The going up was made somewhat easier considering they were no longer so hungry that moving was an issue. The down side was Galena was having so many fits now that they had to switch her more frequently. At one point, she’d thrown her head back so violently, she caused Elenio to black out when she smashed her head with his. It had been good luck or Mira watching over them, that Tark had been close enough to grab him and keep him from falling. Elenio now understood how she’d done so much damage to her head when they had been imprisoned in the underworld. Her head was really hard.
It was nearing the end of the third night when they decided to stop. Elenio had gone roughly two days without so much as a wink of sleep and Tark was going on an hour or less in that time frame. They decided to take short naps and then continue on through the remainder of the night. They couldn’t afford to sleep any longer as Galena in the last hour alone had suddenly grown very still. Elenio found himself stopping more just to check her pulse. It was there, but growing weaker with every moment she remained still. He didn’t mention this to Tark as he was sure Tark understood all too well from the expression on his face. Galena’s time was almost out. They were fighting against the last few grains of sand in her hourglass.
Tark took the first watch after they got Galena settled and ate several handfuls of berries from the raspberry bush Mira provided. Elenio checked once more on Galena, noticing her eyes were no longer moving under her lids. She finally looked peaceful, not a good omen in Elenio’s mind. He lay down, resting his head on his pack and before his eyes even closed, he felt himself drifting off into a dreamless sleep.
Much sooner than he would have liked, Elenio felt Tark roughly shaking him. He heard the urgency in his voice before it registered in his mind.
“Elenio get up! We have to go!” Tark was already starting to gather their things and put them back in the pack once he saw Elenio was starting to wake.
“How long was I asleep?” Elenio asked while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“I don’t know, I fell asleep too,” Tark said, a look of panic crossing his face.
Elenio jerked his head up at this. He couldn’t really blame Tark, but there was a lot at stake. He looked over at Galena who was lying in the same position as they’d placed her in. He checked her pulse once more, finding an erratic heartbeat marching to the beat of its own drum.
“She’s about the same, I already checked. That’s not the only problem we have now, look.” He pointed down the mountain and to Elenio’s horror; there were the torlics they had been anticipating. They had already managed to get a third of the way up the mountain and were still climbing. Panic gripped Elenio so tightly he thought he might scream.
“They must have seen our campfire.” Tark was already beginning to put the makeshift harness on Galena as he spoke. Elenio rushed over to him and turning his back to them, he allowed Tark to strap her to him, helping him as much as he could in the process. He grabbed his own sword and belt and strapped them on as best as he could, while Tark collected the remaining packs and placed his own belt and sword around his waist. They both knew the torlics were climbing this mountain without being cumbered down by the weight of several packs and an almost lifeless body.
Looking down once more, Elenio heard Tark say more to himself than Elenio, “Mira gives us wings to fly.”
If the way Elenio and Tark climbed the mountain could be compared to a run, then they were climbing at a sprint. They counted the torlics on their trail and surmised that there were no less than fifty torlics within a mile of them. They didn’t dare stop for anything, afraid to lose what little distance they had now. When they ran low of water, Mira provided a small spring from which Tark refilled their flasks as Elenio continued to climb. Having less weight to carry, Tark was able to catch up a little easier. Elenio did not intend to stop for anything. He continued to carry on a constant stream of prayers to Mira and conversations with Galena, unsure if either could hear him, but unwilling to stop just the same.
Inch by inch, the torlics were gaining on them. Elenio felt a certain déjà vu as they approached the mountaintop and couldn’t help feeling this was a bad sign. Climbing the last few feet of the mountain before he reached the top, he heard Galena starting to gasp. Over and over she continued her struggle. Her breathing sounding fainter with each breath that she fought to take.
“No matter what, keep going. If Mira’s View isn’t here, we’ll run across the top and down the other side. Unlike the last time, I think they’re all behind us,” Tark said as he looked behind him.
Elenio couldn’t help following suite and glanced behind as well. He wished he hadn’t. The ugly brutes where less than twenty feet away. Another mountaintop battle then, he thought wearily. He sighed with a feeling of finality and a small sense of glee. This would be his chance to exact some revenge for Galena. He pulled himself up the last bit and onto the mountaintop. Like the one before, this mountain ended in a sort of plateau at its peak. It was wide and flat enough to contain a small home. He looked around and felt his stomach leap into his throat. There, across the flat expanse, was a statue carved from solid gold looking in the opposite direction. He caught a glimpse of sunlight reflecting off what could only be water.
He heard the ring of swords connecting and Galena draw another ragged breath before she stilled completely. He glanced over his shoulder at Tark who was engaged with several torlics, too many for him to count as he ran. In the back of his mind, he realized Galena had not taken another breath since she became still.
Don’t give up this close, we’re almost there, he thought to himself. As he ran, he began to undo the rope around his waist, stopping so he could release her to the ground. He heard the torlic coming up behind him and turning as he pulled his blade in one smooth motion, he met the foul creature face on as their swords clashed loudly. The torlic sneered down at him as he held his own. Not this time, Elenio thought savagely as he felt a twinge from the last wound he had received from one of these monsters. Pushing the torlic back with all of his strength, he proceeded to swing and hack at the creature with several succinct and complicated moves, throwing the creature off balance. Swinging the sword around as he danced out of the way of an oncoming blow, he plunged his sword into the back of the creature. Two more came up, which Elenio dispatched of quickly and without harm to himself.
Before more could come, he replaced his blade and scooped Galena up in his arms. He raced the remainder of the way to the pool, just below the statue. Lovingly, he placed her in the pool. The water was a wonderful clear blue and shallow. It covered the majority of her body, leaving her face in the open. Elenio felt for her pulse once more, but found nothing. A sob rose up in his throat, for which he choked back. They couldn’t be too late. This was Mira’s chosen one. Surely, she wouldn’t bring them up this mountain and then let Galena die.
Elenio screamed out in heart breaking agony. His cry echoing throughout the mountains and ringing in the air. Anguish consumed him. He felt his heart rip in two. Tears fell down his face, and he made no move to stem them. Bending down to kiss her one last time, he saw the reflection in the waters of a smiling torlic behind him a moment before he felt a new pain sear through his back and gut. He looked down and saw the tip of the crooked blade sticking through his belly. He felt the hot blood running from his mouth when his lungs filled with the fluid. Returning his gaze to Galena, he saw she looked peaceful. Her face had begun to glow and her beauty was even more dazzling than he remembered. The blade slipped from his body and he collapsed beside the pool where he focused on Galena until the blackness started to gather around her.
“We’ll be together soon, my love.”