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CHAPTER EIGHT

Maria had come a long way in just a couple of short days, and all thanks to Zepharos’s urging, his constant but gentle guidance keeping her on track and on the move.

As a result, they had put a great deal of distance between themselves and the city, and all while taking the most unpopulated and difficult route imaginable.

No one would ever dream they would have come this way, and that was precisely what was intended.

The hard road, or lack thereof as the case may be, was to be their path, and it would serve them well. But even with his expert navigation and wilderness skills there were some things Zepharos couldn’t avoid.

Maria stared up at the imposing mountain looming over them.

Broad and rocky at the base, its width blending with other sheer faces, the result of a geological upheaval tens of thousands of years in the past if not more.

The result was a very tall and very steep obstacle, and one she very much did not want to climb.

“I’m sorry,” Zepharos said as he led her toward the more central portion of the lowest foothills leading to the mountain.

It was far from ideal, but it was where the rocks would be at least somewhat passable.

“The Vorkalian Range is well known, and approaching from our direction, there is no way around it. We will have to climb to the summit and make our descent on the other side.”

“Grrrreat,” she grumbled, her body already aching, and they still had a long way to go before it got really bad.

“You’re doing fine, just keep moving and it’ll be over before you realize.”

“You think I’m going to climb a mountain and not notice every second of it?”

He chuckled. “I suppose not. I’m not very good at this whole supportive encouragement thing, am I? It’s all pretty new to me.”

“You’re doing fine ,” she shot back with an amused gleam in her eye.

“Did you just?—”

“Who? Me?”

Zepharos shook his head, a grin on his lips. “Well played. But if you start to feel truly lagging, you have the vial should you need it.”

“Yeah, I’ve been saving it. The downhill wasn’t so bad, and aside from that damn river I’ve felt okay. But that climb? Yeah, I’ll be taking it soon, headache be damned.”

“Just remember to keep your reactions in check. Monitor yourself. It can heighten some senses, and we do not know exactly how your race will react to it.”

She flipped him a mocking little salute. “Noted. Now can we get this over with?”

He looked up at the imposing mountain. It was going to be a lot of work. “We can and we will. It’ll just take a while.”

They trekked on, crossing rocky fields where they had to but generally sticking to the cover of the trees. They were sparser in this area, but given the imposing terrain it was highly unlikely any search team would be wasted surveying in this direction.

On they walked, fording streams and carefully traversing several dangerously deep gorges as they approached the rocky face they would have to ascend to reach the more passable ground above.

If they could manage that it would be a long but manageable hike most of the rest of the way.

If not, they would have a quick fall to the jagged rocks below, quite possibly ending their story for good.

Zepharos ignored that. He was focused. Determined. Driven.

As for Maria, she’d downed the little elixir a short while back after a particularly hairy balancing act across a fallen tree.

She’d crossed the gully successfully, but her legs felt like rubber.

She didn’t know if she could keep it together for another exertion like that, so down the hatch it went.

It was pretty sweet and lacking any nasty medicinal taste, quite to her surprise.

Also shocking was how quickly her body reacted.

The tremors in her muscles vanished almost immediately, as if a lingering blaze had been abruptly doused by a thousand gallons of refreshing water.

The sensation was unlike any she’d ever felt before, and it was wonderful.

“I could get used to this,” she said, testing out her newly steady legs with a spring in her step.

“Don’t overdo it. You feel good now, but any damage you do to yourself will still be there when it wears off. Trust me, I know from experience.”

“Noted,” she said, but the feeling was surging through her entire body to such a distracting extent that she wondered if she’d be able to keep his warning in mind.

Zepharos stopped walking and let her bounce around for a few minutes to hopefully get some of the zoomies out of her system. Apparently, this stuff really amped up humans. He’d have to let the elders know when he saw them to ensure no one had any unfortunate experiences without ample warning.

Finally, Maria seemed to calm a bit. She still felt great, but the popcorn-like bounce had lessened to a mere spring in her step. Satisfied it was safe to continue, her guide and savior continued on, the peppy woman at his back.

They walked a few hours, and Maria’s body seemed to be maintaining an elevated level of energy, though it was waning somewhat from when she first took the elixir.

Judging by the time it took to wear off, Zepharos figured she had maybe another hour or two before her arms and legs would start to feel tired again.

The rest of her would still feel good, but one could only prop up exhausted muscles for so long.

He moved ahead faster, determined to make the most of her energy while it lasted.

They were in a densely wooded area as they approached the rocky face they would soon have to climb.

Nutrients washed down and pooled at the base, and that led to very fecund ground from which all manner of plant life sprung.

But with vegetation and food came animals. And not only the herbivorous kind.

The buzz of flying insects grew audible. That and something else was in the air.

“Hey, I smell something.”

“Yes. I sensed it some time ago. Do not look.”

“Why? What is—” Maria cut off abruptly.

An animal the size of a small cow had been torn apart, its remains scattered across a small area. It wasn’t quite rotting yet, but the stink of death had settled in.

“It-it looks fresh.”

“It is,” he replied, eyes scanning all around them, ears straining as he searched for any sign of a threat. “We need to get out of here. This is a Luzzip kill. They will not be far.”

“What’s a Luzzip? ”

“You do not wish to find out. Stay close, and hurry!” he hissed, speeding toward the closest rock face and not the one he’d originally pointed out for their ascent.

Growls and yelps from the near distance made his reason perfectly clear. The Luzzip, whatever they were, had caught their scent. And they were coming for them.

“Run!” he urged, grabbing up a stout stick as he ran. “Over there!”

He was directing them to a wall. It wasn’t sheer, but it might as well have been. While he’d told her there were plenty of easy handholds to climb where they were planning to ascend, this was not anything like that.

“I can’t climb that,” she called after him.

He looked over his shoulder as he ran, already sliding his pack to his chest and pulling out the one piece of cordage he had. He wasn’t carrying any rope—that would have drawn suspicion in the city. But stout cord was the next best thing. Even if not, it would have to suffice.

His hands worked fast, looping it around his waist and tying off a hasty knot. He then ran it through the shoulder straps of the pack, securing it with a very short length barely long enough to allow him to get it back onto his back.

The Luzzip were getting closer. They’d picked up the intruders’ scent and were growing braver. This wasn’t their normal prey, but meat was meat, and one of them smelled of blood.

A yelp startled Maria as Zepharos swung his improvised club hard, connecting solidly with the head of the beast that had lunged at him from their flank. A scouting attack to test their resolve, and one he had been able to stop. The next time he might not be so lucky.

Maria couldn’t help but stare at the stunned creature.

It was as big as a wolf hound and its snout and teeth looked quite wolfen.

But there the similarity ended. Its shoulders were bigger and hulking, like a buffalo’s and covered with a dense, wiry fur, for one.

Its rear from the midsection down was bare, the skin tough and leathery with myriad scars from countless fights and hunting injuries.

She would have looked further, but they were rapidly approaching the rock wall. It was a dead end.

“To my front!” Zepharos commanded.

“What?”

“Climb on and hold tight.”

“Why not your back?”

“Just do it!”

The sound of their approaching demise was more than enough to make her jump into action.

She wrapped her arms and legs around him, pressing right up against his chest. Zepharos dropped the pack from his shoulders and took the remaining cord in his hands, wrapping it around her, binding her to his body as best he could.

“Hang on,” he said, then jumped up hard, grabbing an impossible hand hold and pulling them both up.

His grip was incredible, somehow carrying the weight of both of them up the rock face. Maria felt the stone rub her back, but she didn’t complain. The snapping jaws of the Luzzip pack that had arrived below them made her freeze stock-still, locked around him in a death grip of sorts.

Zepharos just kept moving, steadily climbing, the pack dangling below him just out of reach of the animals as he ascended.

Maria glanced up and saw the look of sheer determination in his eyes.

The clenched jaw, sweat on his brow from the exertion.

But he didn’t complain or utter a word. Zepharos simply climbed.

Up, up, up, that was the only option. Anything else would be the end of them both.