PANACEA-Book One-By Hell or High Water

32. Miscommunication

I was half glad the mountains were just a half hour walk in distance from the palace, and half not. It was like a big sign, that read Death for Nyx this way! But don't worry, it isn't a long walk!

The empress didn't arm us. She didn't even let us ask about finding our belongings. She just gave us a wish of good luck, and sent us out the doors and down the steps with Jacqueline and Orlean.

For almost the entire walk, I gave Mel a series of looks, trying to ask if she was serious, or if we were going to deck Jacqueline and Orlean when we were out of the palace's sight. We passed through a forest of palm trees and bushes, that were out of the sight of the palace, and she gave no hint. She really believed we were doing this. And as long as this was what she wanted to do, I had to go along with it as well. I leaned down so I was level with her head and hiss whispered at her.

"What the fuck are we doing?"

She looked to make sure Jacqueline and Orlean weren't paying attention. Then, she stood on her tiptoes so she could hiss whisper back.

"Don't worry! I'm getting us out of this, you just have to help me. How hard can this possibly be?"

I raised an eyebrow. "How hard can it be? Pretty fucking hard, considering how many people died."

She pulled my ear and I winced. "You're overreacting."

Me? Overreacting? Yeah, probably.

I sighed. "Whatever. If we die, I'm so not being your friend anymore."

She smiled in a playful way. "We're friends?"

I scoffed. I hadn't realized that had slipped out, and found myself looking away immediately. I didn't reply.

"Have I steered you wrong yet?" she asked.

"In the five or so days I've known you? No."

"So what are you worried about?"

"Oh, you know. Just dying."

She shrugged and walked up ahead so we were both with Jacqueline and Orlean. I followed, not wanting to be completely left behind.

......

Climbing the mountain wasn't horrible. Not unless you're afraid of giant lizard men with huge swords.

That aside? It was a breeze.

We followed the dry stream for hours, constantly going up. There wasn't a drop of water in sight. There weren't even really any animals around, either. I found that worrying, but didn't bother saying so. After all; Mel apparently knew what she was doing.

Just when I was considering attempting a backflip off the mountain, we reached what appeared to be the source of the problem.

We were walking through a huge tuft of tall grass, annoying quite a few snakes when we caught sight of it. Way up at the mouth of the mountain where the water came through, was a massive dam. It was makeshift and not very well built. In truth, it was mud caked over a bunch of boulders. Water leaked out, into little channels built from palm tree trunks. The water was moved around to various squares of crops. Different grains and fruit bushes were growing all around this flat part of the mountain. It was mostly closed off by the huge rocks we had had to squeeze between.

That wasn't all, however. I found myself crouching down so my shoulders didn't peak out over the grass any longer. In the clearing, were five men. They were huge, probably twenty feet. Some of them looked close to thirty. Their arms were muscled and inked, as were their faces. The hair on their heads was greasy looking, and their eyes were dark. That wasn't the strangest part about them, though.