Esprit Abbey

Chapter 9

With Cailean navigating the map, and Asher taking the lead, they made good time down the mountain trail. Cailean and Marius frequently complemented Asher on his exceptional sense of direction while jokingly glancing at Silas, who was becoming increasingly irritated at their incessant teasing.

Silas walked silently, dragging a stick in the dirt behind him and leaving long lines in the ground that trailed him down the dusty path. They all felt the intense heat of the sun beating down as, unlike the rest of the mountain, no trees were close enough to the trail to provide shaded relief. As the early afternoon approached, the water in their bota bags rapidly diminished, as they each tried to prevent a debilitating thirst.

After a time, made longer by the sweltering heat, the trail leveled out and snaked back into the trees. Standing at the forest's threshold, Silas plopped down at the base of a tree and stared at the sky through the leaves. The thin clouds looked stagnant in the air, like little islands of white in a sea of cerulean blue.

Marius wiped his brow and sat down next to Silas, "You got any water left?" Silas shook his head. Marius pulled the strap of his bota bag from over his head and handed it to Silas, who quickly pulled the cork, inverted the bag, and started guzzling the cool liquid. After a few moments Silas's nostrils flared as he coughed. Marius pushed the bota bag down. "Careful, don't drown yourself." Silas wiped his mouth clean with the back of his hand as he gulped air, the same way he had with the water.

"We should keep moving," said Asher, "we're going to need to find more water soon."

Silas picked himself up and followed the others into the forest. The air was much cooler with the consistent shade and a gentle breeze that filtered through the trees. Cailean's stomach rumbled causing Ava to giggle. She looked directly at Cailean's stomach, "yeah, I completely agree." She looked up at Cailean who was dramatically rolling his eyes. It occurred to them that they hadn't eaten since they left the Abbey. Everyone had either been too tired, too cold, or too unnerved to even think about food. Now, as they casually strolled through the woods, that basic necessity was catching up to them.

"Look," said Marius pointing up into the trees. "Plums."

Cailean and Ava looked up to see the succulent purple orbs of plum clusters, hanging just out of reach. Ava licked her lips, "those look amazing." Of course, they had the bread and cured meat they brought from the Abbey; however, the tantalizing aroma of the plums were far too tempting to ignore.

"Sure does," agreed Cailean.

"Agreed," said Marius. "Silas, come here." Silas walked over to Marius who proceeded to lift him up onto his shoulders. "Grab some of those plums." Carefully, Silas steadied his feet on Marius's shoulders. He slowly raised himself up to a standing position, using the tree to balance himself. Silas has never been the biggest fan of heights, but like everyone else, he was driven by the sounds of his stomach.

He reached up and began shaking the closest branch he could reach. A few plums fell but most held stubbornly to the wiggling limb. "You have to want it," Marius said. "Shake it like you mean it." Silas reached up, grabbed the branch with both hands, and began shaking it wildly. Pulling himself off Marius and placing his feet on the tree, he momentarily forgot how high off the ground he was.

With a loud crack the branch broke. Silas waved his arms frantically, trying to grab the air as he plummeted to the ground; looking like a baby bird trying to fly for the first time. He landed on the far side of several bushes leaving him out of sight from the others. They all began running to where Silas fell, but slowed from confusion when they heard sounds of pain come from two voices. Suddenly Silas came tumbling out from behind the bush. Wincing, he lay on his back rubbing his shoulder.