Aegis Rising (17 page)

Barely an hour into their slumber, a loud, spine-chilling roar reverberated through the forest. The five awoke in fright. Not even an ice-cold bucket of water could have jolted them out of their sleep that quickly. They sat up and froze in place.

A ferocious snarl echoed through the trees, forcing the five to scramble to the center of the sleeping site where they huddled together. A clash of roaring and snarling exploded again. Blood drained from the friends’ faces as they listened to the horrifying sounds.

There was an eerie pause, and as the five tentatively let out the breaths they had been holding, an unnerving animal scream rang in the darkness. They clung on to one another, wide-eyed.

The noises cut off abruptly. Apprehensive, they waited as time ticked by. Once they were certain the noises would not return, they broke off from each other and collapsed in heaps. “What was
that?
” Tegan asked, looking around.

“Some kind of beast, that’s all I know.” Aari’s breaths were ragged. “Man, I can feel the blood pounding in my head.”

Jag held his head in his hands. “Yeah, me too.” He looked up after a couple of minutes. “You guys alright?”

They nodded. Kody was up on his feet and already packing up his sleeping bag. “I’m alright, but I’m outta here. I can’t sleep after that. Let’s get moving.”

The group hastily agreed and folded their sleeping bags up, putting them into the packs. They continued trekking for the next hour at a heightened pace, quickly consuming their water supply. Flicking his water pelt and listening to the slosh of water inside, Kody observed, “We’re going to need to refill these things from the next river or stream we come across.”

“Is it safe to drink straight from them?” Tegan asked.

Aari grinned. “Are you kidding? Mountain water is fresh and pure. Nothing’s wrong with it—it’s perfectly safe.”

Their brisk pace slowed and soon they were just traipsing along, swerving around large rocks and fallen trees. After a while, Kody yawned loudly. “I need to rest.”

“Thought you were worried about the animal that freaked us out,” Mariah said.

“Right now I could care less. I’m tired. How long do you think we’ve been walking? Aari? Got a clue?”

Aari pulled his hood further over his head. “I’m thinking . . . in total . . . probably four, maybe five hours.”

Kody was shocked. “That’s it? Then why am I so tired?”

“I think it’s because we’re still recovering from the crash. And we haven’t really gotten much exercise. Our bodies are probably kinda stiff.” Aari tugged at his earlobe. “I don’t think we should push ourselves too hard right off the bat. Hey, Jag—we should stop and rest up real soon.”

Jag halted in his tracks. He stared up at the sky and blinked several times. Maybe his eyes were fooling him, but in the darkness he thought he saw a light from an aircraft some ways off. He stared at the spot in the sky and tried to trace the light source but it had vanished. He scanned the heavens again then reluctantly said, “Nah. Let’s gain some more distance before we take a break.”

Kody puffed out his cheeks in discontent. Reaching into his pack, he tried to sneak some food but dropped it right back when Mariah slapped his hand. “No food for you, Mr. Eat-everything-till-there-is-nothing-left-for-us.”

“Actually, I’m Mr. Eat-everything-before-anyone-else-gets-the-food. I’m a go-for-it type of guy.”

“I’m sure you are, Kody, I’m sure you are.”

Jag looked up at the sky a while later as they walked, hoping to spot an aircraft again. Instead, he saw the dark sky now beginning to get speckled with light. “Sunrise in a while,” he said. A hush fell over the group as they hiked onward.

A peculiar sound reached the five’s ears; they paused in their tracks at the same time and cocked their heads to listen.

“You guys hear that?” Aari murmured. “Some sort of—rumbling?”

“A storm approaching?” Kody wondered aloud.

Jag shook his head slowly. “No. I know I’ve heard the sound before, when . . .” His eyes began to lit up. “. . . when the bears were bringing us to Dema-Ki.”

“When we get closer to the mountains in Great Falls back home—remember that sound?” Tegan asked.

Kody tilted his head. “You don’t suppose . . .”

“A waterfall?” Mariah finished.

“Only one way to find out.” Tegan loped toward the sound. Her friends followed her eagerly, at times calling for her to slow down. She would pause and wait impatiently until they caught up before trotting off again. The sound grew steadily louder the closer they got to the source.

The sky was beginning to lighten. As they cleared a large group of trees, the five found themselves staring at a stunning sight of water cascading over a ledge; it came down with thunderous intensity from two hundred feet up. The pool that was created at the foot of the waterfall was large but calm toward its edges. The tree line made a crescent shape around the pool, welcoming the friends and appearing to embrace them with protection.

A cold blast of air hit their faces as they stepped closer to the waterfall. It refreshed them, slowly releasing the tensed feeling knotting in their stomachs.

“Woo!” Kody ran to the pool and immediately filled up his water pelt. Jag, Aari, Tegan and Mariah did the same. Glancing up at the waterfall, Jag silently admired the grand showcase nature offered them. Setting down his pack, he laid back-first on the ground and propped himself on his elbows. A fine spray of mist coated him and he smiled, enjoying the revitalizing sensation the droplets provided. His friends joined him not long after.

Tegan stared at the white-blue water rushing down from above, astounded. “It’s gorgeous.”

“I’ll say.” Mariah pointed a finger skyward. “It’s still not fully daylight yet, but the color of the water is already so beautiful. Kind of makes me want to take a dip.”

Jag half-closed his eyes and lazily watched the scenery. The hypnotic rhythm of the waterfall had nearly lulled him to sleep when he saw movement and spotted Tegan and Mariah walking close to the falls. As the two stood beside it, he watched them curiously, wondering why they were looking so intently at the rushing water. He called their names but they didn’t hear him over the roar of the water. He continued watching, noticing their movements becoming more and more animated as they pointed at the water.

“Wonder what they found?” Kody murmured as the girls waved the boys over. Curious, they picked up their packs and walked over. There, the spray of water on their faces was more intense.

“Guys, you won’t believe this,” Mariah yelled over the pounding water. Indicating the waterfall, she instructed, “Take our spot and tell us what you see.”

She and Tegan stepped back and allowed the mystified boys to take their place. They clung to the rock wall beside where the water was rushing down, peering intently but could not see anything. Nonplussed, they looked back at the girls. “Don’t see anything!”

“Look harder,” Tegan directed. “
Look harder.
”

“It might help if you squint a little,” added Mariah.

Three pairs of eyes raked over the entire side of the waterfall. Aari shook his head. “I don’t see anything at all—whoa!” He spun around. “There’s a cave behind this waterfall!”

“I see it now!” Kody confirmed excitedly. “You see it, Jag?”

“No—wait! Yeah, yeah, I see it.” Jag stepped away from the waterfall and wiped his water-sprinkled face with the sleeve of his baggy black-and-silver hoodie.

Mariah was eager. “I want to check it out. Anybody wanna come along?”

Her friends grinned. Jag tossed the girls their packs and they slung them over their shoulders. “Be careful, Teegs,” he warned as she took the lead.

Tegan hugged the slippery wall and inched her way closer to the waterfall along a narrow ledge. Saying a quick prayer, she slid behind the water and tumbled into the cave.

Mariah followed her in the exact same way, as did the rest. They got up, trying to wipe some of the water off themselves, and looked around. “Epic!” Kody walked around in backward circles, attempting to take in every detail of the cave. It was large and spacious, and to their surprise, it wasn’t cold. The surface was mostly sandy and the friends could hear the particles crunch under their shoes as they walked around. The cave seemed to be lit, but the five could find no possible source of light.

Jag tapped the cave wall with his knuckles. “Why is it kind of bright in here?”

“Refraction,” Tegan answered. “I think it’s the angle the water falls over the cave’s entrance that’s giving it this appearance.” Aari nodded in agreement.

“It doesn’t seem to be a typical cold and damp cave that nobody would want to stay in,” Mariah remarked. “It’s kind of cozy in an odd way, too. I wouldn’t mind resting here for a while.” She chuckled at the thought.

“Well, why don’t we?” Kody asked.

After a pause, Aari said, “That’s actually not a bad idea.”

Mariah tugged at her sleeve uneasily. “Do you think an animal might come in here?”

“I’m not too worried,” Tegan answered. “I get a stale smell but it seems pretty faint. Whoever or whatever used this place hasn’t been in here for a long while. Let’s get out the sleeping bags.”

Once everyone was contentedly settled in after having a snack and drinking some water, they snuggled into their sleeping bags and fell asleep immediately, exhausted.

18

A
few hours later, with the land already basking in the sun’s golden light, the five reached the end of the Pinecone valley and stood shoulder to shoulder on a ledge, looking at the descending slope that led to a flat expanse. The massive basin was moderately forested except on the banks of a long river that coiled in a north-south direction in the middle of the plain.

The five had been walking with renewed energy since their rest in the cave. Nothing had bothered them in there. They’d napped peacefully and woken up refreshed.

Without a word, Mariah began a nimble jog down the slope. Tegan and Kody raced each other and Aari and Jag followed slowly. Together, the five looked up at where they’d come from.

“How far do you think we’ve come since last night?” Mariah asked.

“Hard to say with all the obstacles that we had to skirt around. Maybe fifteen, twenty miles,” responded Aari.

“Is that good?”

“I have no clue. I hope so.” He squinted up at the sky. “I
think
it’s almost midday. I’m sure the villagers will have realized we’re gone by now.”

“Not necessarily true,” Tegan disagreed. “They sometimes leave us alone until noon. We still may have a good lead here.”

Kody, bored with the conversation, loped to the river and began refilling his water pelt, smiling with satisfaction. He took a big swig and smacked his lips, feeling re-energized.

“You finished your water
already?
” Aari asked incredulously as he crouched by the river to dip a hand and test the water’s temperature. Kody just nodded, contentedly taking gulps.

Jag stared at the river. “So I did remember right. The bears did cross a river after all.”

“You can’t be too sure it’s this particular river, Jag,” Mariah said half-absently as she watched Aari step back from the river. “Whoa—whoa! Aari, watch out!”

Too late, Aari’s foot slammed a couple of feet down into an abandoned rabbit hole. He fell backward with his foot still stuck and landed with a thud on his back.

Jag, Kody, Tegan, and Mariah rushed to him and helped him up. The girls fussed over him. “Are you okay? Is your back hurting? How about your leg?”

“I’m fine, you two,” Aari answered, smiling gratefully at them. “And my leg doesn’t hurt that much. I did lose my shoe though.” Kneeling by the hole, he rummaged for his missing sneaker. “Got it.” Withdrawing his hand, he put his shoe back on. Casting a random glance back down the warren, he stopped and immediately plunged his hand down the hole again.

“Hey, Jag,” he said, holding up his hand in amazement. “I think this is yours.” Hanging from his fingers was a chain with a dog-tag pendant and a silver crucifix. Jag took it carefully, astonished. “My chains! I thought I lost them in the crash! How did this end up here? The plane is nowhere in sight . . .” He looked around, mystified.

“Wait.” Tegan stared at the hole where Jag’s necklace had been. “Jag.” He was gazing in fascination at his chains. “Jag.”

“Yeah?”

“Was your chain around your neck when we crashed?”

Jag thought for a few moments then shook his head. “No. I took them off and held onto them when the first engine blew.” He paused, thinking about what he’d said. “Which means it would have been thrown out when the plane crashed.” He turned to Tegan, eyes wide. “The plane’s got to be around here somewhere.” He gazed across the river as he pulled his chains over his head to let them hang down from his neck, exhilaration entering his husky voice. “We need to cross that river. I think the plane is on the other side.”

Kody went over and stood beside Jag. “Yeah? And how do you suggest we do that?”

Jag beamed shrewdly. “Who’s up for a swim?”

“Over my dead body, bro,” Kody retorted.

“Hold on, guys,” Aari interjected. “There could be another reason why Jag’s chains ended up here. Some animals and birds are really attracted to shiny things and will carry them around for a while before dropping them off somewhere. For all we know, the place where the animal may have gotten these could be days from here, maybe not even on the other side of the river at all.”

Mariah was getting frustrated. “We can’t keep halting and second-guessing our first thoughts. Stick to one and just go with it.”

“What if the initial ideas are completely off?” Aari demanded.

“Doesn’t matter! If we keep up this pattern we’ll make no progress and the villagers will catch up to us. This is their home turf after all.”

“Mariah’s got a point,” Kody agreed. “Sooo . . . Are we going to cross the river?”

“Everyone needs to agree first.” Tegan looked at Aari, waiting.

Aari heaved a long sigh. “Let’s do it.”

Jag watched a drifting branch being carried rapidly with the river’s current. While the water was fast-moving, the river itself didn’t seem too deep. “There has got to be a way across.”