchalant, but Derin noticed a very slight undertone of something, a similar something to the occasional flickers of nerves he had seen before, in Krob’s eyes.

 

Marna seemed to have noticed something in Krob’s voice too, because when she spoke, she too used a similar, overly casual tone. ‘As I told you earlier today, we are going to visit relatives.’

 

‘But last time you said you just had to see some old friends…’ Derin trailed off, giving Marna a questioning look, which was reflected on Krob’s face.

 

‘No, I didn’t. I never said anything like that.’ Marna’s voice was clipped, and filled with denial. While Derin dismissed her strange behaviour (it was probably just another piece of information Marna would never give), Krob continued to eye her suspiciously.

 

‘Ok then, well I guess we had better be heading off. If we leave now we may just make it to the next town before sunset.’ Krob said, and slung his bags over his shoulder. Derin gathered his and Marna’s things, and pulled the packs onto his back. Marna picked up her small bag, and they set off down the other side of the hill.

 

 

 

‘Couldn’t we have just gone around the base of the mountain instead of hiking over it?’ Derin asked between exhausted breaths.

 

‘No, there are all sorts of creatures down there, and it wouldn’t be safe. As hard as this climb is, I can assure you it is much easier than dodging the huge spiders and their webs!’ Krob replied, and then grinned at Derin, who looked as though he was ready to collapse and roll down the hill. Derin opened his mouth to say something about the danger of such a steep slope, when his tired feet caught on a crevice in the track. He flung his arms forward in an attempt to break the fall, and rolled down to land with a thud against the thick trunk of a tree. ‘Perhaps it would have been safer to go around the bottom’ he mumbled into the ground.

 

Krob hurried over, and Marna came over behind him, slightly less sluggish than usual. Derin pulled himself up, and sat against the tree clutching at his knee, while she slumped around collecting their belongings that were sprayed around them, and Krob fussed over his knee.

 

Once the gash on Derin’s knee was relatively clean, and had the pain had subsided, he struggled to stand. Krob helped him onto his feet, and then stood back as Derin took a few wobbly steps. It was obvious that Derin wouldn’t be able to walk alone, and he was already so tired, so Krob passed him his walking stick. Derin held the stick for a moment in wonder. He ran his fingers down the smooth wood, and grasped the handle, a worn down bend in the top. He glanced at Marna’s crutch, some of his curiosity finally satisfied. He looked up, and noticed that her knuckles were white as she held tightly onto the crutch, her eyes on Krob with a look of disbelief. Then she turned on her heels and trudged off down the path, Derin and Krob following behind. Distracted, Derin put his injured leg forward to take a step. As it hit the ground, he braced himself for the stab of pain in his knee. He planted his foot, and was surprised when it didn’t come. He kept on walking, using the stick for assistance. As he walked, the burning of the raw skin dampened, as did the fatigue of such a difficult hike. It wasn’t long before it became obvious he no longer needed the assistance. He grew restless as Krob fell further behind him and Marna shuffled along just ahead.

 

‘Krob, if you move any slower you will be going backwards! Please try to keep up! Come on Marna!’ Derin grew impatient as both of them seemed to deliberately slow the journey down. They’d been keeping up fine before, and Derin was injured! Shouldn’t he be the one trailing behind? He grew increasingly frustrated as they shuffled along, at an unbearably slow pace.