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Description
Chapter 24

Riding a mount running full tilt in the rain was much better than riding a mount running full tilt in the desert. Getting pelted by water still hurt, but the coolness soothed the sting almost instantly. The sound of the rushing wind was cool, our wet ears making it sound like we were underwater. The only thing louder than the rain was the thundering of the mounts’ feet on the hard ground. It was already clear that Ray was not someone who rode frequently, but now it was painfully obvious. He sat stiff in the saddle, trying to stay upright like he was in a chair. His posture had him bouncing like a deflated ball. Because of that, I chose to hold on to the nub of the saddle – the pommel? – rather sit back holding his clothing. Its slick surface was harder to grip; I was secretly terrified that I wouldn’t be able to keep my arms wrapped around it for long. Tatuse rode close beside us, both our mount and his following the waitress’s as she led us along steady ground. The land was still climbing, but it was barely noticeable.
Closing my eyes, I put all my strength into holding on to the pommel. But my mind began to wander. I couldn’t make time move quicker, no matter how much I wanted to. I couldn’t make us just be where we needed to be. Frankly I couldn’t do much of anything on my own on these giant worlds. I had to rely on Ray and other kiceko to get me where I needed to be. There was no telling how long it would have taken me to get to this point. Or if I would have gotten enough information to get here. I would probably still be trying to get off Mentren if not for them. That’s the part that really scared and saddened me; if I couldn’t even find out where Curston was, how was I supposed to save my son? I could have very well spent so much time running around Mentren that everyone back home might have given up. They might have already considered how long I had been gone. A little whimper slipped from my mouth. Quickly I swallowed it. Cody would die before he let them give up on Trucker, even if they gave up on me. I had to believe in Cody. I had to not dwell on what would happen if I hadn’t been caught by Decan and al this other stuff went down to get me to this point. What I needed to do was concentrate on going forward….
And the dreams.
I was suddenly yanked off the saddle, flying through the rain until I found myself laying flat on Tatuse’s palm. Since I hadn’t had time to be startled I didn’t need to catch my breath before yelling at him.
“What the hell?!”
“You were falling.” He said loud enough for me to hear over the rain. “Don’t tell me you meant to do that!”
“No, I was holding—”
“Mayla! Are you all right?!”
I looked up at Ray’s panicked face. Had I really been falling?
“I…I’m fine, Ray.” I nodded. “Thanks to Tatuse. I’ll try to be less careless.”
“We need a better way for you to travel.” He said, glancing back at the luggage. “It may drive you insane, but I think the packs may be safe. I can’t hold you and neither can Tatuse.” He looked back at me. “It will keep you dry and you can try and get some rest.”
I opened my mouth to object, but I wasn’t able to. I was exhausted and if I had actually fallen asleep then some good rest would very well save my life. Nodding, I held on to Ray’s hand as he reached back and slipped me into the forward most pouch. Most of it was full of our animal skin canteens and the ground fruit peelings Ray liked to mix so we weren’t just drinking water. Since the canteens were just reinforced sacks there was some decent comfort in the pack. I’d never slept on a water bed before, but I imagined that this is what it would feel like. I could hear it, too; the water tossing and turning in their flasks. With my ear pressed against them, the sound was louder than the rain. Combined they were a comforting sound. The liquid sloshed beneath me, rocking me with the movements of the mount. It didn’t take long for me to drift off.

There wasn’t even a pounding in my chest, no hollow ringing in my ears. There was only the lashing waves of the ocean around me as I stood on the isolated rock. I couldn’t say they crashed against my platform; it was more like they swirled ecstatically, dipping and bobbing. They had a personality – the waves held a disposition to match the bright sunshine above. But despite the bold sun and blue sky, a haze hung just off the horizon. It was ominous in its own individuality, like a predator in the shadows. Just knowing it was there brought a chill to the air. As I watched, the haze began to separate. One half of it drifted off a bit, turning a deep shade of crimson. The remaining half began to glow a bright red. Both pieces were oddly spectacular, their similar yet very different shades putting on a show to get my attention. I was split between them in an uneven way. A familiar way. So instead of humoring either with my gaze, I turned away. From my peripheral vision I witnessed the haze merge again and turn a horrible shade of grey. It was a grey that Death would favor. A grey that all life would fear, and that made me want to ignore it more. The water made it easy the way it danced and twirled. The waves began to rise, still moving in such beautiful ways. They rose to my head height, then continued on upwards. And just when I was beginning to think they would never stop, the waves buckled and crashed around me, throwing me into the water.
I found I couldn’t swim.

I wasn’t sure if I had just woken from a dream or a nightmare. I didn’t feel afraid when I opened my eyes. I didn’t feel very good about it, though, either. Staring into the darkness of the bag, I contemplated the dream. It wasn’t some warped vision of the future – it couldn’t have been; there was no one there, nothing happening of importance.
Sometimes dreams are just dreams. I told myself. Just because I may have some weird visionary powers doesn’t mean every dream is some kind of foresight. As I lay there I realized the bag wasn’t moving. Did we stop? I couldn’t hear the rain hitting the fabric. Getting up, I struggled to stand on the wobbly surface of the waterbed. There was no actual plan for getting out of the pack. It was so dark I couldn’t begin to guess where the opening was. Above, obviously. But how do I get to it?

Description
Chapter 24

Riding a mount running full tilt in the rain was much better than riding a mount running full tilt in the desert. Getting pelted by water still hurt, but the coolness soothed the sting almost instantly. The sound of the rushing wind was cool, our wet ears making it sound like we were underwater. The only thing louder than the rain was the thundering of the mounts’ feet on the hard ground. It was already clear that Ray was not someone who rode frequently, but now it was painfully obvious. He sat stiff in the saddle, trying to stay upright like he was in a chair. His posture had him bouncing like a deflated ball. Because of that, I chose to hold on to the nub of the saddle – the pommel? – rather sit back holding his clothing. Its slick surface was harder to grip; I was secretly terrified that I wouldn’t be able to keep my arms wrapped around it for long. Tatuse rode close beside us, both our mount and his following the waitress’s as she led us along steady ground. The land was still climbing, but it was barely noticeable.
Closing my eyes, I put all my strength into holding on to the pommel. But my mind began to wander. I couldn’t make time move quicker, no matter how much I wanted to. I couldn’t make us just be where we needed to be. Frankly I couldn’t do much of anything on my own on these giant worlds. I had to rely on Ray and other kiceko to get me where I needed to be. There was no telling how long it would have taken me to get to this point. Or if I would have gotten enough information to get here. I would probably still be trying to get off Mentren if not for them. That’s the part that really scared and saddened me; if I couldn’t even find out where Curston was, how was I supposed to save my son? I could have very well spent so much time running around Mentren that everyone back home might have given up. They might have already considered how long I had been gone. A little whimper slipped from my mouth. Quickly I swallowed it. Cody would die before he let them give up on Trucker, even if they gave up on me. I had to believe in Cody. I had to not dwell on what would happen if I hadn’t been caught by Decan and al this other stuff went down to get me to this point. What I needed to do was concentrate on going forward….
And the dreams.
I was suddenly yanked off the saddle, flying through the rain until I found myself laying flat on Tatuse’s palm. Since I hadn’t had time to be startled I didn’t need to catch my breath before yelling at him.
“What the hell?!”
“You were falling.” He said loud enough for me to hear over the rain. “Don’t tell me you meant to do that!”
“No, I was holding—”
“Mayla! Are you all right?!”
I looked up at Ray’s panicked face. Had I really been falling?
“I…I’m fine, Ray.” I nodded. “Thanks to Tatuse. I’ll try to be less careless.”
“We need a better way for you to travel.” He said, glancing back at the luggage. “It may drive you insane, but I think the packs may be safe. I can’t hold you and neither can Tatuse.” He looked back at me. “It will keep you dry and you can try and get some rest.”
I opened my mouth to object, but I wasn’t able to. I was exhausted and if I had actually fallen asleep then some good rest would very well save my life. Nodding, I held on to Ray’s hand as he reached back and slipped me into the forward most pouch. Most of it was full of our animal skin canteens and the ground fruit peelings Ray liked to mix so we weren’t just drinking water. Since the canteens were just reinforced sacks there was some decent comfort in the pack. I’d never slept on a water bed before, but I imagined that this is what it would feel like. I could hear it, too; the water tossing and turning in their flasks. With my ear pressed against them, the sound was louder than the rain. Combined they were a comforting sound. The liquid sloshed beneath me, rocking me with the movements of the mount. It didn’t take long for me to drift off.

There wasn’t even a pounding in my chest, no hollow ringing in my ears. There was only the lashing waves of the ocean around me as I stood on the isolated rock. I couldn’t say they crashed against my platform; it was more like they swirled ecstatically, dipping and bobbing. They had a personality – the waves held a disposition to match the bright sunshine above. But despite the bold sun and blue sky, a haze hung just off the horizon. It was ominous in its own individuality, like a predator in the shadows. Just knowing it was there brought a chill to the air. As I watched, the haze began to separate. One half of it drifted off a bit, turning a deep shade of crimson. The remaining half began to glow a bright red. Both pieces were oddly spectacular, their similar yet very different shades putting on a show to get my attention. I was split between them in an uneven way. A familiar way. So instead of humoring either with my gaze, I turned away. From my peripheral vision I witnessed the haze merge again and turn a horrible shade of grey. It was a grey that Death would favor. A grey that all life would fear, and that made me want to ignore it more. The water made it easy the way it danced and twirled. The waves began to rise, still moving in such beautiful ways. They rose to my head height, then continued on upwards. And just when I was beginning to think they would never stop, the waves buckled and crashed around me, throwing me into the water.
I found I couldn’t swim.

I wasn’t sure if I had just woken from a dream or a nightmare. I didn’t feel afraid when I opened my eyes. I didn’t feel very good about it, though, either. Staring into the darkness of the bag, I contemplated the dream. It wasn’t some warped vision of the future – it couldn’t have been; there was no one there, nothing happening of importance.
Sometimes dreams are just dreams. I told myself. Just because I may have some weird visionary powers doesn’t mean every dream is some kind of foresight. As I lay there I realized the bag wasn’t moving. Did we stop? I couldn’t hear the rain hitting the fabric. Getting up, I struggled to stand on the wobbly surface of the waterbed. There was no actual plan for getting out of the pack. It was so dark I couldn’t begin to guess where the opening was. Above, obviously. But how do I get to it?