NOVEL NEXT Chapter 86
“I hate you,” said Noel.
“Hmm, do you?” I said.
“You could have told us about it sooner,” said Kelser.
“And miss my dramatic reveal?” I said. “No way!”
Noel and Kelser grumbled as they reached ahead with their hands and scuttled up the steep incline like geckos. I, on the other hand, nimbly skipped ahead like a mountain goat. Although I was grinning like an idiot while jumping from one tiny outcropping to the next, my acrobatics weren’t as easy to pull off as they appeared. Not only did I have to keep using my new gravity assistance magic, I also had to adjust the intensity and direction of the magic every time I jumped off and landed. I’d only gotten the hang of it last night, having practiced on a few trees, so there wouldn’t have been enough time to teach the others anyways.
“Come on guys,” I said as I observed the sunflo beetle in my palm, “I think we’re getting closer.” The beetle had moved a little in my hand while we were scaling the mountain. The only reason we chose to scale such a steep path was because we wanted to keep going as straight as possible. If the beetle was moving, even though we’d been moving in a straight line, then our destination must be nearby.
Of course, it was still pointing to some place further ahead, so we had to climb up the mountainside. We didn’t have to go all the way up to the peak, but it was still a rough climb. A rough climb for people without gravity assistance magic, that is!
“I need a better name for it,” I mused to myself aloud.
“What did you say?” yelled Noel from down below.
“Nothing!” I yelled back. “Just talking to myself.”
No response. Well, I was sure she was just conserving her energy. Anyways, a new name for my magic! All it did was apply the same principle of subtly manipulating the center of gravity of an object like we did in the imbalance magic. I couldn’t quite get it to make me stick to the wall at a ninety degree angle, but as long as I leaned forward, I could move my center of gravity around, and even use that momentum to jump further up the incline!
“Maybe I can combine both of those spells,” I said to myself as I hopped up to the top of the incline, “imbalance magic was a clunky name too.” I put a finger in the air. “I know! How about balance magic? Yes, that has a nice ring to it. Balance magic!”
Noel reached a hand up and I grabbed it. I helped lift both Noel and Kelser onto the top of the incline. The area was relatively flat, and could have made for a good base camp or rest stop for any mountaineers trying to climb the mountain. Of course, there were no mountaineers in this world, so these were just idle thoughts I used to keep myself busy while Noel and Kelser caught their breaths.
“The beetle is pointing in that direction,” I said, pointing to another mountain in the distance. “Oh, and be careful on the way down, they say it’s more dangerous than going up!” I skipped off the side with a smile, arcing back to the wall of rock, where I found another foothold, which I used to kick myself further down.
Before jumping off the side, I saw Noel giving me a glare, while Kelser sported a resigned look. I figured I’d make it up to them by preparing lunch at the bottom of the mountain while I was waiting for them. There were some freshwater streams around, and I figured I could try to find some fish or something. Anything would be better than brown frog legs!
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“This is the one,” I said.
“I still can’t believe you won’t teach us your balance magic,” said Noel.
“I told you how it works over lunch, didn’t I?” I said.
“You describe what it does, not how it works!” she retorted.
I shrugged. “Figure it out yourselves. But here’s a hint.” I ripped some bark off a tree and pressed it flat. Then I tried to balance it on my finger at different points. It kept falling until I managed to place it in just the right place. Then, I moved it and it fell again. I put it back on my finger, balanced it once again, and then moved it, but this time, I moved it while continuing to balance it on my finger. “There,” I said as I tossed the piece of bark. “You can give that a try if you want. I’m going down to that stream for some water. I’m guessing you care more about finding what this beetle is pointing at than looking cool while you climb, so you’ll be several feet up by the time I’m back.”
I left the two as they tried to learn what they could from balancing the piece of bark on their finger. Honestly, they were really smart, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they got it in a few hours. But I also knew that Noel was impatient. Whatever this sunflo beetle was pointing to had something to do with the elfin Jora tribe, and Noel was getting very anxious about her family lately. I’d have gone up ahead on my own to check things out if my lips weren’t cracking from dehydration.
I ran up to the stream, cupped some water into a suitably shaped stone, and boiled it. The stream looked clear enough, and was probably coming straight from melting glaciers or snow, but I didn’t want to risk getting sick. Still, it was a shame heating up such cool stream water, but ah well. I drank my fill and returned to the foot of the mountain. Noel was already out of sight, but I could just catch a glimpse of Kelser’s feet as he climbed up the mountain.
They must have given up right after I left, judging by how far up they’d made it. Maybe they’d realized I was going to gloat with my balance magic and wanted to show me up by climbing far ahead of me. I chuckled and jumped onto the wall again. Their actions were pointless. I was going to gloat no matter what!
I raced up the mountainside, hopping from foothold to foothold. The air got thinner and thinner, and I had to be careful because the rocks were weak and crumbly, but I caught up to Kelser in no time. The poor little redhead gave me an exasperated look, before continuing his slow slog up the mountain. I reminded him he didn’t actually need to climb with us, since we’d have to come back down once we found whatever it was we were looking for, but he didn’t reply. I shrugged and moved on.
It was funny, but maybe the most amazing thing about my balance magic, was that it made me very comfortable with heights. It was kinda hard to get vertigo when walking on a steep incline felt like a light jog up a hill. Still, I suppose it helped that I couldn’t see behind me while I went up, and my center of gravity had been shifted so close to the mountainside, I almost felt anchored to it.
Reaching Noel, I began shouting to get her attention. She ignored me completely, but I kept pestering her. Eventually, I ran up in front of her and asked her if she needed a ride up the mountain. She declined, through gritted teeth, and I told her I was only half-joking. The sunflo beetle was pointing somewhere near the peak of this mountain, and I could help get her there much quicker than her own two hands and two feet could. For some reason, she still refused. Maybe she realized I was actually kidding? I wonder what gave it away.
As I hopped in front of her, I reminded myself I wasn’t being annoying purely for my own amusement. Noel had been incredibly stressed as we got closer to the roof of the world. I thought she felt like there would finally be a clue about her family here. After all, didn’t the immortals try to hide this beetle? Surely, there was a great, big secret up here, and that thought must have left a great pit in Noel’s stomach. My petty distractions would help a little, but I was sure she was already desperate for the secret.
I was nearing the peak of the mountain. The incline was so steep up here, even my balance magic couldn’t handle it. I had to get on all fours like an animal! What a terrible feeling. Anyways, I clawed my way up the last few feet, until my hand brushed against something.
It was windy and bright, so I had to squint to see. But eventually, I managed to make out a pile of rocks collapsed over what looked like a cave carved right into the tip of the mountain. I pulled myself over the lip, and onto the little ledge below the cave. My eyes adjusted once more as I stepped forward.
I held my breath.
Sticking out of the pile of rubble was a familiar wooden stick, covered in little pieces of flint. Up on this mountain in the roof of the world, stuck in a pile of rocks in front of a strange cave, was the spear given to the greatest hunters in the Jora tribe: the Dragon’s Tooth.
