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, knocking Lev’s head against the side of his hiding place. Then the wheels beneath him sang differently, switching from the uneven chatter of the city’s cobblestone streets to the gritty growl of gravel road. Occasionally, a wheel caught a rut, but otherwise, Lev rode swaddled by the tight space, serenaded by the wheels’ steady sound, and comforted by the wagon’s gentle sway.
Sometime later, Yudi rapped lightly on the bench. “We’re through the hardest step, Lev. Past the gates and guards. That said, it’ll be some time yet before I can let you out of there. Hang tight!”
Lev relaxed his grip on the blanket and called to the bench above him. “We’re safe, then?”
An unexpected silence followed Lev’s question, but finally Yudi answered. “Through the worst of it. For now, at least. But you’ll need your strength for the journey ahead. We’ve got at least an hour’s ride. Why not try to get some sleep?”
Sometime later, Lev’s eyes popped open as the wagon bed shook. “Ready in there?” Yudi asked. And before Lev could answer, the panel dropped away, rolling him onto his back.
To his surprise, the tarp that had covered the wagon bed had been removed, and he winced as bright sunlight blinded him. Moments later, Yudi crouched outside the cubby and peered inside with a grin. “Well, hello stranger!” he said with a laugh. “Got a bit of beauty sleep, I see.”
Wide-eyed and dazed, Lev blinked and shook his head, trying to get his bearings. “Where are we?” he asked.
“Step out and see for yourself,” Yudi said, scurrying away and jumping down from the wagon bed. “And bring that bag and blanket with you.”
Lev wriggled free from his hiding place and tentatively stood. Thankful to stand and move again, he paused to shake his arms, arch his back, and bend his legs. As he stretched, he took in his surroundings.
Yudi had stopped the wagon in the shadows of a towering rock outcropping. A sheer wall of rust colored stone blocked half of Lev’s view of the world.
Trying to get his bearings, Lev turned to his left, away from the cliff and toward a vast expanse of Hyasa’s highlands. Rolling fields filled with pink, purple, and white flowers stretched to the north. A quarter mile away, a dusty line ran parallel to the horizon, undoubtedly the Arevakian Way.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Lev pieced the information together and looked down at Yudi. “Are we … are we on the far side of the Ardaravan Pass?”
Yudi chuckled. “Uh huh. Travel north a little and head east a bit, and you’d be staring at what remains of the razed valley gates.”
Lev swallowed, struck by a sudden realization. “I know we’re not that far from D’Win, but I’ve never been so far from home.”
“Sadly, few people your age have. Not that strange, though, considering you were born after the Tolians defeated us. Such is life in an occupied city. But my work lets me come here quite often. Used to be, I came just for supplies for my shop. Lately, though … lately I’ve gathered other things here, too.”
“Like what?” Lev asked.
Yudi smiled but didn’t answer Lev’s question. Instead, he swept his arm in an arc and said, “Look around, you, Levon Datevar. Take it all in one last time. Burn the true beauty of Hyasa and her highlands into your memory, so you remember what you’re fighting for.”
The finality of Yudi’s statement struck Lev like a punch to the gut. He hadn’t realized that he’d soon be leaving his homeland—maybe forever. But of course, he was. Nodding, Lev shifted his gaze further left, where rounded hills striated with pinks and grays roiled the valley’s flat terrain like waves in an angry sea. Curious, he pointed in that direction “Is that the ...?” he asked.
“Uh huh,” Yudi said. “That’s the edge of the Kamináda.”
Lev’s eyes widened. Every child of D’Win had heard haunting tales of the Kamináda. A thousand square miles of wind-chiseled rock that formed a shadow-laden labyrinth filled with towering spires and twisting ravines. Only the foolish entered the Kamináda, and the few who escaped returned deranged. Even the Arevakian Way respected the dreaded region by bending northward, despite adding miles and miles to the route.
Yudi chuckled. “If you think that’s bad … just wait till you look south.”
Lev nodded, fully aware of what lay in that direction. The southern edge of Hyasa’s highlands ended abruptly with a sheer escarpment. The treacherous drop to the valley below was the greatest of D’Win’s fabled natural defenses. Lev had viewed the escarpment countless times, but when he spun toward it, what he faced jolted him. Weakened by sudden dizziness, he dropped to a knee in the wagon bed. Yudi had stopped them far closer to the plateau’s edge than Lev had expected, and the added height of the wagon had given him a close and staggering view of the distant valley floor.
Lev held a hand against his chest, waiting for his heart to slow. His startled reaction, though, delighted Yudi, who snorted and slapped his thigh. “Sorry … I couldn’t resist,” he said. “But look closely. That’s where your future lies. Your destiny.”
Confused, Lev stared at the valley below the escarpment. Sun-bleached soils and barren brown rock outcroppings stretched below him, a jagged and hostile world. A world with a notorious reputation. The Varraran Wastes—except no one called it that.
“You’re sending me into the Wastes? Into ? In ?”
“Yes, Lev. And you’re right to be alarmed. There’s never a good time to cross the Varraran on foot. And yes, the summer heat will make the journey especially daunting. But if you want to escape the Tolians, if you want to, this is your best—and honestly—your option.”
Just when you think Lev has escaped the Tolians, a new problem presents itself—
That said, if you have made it this far, thank you so much! A story is nothing without readers, and I truly appreciate you giving this novel of mine some life. Please let me know how you are enjoying it by leaving me a comment below.
Until the next installment,
WCM
