To Disturb the Harmony~Chapter 20

As we watched the sun creep over the horizon, we paid for our food and walked out toward the edge of the canyon. We looked out and watched as the light of the sun reflected off the walls of rock and we stood there for a moment, taking it all in. Some fog from the night air was rolling down the hills into the canyon to the point where you couldn’t even see the bottom.

“I wish we had a camera,” I said out loud as I looked over the railing.

“Well, there is always next time,” Aisling said as she patted me on the back before leading us to a path that supposedly would lead us to the bottom.

“Aren’t we supposed to rent mules or something to reach the bottom?” Kimi asked as she shied away from the dirt path.

“Oh come on, don’t be such a wuss,” Aisling argued before dragging her down the path. I once again just shook my head at Aisling’s brash nature and just slowly followed them down the hill.

The light fog made it harder and harder to see as we walked down the path. Eventually we had to hold each other’s hands in order to make sure no one got lost or separated. I looked around nervously as if a monster was about to attacked us and with the area surrounded by fog, we would be sitting ducks. I heard a rock move behind me and I whipped out my sword.

“Peace! I just tripped on a rock,” Aisling said as she waved her arms wildly. I let out a sigh and lowered my sword. “So any idea as to where we are going?”

“Not a clue,” I said honestly. “All I know is that we’re heading down.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, small rocks from all around us began to vibrate and I heard a faint rumbling sound from all around us. I raised my sword once again and watched as several rocks began to roll toward each other into a pile that slowly began to grow.

“I had enough rock and roll back in Memphis,” Aisling said as she two pulled out her ax and shield. I watched as the pile took on a more humanoid appearance, except that the figure had four arms and it was massive, standing at almost four feet tall.

“What is that thing?” Kimi yelled, almost in horror.

“An Earthborn,” Aisling said. “My dad fought them once years ago.”

Aisling and I got ready to attack, but the large figure didn’t move and simply looked at us. I really freaked me out. Normally monsters attacked at the first sign of a demigod, but this one just looked at us as if wondering what we were or something. It then looked up toward the sky and I knew that this was my chance to attack, but something held me back. Aisling took a step forward and raised her ax into the air, but just as fast I put my arm in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.

“What’s the big deal?” she half asked, half yelled at me.

“It isn’t dangerous, at least I don’t think it is,” I told her as a voice in the back of my mind called out to me. I have been waiting for you it said in my mind and I began to walk forward. I raised my sword toward it, but not to attack, only to let him get a good look at it. The monster looked down and observed the blade. It then turned around and began walking down the path.

“I think it wants us to follow it,” Kimi said and we all nodded. The fog was still making it difficult to see, but the rock monster seemed to have no problems navigating as it walked. However, it eventually took us off the main path and into a dead end. It then clapped all four of its hands together and the rocks began to shift and rumble, much like the rocks did that formed the Earthborn in front of us. The rock walls began to open, revealing a cave entrance and the monster motioned us inside.

We began walking in, but the Earthborn kept looking at the sky nervously. Kimi also froze for a moment and her eyes became a bit cloudy, but less like when she was in battle and more like that night we first met at the campfire, when the fire turned to water.

“He is here,” She said in a monotone voice. All at once, the Earthborn moved with speed it shouldn’t have been able to manage, considering it was huge and made of rock, and moved behind Kimi. We looked on as three large icicles impaled the monster in the chest and it fell to its knees in pain. The monster let out a loud yell and two more Earthborn came out of the cliff walls.

“Our friends are back,” Aisling said and I saw three ice monsters racing down the side of the cliff with ice bows and swords and whatever else. Aisling pulled out her ax again, which she had put away after the Earthborn proved to be no threat, and charged forward. However, the wounded Earthborn grabbed her and Kimi and walked toward the entrance to the cave while Aisling kicked the air with her free legs. “We can help!”

The Earthborn placed them down inside the cave and I could see the Earthborn behind him chucking rocks at the ice creature while they in turn fired icicles back at them

“We can help,” I said, but in a much calmer manner than how Aisling had said it. The monster however just shook its head no and pulled the frozen arrows from his chest. The wounds healed up in a matter of moments and he turned around to join his fellow Earthborn. Aisling took a step forward, but it slammed its foot on the ground and the cave entrance closed, leaving us in the dark. I pulled out my sword and it began to glow as I fed my blue flame into it. The sword began to absorb the blue flame and the entire sword began to glow like a huge flashlight that illuminated the care.

“Did you make the sword believe it was a lantern?” Aisling asked, half joking I think, so I just kind of ignored her as we walked deeper into the cave.

“This feels so wrong, I shouldn’t be here,” Kimi said nervously as she glanced at the walls and ceilings of the cave. She gripped my arm so tight that I thought she would literally cut off all circulation from my arm to the rest of my body. I wondered what she meant, but she just kept repeating that she shouldn’t be here. All the while, I could hear that voice echo in the back of my mind to follow the path and come closer. I wasn’t sure what was happening or what the voice was, but I felt compelled to listen.