Page 88 of Dawn of Hope
“It’s fine,” I pant, still reeling from everything that just happened.
He groans again, this time filled with frustration. “Fucking storms.” He pulls back and kneels in front of me, reaching down to clasp my hands and sit me up. Lightning cracks again, and the following thunder feels like it is swallowing the beach. “We need to go. Now.”
I nod and scramble up, grabbing my boots and weapons while Dane covers the fire with wet sand. We scramble up the stairs and back to camp, my mind reeling from what almost happened between us. He is captivating and pushing me to be more of myself in ways I never thought possible. He is showing me what it is like to be cared for, and to live life the way I want to live it.
He’s showing me more.
As I lay in bed that night, trying to calm myself from the volley of emotions, I try to stay in that moment, and not let it go. I want to live there, those emotions, those feelings, those thoughts about the future, because I know that even though we discussed it, and we expect it, I know that when the day comes, it will be too hard to say goodbye.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Iswipe the sweat off my brow and reach behind my head to gather my hair into a knot. I’ve become accustomed to Dawnlin’s heat since being here, but today the suns feel hotter than usual. I reach into my shirt and pull out the map I have been adding to over the past few weeks.
I’m proud of the progress. All the landscapes are filled in, and I marked places I had faced any challenges, like those monsters under the bridge. Despite keeping my distance from them and not having any life-threatening experiences since then, the nightmares hadn’t subsided. Night after night, I wake gasping into the stifling night air, and it still takes orienting myself before I remember that I’m not in danger.
At least not at that moment.
I shield my eyes as I stare up into the clear sky, then back down at the base of the mountain in front of me. I’ve worked my way through the jungle, to the mountain, the large pillar that stands between the opposing sides of the island. It is so large, I don’t even knowwhere to start. I can hear the roar of a waterfall coming from the other side, but I’m not ready to go near it, especially alone. Staying on the back side is a fine place to start.
I glance down at the map once more before folding it up and shoving it back into my shirt. I have no idea how to scale a mountain, let alone any equipment to do so, but there is no way this entire area has gone unexplored. There has to be a path or hike of some kind that Voyagers have tried before.
I squint against the light and look up toward the peak. Something in my gut tells me that the mountain is essential. I can’t figure out why, I just know in the depths of myself that I need to set my sights on it. I’d spent the last few weeks traipsing through the surrounding areas, fighting my way through all the traps that are thrown at me, all to find nothing, and trying to fight the disappointment and stay focused. But something about the mountain just reminds me of a fortress, like the castle back home. Large, grey looming stone, protecting what lies inside.
Protecting or hiding? Or both?
I walk along the base of the mountain, scanning the rising rock, looking for any sign of a path.
“Hey Lennox!”
I turn toward the voice I’ve become familiar with, a lightness filling my chest.
“Fin! How’s it going, bud?”
He emerges from the trees and skips to me, wrapping my legs in a hug and squeezing tight. The bow he carries is too big for him, and drags along the floor as he walks, but ever since I taught him how to shoot, he has been carrying it everywhere.
“This thing bothering you?” I say, lifting it out of his hands.
“I trip on it sometimes, but I like it. I’m getting better! I’ve been practicing just like you showed me.”
“I’m glad,” I say and ruffle his hair. I kneel to his level. “Let me show you how to make it easier to carry.” I drape the bow over his shoulder,the string taut across his body from his shoulder to the opposite hip. “This way, you can grab it if you need to, but it keeps your hands free.”
“Thanks Lennox. Can we practice more later?”
“Of course. After dinner, sound good?”
He nods with a wide, toothy smile.
“Where are you headed off to today?” I ask.
“I dunno,” he shrugs. “Where are you going?”
“Well, I was going to check out the mountain a little bit. See if there’s anything up there.”
“There’s only one way on this side. I saw it before. Come on! Let me show you!” He reaches up and clasps my hand, dragging me toward the base.
“Right here!” He squeezes his body between two large chunks of rock and disappears.
“Fin?” I call, panic rising in my voice. The space is too small for me to squeeze through, and I can’t see past it. It’s as if he’s vanished.