by S. S. Segran
“It’s made of glazed clay,” Aari explained. “Huyani told me that her people use it a lot around here. The pipes are made of it as well. It’s a great way to channel water and the clay is extremely heat resistant. The strip that you touched is probably some kind of gauge the villagers use to monitor the heat inside the tank.”
“Smart people,” Tegan commented. “So it’s from this reservoir that the folks get their hot water and heat piped in?”
“That’s what I’m thinking,” Aari said.
“But wait.” Mariah paced around the sphere and tried to look underneath it. “I don’t see a fire or any source of heat that would boil the water. So how . . .?”
Aari circled it as well, then suddenly snapped his fingers. “Huyani told me about this. They must have built it over a hot spring.”
“A hot spring?” Jag sounded surprised. “Up here, this far north?”
“Oh, dude, hot springs are everywhere on the planet regardless of climate or geography. It comes from inside the earth. I think they use the sphere to capture the steam and carry it through a series of pipes to the entire village.”
“Ingenious,” Mariah approved. “And isn’t the sphere the most efficient shape for pressurized content anyhow?”
“Yep,” Aari said. “I see Mr. Tseng’s class is sticking with you.”
“Shush, Brainiac. You’re not the only one who does well in school.”
“Guys, look over there.” Tegan was with Kody a few yards away, close to the river. She gestured across the water at something the pair were staring in awe at. The others joined them, unable to muffle their stunned gasps.
The river’s other flank was a near mirror image of the side the friends were on, but there was one dramatic difference: An imposing five-sided structure rested on a beautifully landscaped terrace carved out of the hill. Five large columns built from logs rose to a height of thirty feet. Statues of human figures with their arms raised stood at the top of each column, supporting a domed roof. What was more amazing was a dazzling, multicolored flame that streamed from a cauldron at the center of the foyer of the building.
Aari was baffled. “How does that work? How can it continue jetting fire like that?”
No one had an answer. The friends settled on enjoying the colorful flames flaring against the dark of the night. Enthralled as they were by the sight, they eventually pried themselves away and continued their journey.
They had walked for ten or so minutes when Jag noticed a massive shadow looming up ahead. He frowned, his dread growing as they drew closer. They stopped and stared up at a near-vertical incline that, according to the map, separated Dema-Ki from the pinecone valley.
“So this is what the line on the map was,” Mariah said.
Kody scanned it from bottom to top, aggravated. “No way am I climbing that.”
“Oh, it’s not that bad,” Tegan said hopefully. “It can’t be more than a hundred feet.”
“Do you hear yourself? You put one hand or foot in the wrong place and you’ll drop like a rock. And we’re carrying packs, too.”
“The bears couldn’t have climbed over that, especially not with us on their backs,” Aari said. “Jag, we’ll have to go back to the other side of the valley to get out.”
Jag’s face fell. “No, wait. Maybe there’s a way around this. We’ll comb through this area for a passage or something. And if we can’t find anything . . . then we’ll double back.”
“Time’s a-tickin’, guys,” Tegan muttered.
“Fan out,” Jag ordered, spreading his arms.
They spread out, rapidly covering the base of the wall. Aari climbed onto a boulder and turned around. The clouds had parted, allowing light from the full moon to bathe the valley. The turquoise river shimmered as it wound through the center of the village. The tops of the shelters were barely distinguishable from the vegetation. To a casual observer, the village was nonexistent.
As he looked across the valley, the realization of what they were about to do hit him. They were parting from security and launching themselves against the power of the northern forests. They were truly putting themselves at the mercy of nature.
The clouds regrouped and obscured the moon, throwing the valley into the shadow once again. Jag approached Aari and gave a halfhearted grin. “Come on, brother. We need to keep things moving.”
As Aari jumped down, a happy exclamation caught their attention. Mariah gestured at them from the north end of the wall. “Found it! Think I found a way out!”
“I figured we’d probably be stuck here for a while trying to find it,” Kody whooped. “I guess Lady Luck loves us.”
“Let’s hope this little romance lasts,” Tegan said.
The four of them sauntered over to Mariah and gazed in the direction she was pointing. A path was barely visible, tunneled into the rock wall. The friends peered into the darkness ahead.
“Should we use that portable oil lamp we took from Huyani’s?” Kody whispered.
“There’s a limited supply of oil in it,” Tegan murmured back. “We shouldn’t use it unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
The four of them looked at her, peered into the dark tunnel, and looked at Tegan again. Kody clucked his tongue. “Methinks that right now, it is absolutely necessary.”
Tegan stared into the tunnel, then reluctantly took out the clay torch from her pack. At the flick of a lever, a small flame erupted to life. A crystal globe encircled the light. “Who wants to go first?” she asked. The friends looked at each other, no one volunteering.
Finally, Aari took a tentative step into the tunnel and pulled the hood of his jacket up. Tegan passed him the torch and the others followed him in. Jag took up a position at the rear of the group and noticed in the flickering light how well-trodden the ground was. It gave him some comfort that the tunnel was obviously used by the villagers.
The friends marched on for a couple of minutes, then Kody piped up. “Are we there yet?”
“No, Kode-man,” Aari replied.
Silence again.
Then: “Are we there yet?”
“No, Kode-man.”
More quiet ensued.
Finally: “Are we there yet?
“Oy! Shut up!”
Kody remained silent after that, although he would occasionally hum to himself. Aari rolled his eyes with a smile, then quickly ducked to avoid smacking his forehead on a protrusion in the tunnel’s ceiling. “Watch out,” he called.
The passageway was about six feet wide. In the small dancing light, he observed the patches of moss that clung to the sides and water droplets falling from the ceiling. No one spoke for a length of time. The sound of dripping water seemed magnified in the stillness of the tunnel. Then, at last, a dim brightness grew just ahead.
“I think I can see the end,” Aari reported. Relief swept over the group in the form of exhales. “I’m gonna turn off the torch to conserve the oil.”
As they exited the tunnel, Aari handed the torch back to Tegan, who carefully returned it to her pack. Jag looked around, arms folded. “So . . . this must be the pinecone valley. It feels more open.”
“Definitely matches the drawing on the map,” Mariah agreed. “Less vegetation here compared to Dema-Ki.”
Tegan raised her arms in a happy stretch. “Would you just smell that fresh mountain air? It’s kinda like home.”
The friends breathed in deeply. Aari felt a pleasant sensation from the top of his head to the tips of his toes.
“Kind of reminds me of the scenic drives we used to take to Glacier National Park back home,” Aari noted.
“And it’s just as pretty here,” Tegan said. “I’d love to see this place when it snows.”
“Can we stop to grab a bite?” Kody pleaded.
“We should keep going for a while more, then we’ll rest for the night,” Jag said. “We need to put as much distance as we can between us and Dema-Ki.”
The group trekked for two hours more until Kody muttered another complai
nt about his hunger. They came across an area of soft grass nestled in a grove of tall firs. Kody, apparently satisfied with the spot, plopped down and opened the pack he was carrying. “Grab whatever y’all want.”
The friends ate a quick snack and took a few gulps from their water pelts before unpacking their sleeping bags and laying them side-by-side. Then they crawled into them, listening to the sounds of the night.
Just as they started to nod off, a branch snapped nearby. The teenagers bolted upright eyes darting. A couple of minutes passed uneventfully and they released their breaths. Hesitantly, they lowered themselves back into their sleeping bags but not before Kody held up a sturdy stick. “My insurance,” he explained.
“It was probably just some small animal,” Tegan said as she closed her eyes. “Good night, guys.”
“Night,” the others murmured. Within moments, they were lulled to sleep with the quiet drone of the forest.
Aari was in the blackest recesses of his slumber when a bone-rattling roar reverberated through the trees. Not even an ice-cold bucket of water could have jolted the friends out of their sleep so quickly. They sat up, frozen in place. Another roar swept through the forest, clashing with a vicious chorus of snarling. Blood drained from the friends’ faces as they listened.
There was an eerie pause, and as the teenagers tentatively started to move, the wild scream of an animal in pain rang in the darkness.
Then, the noise cut off abruptly.
The group waited for it to return, breaths quick and shallow, but when it didn’t, they collapsed in heaps. “What was that?” Tegan groaned.
“Some kind of beast, that’s all I know.” Aari’s wiped the sweat off his neck. “Man, I can feel the blood pounding in my head.”
Jag held his head in his hands. “Yeah, me too.” He looked up after a few moments. “You guys alright?”
They nodded. Kody was on his feet and already packing up his sleeping bag. “I’m alright, but I’m outta here. I can’t sleep after that. Let’s get moving.”
The group hiked for the next hour at a heightened pace, using light from the moon to navigate as they quickly consumed their water supply. Flicking his water pelt and listening to the slosh of liquid inside, Kody observed, “We’re going to need to refill these things from the next river or stream we come across.”
“Is it safe to drink straight from them?” Mariah asked.
“Are you kidding?” Aari said. “Mountain water in a place like this has gotta be pure. I’m, like, ninety-nine percent sure it’s perfectly safe.”
Their brisk steps slowed over time and soon they were just traipsing along, swerving around large rocks and fallen trees. The mild chirps and buzzing of bugs were the only sound to be heard, apart from the occasional hoot of a distant owl.
After a while, Kody yawned loudly. “I need to rest.”
“I thought you were worried about the noises we heard earlier,” Tegan said.
“Right now, I couldn’t care less. I’m dead on my feet. How long do you think we’ve been walking? Aari? Got a clue?”
Aari pulled his hood further over his head. “In total . . . probably four, maybe five hours.”
“That’s it? Then why am I so tired?”
“Probably because we’re still recovering from the crash. And we haven’t really gotten much exercise. Our bodies are probably kinda stiff.” Aari tugged at his earlobe. “I don’t think we should push ourselves too hard right off the bat. Hey, Jag—we should stop soon.”
Jag stopped and stared up at the sky, blinking several times. Aari frowned. “Dude?”
“Maybe my eyes are fooling me, but . . .” Jag trailed off, then sighed and looked back at his friends. “Sorry, I thought I saw a plane. But yeah, no. Let’s gain some more distance before we take a break.”
Kody puffed out his cheeks in discontent. Reaching into his pack, he tried to sneak some food but dropped it right back when Mariah slapped his hand. “No food for you, Mr. Eat-everything-till-there’s-nothing-left-for-us.”
“Actually, I’m Mr. Eat-everything-before-anyone-else-gets-the-food. I’m a go-for-it type of guy.”
“Sure you are, Kody. Sure you are.”
Aari gazed up some time later and saw the dark sky speckled with light. “Sunrise in a bit,” he said.
A peculiar sound reached their ears; they paused in their tracks and tilted their heads to listen.
“You guys hear that?” Tegan murmured. “Some sort of… rumbling?”
“A storm coming?” Kody wondered.
“No,” Jag said. “I know I’ve heard this before, when . . .” His eyes began to light up. “. . . when the bears were bringing us to Dema-Ki.”
“When we get closer to the mountains in Great Falls back home—remember that sound?” Tegan asked.
Kody rubbed his hands together. “You don’t think . . .”
“A waterfall?” Mariah finished.
“Only one way to find out.” Tegan loped toward the sound. Her friends followed her eagerly, at times calling for her to slow down. She would pause and wait impatiently until they caught up before trotting off again. The sound grew steadily louder the closer they got to the source.
As they cleared a large group of trees, the friends found themselves staring at the stunning sight of water cascading over a ledge; it came down with thunderous intensity from two hundred feet up. The aquarium-blue pool at the foot of the waterfall churned with silky white froth but was calm toward the edges. The tree line made a crescent shape around it, welcoming the friends and appearing to offer a protective embrace.
Jag was the last of the group to clear the trees. He passed one with darker bark than the others. He brushed his fingertips against the trunk and scrutinized it quizzically, then continued on.
A cold blast of air hit their faces as they stepped closer to the waterfall. It refreshed them, slowly releasing the tensions knotting their stomachs.
“Woo!” Kody ran to the pool and immediately filled up his water pelt. Jag, Aari, Tegan and Mariah followed suit. As they drank from the waterfall, Jag admired the grand showcase nature offered them. Setting down his pack, he laid back-first on the ground and propped himself on his elbows. A fine spray of mist coated him and he smiled, enjoying the revitalizing sensation.
“This is gorgeous,” Tegan gushed.
“I’ll say,” Mariah murmured. “Kind of makes me want to take a dip.”
Jag half-closed his eyes and lazily watched the scenery. Kody rested on the grass, head propped against his food bag, and Aari just sat where he was, content to be in the moment.
The hypnotic rhythm of the cascade had nearly lulled him to sleep when he saw movement and spotted Tegan and Mariah walking close to the waterfall. He wondered why they were peering so intently at the rushing water. He called their names but they didn’t hear him over the roar of falls. Their movements grew more and more animated.
“Wonder what they found?” Kody said as the boys hastened over. There, the spray of water on their faces intensified.
“Guys, you won’t believe this,” Mariah yelled over the pounding water. Indicating the waterfall, she instructed, “Take our spot and tell us what you see.”
She and Tegan stepped back and allowed the mystified boys to take their place. They clung to the rock wall beside where the water rushed down, searching intently but unable to see anything. Nonplussed, they looked back at the girls. “Don’t see anything!” Jag hollered.
“Look harder,” Tegan directed.
“It might help if you squint a little,” added Mariah.
Three pairs of eyes raked over the entire side of the waterfall. Aari shook his head. “There’s noth—whoa!” He spun around. “There’s a cave behind it!”
“I see it now!” Kody confirmed. “Jag?”
“No . . . wait! Yeah, yeah, I see it too!” Jag stepped away and wiped his face with the sleeve of his black hoodie.
Tegan eagerly hopped from foot to foot. “I’m gonna check it out. Anybody wanna tag a
long?”
The friends grinned. Jag tossed the girls their packs and they slung them over their shoulders. “Be careful, Teegs,” he warned as she took the lead.
Tegan hugged the slippery wall and inched her way along the narrow ledge, closer to the cascade. Saying a quick prayer out loud, she slid behind the water and tumbled into the cave.
The rest of the group followed her in the same manner. They got up, trying to wipe some of the water off themselves, and hooted.
“Sick!” Kody walked around in backward circles, attempting to take in every detail of the cave.
It was spacious and, to their surprise, not at all cold. The ground was mostly sandy and Aari could hear the particles crunch under their shoes as they explored. The cave seemed to be lit but they couldn’t find a possible source of light.
Jag tapped the wall with his knuckles. “Why is it kind of bright in here?”
“Refraction,” Aari answered. “I think it’s the angle the water falls over the cave’s entrance that’s giving it this appearance.”
“It’s kind of cozy, in an odd way,” Mariah remarked. “I wouldn’t mind resting here for a while.”
“Why don’t we?” Kody asked.
“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Aari said.
Mariah tugged at her sleeve uneasily. “Do you think an animal might come in here?”
“I’m not too worried,” Tegan answered. “There’s a stale smell but it seems pretty faint. Whoever or whatever used this place hasn’t been in here for a long while. I say let’s get some proper rest.”
Once the friends were contentedly snuggled into their sleeping bags, they fell asleep immediately, exhausted.
18
A few hours later, with the land already basking in the sun’s golden light, the group reached the end of the valley and stood shoulder to shoulder on a ledge, looking at the descending slope that led to a flat expanse. The massive basin was moderately forested except on the banks of a long river that coiled in a north-south direction in the middle of the plain.
The friends had been trekking with renewed energy since their rest in the cave. Nothing had bothered them in there and they’d woken refreshed, eager to get moving.
