the cliff made an acute right turn to head north. The other side of the cliff was about sixty feet away. I studied the gap for a few moments and wondered why I believed that I might easily make the jump across the chasm.
Nadea crouched down and crawled to the sudden edge. I followed, trying to keep my focus on the task at hand and not the way her leather pants wrapped around her pert ass. On the road six hundred feet below us were two dozen soldiers, garbed in the cream and yellow colors of Vanlourn. They yelled and laughed to each other but I could not understand most of the words. I turned my head to the right and confirmed that the road continued for another hundred yards or so and then bent to the east. The brown, mossy walls of the cliff hid the eventual destination of the road from my view, but I imagined that it would continue northward into Brilla's border.
Careful not to disturb any dirt or rocks, we crawled back from the edge. When we were about thirty feet from the side, we stood up and faced each other.
"Let's go to the guard post." I pointed to our right, where the canyon bent to follow the road. I wanted to get a better idea of how many guards were stationed at the border and how long it would take us to travel there.
"Good. Yes." She nodded. I smiled at her and set off, bounding from rock to rock. The wind pushed from the south and it felt invigorating. The raised cliffs we traveled atop made up a series of foothills, which gave way to larger mountains that folded in on the canyon like the edges of a bowl. I understood how the ridge to the north would make an excellent border for a country. Especially if there was only a single road through them.
In a few minutes the road veered right like I had seen earlier. We continued on the path and I noticed more switchbacks in the walls of the canyon beneath us. I guessed that the elevation of the road was gradually rising to meet us. I leapt over a small stream blocking our path, its flow of cold water cascaded down the side of the cliff like the islands in my dreams. My legs begged to sprint faster, but before I could do so, Nadea called out behind me.
I slid to a halt across the slick mud, moss, and tropical flowers on the edge of the stream. She was covered in sweat and breathing in ragged gasps. She raised her arm, signaling me to halt and I bounded back to her in a few steps.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes. You are fast. I can't keep up." She smiled and let out a painful breath. "Can we break?" I nodded and handed her the water skin I still carried. She took a long drink and sat down on a rock, exhaling while she looked at me. I took back the water skin and sipped on it again. Then I filled it up at the stream.
By the time I returned Nadea seemed ready to move again.
"You lead," I said.
"Thank you," she said as she set off wading through the cool current of the stream. I did the same, even though I had cleared it before with an easy leap.
After the stream our makeshift path grew rockier. We were traversing the fifty or so feet of bare, coarse ground that separated the dense jungle from the edge of the drop four hundred feet to the road beneath us. Up ahead the trees were drifting closer to the edge, so I imagined that we would have to hack through the jungle to keep going.
"I don't think we can go any farther because of the jungle," I assumed Nadea said to me seconds after I made the same conclusion.
"We can cut through with the sword," I tried to say. I might have butchered the words, but I pointed to the jungle, then the sword on my back, then made a cutting motion. She frowned for a moment and considered.
"It is getting late. We need to go back." I understood her, but she pointed to the sun, back to where we came from, and made the sleeping motion with her hands.
"We need to check the guard post." I pointed at my eyes and then pointed down toward where I thought the guard post would be.
Again, she frowned as she considered. Her lips were full from the
Nadea crouched down and crawled to the sudden edge. I followed, trying to keep my focus on the task at hand and not the way her leather pants wrapped around her pert ass. On the road six hundred feet below us were two dozen soldiers, garbed in the cream and yellow colors of Vanlourn. They yelled and laughed to each other but I could not understand most of the words. I turned my head to the right and confirmed that the road continued for another hundred yards or so and then bent to the east. The brown, mossy walls of the cliff hid the eventual destination of the road from my view, but I imagined that it would continue northward into Brilla's border.
Careful not to disturb any dirt or rocks, we crawled back from the edge. When we were about thirty feet from the side, we stood up and faced each other.
"Let's go to the guard post." I pointed to our right, where the canyon bent to follow the road. I wanted to get a better idea of how many guards were stationed at the border and how long it would take us to travel there.
"Good. Yes." She nodded. I smiled at her and set off, bounding from rock to rock. The wind pushed from the south and it felt invigorating. The raised cliffs we traveled atop made up a series of foothills, which gave way to larger mountains that folded in on the canyon like the edges of a bowl. I understood how the ridge to the north would make an excellent border for a country. Especially if there was only a single road through them.
In a few minutes the road veered right like I had seen earlier. We continued on the path and I noticed more switchbacks in the walls of the canyon beneath us. I guessed that the elevation of the road was gradually rising to meet us. I leapt over a small stream blocking our path, its flow of cold water cascaded down the side of the cliff like the islands in my dreams. My legs begged to sprint faster, but before I could do so, Nadea called out behind me.
I slid to a halt across the slick mud, moss, and tropical flowers on the edge of the stream. She was covered in sweat and breathing in ragged gasps. She raised her arm, signaling me to halt and I bounded back to her in a few steps.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes. You are fast. I can't keep up." She smiled and let out a painful breath. "Can we break?" I nodded and handed her the water skin I still carried. She took a long drink and sat down on a rock, exhaling while she looked at me. I took back the water skin and sipped on it again. Then I filled it up at the stream.
By the time I returned Nadea seemed ready to move again.
"You lead," I said.
"Thank you," she said as she set off wading through the cool current of the stream. I did the same, even though I had cleared it before with an easy leap.
After the stream our makeshift path grew rockier. We were traversing the fifty or so feet of bare, coarse ground that separated the dense jungle from the edge of the drop four hundred feet to the road beneath us. Up ahead the trees were drifting closer to the edge, so I imagined that we would have to hack through the jungle to keep going.
"I don't think we can go any farther because of the jungle," I assumed Nadea said to me seconds after I made the same conclusion.
"We can cut through with the sword," I tried to say. I might have butchered the words, but I pointed to the jungle, then the sword on my back, then made a cutting motion. She frowned for a moment and considered.
"It is getting late. We need to go back." I understood her, but she pointed to the sun, back to where we came from, and made the sleeping motion with her hands.
"We need to check the guard post." I pointed at my eyes and then pointed down toward where I thought the guard post would be.
Again, she frowned as she considered. Her lips were full from the
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