True Soul Pat 23: Slipping

The clouds had returned, but this time they did not bring rain. Good thing that. The curtain of water would have made the search a lot harder. Now the clouds were a light grey mass that was chasing the little holes of clear sky to the horizon. Only the very peak of the Spear itself was touching the clouds.

All in all it suited the grey seriousness of the mountains and the seriousness of the situation. They still had no sightings of the child and they were getting desperate. And tired in Nearin's case. It had been weeks since she had been bedridden and she was returned to nearly her full strength. Nearly. But now as they rushed through the rough terrain at high altitude she was starting to sweat.

Oh she could continue going on for quite a while, especially given how much she loathed the idea of disappointing Selesta. She was doing that already in multiple ways she was sure, but no reason to bring attention to one.

But it was clear that of the three, she was going to be the one to tire first. It was inevitable. Selvos had grown up in these mountains and as such was used to the terrain and to the altitude. And Selesta... Nearin had trouble imagining Selesta getting exhausted. It didn't match the idea in her head of the stern, unmovable mentor who could probably do anything.

As they arrived at the top of the ridge they stopped to scan for the missing girl. Below them was another small valley with a stream surrounded by dwarf birches. Thanks to the echo they had heard the stream long before seeing it.

Of the girl there was still no sign.

”Sure this is the only way to the Fall?” Selesta asked growing frustrated as her theory was proving less and less likely.

”The only one an eight year old could take in middle of the night,” the guide answered. ”Well there is another but that is twice as long as it circles along the Spear's eastern slope.”

”No that wouldn't be it.”

Nearin shivered and not from the cold. In fact with all the running she was feeling rather warm. No it was because of their theory. That the reason for disappearances was a curse. Curses were a serious taboo. Curses weren't really even taught, though most serious spell casters figured out how to cast one themselves. In the end all you needed to do was instead of drawing on your lifeforce to cast a spell to instead draw upon your very soul.

But it was an act of violence. A soul never really healed from that and there were lots of ways it could go horribly, horribly wrong. Most people knew to stay far away from such acts.

But someone obviously had not.

They made their way through the valley. The downhill proving itself no easier to hurry through than the uphill as stones threatened to slip from under Nearin's feet. Twisting her ankle during a rescue mission wasn't something she would have lived down ever. Especially if it meant that they were too late.

She swallowed her anxiety as they reached the bottom and managed to make their way over the stream and its slippery stones without incident.

The opposite side of the valley had huge moss covered boulders. The path uphill, steeper on this side, snaked between them.

The terrain had been rough enough that Nearin was starting to doubt the child could have managed this far. Every kilometre they walked without seeing the girl the bigger the chance of them being wrong about her having taken this route. There was every possibility that the girl had run the other way in panic as many others had. But if Selesta's theory was right and the curse had drawn the disappeared villagers to the Fall then an eight year old who probably could not make it all the way there during the night, if she could make it there at all, could possibly be intercepted.

Suddenly a stone came free from under Nearin's feet and her knee came down on the ground hard. She grimaced, especially as she slipped a few feet downwards on the steep hill, causing a stream of pebbles to cascade down.

Embarrassing, she thought as the she stood and watched the pebbles go. Then, when her gaze briefly wandered to a cavelike gap two boulders she noticed something. The moss was upturned and displaced, and the pebbles were rolling in that direction.

”Hey! Over there!” she shouted and pointed. She hurried towards the gap, careful not to cause a small landslide of pebbles. The two others barely had time to react before she reached it and saw the girls body inside. Shit, she though. She had gotten out of habit of cursing out loud when she had been barely able to make a sound.

She quickly knelt by the girl and checked her pulse, not even daring to breathe before she felt it.
”She's alive!” she shouted. That hurts so much more than just talking, she thought as she had to cough after.

The girl was cold though. And there was some blood on her forehead and a gash on her thigh from a sharp rock. It wasn't deep, but if they hadn't found her...

”Move!” Selesta shouted and Nearin quickly made room for the older Paladin. ”She has hit her head. That can be very bad.” She cut a slice from her cloak quickly and handed it to Nearin. ”Press that onto the leg wound.”

”Selvos, the disappeared witch was your village healer, right?” She asked after examining the girls head for a moment. ”Did she keep a stock of potions?”

”Yes.”

”Then run back to the village and bring me Lishin's Light. If she doesn't have any then either Bluesnow Mixture or Grey Life. And bring Xorcon's Breath if there is any for the hypothermia,” She instructed. ”Nearin your cloak.” After her apprentice obeyed she wrapped the girl in that cloak as well as in her own. Minus the leg that was being treated.

”I-I can't read,” Selvos stammered.

Selesta sighed. ”Nearin you go then and hurry, I am not half the healer Tiilin is, I am not sure how much I can do without the potions.” She then quickly gestured to Selvos. ”Press on the wound while she is gone.”



”Yes, ma'am,” Nearin said and started running.

Pretty soon her legs were screaming for relief and she sped through the valley and up the hill, but she wasn't about to slow down when a life was on the line.

Well maybe for about three seconds when she reached the top of the ridge.

Anyway, even though she was sweating profusely soon she got into a steady rhythm of placing one foot in front of the other. She didn't manage to put her attention to anything else than going in the right direction and moving her legs.

She would be dead on her feet when she finally got back there, but she was starting to be sure that she would make it all the way back without stopping or slowing down. Despite her exhaustion and the serious situation she allowed herself a self-indulging smile.

Then a man stepped out from behind a tree in front of her and struck his knife into her stomach.