NaNo 2013 Writing From Day 11

The beginning of this chapter was very unkind to me, and I think you may even notice it when you read it. At a later, after NaNo, date I think it will have to be changed.

Chapter 5 Part 1

In which a woman joins the party.

All throughout that day Seok was preoccupied. He could not seem to focus on anything and several times Cain had to shout at him to get his attention. Eventually the group left him to his own devices in the market place at the center of the city. When he realized he was alone, though, he thought nothing of it, just found a spot in the shade of a building and sat watching the busy people around him. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. It was in his eyes, Seok noticed, and needed to be cut again. He absentmindedly shoved the offending locks under the chain he never took off and sighed again.

            

He had had the strangest feeling all day, ever since that morning when he had woken up and almost been shoved down the stairs by Zija. Seok wondered if he were sick. He could not remember ever having so much as a headache or sore throat, that was not from drinking too much anyway, but that could be what was going on. It would explain the odd confusion, almost to the point of dizziness he had been feeling all day.

            

When noon arrived and passed and Seok did not come to find them to beg for money for food Larkin suggested going to find him. They found him easily enough, though when they went up to him and Zija asked, “You hungry yet?” Seok did not answer right away. When his stomach growled he smirked and stood up. “Yeah, let’s get something to eat.” His voice was normal, but Cain and Larkin shared a look over his behavior.

           

They got some skewered mystery meat and fresh bread to eat for lunch and Cain suggested leaving for the mountain that day instead of waiting until the next morning. “We won’t make it far enough that it will be getting cold in one afternoon. We’ll be able to camp outside, then make it to the first pass shelter easily the next day.” Larkin agreed with the plan but Zija was loath to give up the comfort of a bed for an extra night.

            

When Seok did not throw in his opinion without being asked, Larkin looked at him with concern. “Are you alright?” he asked. “You’ve been acting strange all day.”

            

Seok shrugged. “Don’t know. Something feels off though,” he said slowly, running his hand through his hair. “Maybe I’m sick.”

            

Cain scoffed, “Idiots don’t catch colds. Tell me one time where you’ve been sick and it wasn’t from alcohol.”

            

Seok shook his head. “Something just feels wrong.” He seemed at a loss for words. “Almost like I forgot to do something, only like it’s inside instead of something I forgot to do.”

            

“So you need to take a shit?” Zija asked. “Why the hell tell us that?”

            

“Why don’t you go take a shit,” Seok snapped back at Zija, obviously not feeling so ill that he was immune to his arguments with the red head. “Some of what you say might make sense if shit wasn’t coming out of your mouth all the time.”

           

“Does your head hurt?” Larkin asked, not to be dissuaded from the youngest of their group’s health.

           

“No, why?”

           

“You keep touching your hair, like you have a headache. It’s not something you normally do.”

            

“Huh?” Seok pulled his hand down to his lap, away from his head, which he had been scratching while Larkin questioned him. “Really?” Larkin reached down to where Seok was sitting and placed the back of his hand against the boy’s head. “What are you doing?” he asked, ducking away from Larkin’s hand.

           

“Hold still.” Larkin commanded, putting on what Zija and Seok called his “monster face,” which was actually something he did by manipulating his chi energy to make someone else feel threatened, rather than changing anything about his face.  Seok immediately froze, and Larkin said, “You don’t have a fever.” He turned to Cain, “It would be bad if he got sick while we’re on the mountain.”

            

Cain replied, looking north where he could see the top of Mount Taka over the edge of the wall, “It would be worse if watu caught us taking the long way around because the pass was closed.”

            

“I’m good enough to keep going!” Seok retorted.

            

“Then we’ll go get our stuff and leave,” Cain decided.

            

“What?” Zija stood, spraying bread crumbs from his lap. “Don’t I get any say in this?”

            

Cain had already started walking back toward the inn, but threw back over his shoulder, “Yeah, you can decide if you wanna stay behind or not.”

            

The Northern Gate let travelers out of Saigo right into the foothills of the mountain. The city had originally been built at the top of one such hill, and the group had to travel down for several hundred yards before they could start heading toward the pass over the mountain. There was a train of about twelve pilgrims wearing black robes so faded with age and use the color could hardly be said to be black any longer traveling on foot leaving the gate at the same time as Cain’s group. The color showed them as dedicates of the Lord of Darkness. They bowed low to Cain when they saw his attire, but said nothing, not even speaking amongst themselves, as they traveled.

            

The considerably louder and more lively group of four soon outpaced the walking pilgrims on their horses, but it was not until about an hour from sunset that the path split and Cain’s group started climbing the mountain. Though Mount Taka was only a single mountain, it was huge and sprawling, covering the land for miles in a rough circle, and its roots pushing up from their places underground made steep rolling hills in the grasslands to the west and dangerous, unexpected drops and cliffs in the forest to the east. The forest in the east climbed Taka Mountain and wrapped around to its west side where it petered into smaller wooded vales and finally the Hiroi Plains on the western side.

            

It was into this forest that Cain’s group went, following the rough path upward in a shallow zigzag pattern. At one point there was another fork in the path, with one side leading off to the pass that traversed the east side of the mountain. That route had led to another large city that was built only a day’s ride from Lord Death’s temple. Since the watu army had taken the strip of land to the east and south of the mountain, the Eastern Pass had seen little use save for those members of the city who had fled to Saigo, fearing the watu that were now so close to their city. It was in this fork that the group made camp for the night.

            

The next day, after leaving the final fork and starting down the real road to the pass the climb became steeper and more rough on the travelers. Already the height of the mountain had put a bite in the air, and before the day was over they would all be wearing wool cloaks and pulling down sleeves that were still rolled up because of the warmth of the sun shining down on them. They would be climbing the side of the mountain for another day before they would reach the top and start down again. They planned to stay the night in the first of the mountain shelters, built there long ago by someone who had been kind enough to realize the travelers could die in the cold air of the mountain at night and had decided to do something about it.

            

The climb affected the healing and still sore ribs of Larkin, Cain, and Zija less than they had expected, though all of them were saddle sore by the end of the day from the unaccustomed position that they had to sit in the saddle when climbing such a steep slope. They reached the shelter house, built in a flat area that was cleared of trees, though still about three hours’ ride below the tree line, with several hours of sunlight left. Zija was complaining about the cold, as he had been for the past hour or better, until Cain snapped at him. “Go find some damn wood,” he pointed to the grove of pine trees beyond the clearing, “and start a damn fire while we take care of the horses, if your toes are so cold. What do you have between your ears anyway? Shit for brains.” He muttered the last one as Zija headed off toward the forest spouting expletives of his own right back at the priest.

            

As they were getting the horses settled in the lean-to adjacent to the cabin a light snow started falling. Larkin sent Seok out to help Zija gather firewood and soon the group had a warm fire going inside the small hearth of the shelter. There was just enough room inside the building for a small table with two rough-hewn stools and sleeping rolls for all the members of the group to be laid out comfortably; though one of them would have to sleep under the table. As night fell outside and the snow showed no signs of stopping the door of the shelter burst open and a figure bundled head to toe in robes, wraps, and scarves stomped snow off its boots and crowded inside without a word.