Half Brains, Sacred Water book 1 by Charles Kaluza
Chapter 4
The team for the journey was assembled and provisioned. Jeremy was assigned the lead position with four other hunters assigned as scouts and guards. Six members of the trader’s guild assumed responsibility for the final packing and transport of the black powder. Daniel was given the task of cartography and journal keeping. The old priest had provided them with a copy of the ancient scroll which had described the original journey. Even with modern writing it was difficult to understand because of the change in word usage. Daniel had to translate concepts such as, “…3 days travel with the sun over our right shoulders brought us to the barren lands.” Jeremy had to explain that the early settlers did not have a compass to guide them and used the sun’s position at noon to guide their tracks. The ancient description described an east by northeast course.
Their provisions included the normal supplies for a journey of six weeks with additional equipment for crossing the ice field. Limited game availability meant they had to pack enough food for the entire trip. The return trip was not planned because of the uncertainty that lay ahead and the knowledge that the ice field would be impassable by then. They would deal with their return when the time came. Each of the hunters carried provisions and one cask of the black powder in addition to their hunting equipment. The traders carried provisions and two of the casks. Daniel was expected to carry his share of the provisions only. When Daniel shouldered his backpack he had difficulty setting it squarely on his back. He figured that it weighed at least 60 pounds. He realized that each of the traders was carrying at least 100 pounds. They didn’t look that strong but they shouldered their packs without difficulty.
Jeremy led them in an east by northeast direction following game trails that Daniel could only occasionally recognize. As they left the slopes of Mount Ash the land flattened out into a grassland. After a few days, the land began rising noticeably with some valleys, which had a few stunted pine trees in them. Two weeks passed before they reached the barren lands of rock and snow. Mount Ash was now visible only from the highest hills. It was no longer the bleak mountain but a shining example of their home land. This was tough terrain and their progress slowed. The soil appeared solid but frequently it was a thin crust covering very soupy mud which caused them to sink when they broke through. Pulling their wet boots out of the mud was stressing muscles so badly that their groins burned from the exertion. At night the ground froze and they found moving in the morning despite the heavy frost was far easier than in the afternoon when the ice had thawed. Some hammocks of ground had wild cranberries and blueberries which were already in their fall colors. The berries were a welcome addition to their stored provisions.
The land appeared barren of animal life except for an occasional bird and small squirrel like animals. Nighttime frost had limited the numbers of biting insects making travel a little easier. The scouts had occasional glimpses of a large shaggy animal with prominent horns which they named, “ice ox.” They accidentally trapped a small herd of these critters in a blind canyon they had wandered into. The animals formed a defensive circle with the young within the circle and their fearsome horns pointing out. The hunters selected a smaller adult male and concentrated on bringing it down. That night they had fresh meat for the first time in two weeks. They spent that night and the next morning smoking as much meat as they could carry using the wiry branches of the cranberries for their fuel. It was almost noon before they were loaded up and headed out.
The weather was changing and the wind had a bite to it. They traveled until it was almost dark and made camp. Jeremy usually chose high ground for their camping spot because it tended to be drier. Tonight he had no choice because there was no high ground. When Daniel awoke he realized that the tent was sagging significantly. The wind was not howling as much as it had been during the night. He reached out and pushed up on the tent and felt the weight and coldness of the snow. Jeremy was watching him from his side of the tent and said, “I figure we got at least 10 inches of snow last night and it’s still coming down.”
Daniel had assumed that they would wait out the storm by Jeremy insisted they pack up and move on. He said, “No telling how long the snow will last. We might as well keep moving or we’ll never get there.”
The heavy packs were weighed down further by the wet tents and the snow that kept falling. The ancient scroll had recorded eight days to traverse the barren lands but they had traveled with clear cold weather. They were five days into their crossing but now their progress had slowed even further. For three days they marched forward guided by Jeremy’s hunched figure bent over his compass as they navigated through the whiteout. Daniel wasn’t able to determine any direction and had enough trouble telling up from down. Everything was white and wet and cold. He trusted Jeremy and just kept plodding on keeping a constant eye on the figure in front of him. On the 4th day they awoke to bright sunshine which raised everyone’s spirits. They were like a bunch of kids playing in the snow. They threw snowballs at each other and ran and jumped into the snow. Jeremy let the festivities go on for a bit and then asked Daniel, “Is the light bothering your eyes?”
Daniel stopped and thought about it and said, “I think it is. Why?”
Jeremy said, “At this high-altitude we had better worry about snow blindness. Our eyes can’t tolerate this much light. While everyone else wrapped up their camp Jeremy made blinders for everyone. He took a leather strap and cut small slits in it. These were fitted so that only a narrow shaft of light could reach their eyes. Daniel felt like a horse with blinders on. He was now living in darkness except for the exceptionally bright slits of light. He could see through the slits only directly ahead. To see anything else he had to turn his head. In that the whole world consisted of an endless plain of white with a crystal blue sky above, this limitation wasn’t that significant. It wasn’t until late afternoon that the plain was finally interrupted by a visible irregularity. A mountain range was now visible.
That evening Jeremy discussed his plan. The ancient scroll described a pass between two mountains. The mountain on the left resembled a goat and the mountain on the right resembled a woman’s breast. They needed to find this pass. They were behind schedule and Jeremy decided to send scouts ahead. One of the hunters would track east and the other would track northeast. They would travel light and meet back with the main group in three days. Their excess provisions and powder cask would be distributed among the remaining team members. The main group would continue on their east by northeast route. They were traveling hard and most evenings they finished their evening meal and went to bed. Daniel was diligent on spending a few minutes every night writing in his journal and comparing their journey to the old scroll. He added compass headings and estimated distances to the journal. His map making attempts produced rough characterizations of the terrain they passed over. Nobody had trouble sleeping because of the fatigue from their heavy work.
Late in the third day the scout from the Northeast returned. He reported that the mountains to the north appeared impassable. The valleys were filled with ice and the glacial cliffs were several hundred feet high. They made camp waiting for the second scout’s return but evening approached without his arrival. Jeremy sent everyone out to gather whatever twigs and grass existed above the snow. He twisted these together into tight bundles which he then soaked in the fat they had rendered from the ice ox. A watch was posted on the highest ground and a small fire kept burning. Daniel’s watch began at midnight. The night was clear and cold. He found himself walking in circles around the small fire in order to stay warm and to keep himself awake. “Hello watch. It is Samuel of Lithe.”
Daniel almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of someone’s voice in the solitude and darkness which enveloped him. He responded, “About time. Any luck?”
Samuel replied, “The pass is almost due east of us. I recognized it by the mountain that looks like a woman’s breast. It??
They both headed to bed and it seemed to Daniel that he had just laid down when Jeremy was waking everyone up. Samuel gave his report during breakfast. Jeremy and Samuel worked together trying to come up with a plan and discussing what lay ahead. The rest of the team was content to let them do the planning. They had enough to do as it was. They set out on an easterly heading and soon found Samuel’s tracks. It was a long march and darkness was again upon them when they made camp at the foot of the pass. They had a celebration meal that night of the smoked ice ox and the last of their travel bread. For dessert they shared the few remaining fresh berries they had picked.
It was still dark when Jeremy began waking everyone up. Breakfast was quiet as everyone mentally prepared themselves for the upcoming climb. They started up the pass as soon as the first streaks of light were visible. The valley faced south and the late summer sun had melted most of the snow. They were walking on course gravel interspersed with many boulders. The wall of ice kept getting closer as they ascended the valley. When they reached the base of the glacier Jeremy had everyone strap metal bands onto their boots to increase traction. They used rope to link themselves together. Daniel positioned himself in the middle but Jeremy said, “No, you have to go first.”
Daniel asked, “Why do you want me to go first?”
Jeremy replied, “You have the least experience. If you fall I want a warning so we can arrest your slide before you drag the rest of us down with you. I’ll be right behind you telling you which way to go.”
Daniel did as he was told and began making his way up the glacier. From a distance it had looked like a wall of ice but from up close only the first 50 feet was actually vertical. Within this vertical face were many fractures where chunks of ice had fallen. Jeremy directed Daniel and they gradually work their way up the face of ice. They were at high elevation and breathing was difficult. Jeremy told Daniel, “Slow your pace down. One step and rest for 30 counts before you move again. If you’re panting you’re going to fast and breathing out way too much water.”
Daniel was breathing hard but when he concentrated on the pace Jeremy recommended his breathing got easier. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they topped the vertical face. The slope was still steep but they could walk more upright, like climbing a ladder. They made fairly good time and Daniel picked up his pace slightly. One step, take a breath, another step take a breath. It was slow motion walking but with their heavy packs it was as fast as they could go. There slow pace gave Daniel time to appreciate the beauty of the ice. He stepped into a crevasse and his world turned intensely blue. The beauty of the color was dazzling and he realized that it was the same color as Heather’s eyes. He tarried a bit until Jeremy reminded him that they had a long way to go.
Despite the cold wind in their faces, the sun began warming the crusted snow which lay upon the ice. Their boots would occasionally breakthrough the crust and they would sink in up to their knees in the soft snow. Daniel’s mind had wandered back to the intense blue of the crevasse when his right foot slipped. In slow motion he fell forward and began sliding to the right. He grabbed at the snow with his hands but there was nothing to hold onto. He was now sliding headfirst down the steep slope. Jeremy yelled, “Dig in!”
Daniel felt the rope suddenly tightened around his waist and he jerked to a stop. The rope held and he found himself almost dangling head first. Jeremy was now telling him to lie still. It was hard to lie still when you’re lying upside down on an icy slope held by a rope around your waist. Daniel did his best to comply. One of the traders at the back of the line shed his backpack and moved up to Daniel. A second rope was lowered by Jeremy and the trader helped Daniel grab the rope. With something stable to hold onto Daniel was able to rotate himself around so that he again faced upwards. When he had finally regained his position at the head of the column Jeremy ordered a rest period.
They reached the top of the ice field with little remaining daylight. Jeremy decided to make camp. They actually had a few minutes to just enjoy the beauty of their surroundings. As they look back through the pass they had climbed the setting sun was visible. Ahead of them lay an immense field of snow and ice with mountaintops jutting through the ice like islands. They appeared as small mountains because the majority of the mountain was buried beneath a mile of ice. As darkness became complete the wind picked up. Jeremy had everyone make sure things were secured to the stakes that were driven in the ice. They finished their evening meal and crawled into their tents excited about their accomplishment but so fatigued that they fell immediately asleep. The wind kept increasing in volume and soon the tents began flapping in the breeze. Despite his fatigued the flapping became loud enough to awaken Daniel. He lay their in the darkness listening to the canvas flap, thoughts of Heather filled his mind. It was a pleasant interlude until the tent collapsed. Now he and Jeremy were entangled in a claustrophobic jumble of canvas that kept trying to fly away. Even Jeremy was having trouble sleeping now. As morning came on the winds calmed. The old scroll made sense now, it had reported heavy winds falling off the glacier during the day and racing back up the glacier at night. Nobody had slept well but Jeremy got them going.
According to the old journal they needed to head east again. In two days they would come to another valley which descended to the Southeast. This valley would lead them to the upper reaches of the great gorge. They made fairly good time until they came upon an area of crevasses. Now they were forced to scout for snow bridges across these great cracks in the ice. They prepared to cross the snow bridges by first roping up connecting themselves into a long chain. Daniel was happy that he didn’t have to go first. When it was his turn he tried not looking down into the depths of the great blue crack in the ice but the allure kept calling to him as he made his way across. About ¾ of the way across, he looked down. Dizziness swept over him and he had to kneel down to get his bearings. Jeremy yelled at him, “Just look straight ahead and keep moving.”
Daniel finished crossing by crawling the last few feet. The remainder of the team crossed without difficulty until the last trader was three-fourths of the way across. The bridge suddenly gave way casting him into the crevasse. The rope tightened immediately around Daniels waste and he felt himself being dragged backwards towards the crevasse. Everyone frantically tried to dig in with their ice axes but the collapsing snow bridge added to the force dragging them all backwards into the crevasse. To Daniel everything was happening in slow motion but in reality he went from standing on solid ground to dangling just over the edge of the crevasse almost instantly. He kept himself upright by holding on to the rope. He felt helpless; the rope was cutting into his side making breathing difficult. He held his ice ax in one hand and with the other hand desperately clung to the rope trying to keep himself upright. They were spaced 20 feet apart and there were four of his companions behind him. When he looked up the top of the crevasse was about 10 feet above him. He remembered thinking how bottomless the crevasse looked when he crossed it. Now he was dangling by a thin rope staring at the intently blue ice. When he had stepped into the small crevasse the beauty of the color was almost overwhelming, now the color was of imminent danger.
After several minutes of dangling Jeremy’s head appeared over the edge. He lowered a loop of rope down to Daniel and told him to place it under his arms. Daniel worked in slow motion to first get the loop over his head and free arm. His left hand had been gripping the rope so tightly that he had to consciously forces fingers to relax and let go of his lifeline. Once the second rope was secure Jeremy had Daniel use his ice ax to cut the short rope which connected him to the lifeline. Daniel was now dangling from the second rope which was used to quickly pull him over the edge. Once he was on solid ground he joined Jeremy and Samuel in lowering the secondary rope. The trader behind Jeremy was then pulled free. This was repeated a third time but the fourth and last member did not r
Jeremy decided to descend and see if he could bring the trader up but Daniel objected saying, “He has obviously been hurt, I need to be the one so that I can provide medical care.”
Jeremy objected but Daniel’s logic was correct and he was already pulling his medical pack out of the large backpack. Jeremy began giving him advice but Daniel wasn’t really listening. His mind was visualizing the possible injuries. He held onto the primary rope as they lowered the secondary rope which was secured beneath his arms. He was in better control now with someone needing him. When he reached the trader, the site was gruesome. The collapsing snow and ice had fallen on top of his companion producing a massive head injury and almost completely burying him. Daniel took off his glove and felt the neck for a pulse but no surge of living blood greeted his fingers. He gently pried open one of the eyes. The pupil was fixed and lifeless. He could feel no air moving out of his nose. There would be no healing of this friend. He worked to free the backpack and supplies. His friend would remain in the ice that had claimed him. As he was digging he noticed a flash of color. He scraped at the ice and snow until he uncovered some fabric. More digging revealed another body already frozen in the ice. His features were indistinct but his clothing, especially the cape was unlike anything Daniel had seen before. The ice was too hard for further digging and the light seemed to be failing as the sun followed its normal arch through the sky. As much as he wanted to continue his study of this stranger other task required his attention.
Daniel could hear his companions talking but the sound was so distorted within the confines of the crevasse that it was unintelligible. He said a silent prayer for his companion. He attached the backpack to the primary rope and then severed the short rope, condemning his friend to an eternity in the ice. The sudden release of tension was noted above and when Daniel gave three sharp tugs on his rope his companions began drawing him out of the icy gravesite. The entire troop was gathered around when Daniel was dragged over the edge of the ice. The look on his face told the story. They held a short impromptu funeral service for their fallen companion and then Jeremy made them move on. He wanted off of this ice field.
In the late afternoon the angle of the sun began distorting their view of the snow and ice and Jeremy called a halt. They made camp and took time to place extra ropes on their tents. The cold wind had already started blowing. The protection of the tent felt great until the velocity of the wind increased enough that the canvas began flapping. Daniel concentrated on his journal writings. The light of his candle flickered even inside the tent which made writing difficult. Jeremy was already asleep before Daniel finished the day’s journal. Despite the wind and the noise Daniel slept. The extra ropes held and the tent stayed up.
It was mid-afternoon when they came upon the valley described in the old journal. Daniel figured they would stop early and he could catch up on his rest. He was partially right. Jeremy called a halt and sent two of the hunters ahead as scouts. He kept looking at the sun and mumbling about not trusting the weather. Daniel wasn’t sure why Jeremy was so upset. There was a ring forming around the sun which meant clouds were moving in, but they had made it across the ice field. The first of the scouts came back in an hour and reported an area of modest protection part way down the slope. Jeremy immediately got everyone moving. Daniel figured he would be last on the way down and headed towards the back of the short column. Jeremy waived him up to the front saying he wanted to keep an eye on him.
Daniel complained, “I really don’t know what I’m doing and would prefer following someone else.”
Jeremy replied, “Not much to know. You just step out and gravity takes over. Don’t worry about falling we’ll keep the rope tight.”
Daniel did as he was told stepping out. With each step he would lunge down the steep slope several feet. The snow was soft and would cushion his landing. Going down was much easier than the trek upward. When they came to the small flat area Jeremy again called a halt. Daniel began setting up camp but Jeremy told him to wait. They could no longer see the sun and darkness would soon be upon them. The half moon was visible against the darkening sky and a huge ring was present around it. They waited for the second scout who got back as the sun gave up the last of its light.
His report was brief, “We can make it. The ice face is about 100 feet high and will require lowering with ropes. The valley below looks pretty well protected.”
Jeremy was quiet for just a minute before he announced his decision, “I don’t trust the weather and don’t want to be trapped on this ice in a bad storm. The moon is out and we should try to get off the ice. There’ll be time to rest later.”
With that they were off down the slope with Daniel leading the way. They made good time until the snow began to freeze hard. Without the soft cushion to arrest their lunges small careful steps were required. They again attached the metal bands to their boots to increase traction. Daniel was tired and had not slept well for the past couple of days. He kept going downhill bearing to the left or right as directed by Jeremy. He was on autopilot not really conscious of what he was doing when Jeremy called out, “I would stop if I were you.”
Daniel looked ahead and realized he was at the edge of a cliff. The moon was becoming obscured by clouds and the wind was cold. They set up a rope system and lowered one of the traders down the face of the ice. When he had secured the lower rope they began lowering people and equipment down the face. The adrenaline rush of hanging off the edge of the ice by a thin rope was enough to wake Daniel up. It would have been fun under the right circumstances but now he really just wanted to get his feet back on the ground.
The darkness was becoming complete by the time everyone was lowered off the ice. They had picked a camping site just a short way down the valley and everyone crawled thankfully into their tents. Daniel was too tired to write in the journal. He fell asleep. When Daniel awoke there was a gray light and he wasn’t sure of the time. The tent canvas was sagging under a load of snow. He could hear the wind. Nature was calling and he pulled his boots on and crawled out of the tent. Everything was obliterated by white swirling snow. Jeremy had awakened despite Daniel’s attempts in being quiet and joined him outside the tent. They relieved their bladders and crawled back into the tent but not before Daniel managed to “accidentally” knock the snow overhanging the tent pole onto Jeremy’s head. This resulted in a tussle that all but knocked their tent down. The ruckus awoke those in the neighboring tent who wanted to know what was going on. Jeremy said, “Oh nothing, our distinguished healer is just causing trouble. I promised everyone some rest and today you get it.”
The storm persisted for the entire day but gradually let up during the night. They awoke on the second day to a partly cloudy sky with intermittent snow showers. Everyone was anxious to get going. They made fairly good time descending along the floor of the developing gorge. By the end of the day they had walked out of the snow and back to an early autumn setting. They stayed on the forest side of the small stream that was formed by the outflow from the ice. There was some comfort on being “on their side” of the gorge because the southern side was in perpetual shadows from the walls of the gorge which seemed to be growing ever higher.
Daniel’s muscles had been sore going uphill now it was his knees. The heavy pack and the rocky ground combined to create shock in his knees with each step. When Jeremy decided that they could cache their winter gear he gave a sigh of relief. His pack was now a few pounds lighter but the terrain was growing steeper. Very little light penetrated to the floor of the canyon and except at midday they were always in shadows. Game was more plentiful and they again had fresh meat. The water supply was easily available and they no longer carried their full water bottles.
After a week of descending they were now back to a late summer. Jeremy announced one evening that this would be their last campfire. He figured they were getting close enough to civilization tha
Jeremy said, “You’re right about the crick but I figure that’s why we have you along so you can fix it. I’m watching for a signal light. I would assume the Forest Folk are on a lookout for us.”
It was the next day when the bright flash of light from the signaling mirror was seen. Jeremy had to climb up on a rock pile to find some sunshine for his mirror. They waited while Jeremy and the unknown watcher communicated with flashes of light. Daniel knew the hunters used the signaling mirrors but did not understand the code. It was obvious the other hunters and some of the traders knew the code because they watched the high signal intently trying to understand one side of a conversation. Daniel just stretched out and took the weight off his knees. It became the daily ritual that at noon a flash of light would become visible on the canyon rim. The messages were always brief and concerned their position and possible enemy troops. Many more Southern Kingdom troops had entered the forest and they were usurping the fall harvest from many of the villages.
When they were one day out from their destination Jeremy changed his pattern of movement. There was little cover except for a few trees along the river bank and the ever present boulders. They were now spread into a long line and moved one at a time from a position of cover to another position of cover. Jeremy made sure that nothing shiny or bright color was visible from above. Daniel figured everything he had was so dirty that it should blend in well with the canyon. They were no longer allowed to talk but used hand signals and whispers to communicate. They reached a small grove of trees which protected them from the guards above seeing them and Jeremy called a halt. Scouts were sent out while the troop rested.
It was after midnight when the scouts returned. Daniel had fallen asleep despite his efforts of staying awake. The guards were explaining the terrain that separated them from their target, the bridge. The mining operations had created a road of sorts but they had also destroyed the normal streamside game trails they had been using. They had a choice of fighting the rock rubble or using the road. A large encampment was present just downstream from the bridge. They had large fires and were very noisy. Nobody was visible upstream from the bridge because it was obviously impassable. Jeremy had to decide whether to move down the mining road at night or move through the rock rubble during the daylight. The scouts had reported that the only other cover was an area of large jumbled boulders just upstream from the bridge.
Jeremy discussed their options and listened to everyone’s opinion. It was his decision to make and after accepting input he said, “Let’s go. We will travel slowly down the road to the area of boulders. Two of the hunters will move ahead as scouts. We must remain silent. We’ll rest tomorrow and plan our attack for tomorrow night.”
Everyone silently loaded up their packs and headed off towards the mining road. Progress was slow until the road was reached. Daniel was glad for his walking stick. He was using it almost like a blind person’s cane to feel his way along. The night was so dark that he was following mostly by the sounds of footsteps ahead of him. He wasn’t sure how the scouts knew where they were going. He just followed. The mining road wasn’t much more than a trail with wagon ruts but it sure was better than making their way through the rock rubble. The night wore on and Daniel was again in his automated mode. When the trader in front of him stopped Daniel bumped into him. The whisper came back that they were to hide underneath boulders and get some rest.
Daniel wasn’t sure what to do and before he could do anything wrong Jeremy was whispering in his ear, “Move to your left until you reach a large boulder. I’ll be right behind you.”
Daniel did as he was told and when he literally walked into a boulder which seemed the size of a house he heard Jeremy whisper, “Move to the right and there will be an overhang you can rest under.”
When Jeremy found the overhang he crawled under and dug out his sleeping roll. He should have been worried but was too tired and fell asleep. His rock bed was good enough for awhile and then he awoke with a sore hip. He rolled over and moved a hand sized rock from under him. A while later, he awoke, with a sore area under his back, and moved another rock. It was daylight now but he managed to sleep a bit longer. The scratching noise awoke him. He slowly opened his eyes and a squirrel like animal was digging at his backpack. He watched the animal, which seemed intent on removing the buttons from his pack. He whispered, “Now my little friend, it would be better if you left my buttons alone.”
The ground squirrel scurried away at his voice and Daniel closed his eyes again. A few minutes later the scratching noise returned. Daniel whispered again and the critter scurried away only to return as soon as Daniel appeared asleep. He tried putting out bits of food but the squirrel was more interested in his buttons. This diversion was ended when Jeremy showed up. They talked in a quiet whisper trying to plan the next step. Jeremy wanted to know how much powder they were going to use in each of the Towers. Daniel said, “How would I know? I haven’t even seen the Towers.”
Jeremy was quiet for a minute and then said, “I suppose having a look at the Towers is important because it’s going to be a dark night. Follow me but be quiet.”
They began moving towards the Towers staying in the rock rubble. Daniel felt like his small squirrel friend, flitting from one rock to another. When the Towers came into view he was awestruck by their immense size. He whispered to Jeremy, “I need to get closer and see how big the individual rocks are.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, the Towers are so immense that I had no perspective of the size of the rocks used in building them.”
Jeremy led them ever more slowly towards the base of the nearest tower. They were triangular in shape and tapered gradually as they arose from the canyon floor. Each side of the triangle measured about 100 feet in length and the tower ascended several hundred feet towards the canyon rims. The base layers of the rocks were composed of huge stones that measured 6 to 10 feet across. The very size of the stones intimidated Daniel who could not figure out how they moved them. The stones changed to a much smaller size about 100 feet up the tower. Here the stones measured about three feet in diameter. These were stones that Daniel could work with.
They made their way back to the camp. Once safely hidden beneath the huge rocks Daniel and Jeremy continued their discussion. Daniel said, “Those towers are marvels of building and it seems wrong to destroy them.”
Jeremy reminded him that it was those towers which have allowed the southern Kingdom’s army to invade their Forest homes and usurp the sacred spring. Daniel replied, “I know we need to destroy them but that doesn’t mean I feel good about it. This trade bridge should have been good for both of our countries. The existing trade trail is arduous and dangerous and this bridge would save the lives of our traders.”
Jeremy asked quietly, “Was it on this trail where your father died?”
“Yes, and I suppose that’s one of the reasons why I am loath to destroy these towers. What must be done, must be done so let’s get on with it.”
They were joined by one of the scouts. Daniel told them that the base stones were too large to attack. They needed to place their powder charges against the smaller stones. He also felt that it would be impossible to bring down both towers and they would need to concentrate on one of them. They decided the tower closest to the forest would be easiest to defend in the future. Bringing down the tower across the river was their goal. This meant they needed to cross the stream and plan an escape route from the less favorable position. Daniel was concerned about climbing up the tower to place the charges. The scout laughed and
Daniel was puzzled until the scout explained that he had actually gone into the tower and looked around. There was a ramp leading to a large door opening and a stairway which spiraled up inside the tower. The scout assured him that placing the charges would not be a problem. Jeremy wanted to know how they would delay the explosion to allow for everyone to retreat to a safe hiding area. Daniel had been thinking about this and said, “I think we will use a candle which will gradually burn down to our fuse trail. I will plan on a 30 minute delay.
When nightfall was complete they crossed the river. Jeremy had everyone strip from the waist down and secure their boots and dry clothes onto the top of their packs. The water was ice cold from the melting glaciers. It was only waist high but so cold that Daniel’s skin had a burning sensation but only for a minute before he started going numb. Before he reached the far shore his feet felt like blocks of wood. The stones that felt so hard initially were now trying to grab his numb feet and make him stumble or twist his ankle. The rocks were slippery and if it wasn’t for the support of his walking stick he would have gone swimming. As they climbed up on the opposite bank Jeremy called for a rest and told everyone to dress. Daniel did not realize how cold he was until blood started flowing into his feet. He was shivering and glad that he had dry clothes.
Jeremy had the Scouts move ahead and the rest of the troop followed slowly. It was dark enough that Daniel recognized the Towers only by the more complete blackness of the sky where the Towers blacked out the background of stars. He wasn’t sure how the Scouts maneuvered in such darkness. He had enough trouble following the footsteps in front of him. When they arrived at the base of the tower there was a ramp leading up into a doorway which was invisible to Daniel, he just trusted Jeremy and blindly followed him. The ramp was obvious because of the stonework and the doorway passage evident only because the almost complete darkness was replaced by truly complete darkness. Daniel was reminded of his attempts to explore caves and the feeling of claustrophobia that he developed when his lights went out.
They were soon climbing upwards. Everyone shared the load except for one scout who stayed behind to act as a guard. Each step was about six inches high so Daniel figured they had 200 steps. Unfortunately, he soon lost count while concentrating on keeping himself in the center of the steps. He was thankful the stonemasons had taken care to make each step fairly uniform. It was the sharp corners at each triangular intersection that were the most disconcerting. He kept one hand along the stone face and the change in stone dimensions was noticeable. The troop as a whole stopped when the stones had decreased to about three feet in diameter. Daniel needed an excavation in the wall for his charges. They tried groping to find a large enough area of fill between the stones but they needed a light.
Jeremy was not happy with the risk but Daniel insisted. They shaded the light from above by leaning out from the stairway above their work area. The small candle did not produce that much light but in the complete darkness it shown like a beacon. It took just a few minutes to find an area of fill below two boulders. They began scraping and chipping the straw reinforced mud from this space. The sound seemed to echo within the tower despite their efforts to be quiet. Once the cavity was well formed Daniel began pouring the powder into the space. They emptied each cask and when their opening was filled they stacked their remaining cask on the steps next to the opening. Daniel created a powder trail and set the candle in a position such that it would burn down in additional inch before igniting the powder. The troop started down the stairway. Daniel took a few steps down and then turned back and grabbed one of the full casks of powder. He figured that they may need it for something else. When he arrived at the doorway everyone else had made it back to the protection of the stone rubble. He started down the ramp when he heard footsteps.
Daniel froze and slowly crouched down. Two guards were walking his way. They stopped at the base of the tower and began talking. They were complaining about the futility of guarding the Towers which were obviously indestructible. They talked about their families and what they would rather be doing. It seemed like they were going to talk forever. Time was getting short. Daniel had decided to make or break for it when he heard two “thumps” and the talking stopped. Jeremy whispered, “Get going.”
Daniel did his best to make good time towards the safety of the rubble. He heard something being dragged behind him but just kept going. Soon he heard the voices of his friends. Jeremy spoke up behind him, “We’ll leave the guards here and try to put some distance between us and the tower. We will make our way inland for a ways and then head down stream.”
They had not gone very far when the sky was lit up by rockets of bright light and their ears were filled with the roar of an explosion. The light shot right to the top of the tower and out the scattered windows that had been created along the stairway. Everyone watched the light display until chunks of rock began falling around them. Hiding behind the boulders provided some safety, the ground shook whenever a large boulder landed close to them. No sooner had the bombardment stopped when the ground again shook with the roar of the collapsing tower. Jeremy did not wait for things to quiet down and began moving them away as quickly as possible. They traveled until the morning sky began to lighten. There were patches of trees and they took shelter beneath a thick clump of them. Jeremy posted a guard and told everyone else to get some rest.
Daniel tried to sleep but the vision of the rockets of light shooting from the top of the tower and out of the windows kept him awake for a long time. Sleep finally came.