Fate’s Peak

by Scott Volentine

  William jumped up a wall and looked back where the tiger had fallen to the ground, its body wedged within the passage. The roar had faded, but its eyes sparkled, staring straight at him. The wolf hopped back into the lane and padded closer to the injured creature, cautious in its approach, and William moved to position himself between it and the tiger. It lifted its head and moaned at him, then its head flopped back into the dirt. He stepped closer to the tiger, which remained immobile besides its eyes, following his movement. He knelt in front of it, his heart sagging within his chest as he looked into its eyes. Sad to see a beautiful creature made so helpless.

  William reached to pet the tiger’s head, but it bared its fangs so he withdrew his hand before it could snap. “Yes, intelligence is deadlier than anything. I am sorry.”

  The wolf padded around the tiger’s flank and nipped at its shoulder. The tiger kept its gaze locked on William and the wolf bit harder, then started eating its flesh. The tiger continued staring at him and even seemed to grow calmer. A brilliant burst of energy passed from its eyes to his. What is it experiencing?

  The wolf tore a strip of flesh from the tiger’s shoulder, splashing blood upon the ground, which snapped William out of his reverie. He moved to push the wolf away, but the tiger turned its head and saw it, moaning as it gnashed its fangs at the wolf. Blood dripped from the wolf’s snout as it recoiled, but the tiger’s head slumped back onto the rubble. The wolf looked at William and whimpered. He grabbed the sword still lodged in the tiger’s spine and yanked it out with a fresh splatter of blood.

  I should put the beast out of its misery… but it does not feel pain. William felt like he had created a deformity and had the duty to put an end to it. He stepped towards its flank and plunged his sword deep into its chest, sighing when its head plopped onto the rubble. The wolf approached the carcass and took another bite, but he turned away, gathering his belongings and climbing a mound of rubble to get a better view of the mountain. Its earthen slopes lifted up to the heavens beyond the ruins, not on the horizon anymore but within reach. The Sun had sunk behind it, a glow pouring around both sides of the slopes, leaving the ruins in shadow.

  William whistled for the wolf’s attention. “Let’s go, boy.” He hopped down into the next lane, hoping the wolf would follow; they needed to put some distance between themselves and the bloody carcass, to avoid any beasts drawn by the scent. He kept his eyes open for a defensible spot in the ruins and ducked into an alley that dead-ended in rubble. The solid presence around him and made him feel like he could relax, so he sat down on a block of rubble to wait for the wolf.

  The wolf bounded past the alley, so William whistled and it reappeared a moment later, loping towards him with its bloody snout. He led it deeper into the gloom of the alley and took out the pitcher. The wolf sat on its haunches in front of him as he poured water over its head to wash away the blood. It leapt onto its feet, shaking off the water, as he sipped from the pitcher.

  Watching the tiger being eaten alive had horrified William, but his stomach grumbled for meat. He imagined slicing a chunk from the tiger’s carcass and grilling it over an open fire, sending a prayer to his Father. A bundle of carrots materialized on a cinder block before him. I don’t want roots. I need meat!

  A bolt of lightning surged down from the sky and struck the stone wedged at the mouth of the alley. The wolf yelped and William nearly jumped out of his skin lunging away from thunderclap. As his nerves calmed, he looked at the stone that had been struck. Flames danced across its surface, heat licking off like it was made of wood. The wolf lay down in the rubble and curled up into a ball, and he crept toward the flaming stone, its light flickering over the dusky ruins.

  William felt the heat wash over his face and heard his Father’s voice swell within his breast: Purity in action will carry you through the world. Do not let your guard down, my son. The day will have its due. Let this fire guard you through the night. The voice retreated and William resolved to serve the purity in all Life, though he did not know how he would feel in the morning.

  William chomped through the carrots while the sunset painted the sky, but when the atmosphere opened to the celestial graveyard, the dark radiation of space, he set the remaining carrots aside and took a final swig from the pitcher. He could hear flies buzzing around beyond the firelight, so he stretched out close to it, hoping it would repel any beasts that stalked through the night. Would they fear the light?

  William felt the fire’s warmth like he was wrapped in a blanket; the light enshrouding him kept the nightmares at bay while he slept, on the border between all that had been and all that had yet to be overcome. His dreams pulsed with the Life that had flowed through this city in its past, and he woke in a refreshed body as the sunrise baked the sky golden.

  William sat up, stretching his arms, and saw the boulder still smoldering in the gloom, its light falling upon a silver platter perched on some rubble, stacked with pancakes and bacon. He knew he could not dally with beasts on the prowl, so he took the breakfast as a sign that he should not waste any time. He imagined vicious beasts lumbering toward the smell of breakfast as he picked up the platter before the wolf could get the bacon. He divvied up the food and tossed the wolf’s portion to the ground.

  After they gobbled down their breakfast, William pondered what course to take as he gathered his belongings. When he led the wolf out of the alley into the main thoroughfare, he did not see it as a maze anymore, but a track to guide the motion of Life. He paused in front of the alley, feeling the warmth radiating from the molten boulder, and scanned the lane for danger before leading the wolf into the cool morning. It limped along at his side, so he decided they should not climb any more walls. He kept glancing behind his shoulder while searching for an alley connecting to the next road, and when they passed through one, they got a view of the mountain towering into the frosty air beyond the scabrous ruins.

  William figured that if this city had been designed by hand, then he should be able to find the order instilled in the stone. He did not want to have to fight for his life again and thought they could be stealthier within the lanes. As long as the wolf did not draw notice, they could hide in an ally until any prowling beasts walked past, and they could sneak across to the next road, and so on. As they passed from road to alley to lane, William realized he had not seen any grass growing within the ruins. In their search for community, people pushed Nature away; looks like Nature still harbors resentment. He hoped humanity could be restored in harmony with Nature so they would not fall into the same trap.

  Crouching in a cluttered alley, William peaked into the next street and saw a crocodile waddling through the dirt with its toothy snout bobbing his way. He withdrew into the alley and led the wolf into the previous lane to hide. Did it see me? He waited tense, keeping his sword at the ready while he peaked through the alley. The crocodile walked past the opening without turning its head. He sighed and crept through the alley to watch the crocodile’s tail sway back and forth until it climbed over a heap of rubble and disappeared from sight. He whistled for the wolf and darted into the lane, heading away from the reptile until they came upon a crossroads.

  William took the street that led more directly to the mountain, but it veered and he had to pass through another alley. The wolf padded at his side as they walked back and forth down the streets of the ruin like feathers searching for a place to land. Each alley they crossed brought them a little closer to the mountain, standing in the near-distance like the sentinel of the gods, reaching into the storm’s swirl.

  William could feel all the momentum he had built up, pushing him to the end of the ruinous maze. Now I face my ultimate challenge. What destiny awaits? No time left to think about what I have suffered. The mountain exerted an energy signature he felt like a great magnet, pulling him closer with a gravity that demanded total release. His feet pattered across the fallen buildings, turning left here, turning right there, until he came up
on a wide road that led directly to the mountain. A dirt path led down the center of the road, and its walls reached high, all spiderwebbed with cracks.

  As William strode down the center of the road, the plain sensed his confidence, that its existence wavered on the precipice. It raged at being outwitted, the ground heaving up under his feet. He stumbled forward, recovering his balance as first tremor faded, but he sensed a crackling of energies beneath the ground as a second tremor swelled in the depths. “Run!” he bellowed, sprinting headlong between the quivering mounds of rubble, the wolf hot on his heels.

  The second tremor knocked William off his stride. When he recovered, he saw a crack splitting across the wall and its stones started swaying in the air. Chunks of rubble started raining down into the street, and he broke into a sprint to dodge them, hoping the wolf was keeping up with him. The second tremor died away, but rubble continued toppling into the road ahead of them. He stuck to the center, dodging rubble as it skipped across his path, vaulting over stone blocks. He heard the wolf yelp but, when he looked, saw it running by his side with its tongue flapping in the breeze.

  William pushed himself to run even faster. The air burned his lungs like cinders, his legs screamed in pain, but adrenaline kept him ahead of the falling rocks. The road opened ahead of him to a rubble-littered clearing at the base of the mountain; he emerged from the maze in a few bounds of his legs, crying out in relief as the wolf panted beside him. He turned around to look at the ruins, watching the dust settle upon an impenetrable wall of rubble. He sank to his knees in exhaustion.

  A droll voice behind him asked, “What took you so long?”

  SIXTEEN

  William’s breath caught in his throat; he did not have to turn around to know who had been waiting for him. He stood up, his cloak swirling as he turned to face the robed figure. Death was leaning against a boulder higher up the slope, its eyes shining red under its hood. A grizzly bear with bloodshot eyes loomed by Death’s side like a monstrous guardian—brown fur stained with dried blood, razor fangs sparkling with hunger. And behind them the mountain climbed steep, stones rising out of the earth.

  The wolf tensed for an attack, electricity running through its body, its fur puffing out as it snarled at the bear. William could only gasp for breath. He did not feel like he had the strength to take another swing; his arms felt like dead meat. He let the sword and sack slip out of his hands, the one clanging and the other shattering upon the ground. I have been betrayed. Death smirked at William, watching the folds of the sack settling on the clay shards within it.

  Death waved its hand to shake William out of his reverie. “Now that I have your attention, William—that was your name, yes? I’ve been thinking about our little chat. While I, personally, would love to help you, what we’re dealing with here are impersonal forces—”

  “My Father is not impersonal!” William said.

  “I think I know more about His habits than you do. You’re just His lab experiment. Like I was saying, we are both personal forces as we interact with the Universe for ourselves. Your dear old Father never had time for that.”

  “He changed His ways by creating me.”

  Death chuckled. “Aren’t you Daddy’s good, little boy. Back to my point: when I told you that I supported your cause, I fear I was being too—how would you say it?—ah, yes, too self-centered.” Death lingered over this word, rolling it around on its tongue. “Yes, far too self-centered. Since our little meeting, I have had time to reconsider each of our positions.

  “Here, I could describe the thought process that brought me to my decision, but I feel that would bore you. I just hope you can understand it’s nothing personal. It’s a matter of staying true to my nature. Not my self but my nature, you see? You represent the Light, so it is my duty to try to stop you. I have to pay lip service to my team, though I really don’t care either way.

  “That’s why I brought my little friend along this time. Thanks for being such a lovely audience and I hope you have a wonderful day.”

  With a twirl of its robes, Death vanished into thin air. The bear bellowed in rage and started advancing down the slope, picking up speed. The wolf snarled as William bent down to pick up his sword. A grey blur darted past him. “Stay back!” He ran after the wolf, but it covered the ground in a flash to engage the bear. The bear swiped its paw and the wolf dodged the blow, dancing beyond the bear’s reach, trying to get at its open flank.

  William charged up the slope to join the melee, but when the wolf lunged at the bear to rip out a chunk of flesh, the bear roared and twisted around, swiping its paw at the wolf’s head with such force its body spun through the air and fell in a heap several yards lower. He saw this all happen in slow motion and for a moment he was stunned. I cannot waste any time.

  William charged at the bear, swinging his sword at its exposed flank. The blade sliced into the bear’s flesh, scraping against bone, and it roared even louder. Turning its berserked eyes to him, the bear swiped its paw through the air, strips of flesh encrusted on its claws. He yanked the sword out of its side and jumped back from its reach, the paw smacking the flat of his blade and knocking it from his hand. He turned and fled down the slope to the ruins. Blood spurted out of the bear’s wound as it charged after him.

  William stopped when he came to the rubble, spinning around to gauge the bear’s approach. It rumbled head-on at him; he bent his knees and dodged out of the way at the moment of attack. Sprinting past the bear, he scooped his sword out of the dirt and assumed a defensive posture. The bear roared and he turned to see it charging up the slope. He felt Time slowing as he prepared to dodge. The bear swiped at him as he spun around its flank, its claws gouging his arm as he sliced at its flank. Blood poured down his arm as he dashed back the way he had come, and when he spun around to brace for the next attack, he had to wipe blood from his hand to grip his sword.

  William set the strategy in his mind as the bear charged at him. I cannot overpower its bloodlust, but I bet it is stupid enough to keep falling for the same trick. The bear charged head-on but pulled back at the last moment to swipe a paw at him. He dodged away from the paw and sliced a red line across its flank as he dashed past it. Higher up the slope, he hopped from foot to foot waiting for the next attack. The bear swiped at him from the left, so he dodged right and swiped his sword, letting more blood soak into its fur, coat his blade red.

  Blood dripped onto the ground as the bear turned around, and rumbled at William with its fangs bared. When he dodged, he slashed at its neck and his blade bit deep. He danced a few meters uphill then turned to see what the bear would do. It moaned as it turned to him, blood coughing out of its slashed throat, splattering on the ground. Blood had congealed all through its pelt, its eyes had lost their focus.

  The bear tottered at William, who stood his ground. It swiped at him, and he chopped his sword into the extended leg, cutting to the bone. The bear roared, coughing blood over his cloak, and stumbled backwards before collapsing on the ground. It tried to stand back up, moaning as it squirmed in a pool of its own blood. William stepped towards it and aimed a deathblow, piercing through its eye. The bear gurgled its death and slumped into the dirt.

  William turned his back to the bloody carcass and scanned the slope. The wolf still laid in the dirt beside a shattered marble plinth, its legs shivering. “Boy?” He called. The wolf’s chest puffed out and in, but it did not move. William felt like he was walking through a nightmare as he approached the wolf. Why would you attack? I was your protector. You were my moral support!

  Tears welled in William’s eyes as he stood over the wolf’s body. Blood trickled out of its ears and flowed down its head—a crater gouged into its skull, etched with claw marks. He sank to the ground and the tears started flowing as he stroked the wolf’s shattered body. The wolf opened its eyes for one last glance at William’s face, a sense of peace shining upon his sorrow. He gently lifted the wolf’s head and
set it upon his lap, caressing its cheek and wiping the blood from its brow. He clenched his jaw to hold back all the emotions boiling from his heart; all he could do was sob while he held the wolf close. Not this way! His tears streamed down his cheeks, dripping upon the wolf’s nose. It licked the tears away and sighed, and the light faded from its eyes. William held the wolf closer, cradling its lifeless body as if it were his own child.

  SEVENTEEN

  William struggled to focus on his surroundings as he hiked up the boulder-strewn slope, his mind replaying the previous hour against his will:

  The sorrow had surfaced gradually, like his heart was being hollowed out, as he realized he was again alone in his desperation. He recalled the agony of his first day and felt like he was falling into a pit. Without the wolf to push him forward with its innocent determination, he could not bring himself to stand and face his suffering. Everything had changed the morning he met the wolf—a spark passed between them, like their spirits had bonded. His connection with the wolf had been a filter to screen his knowledge so he could focus on the Moment around him, but now he could only focus on the past, on the wolf’s life, their companionship. Even in death, the wolf’s energy drew him to its body. How can I leave him behind after all he did for me?

  The Sun climbed higher in the sky, shrinking the shadow of the ruins and shining its light on the rubble sprinkled where the ruins kissed the mountain. Though the day was bright, William could only remember the darkest things he had seen. The shrieks of animals and the cries of humans echoed inside his skull. He had tried to put these memories behind him, but they were like demons breaking free from their chains to wreak havoc on his willpower. The wolf’s spirit, its lightness, was a balm for my trauma. I cannot lose this! He recalled how the wolf urinated on every rock they passed, so silly in his determination. He still lives in my memory. His spirit will stay with me even if his body cannot.