LONG ROAD AHEAD

16

When Craven woke, it was late afternoon. They had been held up in the inn for days while Phoenix recovered. His shoulder felt much better, and each day Phoenix grew stronger able to bear more weight. He had taken night watch and Phoenix the morning. The two of them sharing the afternoon together.

            This quiet time locked away in that small room together had given them time to know one another better. However, their food had run out two days ago, and their water rations were low. They needed to get moving again. Craven rolled over to find he was alone in the room. He sat up in a shot and saw that the barrier at the door had been removed, and the door sat ajar.

            Craven tossed back the musty blanket and climbed out of bed. He opened the washroom door to find it empty. He threw open the door to the room and looked out into the dimly lit hall. She was not there. Craven rushed over to the window and threw open the window searching the surroundings to see no sign of Phoenix.

            Craven looked at the heap of things on the floor and realized only his things remained. Phoenix’s armour and weapons were gone, as was the brown leather satchel, which contained the book within it as well as all the canteens. Why would she have not woken him?

Anger filled Craven as he swore and kicked the bed, furious that he had been taken. She had stolen off while he was sleeping and taken the book with her that backstabbing little thief. She had stayed with him just long enough for her to get safely away. She had used him as a shield and then ditched him when she felt she no longer needed him.

            Craven was not sure what upset him more, the fact that she would rob him yet again or that he had trusted her. Craven quickly strapped on his armour and weapons before leaving the room. She could not be too far ahead of him. If he moved quickly, he should be able to catch up to Phoenix, and when he did, so help her, he would not be merciful.

            He flew down the stairs and out the front door stepping into the sun. He could already feel the heat on his exposed skin and wished he still had his cloak. Craven started north up the main street. He had not gone more than a few feet when he heard Phoenix’s voice call to him from behind. Craven turned to see Phoenix approaching him with a smile on her face. Pretending as if nothing had happened, it insulted his intelligence.

            Craven closed the distance between them in quick strides. When he finally reached her, Craven grabbed her by the arms and slammed her up against the building knocking the wind out of her. “Where is it?” He demanded, yanking the satchel off her shoulder. “You think you can just take off on me, and I wouldn’t find you?”

            Phoenix looked confused. “I wasn’t hiding,” she snapped back. “What is wrong with you?”

            Craven glared at her and threw the flap of the satchel open, searching for the book she had stolen. Inside he was met by the sight of two dead birds. They had been plucked and cleaned, ready for cooking. A sudden pain of guilt stabbed at him. She had not runoff. She had gone hunting, searching for food to feed them after days without eating. She had taken the satchel to carry her kill.

            Craven looked up at Phoenix, and he could see the hurt and anger in her eyes. “You thought I trick rolled you?” She said with rancour in her tone. Phoenix angrily adjusted her weapons belt and stepped away from the wall, a grave glower twisting her pretty face. “I would have thought we were passed such accusations. Clearly, I see where we stand,” she snarled and pushed passed him. “We should get back on the road. I would hate to impose myself on you any longer than need be.”

            Craven cursed himself as he watched Phoenix march forward her back to him. He had thought the worst and been terribly wrong. He had hurt her and insulted her, and he was not sure how to set it right. Craven tossed the satchel over his shoulder and proceeded to follow her. “Phoenix, please don’t be angry. You had vanished without warning, and everything was gone. I couldn’t help but think-”

            “The worst of me,” she snapped, refusing to look back at him as she marched on.

            “What would you have thought if things had been reversed?” He demanded, annoyed that she could not see it as the understandable mistake it was.

            Phoenix stopped dead in her tracks and turned around, fire flashing in her eyes. “I would have wondered where you went, but I would not have assumed you abandoned me. I thought things had changed between us.”

            “They have,” he said softly.

            “Nothing has changed,” she said, diverting her gaze and shaking her head. “You still see me as nothing more than a thief,” with that, she gave him her back once more and continued on her way. Craven could not help but feel small and wretched for having doubted her.

            Phoenix walked far ahead of him as they followed the ancient road. She did not speak another word to him, nor did she turn around to look at him. Her angry silence was far worse than anything she could have said. Craven followed, giving Phoenix the space she needed to cool off. How long could she stay angry with him?

***

            There was a terrible ache in her chest. Phoenix could not believe it when Craven accused her of abandoning him. His mistrust hurt far worse than any injury she had sustained in the past. She had not thought she had given him any reason to doubt her. Clearly, their time together had meant something different to Phoenix than it had to Craven.

            She had foolishly allowed herself to become attached to Craven. To a man who was known for his cool indifference and ability to remain emotionally detached from others. She was now faced with the ugly truth. It was very likely that she had been nothing more than a passing amusement to him. Graced with his amorous affections simply from lack of options. After all, there was not likely another human for hundreds of miles around, and the chance of them being a woman was even slimmer.

            She was angry at herself for having been taken in. She was furious for allowing herself to forget the callousness of men. She had experienced it enough to have been leery, and yet with Craven, she had foolishly let her guard down only to be hurt. It had been ridiculous to believe he could have wanted her for any deeper reason than slaking his lust.

            She would have left him that very moment if she had not already come so far. She was not giving up her chance of finding Cyprus even for wounded pride. However, as soon as they reached the land of paradise, their forced partnership would be terminated. Phoenix would put Craven behind her and move on with her new life. She only prayed that their destination was not much farther.

            They walked in silence for the better part of the day. Craven kept his distance from her walking a few yards behind her. She was thankful for the time to herself. Her ankle had healed but still felt stiff after all the walking. Night loomed over them as darkness stretched across the sky, and Phoenix sat down on a large boulder to rest as Craven caught up.

            He came to stand beside her once he reached her. “Are you ok?” He asked, concerned about her ankle.

            She nodded. She did not want his concern or his sympathies. She simply wanted to get where they were going. “We should check the map,” she suggested. “See if we’re going the right way.”

            Craven sat down beside her and reached into the satchel to remove the book. “Are you hungry? Maybe we should start a fire and make something to eat?” He offered, removing the book.

            “I’m not hungry,” she snapped. She had lost her appetite hours ago.

            “You have to eat. It has been days. You need to keep your strength up.”

            She shot him a nasty glare. Like he even gave a damn about her welfare. “What do you care? This morning you were ready to kill me.”

            He cast his dark eyes to his boots shamefully. “Look about this morning. I am sorry about what I thought. I jumped to conclusions, and I shouldn’t have, but you were gone, the book was gone, and you are a thief. You have a history of trick rolling men.”

            Her eyes narrowed in anger. “If I were going to trick roll you, I would have done it a long time ago, and you would have never found me.”

            Craven smiled as if she had just challenged him. “I found you the last time,” he said, referring to when they met.

            Phoenix smiled smugly. “You lost me the last time. If I had not been chased into your lap, you would have never found me.”

            “You weren’t that far. I think I would have caught up. Finding people is what I do, and I’m very good at it,” he said with some aggravation.

            “You weren’t good enough to find me when I lifted your purse,” she retorted.

            Craven glared at her and opened the book biting his tongue. “Why don’t we just look at the book?” He said through clenched teeth.

            “Why don’t we?”

            Craven opened the book to the map of the mountains. They both looked over the map trying to decipher it. They had been lost in these mountains for over a week. They covered a lot of ground but still seemed no further ahead. Craven shook his head with frustration. “These maps seem to go on forever. There is no concept of distance in these maps. God only knows how much ground we have covered. That last town was not even on this map.”

            “Maybe we’re going the wrong way?” She suggested. She was as frustrated with everything as he was. They had walked farther than anyone else. Well passed any civilization, and still, they had gotten nowhere.

            “We have come too far to start second-guessing ourselves now. Every one of these maps heads north. Even if we are not on the right trail as long as we keep heading north, we should find something.”

            “What if there is nothing to find?”

            His gaze met hers. “We have come too far; there has to be something out there,” Phoenix sighed and shifted uncomfortably. Her exposed flesh was starting to gain a darker tint with blotches of red. Her skin was sore. Craven took her hand, and his eyes raked over her arm. “You are starting to burn,” he groaned.

            “The sun is hot,” it was a health hazard to everyone. It was why so many people wore heavy cloaks to protect their flesh on sunny days. Since they had both lost their cloaks in that cave, they had no protection from the elements.

            “We need to get you out of the sun,” Craven looked around for some form of shade, but there was nothing. He saw no caves, no overhanging cliff sides. Nothing that cast any shade she could find relief under. “We should keep moving,” Craven sighed, standing up.

            Phoenix shook her head in agreement. The more ground they covered, the more likely they would find shelter. Phoenix stood up and repositioned her bow and quiver over her shoulder. The more ground they covered in a day, the closer they were to their goal.  

***

            The sun was setting when they came to a river. The road had been washed out many years ago. The river had since then cut a path through the rock and demolished the roadway eroding the bedrock beneath it. The river was wide and fast-flowing. There seemed to be no easy way around the natural obstacle. Craven and Phoenix watched the water, trying to devise a way across it.

            Craven stepped out into the water, drawing his sword and plunging it into the water ahead of him to determine just how deep the water was. Phoenix watched as he waded deeper into the water. He was crazy. Surely, he would be swept away as he struggled against the current.

            Craven was halfway across and only waist deep. He turned around and smiled at her. “I think it’s shallow all the way across. We can walk to the other side,” he yelled back.

            “Are you crazy?” She snapped back. “Look at how fast that water is moving.”

            “It’s our only way across, Phoenix. Come on; it’s cold but otherwise safe, just come,” he called back. Yeah, sure, she thought. The last time he had said that they found themselves dangling over the side of a cliff.

            Reluctantly Phoenix stepped into the water and proceeded to follow Craven. The water was cold, the chill stung at her flesh, and she trembled from the icy waters. Phoenix carefully placed her feet steady before she took each step. She was only a few feet away from where Craven stood shivering and waiting for her when she felt something brush against her bare legs hard enough to almost cost Phoenix her balance.

            She looked down into the dark, murky waters. Whatever had bumped into her was very big, and she trembled with fear. “What is wrong?” Craven asked, noticing her sudden hesitation.

            Her heart was beating loudly in her ears. Phoenix looked up at Craven. “There is something in the water,” she said, her voice trembling.

            “What?” Panic came over him.

            “Something brushed up against me. Something big,” she said uneasily.

            “What are you talking about…” Craven was cut short when something bumped into him, almost knocking him over. “What the hell was that?” He said, gripping his sword tighter. Again, he was almost knocked over. He caught his balance quickly with a look of terror on his face. “We got to get out of the water now!” He insisted with great urgency. Craven held his hand out for her. “Hurry.”

            Suddenly Craven screamed as he was yanked forcefully under the water and out of sight. “Craven!” Phoenix screamed, making a hasty move toward where he went under. She slipped on a slippery rock and fell into the water. Phoenix struggled against the current to get herself on her feet once more as the rushing waters carried her down the river.

            She popped up out of the frigid, rushing water and looked around. She saw Craven burst out of the water, gasping for air. His body coiled in a massive long scaly beast. A huge head was attached at one end with its yellow slit eyes and long fangs. Its mouth opened almost wider than the beast’s head as it lunged at Craven. Craven’s hands flew up and caught it at the base of the head, trying to fight it off.

            Phoenix tried to swim toward Craven, fighting against the current. The water had gotten deeper as they moved farther downstream. Phoenix watched with horror as he went under the water once more, and she could not see him. “Craven!” She called out for him. Moments later, a few feet away, Craven and the beast emerged once more. A terrible look of pain on his face as the beast crushed him so he could not breathe. It was killing him.

            Phoenix managed to get close enough to try and pry the monster off of Craven, but it was so strong she could not budge it. She drew her dagger from her belt and began stabbing and slicing at the beast. It let out a horrible shrill cry that hurt her ears, but Phoenix did not stop.

            Suddenly the monster’s head turned and lunged at her, its body still wrapped tightly around Craven. Phoenix was terrified, but she was not about to let it bite her. She lashed out at it with her dagger, cutting its face across the eye, blinding it. Another horrific cry, and then it came down on her fast, and Phoenix trust her dagger up, burying it up into the monster’s brain from the soft tissue beneath its jaw.

            The shrill cry ceased, and the monster fell into the water. Its long body went limp, releasing Craven. He greedily sucked in deep breaths as he pushed himself free of the beast’s death grip. The water carried them swiftly downstream, and Phoenix noticed the look of horror in his wide eyes as he looked over her shoulder. Phoenix looked back, and her heart almost stopped as she saw the river coming to an end, dropping off in a huge waterfall not more than a few seconds away.

            They both at that point, tried their best to swim against the current trying to get to a bolder or land, but the current was too strong, and they both screamed as they went over the falls. Their legs and arms flailed as they flew through the air, plummeting to the misty bottom below, every second lasting a horrifying eternity. They vanished into the mist at the bottom and struck the water beneath it, sinking deep into the pool below. Phoenix struggled to reach the surface once more as she floated slowly along.

            She managed to reach the bank and clawed her way out of the water, her teeth chattering, and her body shivering from the cold. She could not believe that she had survived. She watched the water as Craven found his way to the bank and dragged his trembling waterlogged body from the river collapsing beside her. Fed up with everything, Phoenix picked up a rock and threw it at the water. “I hate this place!” She screamed with frustration. “Everything wants to eat us.” 

            Craven trembled, rubbing his arms, trying to warm up. “I lost m-my sword,” he said through chattering teeth. She had lost her dagger also. They had been washed away with the water during the struggle. “So, c-cold,” Craven’s lips had turned blue, and his complexion was white as a sheet. Hypothermia was setting in.

            Phoenix moved over to him and started removing his armour. She tossed it to the side and began to yank off his wet jeans. “W-what are you d-doing?” He asked, surprised that she was undressing him. Phoenix removed her armour and pulled her shirt off over her head. “I d-don’t think this is t-the time for t-that,” he smirked.

            Phoenix laid down on top of him, wrapping her arms around Craven, her flesh to his. “You got hypothermia. We need to warm you up before you die,” she said shivering. His body felt like a huge block of ice. His powerful body shook and trembled beneath her. “We are not taking any more of your shortcuts,” she teased. “You are going to get us killed.”

            They needed a fire. Her body was simply too cold to warm him efficiently. Phoenix got up to her feet and started to gather wood. Breaking off branches and twigs from the surrounding trees. Phoenix built a fire a few feet away from where Craven lay shivering. It took her a few minutes to get a spark, but she got the fire going and built it up. She could feel the heat radiating off the tall flames. She then returned to Craven and held on to him. Between her body and the fire, he might make it through the night.