Echoes

Chapter 14

The rest of the trip to Tomaleya took another four days, but it would have been quicker if it weren't for the river. Gavie had told us about the river that cut through the mountains and divided Ekota in half. We reached it at dawn of the third day, what was supposed to be the last leg of the trip. Unfortunately, with our luck, it wasn't.

Cautiously, we made our way down the mountain, and stopped a few paces from the shore. Gavie stared at the river, hundreds of feet across and frozen over. He hopped off his horse, gingerly placing his foot on the surface. Small fractures appeared underneath.

"Figures," he muttered.

"What?" I asked.

"The river isn't entirely frozen yet, we're actually here at one of the worst times. I was hoping it had already become thick enough to support us, but it seems it hasn't," he said.

"So now what do we do?" Pix asked.

"There's no way around it," Gavie explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "Our best bet is to go on foot, to avoid the horses getting injured."

"OK, but what do we do with them? We can't just leave them in the middle of the mountains right before winter," said, dismounting.

"You're right," Gavie said, biting his lip. "We're just going to have to take them across with us, but stay on foot and lead them by the reins. Follow me."

"Maybe I should go first," Pix suggested. "I'm smaller, and won't crack the ice as easily."

Gavie nodded, stepping aside to let Pix in front of him. Slowly, she stepped onto the ice, tugging the horse behind her. Large cracks appeared under its hooves, but the ice remained firm. I followed behind her, my feet slightly slipping. Slowly, I inched forward, guiding my horse along. Gavie tiptoed on as soon as found my balance. Slowly, the three of us and our horses shuffled across the ice. A few time Pix put her foot down and the ice gave way beneath her. Luckily, her battle reflexes kicked in and she quickly moved her foot before it could get wet, and shuffled to the other side.

"How far across is this river?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Couple hundred feet. Less questions, more walking," Gavie answered behind me.

We were over half way when disaster struck. Pix continued shuffling along, leading us across the river when her foot when though the ice. She yanked it out, but not before her horse slipped on the ice, crashing into the gap. As if in slow motion, she and her horse stumbled as the ice broke beneath them in chunks.

"Pix!" I screamed, sliding faster in an attempt to help her.

The chunks of ice bobbed around as Pix grasped for dear life for anything to float on. I surged forward, but not before Gavie caught the back of my poncho.

"Hold on! Let me go, we can't lose you!" He yelled at me.

I watched Pix's head disappear below the surface.

"I'll be fine!" I shrieked at him, slipping out from under the poncho. I dove head first into the water. All the air was knocked out of my lungs as soon as I broke the surface. I'd never experienced anything this cold. I peered through the darkness and saw Pix's small body drifting slowly downward. I kicked my legs as hard as I could as my body froze and thawed repeatedly, healing in overtime. Eventually, I caught her arm and pumped upward, nearly passing out as we crashed through the surface.

"Thank Audral!" Gavie exclaimed rushing towards us.

I coughed up about half the river before turning to Pix, who was curled up in a ball doing the same. Gavie scooped her up and wrapped her in his cloak. He handed me my poncho. I stood up, carefully avoiding the gaping hole in the river.