Chapter 40

Stairway of Ice

- A stairway to heaven, Jacob’s dreams were real -

Thonavar placed a finger to his lips and signaled for no one to move.

The voices continued below before fading away in low tones.

Lyla and Chaeron remained frozen. Chaeron face was white. They dared not peer over the first step lest they be seen by whoever it was down there. When the voices trailed off into silence, Thonavar spoke quickly.

"Come," whispered Thonavar to the two, who gathered close. "We must move slowly now. Look, the stairway is near. Lyla, you go first. Be careful now!"

Lyla nodded and proceeded to plant her foot gingerly onto the ice step. Then she placed both feet on the same step and after testing her movement, with Thonavar and Chaeron ready to catch her if she fell, she gave another nod and stepped onto the next step, and then the next, one foot before the other.

Chaeron waited until Lyla was four steps up when he too stepped onto the stairway. Thonavar watched him step carefully. After Chaeron had gone a few steps up the icy stairway, Thonavar too began the climb. He could see the small of Lyla’s back from behind Chaeron. She continued to climb cautiously.

At one point, Chaeron suddenly turned to look back at Thonavar and his movement almost caused him to slip. Thonavar tensed and got ready to move to the side in order to avoid a tumbling Chaeron and to prevent him from falling further. However, Chaeron regained his balance and continued his climb.

"Look back only if you must," whispered Thonavar, his face a look of focus. "Any sudden movement might cause a slip and a fall!"

Chaeron nodded nervously and resumed his climb. Before long, the ice on each side of the stairway grew higher and higher, eventually encasing the stairway. Surrounded on all sides by a wall of thick ice, the trio continued their ascension through the narrow passageway in silence.

"Lyla what do you see?” Thonavar whispered. His voice reverberated around the icy chamber.

"The stairway continues upwards," answered Lyla. “But it does not grow dark. The light from the outside pierces the ice," she observed in hushed tones. They spoke in low whispers but their whispers echoed softly all around.

Lyla was right. It was never dark inside the icy passageway as light from the outside bent and refracted within the ice, creating a soft glow and a kind of luminosity that made the experience quite surreal. An hour passed. And then another. They climbed for what seemed an eternity now. Their legs were growing tired and a sense of claustrophobia hung in the air.

Suddenly, just as they were beginning to feel the slightest hints of despair, a small but bright light flared into vision and could be seen at the end of the passage. The light grew brighter with every step upward. They increased their pace of climbing but always checked their movement and to ensure some distance between the person in front. Relief flooded Thonavar as he finally saw the skies outside.

Lyla emerged first, followed by Chaeron and then Thonavar. Chaeron collapsed into a heap and lay sprawled out on the ground. Lyla sat on a nearby rock and massaged her thighs and calves. The climb had been mentally and physically exhausting.

"We must rest varu," managed an exhausted Chaeron, as he picked up a block of ice from which to suck water.

This is the first time he has called me that.

Lyla nodded in agreement, saying nothing, her exhaustion apparent.

"I too am tired but we must be on our way. Time is of the essence," said Thonavar.

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"Right. Then just give me a few minutes please," said Chaeron.

"Just a few minutes then," said Thonavar.

Thonavar joined Lyla in staring back down the mouth of the icy passageway from which they had emerged. Thonavar strained to make out any sounds that might resemble human voices but after listening closely could not make anything out.

Exploring the area, the trio found themselves on a broad rocky snow-covered ledge of the mountain face. It was snowing gently. They spread out, exploring the ledge. The view was magnificent. It seemed that they were thousands of feet high from the ground. But where they were, they could see the vast expanse of Ayumah, from patches of bushland to vast forests and lakes.

"Look, there is the stream that we took. See how it widens into the large river near the mountain," said Chaeron excitedly.

True enough, they could see the stream on which they had spent the bulk of their journey travelling. Like a thin silver vein that meandered around the landscape, the tiny stream stretched into the distance and straining his eyes.

"Yes, I see it. And look, there is the rest house we spent the night at before we met each other and before we began our travels together," said Lyla, pointing into the far distance where a small building structure stood atop a hill. "Do you see it Thonavar?"

"Aye, I see it Lyla. We have come far," said Thonavar. "Careful Chaeron. You are too near the edge."

Thonavar saw Chaeron swallow nervously as he leaned over the ledge to observe the sheer drop down. Looking upward, Thonavar saw that although they had climbed a great distance, they were far from the mountaintop above. In fact, compared to the distance they had to cover, they were not even close to their destination. Thonavar’s mind began working again. He walked to one side of the ledge. There was nothing there.

He walked to the other side of the ledge and froze. His breath was caught in his throat.

The rocky ledge branched out, forming another stairway, but this time, one made of rock. It went around the side of the mountain. The stairway was small and narrow, one slip and there was nothing to keep someone from falling off the stair to his or her death below.

"There lies our route," said Thonavar. Lyla and Chaeron came alongside him. Chaeron gasped while Lyla remained quiet, shaking her head. Chaeron gulped and swallowed hard.

"Chaeron. Varu," said Lyla suddenly, pointing at something. "You might want to see this."

Thonavar strode to where Lyla stood at the foot of the ledge leading up the rocky stairway.

"What is it?" Chaeron poked a head from behind Thonavar.

Footprints could be seen imprinted in a patch of clay before trailing off.

"It is apparent," said Thonavar, "that we are surely not the first to arrive."

"Clearly not," said Chaeron in disbelief. "But who could have been faster than us”

"Nay," said Lyla. "Who could have been faster than Gargan?"

"I do not know," said Thonavar, and his eyes narrowed. His senses tingled. "But keep your eyes peeled. There could be danger ahead. Judging from our previous encounter, we must assume other candidates will also meet us with hostility. There could be danger ahead."

Thonavar squatted and studied the footprints more closely.

"Strange," said Thonavar, pointing at the prints. "There appears to be two sets of footprints."

Lyla too squatted beside him.

"What is so strange about that?"

"They seem to be identical," replied Thonavar.

Suddenly, faint echoes could be heard reverberating and emanating from the ice passage they had emerged from moments ago. Chaeron ran to the opening and place his cupped his hands to his ear to listen better to the echoes. He turned wide-eyed back to Thonavar and Lyla.

"Gargan!" he whispered. "He makes his way up the stairway of ice!"

"Make ready for the climb then," said Thonavar, his tone urgent. "They will be upon us soon. We go now. Gather your strength."

Lyla looked grim and she busied herself with doing a few stretching exercises while Chaeron paced up and down, all the while stealing glances at the opening of the ice passage, bracing himself for the imminent arrival of Gargan and his cronies.

Thonavar was the first to walk to the stairway of rock carved into the mountainside. He risked a look to the side and saw the sheer drop into snow-covered pine trees surrounding the mountain. If one fell down the mountainside, one would be cut to shreds by the protruding ice spikes before he or she reached the tall treetops.

Thonavar hesitant at the edge of the stairway and turned to look at Chaeron and

Lyla. Chaeron nodded assuredly, but his face was pale.

"Already my palms glisten with perspiration," said Chaeron nervously. "I am not sure I can do this."

"You will be fine. No matter what you do," advised Thonavar. "Do not look down. Keep your eyes focused forward on the path ahead."

Thonavar signaled for Lyla to go first. Lyla nodded, and with a deep breath, took her first step and began to climb slowly. Chaeron swallowed fearfully and only after several assurances from Thonavar, took his first step, following after Lyla. Then after taking a deep breath, Thonavar too followed suit, and the trio began the treacherous climb up the mountainside.