The Unsuspecting Mage - Brian S. Pratt [154]
They continue along the road, passing the occasional wagon or traveler as they progress further up the mountain. It isn’t long until they begin to hear a steady, loud roar coming from up ahead.
The mountainside on their right abruptly falls away, revealing a tall narrow gorge with a majestic, powerful, three tiered waterfall. The water, after collecting in a pool at the base of the falls, crosses under a bridge and cascades down the mountainside to the river below.
The sound of the falls is deafening as they cross the bridge spanning its outflow. Its thundering reverberates through them as they pause a moment to marvel at this wonder of nature.
“Ain’t that something?” James hollers at Miko as he tries to be heard over the roar of the falls.
“Yeah!” he hollers back. While they sit there on the bridge marveling at one of nature’s wonders, the spray from the waterfall feels good as it helps to alleviate the heat of the day.
“James, look!” exclaims Miko as he points to the pool at the base of the waterfall.
Taking a closer look, James spies three deer drinking from the pool. He nods his head, acknowledging having seen them, then indicates they should continue down the road. As they leave, Miko turns his head several times trying to capture in his mind the marvel of the waterfall and the deer below until the scene finally disappears behind trees and rocks.
The travelers encountered are few and far between, all being either on individual wagons or part of small caravans. None are very talkative as they have far too much on their minds, what with worrying about conditions on the other side of the mountains, and whether or not they will find safety there.
The further into the Pass they go, the more the road climbs away from the river. Though still able to hear the rapids as water crashes over rocks below, it has been steadily growing fainter and fainter as they progress to the upper elevations.
Upon reaching where the road widens into a scenic overlook, they decide to stop for a short break to give the horses a chance to rest and have a quick bite to eat. After getting off his horse, Miko moves to the edge of the overlook and gazes down to the river below. Having never before looked down from such a height, he is almost overcome with a sudden fear of heights. Assailed by vertigo, he backs away quickly until there are several yards of road between him and the edge.
“You okay?” James asks as he hands him a portion of their rations.
Taking the food, Miko nods his head affirmatively, “It’s just that we are so high. I didn’t realize we had climbed so far.”
“It is deceiving,” James admits. “While you are climbing, it doesn’t seem like your ascent has been all that dramatic, until you look down. Then it sort of hits you all at once. I remember it happened to me once when my family took me to Yellowstone.”
“Your family took you to go see a yellow stone?” asks Miko confusedly.
“Not a yellow stone,” corrects James, “but a place called Yellowstone. It’s a place where people go to get away for awhile and have fun.”
“Oh,” replies Miko.
After the break, they remount and travel for another hour before coming to a section of the mountain that levels out for a ways into a plateau. The plateau extends for several miles from the gorge until it ends and the mountains resume their rise. About a quarter mile off the road further back on the plateau sits a large structure, looking in ill repair. It stands four stories high with windows only in the uppermost section of the walls. A large door looms open and is slightly ajar.
“Must be an old keep,” James guesses. “Maybe a garrison was once stationed here.”
“Could be,” agrees Miko. “It doesn’t look as if anyone has been in there for a long time. Wonder if it’s haunted.”
“Don’t tell me you believe in ghosts?” James asks, slightly amused.
“Of course