Day 9

Nikki awoke early. She had a day of exciting climbing ahead of her. She didn’t care about the three soldiers and the annoying little rat of a man Shew that had to come with her so Tẽra could get some peace of mind. She didn’t even mind Fiona who talked about Ranger all the time.

Nicolette Sintonarta loved adventure and all things outdoors.

It was first light, the sun hadn’t yet risen. Nikki made a fire and started preparations for breakfast. She wanted an early start. It looked like another two hours walking before she would get to the cliff face which she wanted to climb.

Her shuffling about woke Shew. He watched her with one beady eye as she prepared food. Then she dropped a tin pot. It banged and clanged and woke the whole group.

“Sorry!” she said.

“Why are you awake?” Fiona asked.

“It’s a wonderful morning and I want an early start.” Nikki replied.

“Ahhhh mmmmmmm” Fiona groaned putting her head back down.

The soldiers who were protecting her started helping.

The food was ready and the sunrise greeted them as they ate.

Fiona ate with one eye open.

It’s way too early, she thought, this is meant to be fun, not training.

But Nikki was up and being all productive and efficient. Clearly, she slept well. Unlike Fiona who found the ground hard and uninviting. Her pillow made her itch and she wasn’t enjoying this outdoor camping as much as she thought she would.

Fiona thought about going back to the castle. She could be back there by sunset. Nikki interrupted her thoughts.

“So, I was thinking, we could reach those cliffs with a brisk two hour walk. Thirty minutes to harness up and then we can start climbing. For safety I think our ropes should be attached. I’ll secure the hooks to hold both our weight just in case.” Nikki was almost bouncing with excitement.

Fiona pulled a face.

“I don’t want to climb the mountain.” She waited for Nikki’s reply.

At first Nikki thought, its ok you can go back.

But then she would be climbing alone and she would have listened to Ranger talk for most of a day.

“Too bad” Nikki replied

“We are here now and the mountain awaits. No glumness allowed. Enjoy it! Treat this as a learning experience or training. What is it you do again back on earth?” Nikki asked.

“I’m in the air-force.” Fiona said.

“Really?” Nikki said surprised “You’re so winy”

Fiona stood up

“I am not winy!”

“So, you’re not complaining about climbing a mountain?”

Nikki’s reverse psychology was working. Now she would have company that didn’t complain!

“I’ll climb the mountain and then you will have to take back your words.” Fiona said with a point to prove.

“If you climb these cliffs without sounding like a complaining sissy then I will take back my words.” Nikki challenged.

So, the two women packed up, followed by a brisk walk to the cliffs.

“So, what line of work are you in back on earth?” Fiona asked Nikki.

“Extreme sports, and I manage an adventure camp. Teaching people to survive in the wild.”

“That’s interesting”

This explained a lot about Nikki.

“What about your family?” Fiona asked.

“They are great. I have a cousin that I am very close to he is my second closest friend. My best friend is an Inuit girl. I love her to bits. She’s fun and capable. She also works at the adventure camp with me. She taught me how to do Ice Fishing. What about your family?”

“Do you have brothers or sisters?” Fiona asked.

“Nope I am an only child. I guess my cousin is like a brother.” she mused.

“That’s nice. I have a sister Nicole. She’s a typical sister, using my things without asking. Making extra dishes when it’s my turn to wash up. Wears my clothes and borrows my shoes without asking. But otherwise, I have a normal family. We are patriots all of us. My dad is also in the air-force, my mom is a pilot. We all love flying. Even Nicole is going for her pilots’ license.”

“Wow that’s quite nice. A family of pilots.” Nikki said.

Taking about family without extended details was easy.

Nikki didn’t need to mention that her father was a rocket scientist and her mother an international pilot. So, she was raised by nanny Katie.

Her aunty Caren married the British ambassador to Iceland and her cousin Ricardo was now a successful eco- friendly researcher. Her adventure camp manager life was not quite living up to the family expectations. Oh yes and her parents were very, very rich!

“What about Viola?” Nikki asked.

She noticed that Viola wasn’t mentioned at all.

“Umm” Fiona began

“Viola is my sister too. She’s an air hostess. Guess flying is in the blood.” Fiona made a nervous laugh.

“Honestly, I don’t know Viola. She grew up in Germany with her father. I think my mom has her on Facebook. But I’m not sure. Until we arrived here. I have only seen pictures and I think I spoke to her on the phone once when I was twelve.”

“Oh” Nikki said surprised at the honesty.

But then again, she wasn’t that surprised, sometimes talking to a stranger was easier.

It was time to harness up and begin the assent.

“So, do you have a boyfriend back home?” Fiona asked while climbing.

“No. You?”

“Nothing serious. Someone I take to functions and make out with sometimes.”

Nikki raised an eyebrow

“Nothing serious just a friend with benefits. But honestly, I’m a worth-while girl.” Nikki said in a teasing voice.

“Hey be nice. At least I have someone.”

“Two someone’s it seems”

Fiona looked confused

“Ranger!” Nikki stated.

“Oh well it’s different with him.”

“It will never be different until you are different.” Nikki said.

The wind was picking up. Nikki didn’t like it. Even though the sky was clear it had a bite. A cold chill that implied rain or snow.

“I think we need to descend.” Nikki said.

“Scared of a little wind?” Fiona taunted.

But when Fiona saw Nikki’s face and the genuine concern Fiona changed her tone.

“Maybe we can reach that ledge and wait it out?” Fiona suggested.

The ledge was closer than the ground. So, they climbed a little higher. The wind picked up some more and the chill went right through them.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

The ledge was a small opening to a cave. Nikki helped Fiona in first then climbed in herself. The cave had light at the end, a faint soft glow.

“Stay here I am going to check it out.” Nikki said.

“I’m the one with combat training. I’m coming with.” Fiona stated.

So, both women took off the harnesses and walked slowly towards the light. It was a stairway cut into the rock with stones on the wall that gave off light. Nikki ran her fingers over the stones. They were cold like stone, yet light glowed from within them. The stairway was lit by these stones that gave off light. They climbed the stairs.

The stairs kept going up. Nikki counted five hundred and there still was no sign of an exit.

Neither said anything as they walked. They listened for any sound of life but it was creepy quiet. Not even a spider web. Yet there was dust, a thin layer. They kept going up. Another five hundred steps. Now they could feel a breeze, a soft clean breeze refreshing them.

They kept going up another four hundred stairs. Both girls were feeling the climb. But they finally reached a door. A big wooden door with a brass loop as a handle. Nikki pulled on the door.

“Don’t do that.” Fiona said.

“I didn’t climb one thousand four hundred steps to not open the door.” Nikki replied.

So, she pulled but nothing happen the door was stuck. She pushed and still nothing happened.

“You counted the steps?” Fiona was surprised.

Nikki looked at her and kept pushing the door.

Fiona sighed and helped push the door. They felt it give a little then nothing. So, they pulled it again. But it didn’t move. The door fitted into its place without any gaps or spaces.

“So where is the breeze coming from?” Fiona asked seeing how well the door sealed against the rock.

Both looked around. The light wasn’t very good but Nikki thought she could feel the air coming from above her.

“Above us, I think. But I can’t see. Let me stand on your shoulders and see.” Nikki said.

“Stand on my shoulders, you are all muscle. You must weigh a ton. I’ll stand on your shoulders.” Fiona stated.

“Fine.” Nikki said ignoring the weight comment.

So, Fiona climbed onto Nikki’s shoulders. Above them just in reach for Fiona was a trap door. It had a whole in it and seemed to be slightly rotten.

“Lift me higher.” Fiona said.

Nikki struggled as she held the moving girl on her shoulders. Fiona’s knees were digging into her shoulders already. Trying to lift her higher seemed impossible. Then Nikki stood on her toes.

“Make it quick!” Nikki said.

She couldn’t stay on her toes for long. Fiona was too heavy and wiggled too much.

Fiona stood on Nikki’s shoulders and pushed the trap door open and grabbed the edge with her fingers. Nikki went back to a flat foot at the same time.

“Hey!” Fiona moaned.

“You’re heavy.” Nikki said giving her a push up from her feet.

Fiona once inside looked around for something she could throw down for Nikki to climb up.

“What’s up there?” Nikki called.

“Barrels of booze.” Fiona answered.

She finally found a ladder. It was a little unsafe. It wasn’t sturdy but it’s all she could find. She lowered the ladder.

“Are you trying to kill me?” Nikki asked

“This ladder is a death trap. Is there something else?”

“No this is it. Stay down there or climb.” Fiona said in a matter-of-fact way.

Nikki carefully climbed the death trap. Hoping all the way it would hold. Even the sides were soft from rot. The rods between bent under her weight. She held the sides tightly and as soon as the top was in reach, she grabbed it and pulled herself up.

“I do not want to do that again.” Nikki stated.

The room was dark with cracks of light revealing the barrels. It smelt like alcohol. It was dry and yet the air had a mouldy taste. There was a small door about a meter high but two meters wide.

“Ready?” Fiona asked as she gripped the brass door handle which was also a loop.

“Yip” Nikki said.

Fiona pulled it open. A wave of dust hit them. They coughed and coughed. The next room was fill of dust and bottles on shelves. Paintings rested against the walls with goat’s skins over them. Nikki looked at the paintings. Some were scenery but most were well-done portraits. A man with orange hair stood with his wife and four sons. Every painting had at least one person with red hair. She covered them again and moved to the next group of paintings. These seemed abstract. Paint white skin with gold hair and gold markings on the face.

“How interesting.” Nikki said.

“They are very well done.” Fiona admired.

“It all seems forgotten and abandoned.” Nikki mused.

The heirlooms in the room seemed so precious. A bottle with a city in it that used pieces of the stones that glowed to make it seem alive. Carved animals, or animal type things. Flying creatures like dragons and water creatures, land animals and people. All with detailed features. It felt like history. Forgotten stories of the past that should be remembered.

“I understand why museums are so important.” Fiona said.

The room carried a feel-able weight.

“Let’s keep moving.” Nikki said.

So, they left that room and into another. But this room looked used. Like a pantry, shelves of pots, pans, cups and utensils. There was no dust at all in this room, everything was clean. They walked though and into a kitchen giving three women a startle.

The three women screamed and ran out. Screaming seemed to be something language didn’t have an effect on.

The women had gold hair with golden eyes. Gold diamond shaped markings starting by the eye and moving down onto the neck then to be hidden by clothes. Their skin white like fresh clean snow.

Nikki and Fiona looked at each other. This was not what they had been expecting. Two men came in they too had gold hair and golden eyes with snow white skin. Their hair was long and it seemed to move as if by their will. The hair wrapped around them restraining them then lifted them off the ground and carried them in a cocoon made from hair.

Everyone had hair of gold and snow-white skin with golden eyes and with gold diamond shapes starting at the eye and moving onto the neck. Some who were clearly old had gold diamond shapes on their hands too.

Nikki and Fiona were thrown into a hole in the ground. Nikki noticed the water marks inside the hole. A big brass grid was placed over.

“They are going to drown us.” Nikki said.

“That’s barbaric.” Fiona exclaimed.

“Look at the water marks. Look for something to dig with.” Nikki pointed out

There were small stones in the bottom of the hole. It didn’t look like much.

The gold people above seemed to be having an argument. Their voices were raised as they settled their dispute.

“Get on my shoulder and dig out the brass grid.”

Fiona no sooner got onto Nikki’s shoulders when water stared to fill the hole. The voices seemed to be calmer but it was still noisy.

Fiona dug at the side with the small stone. She targeted a corner little by little clay came away from the side. But the water was filling up faster than she could dig.

“Dig faster.” Nikki said as the water reached her shoulders

“I’m digging as fast as I can.” Fiona’s hands started to bleed from holding the stone and digging at the clay.

Then Fiona was dropped into the water. It was now above Nikki’s nose and she had to drop her.

“I will give you a boost, grab the bars and hold on.” Nikki said.

“I can’t” Fiona showed her hands they were too sore to hang onto bars.

“Give me a boost and I’ll do it.” Nikki said.

So, Fiona mustered all her strength and thrust Nikki out of the water and up to the bars. Nikki held on with one hand and with the other she dug at the corner.

Someone noticed this and a commotion started. A man stood on Nikki’s hand. She dropped back into the water.

“Boost me again.” Nikki had an idea.

Fiona pushed her up again. Now Fiona was swimming.

Nikki held the bar near the corner and dug again at the corner. The man came to stomp on her fingers again but she gripped further back with the other hand.

Laughter broke out from the spectators.

This angered the man. So, he stomped again going for her hand. But once again she moved holding right in the corner. He stomped again with all his might onto the corner. This caused the corner or loosen. The crowed laughed as he had failed to stomp on her several times. They didn’t know it caused the grid to loosen. But the stomper felt it give a little. He looked worried. This gave Fiona and Nikki hope. It meant it was working.

“Jump as high as you can to me and I will pull you up the rest of the way.”

So, Fiona swam to the bottom and jumped up. Nikki grabbed her arm and tugged so she could reach the bars. Their feet where now it the water.

Another man came over and they spoke. Then they started to hit their hands with their hair. It was like getting wiped over the fingers. Both women fell back into the water. But now the water was high enough to dig at the corner from the inside. The corner was loose but not loose enough to move. Nikki pulled on the corner and Fiona dug. Finally, some give but the water was so high they had to push their faces against the bars to breath.

Both took a deep breath. Then Fiona pushed at the other corner while Nikki pulled on the opposite corner. She was running out of air. She gave one last pull and it gave. The grid shifted making a gap on Fiona’s side big enough to breathe from. Both breathed and then gold hair gripped them and trust them under. The hair was hard, unbreakable. There was no wriggle room. It squeezed them like a constricting snake.

Then it released them. A hand reached in and pulled them out. An old man sparkling in the sun light stood over then as they gasped for air. His face was covered in gold diamonds, he was more gold than snow white. He has strong for an old man he was not frail or thin but rather strong and of stature. His gold hair was neatly coiled on his head. With five spikes like that of a crown sticking up in front of the coil of hair, but it was part of his hair.

He had a long gold scare like streak running down his forearm. It ran through all the diamond shapes.

He spoke in a harsh tone to the spectators and the man drowning them was scolded. Even Fiona and Nikki felt scolded from his tone.

Now that they weren’t being man handles, they noticed how everything was gold. The roofs of all the buildings were gold. It was a city of gold.

Even the walkways were smooth polished gold.

“It’s all gold.” Fiona said jaw dropped.

“An entire city.” Nikki was amazed.

A hand extended to them. The man helped them up and led them to an entirely gold house. Inside and outside the walls were gold, the roof inside and outside was gold.

Inside the old man scratched through scrolls. The walls had star charts on them and other charts. Most of the things they didn’t understand but some of them they did.

A black cat stuck its head around the corner. It had big yellow eyes and fur tufts off its large pointy ears like a lynx. It eyed them out.

The man spoke to it. Then it come out to investigate them. The cat had feathers like a peacock from its shoulders back and a colorful plumage for a tail just like a peacock. Its front legs had fur and everything after was feathers. The critter came and sniffed them. They stood every still. Then it hissed and its feathered plumage fanned out bigger than its whole body.

Fiona expected to see bird feet for back legs but it had cat legs that were just covered in pretty feathers and a peacock like fan instead of a tail. The old man spoke to it again and it calmed down. It quietly moved around the corner and watched them from a safe distance. Only its head was visible.

“I don’t think the cat… feathered thing likes us.” Fiona whispered to Nikki.

Nikki eyed the strange creature.

“I think Tẽra would like it.” She replied.

Fiona scowled at her.

“Planning to catnap it?” Fiona asked.

“No! But maybe we can take a kitten back.”

Fiona gave her a straight face of unimpressedness. A side-wards glance of dissatisfaction.

The man come over all excited. He babbled on but neither could understand him. Then he showed them the scribbles on the scroll. That didn’t help either. He seemed excited, as he scratched though more things and found a drawing. A stone sitting on a gold stand.

“I think the stone is important.” Fiona said.

Both nodded their heads with no idea what they were agreeing to.

The man seemed delighted. He rushed into another room and came back. He had put a gold coat on. He closed the shutters to his windows and led them into the street.

A fog rolled in. As they walked in it, they had little drops of water stick to them but it was not raining.

“We are walking in a cloud, I think.”

Nikki said trying to touch the fog.

“At this point nothing surprises me.” Fiona whispered.

“I wonder where we are going?” Nikki pondered.

“Home would be nice.” Fiona wished.

He led them to a pedestal with three seats on it. Then three people approached and sat on the seats. The king sat in the middle with his wife on his left and his daughter on his right.

They looked like everyone else, gold hair that moved at will. Gold diamond shaped starting at the eye and moving down onto the neck and golden eyes. Some had more gold diamonds on them like the old man they were with, who was covered in gold and others like the men that tried to drown them who had less.

The old man spoke with them and showed them the scrolls and drawings. The king discussed this with his wife and daughter before answering the old man.

Once he answered the old man seemed disappointed. He spoke to the king and then four armed men with spears of gold and red wood polls, took Nikki and Fiona to a cage.

“Seriously!” Fiona moaned.

“I thought you knew hand to hand combat or something?” Nikki recalled.

“Four men. Darling! I am one. Not good odds.”

Once put into the cage they were thrown off a cliff.

Both women screamed as they fell. Nikki closed her eyes expecting to die. But then a sudden tug yanked them and they came to a stop on the ground. It was raining hard on the ground and both were now soaking wet. They battled to open the cage but finally did then they walked wondering where they were in comparison to their camp.

A cold hour’s walk in the rain around the mountain revealed their camp. They were shivering as they approached the guards and Shrew. It was raining so hard a fire couldn’t be started. They shivered in the tents sitting next to each other for warmth.

An hour passed and the rain hadn’t ease at all.

“This is ridicules” Nikki said “If we don’t warm up soon, we stand the chance of getting hypothermia.”

She looked at the four soldiers. At this point how it appeared didn’t matter so much. She was dangerously cold. Nikki stripped to her underwear and started to undress one of the soldiers. Everyone in the tent stared. The soldier’s eyes were huge as he squirmed uncomfortably. Once he was down to an undershirt and long johns, she held him and wrapped the animal’s skin around them.

“Do the same or freeze to death.” Nikki told Fiona.

Fiona knew it true, but she didn’t like the idea. She wanted it to be Ranger and not some random guy.

The other soldiers were whistling and carrying on. Nikki had caused quite a stir. This was not normal behavior. Fiona didn’t want Ranger hearing about this. But she was freezing, and dying didn’t seem like a good idea either. Her body was slow and stiff from the cold. She was soaked to the bone.

“Grrr” she said standing up and doing the same as Nikki had done. The soldiers loved the view and they stopped being shy to express it.

Nikki was warming up it was uncomfortable but better than dying. She had lost all her equipment as it was still in the cave. She didn’t conquer the mountain but it seemed she had avoided dying twice in one day.

Usually she loved water, but today she didn’t like it so much.

Now she would have to return to the castle and have new equipment made. Her little run in with the golden people was going to be quite an unbelievable story.

She really hoped to find a kitten or cub or whatever they called the peacock cat babies. She thought it might be a nice pet for Tẽra.

*(For reference the peacock cats are called Felot Plural is Felots.)

Fiona shivered as she held the hairy soldier. She was too cold to pull a face but she had feeling of disgust on the inside. Finally, she was warm but now her clothes where soaked and freezing. She was not planning to walk around in her nickers while men gawked at her.

It felt like forever before the rain stopped. Nikki rung out her clothes and wrapped herself with the animal skin. Fiona did likewise. A fire was started and food was prepared, the clothes were hung nearby and so the nights prep was done.

It was too late to head back to the castle, for the sun had already set. So, they camped the night and planned to leave early in the morning.