Powerless Revision 1 (29 page)

“I don’t think we could do something like that. Do you know how they did when they came back from The Shadowing and went off to fight?” Will asked.

“I guess they just worked like clockwork, everyone doing exactly what they were supposed to perfectly, and they’re all still alive and fighting,” Rowland said.

“Wow,” someone muttered as the grimmer likelihood of their own future took hold of their minds.

Pulling himself over the top onto a flat ledge with a few grassy tufts, Fortst got to his feet and surveyed the wide expanse around him. Between the two mountains, the outpost appeared to be nothing more than a tiny speck. Underneath him were natural stone pillars, boulders, and the mountains’ roots that they navigated through.

Walking off to the left around a bend, a breathtaking sight stopped him cold. Behind the mountain, another peak in the chain rose, one he had not seen before. Unlike the other stone behemoths, worn into strange shapes by water and wind, this one looked like a giant anthill, and about as solid. It took a perfect cone shape all the way down to its base, right above a basin and a narrow chasm.

“We’ll be fine,” Vern said. “You’ll just have to trust me.”

“Why do you always assume it’ll be you leading us?” Aoi sniped. “Do you think if you just insinuate it often enough we’ll all forget how terribly that would work out?”

“It’ll work out a whole lot better than if we all had to follow every crazy impulse that crosses your mind. If it couldn’t be me, I’d much rather see someone like Rowland get it, at least he has some idea about strategy.”

“Crazy? I can’t believe you just said that. At least I wouldn’t just be looking out for myself!” she said, jumping to her feet. Jeremy watched from the corner, smiling, shaking his head, and musing about plans of his own.

“We’re going to decide this the same way it was always going to be decided,” Roselyn interjected. “We’ll have the Final Trial on the Vernal Equinox, and whoever wins will be our leader, for better or worse. Getting into shouting matches now won’t do anything.”

Mira peeked her head out from the cavern and caught a glimpse of the sun’s location high in the sky.

“It’s only days away now,” she said.

Fortst ducked around a corner and came into view.

“Break time’s over! It’s this way. Let’s get going!”

The students reformed their line, with Vern at the front, trudging along behind Fortst through the mountain pass. They crawled around mysterious stone pillars as the path dove down into the rock. The walls surrounding them grew taller, and the students marveled at the distinct layers of stone from eons ago that they could reach out and touch.

A slight breeze, like a breath, blew into their faces. It distracted them from the rocks and the silence. Passing more rock embankments and curving around more stone pillars, the breeze grew stronger. They no longer stepped on solid rock but traversed a sandy surface. Just as the students began to lean into the wind to keep their footing, they came upon a narrow path to the left from which the breeze gusted with fierce intensity.

“Not much farther now. Come along!” Fortst shouted from the front. By the time his voice traveled to the end of the line, it had been altogether consumed by the wind. Walking onward required great effort now, and every student ducked just behind the one ahead. They seldom dared to look ahead. The wind carried sand and grit that pelted them from head to toe. It collected on the ground, and their progress went from a walking on a beach to heaving through a nasty sand trap.

Fortst took the brunt of it himself, scoffing at this puny obstruction. He lunged forward with a long stride, his boot sinking into the sand like it was snow. Momentarily losing his balance, he reached out for the wall with his hand. Soon the entire group huddled against the sidewall, looking for easier passage.

After what seemed like an eternity, Fortst looked up and caught a glimpse of the chasm’s end. The wind and the sand spat at them, and several students slipped and fell to the ground. Only when they joined hands did they make it to the end.

They exited into the opening and immediately felt relief from the wind pressure, which the narrow chasm intensified. A few of them laughed, and the rest enjoyed being able to hear again. Once everyone had been pulled out of the wind tunnel, they could finally take stock of their surroundings.

The most impressive feature of this basin, which they marveled at with a never-ending fascination, was the sand waterfall that poured down from the top of the gorge. The billowing stream originated at the bottom of Anthill Mountain, which towered overhead. Millions of tiny grains of sand slipped down the mountain every second. They tumbled down the dustfall and either caught the wind and rode away or trickled to the students’ feet.

Their eyes turned to the mountains and the blue sky above, many of the students felt pleased that such a beautiful place existed and they were there to witness it. The long march seemed well worth it, and they entirely forgot why they had come until Fortst climbed onto the sand heap behind them.

“From what I hear, whoever can make it the furthest up these walls is the favorite for the Final Trial. So let’s see what you kiddies can do. Don’t hold back now!”

Looking up high enough to examine the walls of the basin, they saw the sand and wind had worn the surface considerably, leaving few sizable ledges. The walls were tallest near the chasm entrance, which caught the wind, and the shortest, most appealing walls flanked the dustfall.

The students walked around to the sides of the fall and looked at the rock face. Perfectly vertical, it still towered over them at ten times their height. They spied a few sufficient-looking holds, and it wasn’t long before they readied themselves to give it a try.

“Out of the way!” Vern said. “I’ll get this over nice and quick.”

He approached the face of the wall and raised his foot up to one stone jutting out from the flat surface. Putting his weight on it, he raised himself up and caught another hold. Just in case it would end quickly, Will elbowed his way to the wall on the other side and began to work his way up. Vern, several feet above the ground, reached his leg out to catch a stone to his right, but his foot slipped and a moment later his back was in the sand. Those watching him laughed.

“I’m still winning. I doubt anybody else will do better than that!” he said, getting to his feet.

Roselyn looked carefully at the wall. She put her foot in the same place Vern had, and she raised herself high enough to catch another hold with her hand. She looked at the stones she had to work with and the one in her left hand that held her in place. The next step would be to pull herself up with her hand and catch another stone with her foot. Instead, she hopped down from the wall and dusted off her hands.

“This is not a good challenge for me. I prefer a surprise victory anyway,” she said, resolved that it was not worth the trouble.

Will quickly found his way back down to the sand pit too, and other students were eager to take their places. Rowland and Mary began their ascent, and both seemed like competent climbers from their very first moves. Mary reached with her foot for the stone Vern had slipped on, but it held her and allowed her to take another step up. She looked around and saw little to work with. She held her hand out to the tiniest groove, slipping and falling as a result.

“Umph!” she groaned when her side collided with the sand.

Having watched the others, Mira felt confident she could put forth a good showing. After all, her father had been the best at this in his class, so it must run in her blood. She chose the side Will and Rowland had used because it seemed to have more holds even if they were smaller. As long as her shoes and balance held, she envisioned herself making it much farther than those before her. Next to her, Rowland lost his grip and jumped down to the ground.

A few students watched her thoughtfully as she selected different holds and stretched to create a new path along the old one. Despite sand getting in her fingers and eyes, both focused on the smooth stone steps. Pulling herself up, lifting and swinging her feet onto another ledge, she surpassed Rowland but not Mary. Eventually, her boldness proved greater than her ability. She reached out for a tiny ledge and had to put her weight on it before she had a firm hold. She slipped down and smacked against the hard sand. Spitting some of it out of her mouth, she heard Roselyn clapping from her seat up on the sand hill and took a quick bow before getting back in line.

On the other side, Chucky made his attempt up the wall. The temperature and the sun were getting to him, and already thick globs of oil dripped from his skin down to his shoes and the ground. He put his foot on the first hold and it slid off as soon as he put pressure on it, leaving behind a greasy coating. He tried again, this time reaching up to a ledge with his hand, but he couldn’t hold it for more than a few seconds before it became too slick to hold. Aoi stood behind him in line, and she stormed up to him as soon as she saw his effect on the surface.

“Get down from there! You’re mucking it all up!” she shouted, pulling him off as he went for a third attempt. Chucky shook some of the sand out of his shaggy hair.

“Look at this!” she went on. “Look at what you’re doing. Face it. You’re not going to be able to do this, so stop screwing it up for the rest of us. Now go over there to the failure club,” she ordered, pointing to Roselyn.

“You can’t tell me what to do,” he said, shaking his head at her.

“Not yet I can’t, but soon,” she snapped. “For now, just think of it as a dose of common sense!” Chucky looked to the rest of those waiting in line. His eyes met with nothing but blank faces, and so he climbed up the sand hill and took a seat near Roselyn.

Aoi jumped up to a small ledge above the ones covered in Chucky’s goop. She caught it with one hand, and her body hung down without any other support. Putting her foot against the flat surface, she swung herself over and launched herself several feet up and to the right. She caught another ledge with her hand, and the students applauded. Swinging higher and higher, she displayed incredible acrobatic feats. Without using her legs at all, the strength of just one arm was enough to pull her up.

While she climbed, Mira walked to the edge of the wall and put her finger to the oil Chucky had left behind. She rubbed it between her fingers and felt how slick it was.

Above, Aoi had far surpassed any of the other students, who gazed up at her. She scanned the rock face, searching for her next move. She looked down at the students below. She paused, unsure of what to do next.

“There’s nothing left to grab onto,” she whispered. Refusing to give up, she hopped up to the perfectly flat space above her and tried to grip the smooth wall. Without anything to hold on to, she slid back down the space, caught a rock with her foot, and then jumped down to the ground. She took a look up at where she had been, wiped her hands on her clothes, and boasted that no one could surpass her. But that didn’t stop her from getting back in line to try again.

By the time the students had tried three or four times, their limbs began to tire, and their attempts became less successful. When they fell into the sand, their exhaustion caused them to move more slowly, and Fortst took it upon himself to pull them up before the sand buried them.

***

Mira knew she couldn’t outperform Aoi or even Mary. Looking for another way, she got out of line, saying she quit, and began casually walking around the edge of the basin. Taking care to be discreet, she searched along the edge of the wall for another path. Her hand grazed the rock face, dragging her fingers against it.

A tune drifted into her mind then. She thought she remembered a simple lullaby her mother sang to her when she was young. It made her forget about her tired arms, and the wall appeared so clear in that moment. All of the ledges stood out as if they had a special light. Her mind awoke to them and understood the puzzle they created.

The tune continued as she passed the chasm opening and walked to the other side. Right there, where the wall stood highest, she could see the way. It looked as simple as a set of stairs to her. Placing one hand and one foot, she reached up and took hold of the wall’s first nubs. She felt a peace of mind and a focus in the gentle rhythm of the lullaby. Breathing easily, she scaled the wall. Her path gradually took her to the right, and she pulled herself onward with her legs and arms, feet and hands.

Climbing higher and higher, her feet finding firm footing on tiny ledges, she worked her way up the basin. The lullaby brought a warm feeling to the center of her mind, making her feel safe when she wasn’t, calm when she should be nervous, and attentive when she would be distracted. Mira ascended to many times her height, continuously climbing upward and to the right.

“Look!” somebody shouted, but she barely heard them through the lullaby. Her hands and feet moved with the simple rhythm, and soon she had made it all the way over to where the other students were climbing, though she stood far higher than any of them had. Some students gasped, thinking that at any moment she would slip and tumble from the precipitous height. Fortst stood ready to catch her.

Mira’s classmates had all stopped climbing, though a few looked for where Mira had begun. The rest gazed up at her in awe. She continued to the right until she made it to a ledge directly underneath the dustfall. This ledge stretched for a few feet and had width enough to stand on comfortably. All of the students crowded under the fall, and she looked down at them with the wind blowing through her hair and the sun shining on her face.