The Dragonwalk Highway: The Fellowship of Thirteen

24 - The Crossroads Wizard

Zelda, Oron/Mo, Abyss, and Carl flew toward the setting sun until the winds stopped cooperating and they were forced to land. They spotted a safe place to set the gliders down near the Highway and immediately hid the gliders in the brush. They knew the Avox retribution would be great so there was no fire that night. They bunkered down with no supplies, no food, and no clue how far they were from the Tree of Wisdom. No one spoke. They were too tired. They slept the sleep of the dead that night. Zelda stayed up on watch, keeping an eye on the nearly full moon for signs of silhouetted wings, but they never materialized and she was only able to stave off sleep for so long before she finally submitted to its embrace.

They woke early the next morning still feeling the effects of yet another dramatic escape. They were surprised to discover they had slept next to a four-way crossroads on the Highway. No one seemed to remember the crossroads the previous night nor the apple tree next to it, but they were certainly grateful for the apples.

Oron picked some apples and passed them around. "I figure we got a two days travel to make it to the tree and less than two days to do it. Eat up, everyone. The rest of the way is gonna be bloody brutal and there won't be no apple trees anywhere near The Beyond."

No one needed more encouragement to enjoy the crispness and the juiciness of the apples. Zelda refused to partake since she had been well fed during her stay with the Avox. Instead, she sat next to Abyss and offered him her apple.

"I'm sorry about your brother."

He looked at her a long time before he finally accepted the apple and took a huge bite.

When he finished chewing, he asked her, "Why are you sorry?"

"Well—" She wasn't quite sure how to answer him. "Because—because he died."

Abyss chuckled and continued to tear into the apple. "Don't shed a tear for my brother. He died in the service of our father and in our culture there is no greater honor. He will dine tonight and all nights hence with the most honored heroes of the Thereafter. Pity me instead. All I have are these nasty apples."

They laughed together and it felt good to release that heavy burden of shame she had felt since she saw Midnight plummet from the sky. She had enough corpses on her conscience.

Meanwhile, Carl was punching and kicking at the air like a maniac. Oron and Mo watched him while they tried (hopelessly) to remove the goat from his best friend's back. Amazingly they had fallen asleep the previous night while still tied together.

"I feel strong," Carl said. He kicked at an enemy only he could see. "I totally saved the day yesterday, didn't I? Didn't I?!"

Oron and Mo each turned to conference over their shoulders. There was much whispering and head nodding and head shaking until they seemed to come to some kind of consensus.

"I guess," Oron said. "Technically, yes, you did play a small role in liberating us from our latest predicament. Although, we must also keep in mind—"

"I'm a hero...a real hero. I was scared but I swallowed that fear and I saved the day. I feel transformed. I am Carl the Coward no more! Now I am Carl the Courageous..."

"Now let's not go crazy—"

"Carl the Courageous," Carl mused. "This could be the start of a whole new life for me." His eyes drifted over the horizon to a future where a new life awaited him. In the matter of a few seconds he completed a dozen epic quests and saved another half dozen damsels in distress. In reality, he drew his sword and pointed it high into the air. "Onward to glory!"