by Mark Dame
“Did you notice the valley this morning? It looked like it was widening. Maybe we’re coming to the end.”
“None too soon.”
“Let’s pack up and get moving,” Flyn said, finishing his meager meal.
Kel groaned. “Why don’t we stay here for the night. It’ll be completely dark soon and I don’t want to spend another night stumbling through the mountains.”
“It’ll be easier tonight without the rain. Besides, unless you want to start eating your clothes, we shouldn’t waste any time. If we can get another league or two before we go to sleep again, we’ll be that much closer to more food. And maybe better food.”
“Fine.” Kel sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”
They packed up their bedrolls and tied their wet clothes to the outside of their packs to keep from getting the rest of their gear wet. Shouldering their packs, they were about to set off when they heard a rumbling noise from farther in the cave.
“What was that?” Kel asked, peering into the blackness.
“I think someone’s coming,” Flyn whispered. “Find a place to hide in case it’s more orcs.”
They scrambled out of the cave and onto the mountainside, looking for someplace to hide. A large boulder sat on the other side of the gulley. They hurried down the slope, half running, half sliding, then across to the boulder. The water running through the mountain pass had shrunk to a small stream, allowing them to cross it in a single step. Reaching the boulder, they spun around and looked back at the cave, a mere fifty feet from their hiding spot.
At first, they saw nothing but the dark opening in the side of the mountain. Flyn was about to say that maybe they had been imagining things, but then a faint flickering light appeared. As they watched, the light grew brighter, reflecting off the ceiling of the cave, and they could hear voices. Faint at first, they grew louder as the light grew brighter, echoing out of the cave opening. The voices were loud and deep. With the echo, Flyn couldn’t make out the words.
Then they saw them. Two large men emerged from the cave. They were even bigger than the orcs, maybe ten or twelve feet tall, with shoulders almost as wide as Flyn and Kel were tall. Their heads looked to be about three feet wide, big even for their huge bodies. They each carried a torch the size of a small tree.
Flyn and Kel ducked behind the rock before they were spotted.
“Me hungry,” one of the men said.
“You always hungry,” the other one replied.
“That because you eat too much. Don’t leave me my share.”
“Not my fault you eat slow.”
The first one growled, a low rumbling noise that sounded like thunder.
“Come on, slowpoke,” the second one said. “We find you food.”
The second one laughed, a sound that was more like a howl than a laugh.
Flyn heard rocks and pebbles skittering down the opposite slope as the two men made their way to the bottom of the ravine.
“Me want good food tonight. No more goat.”
“Goat all there is in mountains. Have to go to valley for deer or cow.”
“Then we go to valley.”
“Valley long way away. And humans in valley.”
“Then I eat humans too. No more goat!”
The voices faded as they moved away.
Flyn and Kel looked at each other, eyes wide.
“Was that the orcs you saw?” Kel asked.
“No. Those were way bigger. I think they were ogres.”
“Ogres?” Kel muttered, shaking his head and staring after the ogres. “Orcs and elves and dwarves, now ogres?”
“Worry about it later. We have to follow them.”
“What?” Kel spun around and stared at Flyn. “First you want to follow orcs, now you want to follow ogres? The boat must have hit you on the head harder than I thought. You’ve lost your mind!”
“Quiet down. I haven’t lost my mind. Did you hear what they said? They’re going to a valley where humans live. That’s where we need to go. And if we hurry, we might be able to warn the people in the valley that the ogres are coming.”
“But the ogres…” Kel’s voice trailed off. He turned to look toward the ogres, their torches fading in the distance.
“We’ll just have to stay back far enough so they don’t see us. Come on, before we lose them.”
Flyn ran around the rock they were hiding behind and after the lumbering ogres. Kel started to say something else, but Flyn didn’t wait around to argue with him.
“Wait for me,” Kel said, running after Flyn.
The pair hurried after the ogres, catching up with them after a few minutes. They got close enough to hear them talking, though not close enough to make out what they were saying. Staying back wasn’t hard. The problem was keeping up. The ogres moved through the rocks and boulders strewn about the ravine with relative ease, and with their long legs, their pace was almost a jog for the smaller humans.
After an hour, they had to slow down and let the ogres move on. They couldn’t continue the quick pace in the best of conditions. With the poor footing, and already being sore and tired, it was hopeless.
Finally, Flyn stopped. They found a rock to sit on and catch their breath.
“We’ll never keep up with them,” Flyn said.
Kel nodded, still too out of breath to talk.
“Let’s just take a break. Then we’ll keep going at a slower pace and get a few more leagues behind us before we stop for the night. In the morning, we can look for their tracks. They shouldn’t be too hard to find.” The ravine had gotten wider, more of a valley now, but there still seemed to be only one way to go.
They rested for a bit, then resumed their trek, this time at a more maintainable pace. There was no sign of the ogres or their torches. The widening valley allowed them to avoid the remnants of the flood waters still running away to the east. Even so, the path was not easy. They had to dodge boulders, some as big as houses, that were scattered throughout the valley, and the ground was uneven and broken. But the fog had lifted a little and moonlight filtered through the drifting mist, somewhat lighting their way. In any case, it was better than the soaking rain of the previous night.
At last, Flyn called a halt for the evening. Exhausted, they searched for a place to sleep, before finally settling on a small flat spot a few yards up the northern slope. Several large boulders hid their campsite from the valley, though neither of them would have dared to light a fire with the ogres around, even if they had been able to find wood.
After a short meal, they crawled into their bedrolls, both too exhausted to speak much.
Flyn drifted off to sleep with thoughts of trees and grass and warm sunshine.
Morning didn’t bring trees and grass, but it did bring the sun. By the time they awoke, the sun was riding high in the bright blue sky, the only clouds small, white puffy cotton balls drifting lazily above them.
“I almost think I’m getting used to sleeping on hard ground,” Flyn said as he stretched.
“That’s all well and good for you. I’m just trying to remember what it used to feel like to not have sore muscles.”
Flyn laughed, his mood improved with the weather.
They ate the last of their squirrel meat for breakfast. Even though their food supply was running dangerously low, neither was sad the squirrel meat was gone. Still, they would have to conserve their supplies. Flyn figured if they were careful, they had maybe two days of food. Three if they really stretched it.
Flyn examined the valley to the west while they ate. What had started as a narrow ravine, maybe twenty or thirty feet across, was now a wide canyon, a hundred yards or more across from slope to slope. He hadn’t noticed through the night that the waters had receded, leaving scattered pools across the valley floor, along with boulders and the remains of old landslides. The path they had been following was now paved with flagstones, running straight through the middle of the valley. To the west, the southern slope appeared to veer off, hinting th
ey may be nearing the end of the mountain pass.
They finished their breakfast, packed their gear, and set out as quickly as they could. They talked freely as they walked, enjoying the sunshine that truly warmed them for the first time since before the rain. The paved road made the journey almost pleasant. Only occasionally did they need to move off the path to avoid a boulder that had found its way onto the ancient roadway. The road stayed close to the northern mountain, and after a couple of hours, they couldn’t even see the bottom of the slope of the southern mountain. Though some of the paving stones that made up the road were cracked, and some missing altogether, the road ran perfectly straight as far as they could see in either direction.
It was nearly lunchtime when they came to an intersection with another road. The intersection was a large circle around the remains of a broken statue. The road they had been following continued on the far side of the circle, while the second road led off to the south. Unsure of which way to go, they decided to stop for lunch while they contemplated their options.
Flyn had hoped to find tracks from the ogres leading down one of the roads, but apparently the rain had washed any dirt from the stones, leaving nothing to record the passage of any travelers before them. There were no signs or other indicators pointing to the valley the ogres had mentioned. They debated the choices while they ate, neither of them having a good argument for one choice over the other. Flyn wanted to continue to the west, the way they were already headed, guessing that the southern road led back into the mountains. Kel wanted to take the southern road because it led away from the northern peaks, which seemed to continue on forever.
They were still debating when Flyn saw someone coming up the road from the west. Two large someones.
“The ogres!” Flyn said in a loud whisper.
The only place they could find to hide was behind a large boulder several yards away from the path. Flyn scurried around the boulder, with Kel close behind, and crouched down, hoping the approaching ogres hadn’t seen them. Flyn peeked his head around the side to watch.
The ogres were running when they reached the intersection. They were carrying large sacks over their shoulders that seemed heavy, even for the massive beasts.
“See, nothing here,” the first one said, putting down his load.
“I know I see something.” The second put down his sack as well.
“You not see nothing.”
“Maybe it was humans Kargguk looking for.”
“Maybe old stone man here get up and run around.”
“We should look ’round. Maybe Kargguk reward us for catching his escaped slaves.”
“Why give them to Kargguk? Just put them in sack and take them home to eat.”
“Kargguk get mad if we eat his slaves.”
“How he know what we eat?”
“He have magic. He know.”
While the ogres argued, Flyn looked for a way to escape. There were plenty of boulders to hide behind. If they could make it to one a little farther away, they might have a chance.
They needed a distraction. Flyn picked up a small rock. Maybe if he could throw it the other way, the sound would distract the ogres and he and Kel could sneak away. The two seemed dumb enough to fall for it. He looked at Kel and pointed to the rock in his hand, then to the next boulder. Kel nodded.
Flyn heaved the rock as hard as he could toward the southern road.
“What that?” one of the ogres said.
The ogres ran toward the sound.
Flyn and Kel hurried to the next boulder, crouching down to try to stay out of the sight of the ogres. It didn’t work.
“There they are!” yelled one of the ogres.
“Run, Kel!” Flyn dropped his spears and ran, no idea where he was running to, just running and dodging boulders. Behind him, he could hear Kel stumbling and slipping on the loose rock, trying to keep up. Farther behind, the ogres. They might have been faster on open ground, but the boulders and other landslide debris gave the advantage to the smaller humans.
The ground rose sharply as they started up the northern slope, still sliding in the loose rock and ducking around boulders. Flyn glanced over his shoulder, but could not see their pursuers, though he could still hear them yelling and cursing somewhere behind.
He and Kel may have been defter in negotiating the fallen rocks, but the ogres had more endurance. The humans were already slowing down and the ogres were closing the distance.
“Hurry, Kel. Or we’ll end up their dinner!”
They pushed harder, running along the slope now instead of up. Flyn searched ahead and to their left and right for a boulder or outcropping they could duck behind and outmaneuver their pursuers. Their only chance was to change directions without the ogres knowing.
Then Flyn slipped. The rock gave way under his feet, sending him sliding down the slope on his back. He grabbed at the ground, looking for anything to catch himself. Below him, the slope ended in a narrow fissure that he was headed straight for. He stuck his heels into the ground, trying to slow his fall, to no avail. The crack in the earth loomed ahead. Pebbles and stones pelted his head. Kel was sliding down the slope above him.
In a last desperate attempt to save himself, Flyn grabbed at the top of the cliff as he slipped over the brink. He stopped with a jerk, hanging on to the edge. Then Kel came down on top of him and the pair tumbled into the crack.
Flyn hit the ground hard and fell back as Kel landed on his chest, knocking the wind out of him. Rock and dirt fell behind them, showering down on the hapless pair lying at the bottom. The yells from the ogres came closer, and more gravel poured into the crevice and on top of them, burying them in loose rock. Unable to move, Flyn resigned himself to his fate.
The rain of rock slowed and eventually stopped as the sound of their pursuers faded.
“Flyn? Are you okay?” Kel was still lying next to him, where he had stopped after bouncing off Flyn’s chest.
“I think so,” Flyn replied, his voice hitching as he tried to catch his breath.
They were lying in a narrow crevice, only two or three feet wide. Fortunately, it wasn’t very deep, only seven or eight feet.
“I can’t believe we’re still alive.” Kel was extracting himself from the rock and debris that almost completely covered them.
“I think all this gravel is what saved us,” Flyn said, sitting up and brushing the dirt off his face. “It sounded like they went right over the top of us. They must not have seen us.”
They finished digging themselves out of the rockslide, but didn’t try to climb out of the crevice yet. They decided to wait a while to make sure the ogres were long gone.
Flyn’s chest hurt when he breathed and he suspected he might have a cracked rib from Kel landing on him. Both were scraped and bruised, but otherwise not seriously injured.
“If we ever get home,” Kel said, “don’t ever ask me to go on one of your adventures again.”
For a long time, Flyn and Kel sat in the bottom of the small fissure, not daring to climb out. At one point, they thought they heard the ogres shouting in the distance, though with the wind whistling over the top of the crevice, they couldn’t be sure. Eventually, Flyn’s sore ribs forced him to move.
“Do you think they’re gone?” Kel asked.
“I don’t know. We’re going to have to climb up and take a look. I’ll give you a boost and you can look around.”
Flyn boosted Kel enough for him to grab the edge and pull himself up.
“I don’t see anything,” Kel said.
“Climb out,” Flyn gasped. The strain of boosting Kel sent fresh waves of pain through his chest.
With Flyn’s help, Kel scrambled out of the crevice. Flyn fell back to the ground. He sat holding his side and gritting his teeth through the pain. Kel looked down at him from the top.
“Are you okay?”
“I’ll be okay,” Flyn said. “Just need to rest a minute. Go look around.”
Kel disappeared, leaving Flyn to recover as
best he could. After a few minutes, Kel’s head popped over the top.
“All clear. No sign of the ogres. They must have given up. Even the big sacks they were carrying are gone.”
Flyn nodded and climbed to his feet, steadying himself on the wall of the crevice. After a bit of a struggle, Kel was able to pull him out of the hole. They both collapsed, one panting from pain, the other from exhaustion.
“Let’s see if we can find our spears and get out of here,” Flyn said after he recovered somewhat.
After a short search, they located two of the spears.
“Forget the other two,” Flyn said. “We have to get moving in case the ogres come back. Besides, once we reach the valley, we should be able to get help, so we won’t need to hunt for food.”
“I hope you’re right,” Kel said.
At least the choice of direction was clear now. The ogres had been to the valley, and they had come back on the western path.
“We better stay off the path in case the ogres come back,” Kel said.
“They would see us anyway, unless we climb up the hillside and dodge around the boulders.” To the south, there was no cover at all.
Kel stared at the mountainside to the north for a minute, then sighed.
“Okay,” he said. “I suppose we should be more concerned about our food than the ogres anyway.”
Though the afternoon was just as bright and sunny as the morning, their cheer and easygoingness was not.
They traveled without talking, carefully watching ahead and frequently checking behind them for any sign of the ogres. Flyn had no desire to test his wits against them again. They hurried along the path as fast as Flyn could walk without causing himself to breathe heavily. Their goal was to make the valley by nightfall.
Humans lived in the valley, or so the ogres had said. When they had started their journey along the path, they had just hoped to find people, always assuming that if they found them, they would be friendly. As they came closer to their destination, Flyn began to wonder if that would be true. Everyone else they had encountered so far had been anything but friendly. His hope was that since the orcs and ogres (and apparently pixies, whatever those were) seemed to dislike humans (or like them as food), then perhaps the humans would be friendly to other humans.
