The Unsuspecting Mage - Brian S. Pratt [153]
They carefully make their way around the caravan and then quickly head deeper into the Pass.
Chapter Twenty One
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The road through the Pass is the main artery for trade between Madoc and Cardri and is wide enough to accommodate three wagons side by side. The surface of the road, while not perfectly smooth, is firm and level with minimal ruts and potholes.
As they leave the entrance to the Pass behind and follow the road around the bend, the panoramic view of the gorge unfolds before them. They pause a second to take in its grandeur. On either side the gorge rises up to dizzying heights with the river cutting through the middle. Cascading down the side opposite that which the road meanders along, several waterfalls add additional splendor. The road follows the river for nearly a mile before beginning it’s ascent up to the higher elevations. With many a twist and turn, it occasionally vanishes from view only to reappear once more further up the mountainside. Straining their vision to its utmost, they can barely make out where the road ultimately disappears into the cloud cover further down the gorge.
“We’re going there?” James hears Miko exclaim incredulously.
“It’s not so bad,” he reassures his friend. “Caravans come this way all the time, so I’m sure we will have little difficulty.” Nudging his horse forward, James continues down the road forcing Miko to keep up with him or be left behind.
Before the road begins its ascent from the river, they come upon a fellow traveler driving a wagon loaded with goods. “Excuse me sir,” James says as he comes abreast of the wagon.
The man turns his head toward the pair. “Yes?”
“How far is it to the other side of the Pass?” asks James.
“Two days on horseback,” the man says. “Most caravans make it in about four to five days, depending on the load they’re carrying.”
“Is there any place along the way to stop and eat?” Miko asks the man.
“No son, there isn’t,” he replies. “However, there is a way stop near the top where travelers are able to rest for the night before making the descent on the other side.”
“Thanks, mister,” James says.
“You’re welcome,” he replies.
James nudges his horse and they resume their quick pace once again, leaving the man and his wagon behind.
“Are we going to spend tonight at the way stop?” Miko asks, once they have pulled away from the trader.
“I would think so,” James replies. “If we make it that far before it gets dark that is.”
Once the ascent begins, the road climbs at a steady, though at the moment, not an overly steep pace. It continues running along the right side of the river, following the water’s path as it flows through the gorge. At times the river roars to life when making its way through an area of rapids.
As they progress deeper and deeper into the Pass, the mountainside to the right of the road becomes increasingly vertical as its vertical slope increases. Waterfalls grow plentiful as the warm summer weather melts the snowpacks in the upper elevations. At one of the larger ones James notices that someone had built a culvert or drainage system beneath the road to allow water to flow under it to the river without eroding the surface.
Being a city boy, Miko had never seen waterfalls like these and is quite impressed by their beauty and power. He pauses by one as he dismounts to fill his depleted water bottle. When he places the bottle in the waterfall, he quickly snatches his hand back when the fall’s water hits his skin.
“What’s the matter?” James asks, startled at his reaction.
Miko turns and looks at James, “It’s cold!”
Laughing, James explains, “Of course it’s cold. The water is coming from snow melting high up in the peaks.”
“Oh,” he replies, feeling slightly embarrassed at not having known that. He grits his teeth and places his bottle back into the falling water and fills it. Then he secures it back to his saddle and remounts.