endless ripple. Ariana struggled to climb up the ice. Te’oma reached down to give her a helping hand, but her pride wouldn’t allow her to take it.
“We need to take a break,” said Julius, as he sat exhausted on the ice.
“I agree,” said an equally tired Te’oma.
Ariana looked out at the ice ahead. She looked back and saw how little distance they had covered. “Are we even getting anywhere?” she asked, as she plonked herself down in a huff.
The sun was slowly setting on the day yet again. “The ice feels like it’s getting colder,” said Te’oma, “if that’s even possible.”
“We need to get out of the wind for the night,” said Ariana.
They made camp between two large blocks of ice that were close enough together to block the wind a bit. The animal skins they brought to sleep on did their best to keep the cold out but they knew eventually the water was going to seep through.
‘This is going to be one long, cold night,’ Te’oma thought to himself; he only hoped that they reached the end of the glacier before another day ended.
As the sun settled into the distance, it gave off one final blast of light. Looking down the glacier, the light refracted off the ice, and with a clear sky and a faint mist above the ground, the scene was simply breathtaking. Unfortunately, the beauty was lost on Te’oma. His mind was caught between exhaustion and what Xerxes had said to him before they left.
As if night time on the glacier wasn’t cold enough, the wind decided to play its part. Te’oma, Ariana and Julius slept, wrapped up in their animal skin rugs but still shivering. The wind whipped through the small gap in the ice behind them like a hurricane.
“Ariana?” said Te’oma. “Ariana, are you awake?”
“I am now,” she said.
“Do you believe him?”
“Who?” asked Ariana with evident frustration.
“Xerxes,” said Te’oma. “Do you believe that there is still a good dragon out there?”
Ariana rolled over in her bed to face Te’oma. “I know he exists,” she said confidently.
“How?” enquired Te’oma.
“Because I met him,” said Ariana.
“You met him? When?” demanded Te’oma, nearly waking Julius from his sleep.
“It was a long time ago,” said Ariana.
“How?” said Te’oma.
“I don’t want to talk about it. Now go to sleep,” snapped Ariana, rolling over.
“I only hope he’s still alive,” she added quietly, a moment later.
Te’oma stared at the ice, confused. Every time he seemed to make a breakthrough with Ariana she clammed up on him.
The morning came and, with it, another long and painful day of climbing. Their arms and legs were starting to ache in muscles they didn’t know they had. The glacier seemed to go on forever. To make things worse, heavy rain and snow had been pelting down on them all day long.
Ironically, the rain and snow eased as they climbed down from one last pillar of ice. They could see the end of the glacier. Unfortunately it gave way to a cliff face that ran for miles in each direction. Sitting in a small valley between them and the base of the cliff was a crystal clear lake. The water was calm and inviting.
“Great, now what?” said Ariana.
On the other side of the lake was a small path that wound its way up to the top of the ridge.
“It would appear that the only way to get up the cliff is to go through the lake,” said Julius, as he dropped his bag to the ground. “But I, for one, want some sleep before I contemplate submerging myself in that,” he continued.
“I’m really sick of being wet and cold,” said Ariana.
The next morning, Julius cleverly fashioned a raft out of a large chunk of ice he was able to break off the glacier. They put everything they owned onto the raft to try and keep it dry.
Julius took his clothes off and delicately put his foot into the water, expecting it to be so cold that his big toe would break off the instant it went in, but he was pleasantly surprised. The water was warm.
“We need to take a break,” said Julius, as he sat exhausted on the ice.
“I agree,” said an equally tired Te’oma.
Ariana looked out at the ice ahead. She looked back and saw how little distance they had covered. “Are we even getting anywhere?” she asked, as she plonked herself down in a huff.
The sun was slowly setting on the day yet again. “The ice feels like it’s getting colder,” said Te’oma, “if that’s even possible.”
“We need to get out of the wind for the night,” said Ariana.
They made camp between two large blocks of ice that were close enough together to block the wind a bit. The animal skins they brought to sleep on did their best to keep the cold out but they knew eventually the water was going to seep through.
‘This is going to be one long, cold night,’ Te’oma thought to himself; he only hoped that they reached the end of the glacier before another day ended.
As the sun settled into the distance, it gave off one final blast of light. Looking down the glacier, the light refracted off the ice, and with a clear sky and a faint mist above the ground, the scene was simply breathtaking. Unfortunately, the beauty was lost on Te’oma. His mind was caught between exhaustion and what Xerxes had said to him before they left.
As if night time on the glacier wasn’t cold enough, the wind decided to play its part. Te’oma, Ariana and Julius slept, wrapped up in their animal skin rugs but still shivering. The wind whipped through the small gap in the ice behind them like a hurricane.
“Ariana?” said Te’oma. “Ariana, are you awake?”
“I am now,” she said.
“Do you believe him?”
“Who?” asked Ariana with evident frustration.
“Xerxes,” said Te’oma. “Do you believe that there is still a good dragon out there?”
Ariana rolled over in her bed to face Te’oma. “I know he exists,” she said confidently.
“How?” enquired Te’oma.
“Because I met him,” said Ariana.
“You met him? When?” demanded Te’oma, nearly waking Julius from his sleep.
“It was a long time ago,” said Ariana.
“How?” said Te’oma.
“I don’t want to talk about it. Now go to sleep,” snapped Ariana, rolling over.
“I only hope he’s still alive,” she added quietly, a moment later.
Te’oma stared at the ice, confused. Every time he seemed to make a breakthrough with Ariana she clammed up on him.
The morning came and, with it, another long and painful day of climbing. Their arms and legs were starting to ache in muscles they didn’t know they had. The glacier seemed to go on forever. To make things worse, heavy rain and snow had been pelting down on them all day long.
Ironically, the rain and snow eased as they climbed down from one last pillar of ice. They could see the end of the glacier. Unfortunately it gave way to a cliff face that ran for miles in each direction. Sitting in a small valley between them and the base of the cliff was a crystal clear lake. The water was calm and inviting.
“Great, now what?” said Ariana.
On the other side of the lake was a small path that wound its way up to the top of the ridge.
“It would appear that the only way to get up the cliff is to go through the lake,” said Julius, as he dropped his bag to the ground. “But I, for one, want some sleep before I contemplate submerging myself in that,” he continued.
“I’m really sick of being wet and cold,” said Ariana.
The next morning, Julius cleverly fashioned a raft out of a large chunk of ice he was able to break off the glacier. They put everything they owned onto the raft to try and keep it dry.
Julius took his clothes off and delicately put his foot into the water, expecting it to be so cold that his big toe would break off the instant it went in, but he was pleasantly surprised. The water was warm.
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