Chapter Eleven

As I stumbled through the heavy forest growth, Passion fussed around and tried to stop me from going forward. I didn't care, though. I had been battered and abused by everyone around me, and those flowers were the only thing that had eased my emotional torment up to this point. I could see my dependency on them growing. One could go so far as to call them addictive. But life wasn't worth living if I couldn't find some kind of relief.

And right now, either a dragon or a sheer cliff lay between me and that release. Honestly, my chances would be better with the cliff. At least then, I would have a possibility of survival. With the dragon, death was certain.

I limped my way through the forest to the now snow-covered meadow. The journey was more tiring than the first time I was here, and I had yet to travel nearly as far. Already, my breathing was labored, and the pain was stabbing me with every rise and fall of my chest. The climb ahead wouldn't be an easy one.

I made my way across the now barren clearing, to the left and away from the dragon's cave. Once I reached the base of the mountain, I tested the imposing wall before me. The surface was craggy, and rocks protruded at random intervals, making for adequate footholds. The Fates may have finally decided to smile upon me by granting that small blessing.

Stretching my arms above me, I grabbed hold of the sharp surface and began slowly pulling myself up. My arms shook with the effort. Gingerly, I found purchase and started my climb in earnest. It was slow work. With each inch that I rose higher, my strength waned. My breath became more ragged as I approached the halfway mark to my destination–that little outcropping with what I sought. Thankfully, the ledge that held them had a makeshift roof of rock over it, so the flowers had been somewhat protected from the snow. Dragging myself up higher, my wounds stretched and strained. Fresh waves of pain hit me with force, but I continued upward. 

When my hand finally brushed the rough, frozen grass, I almost breathed a sigh of relief. My journey wasn't over yet, though. I struggled to pull myself up onto the ledge. My hands were slick with sweat and blood, frozen by the cold, and they refused to cooperate with me. With my legs, I gave a slight kick from the rock to propel myself to where I could hook an arm completely onto the solid ground. My grip wouldn't hold for long, so I started rocking my body from side to side to help build momentum and finally succeeded in hooking a leg over after a few failed attempts.

My tired limbs pulled me entirely onto the outcropping, and I flopped onto my back and took several deep breaths, or as deeply as I could, without straining my injured ribs. Blood flowed freely from my opened wounds, the scabs that had barely formed having been ripped open during the climb. With the arduous task completed, I looked around, seeking the ever-important flower. As I looked, I saw several withered stalks and flowers mummified by the cold. My heart started to sink to my stomach. Was all of this for nothing?

Wait, there! Nestled into the corner, almost entirely hidden by shadow, was the last living flower. Its petals were small and delicate. Much longer, and it would surely join its siblings in their frozen demise. But there it was, waiting for me like the last shred of hope in this lonely world.

A small laugh escaped my lips. Then fresh tears started streaming from my eyes, falling down my bruised face. But still, I laughed. What a sight; I must have looked like a madwoman. I didn't care, though. With this, relief would finally find me. I could almost feel the eerie calm the substance brought seeping into my muscles now.

Reaching out, I grasped the stem in my shaking hand and held the bud up to my nose, inhaling its subtle, sweet scent deeply. Losing myself in the moment, I sat there, perched on the side of a steep mountain, smelling a flower like an imbecile. Time passed, and my joints grew stiff from sitting in one position for too long. I should get down while I could still move. Soon, the pain from the injuries will overtake me, and then all of this would be for naught.

I approached the edge and looked down. Most would have been afraid of the nauseating height, but I didn't mind it. The view of the Forsaken Forest was beautiful. And there, to my right, further away from the dragon's cave, was a steep drop into the valleys below the mountain range. Craning my neck, I attempted to see if it were possible to see the bottom. It wasn't. Thick sheets of fog filled the valley below, making it impossible to know just how far down solid ground would be if one were to fall.

I considered the rock face below. Getting up here was difficult, so getting back down wouldn't be easy either. I tucked the flower into my shirt to keep it safe and turned to face the wall. Gripping the rocks so tightly my knuckles turned white, I braced my body for the descent. As I lifted my foot to climb down, the earth beneath me began to shake. The sound of falling debris surrounded me as chunks of the cliff started to fall away, seemingly unprovoked. Anyone else would have thought of it as Fate's intervention, but I knew without a doubt that they had abandoned my path long ago. No, this wasn't fate. It was my own stupidity coming to haunt me.

With one last shudder, the earth gave away from beneath me, sending me falling to the ground.

Wind filled my ears as I stared up at the black sky, unable to do anything about my fast-approaching end. I closed my eyes. I knew this might happen. If death came for me now, at least I could say that I tried to live this life given to me.