Mountain Peak

In the morning they set out again, this was the last part of their trek Caith told her as they began climbing the mountains again.

Halfway up the mountain she remembered her dream.

'What was your dream about?' He asked setting one massive paw in front of the other.

'I was on top of a canyon wall, like the ones we saw yesterday and I heard a voice.'

'One that you recognize?' A stone came loose bouncing and clattering behind them.

'No I never heard it before, it sounded like an old woman's.'

'Interesting,' he thought letting out a big huff as launched toward and outcropping.

'And then this cat appeared out of the canyon wall and started talking to me. But it looked like it was apart of the canyon itself. Then it all started crumbling. And I crumbled with it.'

'What did the cat say?' He said trotting along a slightly inclined plateau.

'It said the woman made the wrong choice. The one with the compass.' She added leaving out that the cat mentioned their souls were bounded. She was getting increasingly better at quieting her thoughts so that Caith could not hear them.

'That's a shame,' he said letting out a sigh inspired in part by their conversation but also by the steeper section they were about to come to.

.

.

.

A wooden door creaked open against the stone doorway. The stench of mold hit Lucas's nose as he carefully peaked around the rough oak door.

"Hello," his shrill voice rang out into the dark room.

"Hello," a woman's voice echoed back.

"Idris?" The man squeaked back nibbling at his dirty nails.

"Who's asking?" The harsh voice replied.

"Lucas, the Keeper's servant." He answered between nail bites. The last one he ripped the nail off too close to his finger and it started to bleed.

"Come in Lucas," she replied as sweet and think as honey.

"Yes, of course..." he said scrambling to the other side of the door.

"Close the door behind you?"

"Yes, of course." He said wrapping his finger in the end of his dirty brown shirt to stop the bleeding.

As soon as the door closed blue flames lit the room. Casting haunting shadows on the woman standing in the center of the room.

The candles lined a circle in the middle of the floor. She stood in the center with a paintbrush in one hand. An line stopped at where she was standing. Her dark eyes shinned in the blue light and her white teeth glowed. The corners of her mouths turned up as she spoke.

"How can I help you?" Her deep thick voice made him shiver.

"I was wondering if you knew anything about Ciall?" He said his insides turning to ice as he realized she didn't have an iris or any white to her eyes. They were completely black.

"Ciall," she repeated. Her smile faded and her jaw dropped as she searched the nothingness between them.

"I know her." Her voice sounded normal against the bizarre setting.

"Do you know why she would act unusual?" He added whiling picking at the fingernails on his other hand.

"Yes, she always took Demarcus's side, she treated him different from the others." Her cheeks looked extra hallow as she spoke. She seemed like a skeleton with her pale shrunken frame and pitch black eyes.

"Did they have a relationship?"

"When I was in coma I could hear them speak. As I lay there in a fit of dreams, unable to move my body they spoke to each other. They were lovers." Finishing her last word she began slowly shaking her head. "That was when I was weak. I will never be like that again." She smiled her wicked smile and began painting the floor again.

Lucas twitched his nose realizing the metallic smell reaching his nose was blood.

"Thank you the Keeper will be very pleased with this information." He said with a bow and started opening the door.

Idris continued with the markings now ignoring the man who was hurrying away from the room she now spent most of her time in.

.

.

.

They reached the summit of the mountain and now Sionna could see a man sitting at the peak. At first she couldn't make out details and struggled to decide if he was a boulder or a person. As they got closer she could make out the grey fabric and his tanned skin. She could see his legs crossed over each other and his hands pressed with their palms together. The long silver beard matched his long hair being gently tossed in the wind.

Before she knew it they were in front of him and she was stunned by his sheer size. He was even bigger than his son and looked more like a massive statue than a living being. Sionna slid off Caith's back and he changed and got dressed.

"Father," he said finally and the giant in front of them opened his icy blue eyes. A smile filled his wrinkled face.

"My son."