CHAPTER 63: THE NARROW PATH
THE NARROW PATH
Mount Nagas stands tall with the top so high that the eyes cannot reach, even the bright moon make it seem like the mountain kisses the skies.
The entirety of Mount Nagas is made of three tall mountains glued to each other like a rare case of conjoined triplets. It is said that the mountain belongs to one of the godly creatures that is feared by many.
A creature the sphinxes hope to not meet.
The mountain stands tall, reaching heights up to 13000 feet while the other parts fall short at 9000 feet.
Nothing can be seen apart from its thick and pointy shape, the waters at its bottom hide from the moonlight. Sharing only darkness in the currents.
The ferryman navigates the Mesektet to the south of the mountain towards a small hill that looks tiny in comparison to its monstrous neighbor.
There is a narrow space between them, one that is easy to miss as the darkness walk the paths between. The Mesektet slows down as it edges toward the dark narrow path between the hill and the mountain.
Rachael stares for a while in confusion as the only thing that stands before her eyes is a wall of mountain stone and darkness but gradually the path becomes visible to her.
Rachael and the immortals take a last glance at the moonlight as it vanishes behind the broad back of Mount Nagas and their eyes begin its struggle to adjust to the black path.
The waters seem quiet and dead with no sound of waves or currents to give it life. Rachael's eyes soon come to terms with the dark path and she finds the immortals staring around, assessing their surroundings as they lean at the edge.
There are little stones and prickly rocks are at the edge on both sides of the ship, threatening to break its wooden body at the slightest movement away from the path.
But this is unlikely to happen for the ferryman is already accustomed to the roads of the underworld and knows them well.
"It's quiet, really quiet" Rachael says.
"Yes it is. Let it remain that way. This mountain houses one of the biggest snakes you may ever see," Amanda says, her hair loses it's color in the dark but her features are still observable by the human.
The little sway of the end of her open jacket and her footsteps let Rachael know.
Samuel stands still, his dark skin makes him blend into the dark like he was made from the shadows. No one hears his breath or see the glow of his eyes. He just stands still, listening and watching as his heart beat races.
The drum of his chest are the only sounds the immortals use to know where he stands but Rachael stands clueless, she can see Elma's features and tell that she is standing at the edge of the ship beside Amanda.
"Samuel," Rachael says in a voice so low it should be a whisper, a voice that would fly with the wind if there was any but still the sphinx is not as weak as to forget the gifts that come with his birth.
"I am here," she hears his voice, two footsteps beside her. She turns sharply to him and makes out his figure.
"Are you alright?" she asks, "I am not," he says in a cold voice, devoid of any positive rhythm it may have held.
The air becomes hot the further they go; they feel the ship make some turns to the right but the eyes do not follow in the Meseket's sway on the waters.
They move in quiet and stillness for almost an hour and Rachael ends up sitting on the floor, waiting for the ship to return to the gaze of light.
They reach a spot with a thin path as mountain edges surround the path like an underground cave beneath the mountain.
A soft whisper echoes into Rachael's ears. She can't make out the word but the whisper is sharp, coming and fleeing like a mosquito escaping its victim after a quick snack.
The whisper becomes audible but the words remain encoded, it replicates the sound of the wind but no breeze blows against her cheeks. She arranges her hair and ties it into a bun.
The sounds are clearer as she moves a strand of her hair out of the way and the whisper continues to sing with an unknown tune.
The smell of dirt on her body tempts a nauseas welcome, as disgust hangs on the back of her throat. The strange whisper is disturbing but it brings her distractions from the odors she now emits.
"Do you hear that?" she says, not knowing if Samuel is still close to her, "What do you hear?" he asks, "A quiet sound. Like a whisper but it comes and goes. It is fast,"
"It is troubling that you can hear that," "What is it?" "The whispers of the dead. The voices of those who try to escape from the underworld but can never see the light of day.
They are trapped here until a reaper comes to relieve them," Samuel says.
"You mean kill them, don't you?" "Not necessarily. A grim reaper's work is to carry the soul across the threshold of life and dead where judgement takes place.
They kill wraiths too," "What are those?" "Souls that have begun to fade away. If they remain outside the threshold they turn into hateful things. Monsters that haunt people. Evil spirits," Samuel say.
He folds his arms and looks down at Rachael who is sitting, her legs are crossed over each other and she uses her hands to support herself.
"This place, it leads to hell doesn't it?" Rachael suddenly says, "A variation of it for sure. We will come out the back of the mountain and we will leave the ship," Samuel says.
"Hopefully we won't be running into anymore trouble," "I doubt that. From the beginning of this journey till now all there has been is trouble or some time wasting shit comes up and Gabriel gets closer to dying.
Almost like the universe wants him to die," Amanda says.
"Demanding it even," "It can demand all it wants, I am getting my brother back and not even the universe is going to stop me," Samuel says and grits his teeth.
They are silent again for a while as the whispers disappear, leaving unnoticed like a distant memory.
The first glimpse of light appears up ahead the ship as they see an exit through the joined mountains of the narrow path. "We are close. Soon we will leave the ship," Amanda says.
She faces Samuel, his eyes are deep and fierce, he bottles his rage and maintains composure even when he doubts, masking it with a raised head and wicked eyes.
"Sammy, are you okay man?" she asks and is not surprised when a growl escapes his mouth, "I am okay. I'm just waiting for when we meet that blond prick.
I will chop his head off," "I am with you Sammy. We are going to do this," she says and return her gaze to the light at the end of the narrow paths.
The moonlight welcomes them with a smile as it bathes them in its light. Amanda and Elma's hair shine with fluorescent theme made hollow with the black shades of the night.
The path opens up like a sunflower spreading into five routes, "I won't be following the path of Acheron. This is as far as I can take you. The Mesektet moves this way," the ferryman says and points to the left.
Samuel takes off his shirt and his wings shoot out of his back. His usually black wings now look grey and thin and his body has become a canvas for black veins and cracked skin.
Amanda's wings shoot out as well and they begin to raise her above the ground, she carries Elma who smiles at her, "This reminds me of something," Elma says and winks at her, "This is not the right time to tease me Elma," Amanda responds as she takes off.
Samuel stretches his hand for Rachael who takes it and he pulls her up, "Samuel, we need to talk" she says.