We stared at a gaping chasm before us. On the other side was the way to Memphis. Below us was a rushing river that had carved out this beautiful landmark. The wind pushed up from the canyon below swept into our faces as we tasted the fresh river air.

“What’s your plan now, big guy?” Ghala mocked. I placed my hand on Kaavi’s back and, more gently, asked, “Yeah, big guy. What are we thinking?”

“Well…” Kaavi looked at the sizable gap. None of the trees along the cliffs were large. If there was one big enough, it probably would have taken us over a day to chop it down with our swords. Maybe longer. It was plain to everyone that fashioning a bridge was not the answer. Kaavi turned to me and asked, “What do you think?”

“That’s cheating,” Ghala said.

“No it’s not,” I said, “It’s fine to ask someone. Ultimately, Kaavi decides if he takes the advice.” I looked at Kaavi, “We can either try to climb down, which could be tough because we have no rope, or keep walking until we find a bridge. Man-made or otherwise. Which could detour us for a couple of days but ultimately be safer.”

“Kavi’s tongue pressed against his cheek, “Yep. Those are the two options.”

I kicked a rock off the canyon and watched as it fell below. It landed, only to create the smallest plop before the river erased the pebble’s memory in an instant. “Yep. Let me know what you decide.”

I rested against a tree trunk right where a tree limb covered the sun. I rested my eyes a little. Everyone else relaxed too. Kaavi stared down the cliffside. “Hmmm,” He said, “I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt. Even if it takes us a couple of days, we should go until we see a bridge, or at least a faster way down.”

“Yep.” I said, eyes closed, “That’s a sound approach, Kaav.”

“Maybe we should rest a little though?” Yajaira interjected, “I know we’re all tired after a long day of walking.”

Kaavi agreed, “Let’s take the next half hour to rest. We’ll get back to it.”

“I find us lunch.” Ynec said.

I opened one eye, “Say, Ynec. You mind if I come? I’d love for you to teach me a little more about the ways of the wild. Nature is kind of a blind spot for me.”

“Of course, Egen! Delighted.” His tail wagged behind him. I got up from my rest spot and walked with him. For ten minutes, we skulked through the forest. It turned out I was a lot less sneaky than I thought. Anytime we’d try to wade through undetected, my foot would find some patch of leaves I hadn’t seen. Even when I tried to avoid them, the leaves found themselves brushing under my foot with the wind’s help.

He pointed out some mushrooms that we could eat, and some mushrooms that we could definitely NOT eat. They looked the exact same to me but he insisted the striations under the cap went a different direction. As we continued, we found traces of animals, but none nearby. Most likely due to my oafishness. I apologized for making hunting more difficult. He insisted it was okay but I could tell he wanted to bring meat to earn his keep in our little troupe.

“You tell them I try? I try to find meat but only vegetables.” He asked with big eyes.

“Yes, Ynec. They’re all very grateful for the food you’ve already provided for us. I wouldn’t worry.”

“Thank you, Egen.”

“No problem. Sorry we couldn’t get any-”

“You hear that?” Ynec asked before ducking low. I did too, priming my half-elven ears to pick up on any sound. Through the occasional animal cry I could make out something distinct. Close by. There was a hissing noise.

“Yeah, it’s coming from…” Then I looked up and saw that there was a snake about the size of my arm hanging above the trees hissing. Hissing at me to be exact. I knew I wasn’t paranoid and the snake was hissing at me, because the next thing that happened was it dropped down from the trees to attack me.

“Ahh!” I yelled, before I could even get my sword out, it landed on my neck and wrapped itself around me. As it went to sink its teeth into me, Ynec grabbed it and sliced its neck with his bone knife.

“Thanks, buddy!” I said, “Looks like we have meat after all.”

“That was not sound.” Ynec said as he wrapped the headless snake through a loop on his pants.

“That wasn’t?” I asked, “What sound were you referring to?”

Ynec got on all fours and crept toward the sound he heard. I joined him, bear crawling behind him. Our heads peeked past some trees and down the way we saw them. Three Chacali riding mounts through the forest. One of them was Ynec’s father, the leader. He was covered in bandages around his torso and legs. Glad he could make a full recovery. They had a pack of jackals in front of them, sniffing the air, while the leader held Ghala’s shirt.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Ynec, we need to get back to the others.”

We high-tailed it back, Ynec gracefully and silently bounding through the forest, and me seemingly crunching every leaf on the forest floor. We made it back and the first thing I did was count the party. Everyone was present.

Ynec interrupted, “I’m sorry,” He started, “Chacali are back. They come. Father. I understand if you don’t want me.”

“Stop, stop, stop,” I said, “This is a terrible sell.” I turned to everyone, “We’ve got to move now. The chacali have their mounts and they’re on their way.”

Kaavi stood up from the stump he was sitting on, “Well.. Okay… then we gotta move along the cliff… right? Hope to find a bridge?”

“No time. I’m sorry, everyone, we’re going to have to climb down that cliff,” I ordered, “come on, let’s get moving. Barth, is there something you can cast on us to help us out?”

Barth shook his head then said, “I can cast Quilldrop if someone falls. It causes the users to drop as daintily as a quill, but that only works on three people including myself. I would normally preemptively cast it on Yajaira, Porta and me but…”

“Hold off in case someone falls. Got it,” then I pointed to the side of the cliff, “Guess we’re free soloing it.

“This is dangerous,” Yajaira said, “Are we sure this is the right move?”

I remembered the rock that dropped into the river. I also remembered what the Chacali threatened to do to us.

Ynec shuddered, “I smell them.” We could hear the yipping from the jackals draw closer. I looked at Yajaira, “They’ve got mounts and jackals. They’ll catch us on land.”

Yajaira sighed but acquiesced. Barth and I both helped Yajaira descend down the rockwall. I offered to help Porta but she rejected me. Kaavi paved the way, making sure different rocks were safe or crumbly. He’d communicate that to us so the duchess could have a safe path down.

“Hey, Egen,” I heard from below me. Kaavi was waiting there, his fingers snug in the cracks of the mountain as he expertly kept himself level. The others climbed past him as he waited for me.

Once I leveled with him, I asked, “What’s up?”

“Uhm..” Kaavi wasn't sure how he should start, “I guess I just wondered… if I was still the leader?”

“Of course,” I said, “You’re even leading by being the first one down! That’s quite a feat, I think.”

“Well.. if that’s true… then how come you gave us the order to climb down the mountain?”

“Huh?” I thought, “Did I? I kind of think the idea came from the group. Uhm… It made the most sense. Look, Kaavi, you’re still in charge. It’s just… sometimes I have to step in. This was a high-stakes situation after all. Besides, we needed to get down. Didn’t we?”

“Yeah,” Kaavi said, “So… I'm in charge but occasionally you step in?”

“Yes,” I said, “To guide us. That’s all. Sounds good?”

Kaavi held his body close to the rockwall. He went a while without saying anything. I tried to look down but got dizzy. He still hung there next to me.

“Sounds good?” I repeated.

“I guess I just didn’t know the rules,” He said.

I didn’t say anything. He began trudging downward again, making his way past the boys and Yajaira to communicate to her the safest hold. I had to step in. It was the right call. Kaavi’s still in charge, like I said. Mostly. I looked up and was face to face with a Chacali warrior staring down at us from the ledge. I called down to Kaavi, “Kaavi!” I said, “They’ve seen us!”

Kaavi nodded… “So… he started, “What… What do we… Hm…” He looked back up at the Chacali, then at me,“Is this when you step in?”

The Chacali lifted his spear and launched it right at me. As the spear raced to my body, I pivoted, using my right side as a hinge. The spear bounded past, scraped the cliffside and spun outward. The butt of the spear smacked Kaavi on the forehead and fell to the river.

“Kaavi!” I yelled.

The Chacali had missed. He screamed something in his language and disappeared, presumably to get the others.

“What do we do, Egen?” Bova asked.

“Yajaira,” I said, “If the Chacali come down to get us, you’re going to have to hurl yourelf off this cliff.” I said.

“What?!” Yajaira yelled.

“You’re going to jump off the cliff, you Barth and Porta. Barth will cast Quilldrop. Don’t do it immediately. This is only if…”

“Lovely!” Barth said, “I’ll cast it. On the count of three, duchess! One!”

“Not now,” I urged, “Only if they catch up with us.”

“Two, Duchess, ignore him!”

“I dropped a little more, but the walls had gotten crumbly. Most of what I was stepping on was packed earth. And for some reason some kind of… fluid. I looked at my hand, there was a kind of transparent liquid coming out of the cliffside.

“Three. Come, Duchess! Let’s jump! Jump now, Duchess, I beg of thee!”

“Not yet, Barth,” Yajaira said, “Have we seen the Chacali, Egen?”

I looked up. They had not returned, but could be back any second, “Not yet. But be careful! This wall is weird.” I dropped a little more and noticed a large crescent shaped crack along the wall. Very odd. It curved down the cliff. My eye kept following it’s trajectory. It went past the farthest right side of my troupe, curved back up below Kaavi, the member furthest down, and connected with the crack at the top. The crack in the mountain was a full circle. And we were inside of it.

“Guys!” I yelled, “Something feels very wrong!”

“Something feels wrong?” Barth said, “It may be time to jump, Duchess. On three!”

Barth dropped farther, reaching Kaavi’s height. I lowered myself as well. Our weight shifted to one side of the circle and the wall we all clung to began shaking. The circle dipped downward into the mountain and suddenly we could not hold our grip. We all fell into the darkness and the large trapdoor reset, eliminating any trace we were there. The Chacali soldier showed up with the leader and we had completely disappeared.

Barth’s body hit the ground before he could cast the Quilldrop. He landed first and the rest of us landed second. There were a lot of grunts and aches as we determined who fell onto who.

“Get off me, if you’d please,” Porta said. I realized by the anger in her voice and the fact that it was right next to my ear that she was talking to me.

“Sorry!” I rolled off of her. We all started to stand. The small cave had few strands of light peeking in but my elven eyes adjusted much quicker to the room than everyone else’s. I looked around. The first thing I noticed were the bones that littered the floor. Other creatures. Some human, some not, that had fallen for the same trap we had. I noticed there was something moving at the other end of the cave. Something big. Something hairy with multiple appendages. It’s large thorax facing us which meant it’s head had not yet noticed us but I realized exactly what it was.

“What’s wrong, Egen?” Tuf asked as his eyes adjusted to my face in the darkness. I pointed straight ahead, “I think that’s what’s called… a tarantuladon”