Michael Mathias: The Sword and the Dragon

His palms were wet and slimy from the numerous patches of excriment he’d encountered in this higher, more heavily nested area. He shook his arms at his sides, letting the blood flow back into them while waiting for the muck to dry. A warning began to sound in the back of his mind, telling him that he should already be headed back down, but he chose to ignore it. He had gathered another egg on the way up to the niche, so he now had the full half-dozen he’d promised Hyden. All he had to do now was reach the little treasure that was beckoning him. Once he had it, he could start down.

After a few moments, he rubbed his hands on his hips briskly. The crusting stuff on them powdered and fell away. He then took turns scuffing the toes of his old boots on the ledge until they gripped with ample traction. He found a good handhold with his left hand, not too far above him, and stretched his body out to the right, reaching across the gap as far as he could. He was still at least two feet shy. He harrumphed in frustration and pulled his body weight back over the little ledge.

He repositioned himself so that his handhold was lower. This would allow him to reach farther. He tried again but found that his right foot was still some inches away from a safe purchase on the other side. As he started to retract himself this time, his left foothold slipped a fraction. His heart fluttered up through his chest like a startled bird. He almost fell, but instinct, and common sense, took control. After a few deep, calming breaths, he gingerly started easing his weight back over.

He would have to give up the prize and make his way down. It was the only sensible thing to do. If he started to hurry down now, he could still reach the canyon floor by nightfall. Hyden would be happy to take the six eggs, and the Elders, along with the rest of the clan members, would praise his efforts and his skill as a climber.

A quick glance back over at the object caused him to change his mind. He was here, and he didn’t want to waste the chance the Goddess had granted him. He would retrieve it, whatever it was.

Gerard squinted. In the shaded light, the object finally revealed itself to him. It was a ring. Golden and shiny, it had a fat, yellow gem mounted on it, and it looked extremely valuable. He rolled his neck across his shoulders. It would be his, he decided. He could reach it and still get down before dark. If not, he could even sleep on the Lip if he had to.

He looked at the other side of the fissure and studied it intently. He took in the subtleties, the nooks, the crannies, and the shape of the stone. Then, he sucked in a deep breath, resolved himself, and leapt for it.

Hyden was pacing nervously. His cousin was almost back down to the Lip, but Gerard was still way up in the heart of the nesting shelves. To Hyden, he seemed to be frozen in place next to a wide vertical split in the rock. As it was, Hyden figured that Gerard would have to sleep on the Lip this night. Hyden wasn’t sure that his brother could even climb that far back down by nightfall. He was about to pull his hair out with worry.

“It’s my fault,” he told himself aloud. He knew that no one had ever made it down the cliff face in the dark, and it looked as if Gerard was running out of time. “I should’ve never let you climb for me. Damn the bravado, Gerard! Just get yourself down before it’s too late.”

Hyden stopped pacing and stared up anxiously, as his brother stretched across the gap for the second time. He thought his heart had stopped beating in his chest, until he saw his brother shudder and slip. Then, his heart exploded like a pounding skin drum.

“Oh Gerard, don’t fall,” Hyden pleaded to no one that could hear him. “Take a breath, and steady yourself. That’s it! Now quit fooling around and get down here before the darkness takes you!”

Hyden’s neck muscles were raw and sore from looking up all day, but he couldn’t look away. Gerard seemed to have regained his composure, and Hyden assumed he was about to start back down. A few seconds later, when Gerard leapt into the open air, across the fissure from one side of it to the other, Hyden was certain that his heart really had exploded. So violent was the thunderclap that went blasting through his chest, that even he felt the strange and horrifying sensation of falling.

Of the two brothers, Gerard had the better landing. His lead foot stuck perfectly into the crevice he had intended, and his fingers grabbed true in a little crack on the far side of the fissure. He paused only a moment to catch his breath, as if he hadn’t just jumped across a gap of empty space more than seven hundred feet off the ground. Almost casually, he looked down at the little gleaming prize and started after it. It was his.

Hyden didn’t fare as well. He had been looking up at Gerard while pacing. At the same moment his brother had leapt, Hyden’s feet had found a shin-high boulder and his momentum sent him sprawling. He was so transfixed by Gerard’s leap that he didn’t even look down as he fell. It was probably for the best, because he didn’t have to see the pile of jagged rocks into which his head slammed. When he next opened his eyes, it was almost completely dark outside. Blood had leaked from the gash in the side of his head and formed a matted clot in his long black hair. He wasn’t quite sure where he was or what was happening.

“Hyden?” a familiar voice asked sheepishly. “I thought you’d never come around.”

Through his pain, Hyden’s world began coming back to him. It was Little Condlin who had spoken to him. His fingers found the split lump over his ear, and a sharp pain shot through him when he touched it. As he caught his breath, Gerard’s leap flashed through his mind.

“Gerard!” he croaked in a panic while trying to climb back to his feet. “Where is Ger-?”

“He’s nearly down from the Lip,” Little Condlin said, not understanding Hyden’s worry. He hadn’t seen Gerard risk his life like a fool jumping from hold to hold. He took Hyden by the arm and helped him to his feet.

Hyden winced as the world swam back into focus. It took him a few minutes, but eventually, he steadied himself. In the near darkness, he found the boulder he had eaten lunch on and sat down.

“Gerard’s really almost down?” he asked.

“Aye,” Little Condlin grinned. “He’s as good a climber as you are; maybe even better.” He tried to suppress an adolescent mirth, but it was impossible. “What befell you down here?” With that, he burst into laughter.

Hyden snarled menacingly at the fourteen-year-old boy’s wit. It was enough to make Little Condlin’s glee vanish instantly. The boy quickly averted his attention to a dark pile of rocks at his feet.

A few moments passed in silence, but Hyden finally spoke.

“How was your harvest?” he asked.

Little Condlin’s eyes lit up. He was bursting to tell someone of his good fortune this year. “Five eggs, Hyden!” he held an excited hand up, all his fingers extended and wiggling. “Five!”

“Great!” Hyden said, a little more flatly than he had intended. He was glad for Condlin, but he was still a little bitter at being cheated out of his own climb. Last year, Little Con had only harvested one egg. This was only his second year of harvest, and five eggs was an excellent yield for a more experienced climber, much less a novice.

“I did just as father told me to do,” Little Condlin rambled excitedly. “I didn’t try to go high like Gerard does. I went way out to the sides.”

“I saw you,” Hyden said, with a nod of respect.

Hyden had only gotten three eggs, and had ended up nearly falling over the edge of the Lip during the descent on his second harvest. The memory made him think about Gerard again. It was almost full dark now. He stood up and started toward the base of the cliff to look for his brother.