Chapter 29: Trapped

“What about food and supplies?” Alena inquired nervously between heavy breaths as the group passed through the Eastern Watchpost. Struggling through the snow, her short legs made it challenging to keep up with the others. She'd already put Gordo to rest, so he wasn't able to assist. “We’re not going to have enough if we continue on without resupplying. You know how Clarkus gets if he doesn’t have enough to eat.”

“We don’t have time to worry about his stomach!” Dee snapped back over her shoulder. “He’ll have to make do with what we can get on the way.”

Seeing his friend struggle to keep pace with the rest of them, Clarkus plucked Alena up by the back of her coat and set her on the dolyak’s back. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me,” he tried to assure her. He flashed her a toothy half-smile which he hoped was convincing enough.

“Thanks,” she said, seeming fine being handled by her charr friend. She grabbed hold of Maddox’ harness, trying not to slip off in the process as the broad beast lumbered hastily with the group. “Just please try not to kill anyone unnecessarily.”

“Heh, just the necessary ones,” he replied with a snort.

As the group reached the foothills, they watched from the safety of a frozen outcropping as the mercenaries turned north onto the road heading through Breakneck Pass. Nienna looked back and forth at the snowy peaks towering over them. It had been ages since she had been this far north, and she couldn’t recall what awaited beyond the pass. She was grateful to have Dee with them. Her knowledge of this area would come in handy if they had to venture further north. She just hoped they didn’t run into any more of Brandt’s friends or anyone who recognized Dee and remembered her father. She took in a breath and let it out, reigning her focus back to the mercenaries who were now far enough in the distance to hopefully not notice them following. Nienna motioned for the rest of the group to continue on, but Dee suddenly stuck out an arm to stop them.

“We should take another way,” she suggested.

Alena leaned forward from her perch on Maddox’s back. “Why?”

“There’s a bridge crossing over the pass ahead. If any of the mercenaries are positioned up there, it will leave us vulnerable to attack,” Dee explained. “There’s another pass, a smaller one, by Raven’s shrines. It’ll take us longer to get up the mountain, but it should keep us out of harm’s way.”

Nienna clenched her jaw and glanced at the mercenaries about to disappear from view. It was a smart suggestion, but she was not thrilled taking this alternate route. They would have no eyes on the mercenaries while on their alternate route. Instead, they would just have to hope they could pick up their trail on the other side. It made her nervous. Time and opportunities kept slipping through her fingers. Every moment the situation was left resolved was like another grain of sand plummeting down into the bottom of the hourglass, and she was painfully aware of every one slipping by.

The group eventually reached a consensus to take the alternate route.

Aside from the path’s steep grade, the pass was easy to traverse, and they managed to rush through it without much of an issue. Nienna let Dee take point since she knew the area well. She remained in the middle of the group, trying to ignore the aches and pains her body manifested in protest. Her chest heaved, struggling to fill her lungs as they begged for air. At one point, she paused and bent over to catch her breath, garnering concerned glances from Alena and Clarkus. She waved them on and assured them she was fine before continuing.

At the end of the pass, Dee held her hand up, indicating the rest of the group to stop before peering around the corner. She looked north and then to the south to make sure the way was clear. She narrowed her eyes and listened to the sounds being carried on the wind. She took her time to make sure the way was clear so they would not be caught unaware.

“Any sign of them?” Tuborg asked as he craned his head around her shoulder to get a better look.

“It’s hard to tell. There are lots of tracks heading up to toward Gaerta’s,” Dee said. She cautiously emerged out onto the mountainside, keeping a keen eye on her surroundings. She studied the snow on the ground, searching for any tracks matching the small group they spied earlier.

A tickle in the back of Nienna’s throat rose up and threatened to break loose into a full coughing fit. She covered her mouth with her hand and quickly shuffled to the back of the group as the coughing produced a sour ichor in her mouth. With her back turned to the others, she spit the black matter out onto the snow. The drastic contrast of the black ichor against the white ground made Nienna panic. She kicked snow over it and then went back to the others, trying to put it out of her mind and hoping the others didn’t see.

“I say we risk it,” Clarkus said.

Tuborg nodded. “I agree. It looked like they were bringing back supplies, so I imagine the rest of their people are waiting for them nearby. Maybe we can catch them before they leave.”

Dee looked over at Nienna, waiting for her input.

“The longer we wait, the more we risk losing Seren and the blade piece,” she replied. “Let’s go.”

Moving with cautious speed, the group scaled the hill leading up to Gaerta’s Summit. There wasn’t much cover along the way, aside from the occasional tree and rock. The summit itself was a small, flat open space reaching westward toward the Osenfold Shear. The wooden suspension bridge crossing over Breakneck Pass swung slightly back and forth as it was pushed by the northern wind. It barely looked sturdy enough for them, and Nienna grew increasingly concerned it wouldn’t hold the dolyak’s weight, let alone the rest of them.

“I don’t like the look of that bridge,” Dee said as she looked at the crossing warily. “It’s too exposed. They could cut the lines or attack while we’re crossing.”

“That’s the only thing you don’t like the look of?” Nienna scoffed and then shook her head. “I don’t like it either, for multiple reasons, but we don’t have much of a choice. We’re losing time, and finding another way around will take too long. We have to cross here,” Nienna replied.

Dee leaned in toward Nienna and spoke in a low voice so the others couldn’t hear. “I know how important Seren is to you, but is it worth risking all of our lives on a gamble that she’s there? We have no way of knowing if she’s with these people we’re tracking.”

“I know it’s a big risk, but despite our personal relation, she’s still one of us. How can we leave one of us behind?” she asked, gesturing around the rest of the group.

Dee uttered a low grumble. Even though she recognized the sound as one the norn made while considering serious decisions, she couldn’t help but hear a slight air of displeasure this time. “All right. How do we want to go about this?”

“With weapons at the ready,” Nienna replied and then pointed at the dolyak, “but he will need to stay here. I’m worried that bridge isn’t going to hold him.”

“Poor Maddox. It’s not his fault he’s so large. Still, better safe than sorry.” Tuborg shot a sympathetic glance at the beast as he went over to help Clarkus find a spot to let the dolyak graze.

Alena swung her leg over and slid down off of Maddox. “We can come back and get him after we check this place out, right?”

“Sure, but we’ll have to take him the long way down,” Dee said, pointing behind them. “He should be fine here in the meantime. There’s lots to graze on.”

As if on cue, Maddox found himself a patch of grass poking up through the snow and started munching, seemingly unbothered by the situation unfolding around him. Tuborg gave him a final pat on his shoulders before joining the rest of the group.

“Stay alert as we cross. We don’t know what’s waiting on the other side,” Nienna warned. She drew her axe from her holster and looked across the way to the other side of the divide. She squeezed the handle and swallowed hard.

Crossing a rocking bridge proved even more nerve-wracking than Nienna anticipated. The movement may have been slight, but to her it felt like she was going to be thrown right off. It reminded her of the jarring sensation she experienced while on the outer walkway on Danae’s ship. The motion felt unnatural, and she looked forward to being on solid ground once again.

She kept a white-knuckled grip on the thick rope as she made her way across one plank after another. She didn’t let the airship get the better of her, and she refused to let this bridge do the same. Fighting the urge to look down, Nienna instead looked up at the sky, focusing on a random dot on the horizon as she shuffled along. She didn’t think much of it at first, because her thoughts were centered on keeping her anxiety at bay. But once she reached solid land on the other side, Nienna couldn’t help but wonder if the dot was getting larger.

“Do you hear that?” Dee asked.

The group stopped and took a moment to listen.

“I don’t hear anything,” Alena replied with a shrug.

The norn nodded. “Exactly. No birds chirping, no deer braying. It’s eerily quiet.” She turned her attention back to the snowy ground to search for tracks.

Nienna nervously surveyed the area around them. Her eyes landed on a strange raised rock formation in the distance. “What’s that over there?”

The norn looked back up from the snow and followed Nienna’s gaze. “An old jotun camp. Haivoissen Kenning, I believe it’s called,” Dee replied.

“Do you think they could be hiding in there?” Tuborg asked.

Dee made a thoughtful noise as she started following a set of tracks matching the group they were following. “From the look of it, I’d say it’s entirely possible.”

“Let’s check it out, but be on your guard,” Nienna warned.

The rocky peak acting as the gateway into the camp had been hewn smooth to achieve its rounded top. The tall, vertical opening created an entry wide enough for a few people to walk through comfortably but was also small enough to control the flow of bodies if needed. The simple opening allowed the camp to be easily defended from the inside. If the group tried to enter through it, Nienna worried they would be caught in the small space.

Clarkus’ ears twitched as he looked at the camp’s opening. “That’s not going to give us much visibility inside.”

“Not at all,” Tuborg agreed, “and it’s not like any of us can fly.”

Alena’s long ears perked up. “What’s that noise?”

“What no-,” Nienna started to say, but stopped as a high-pitched whistling grew louder. She snapped her gaze up to the sky to find two dark objects sailing their way at high speed.

“Incoming!” Tuborg yelled.

The group scattered just as the mortars hit the ground near them, sending snow and frozen soil everywhere in a massive spray. The force of the explosion sent Nienna flying back through the air. She landed hard in the snow with the air knocked from her lungs. Trying not to panic, she forced herself to breathe, rolled over, and then reached out to push herself up. Her hand didn’t land on anything solid. She looked up to find herself right on the edge of the cliffside. Trying to ignore the long way down, she scooted herself back away and scrambled to her feet. However, she immediately regretting moving so quickly. As soon as she stood, her head spun and her ears rang. Groaning, she put a hand to her head and shuffled over toward the others.

With a growl, Clarkus got to his hind-feet and shook the snow and dirt from his fur. “I think it’s safe to say they know we’re here.”

“They’re coming out of the camp, and there’s no cover out here!” Dee exclaimed as she scrambled toward Alena and helped her up out of the snow. “We need to retreat.”

Tuborg turned around and started making for the bridge but stopped abruptly. “They took out the bridge,” he said, wide-eyed and pointing behind them. “We’re trapped.”

Nienna looked over where the bridge once spanned Breakneck Pass, and sure enough, the anchor points on their side of the pass had been obliterated. One of the mortars had struck it, leaving a crater in its wake and their means of escape hanging from the other side of the pass. Hearing another whistle in the sky, Nienna looked up, spying two more in the air with a trajectory to hit where they were gathered.