Chapter 7 ½

Chapter 7 ½ (Andrew)

First light was breaking over the horizon, brightening the sky from black to blue, and casting clouds over Moonrise Canyon in shades of pink and orange.

Andrew crawled out of his tent, attuned to rise around the same time as the sun. His campfire had burned out a while ago, leaving only ashes and a light scent of smoke. The Axew sighed. He had been looking forward to having William stay with him, to having a friend. He hadn’t had many, not with his life on the road with Pa.

But speaking of him, Andrew had to get ready to go. The sooner he got back home, the better. So he started packing his things: rolling up his bedroll, taking inventory, making sure he still had the Enigma Elixir, and breaking down the tent.

Still, he had his mind on William. Andrew never expected to make a friend on this emergency trip, and something about that made it all the more appealing. As soon as he got home and took care of Pa, he’d get out some parchment and write a letter to him. He could at least have him as a penpal, right? And with any luck, they could visit each other. It’d give Andrew a reason to make caramel apple pie again!

Once he had finished gathering his belongings, with his tent rolled-up atop his backpack, he headed toward the sloped tunnel. From there, he could take a route through the canyon north, and then it’d be an hour or two of walking before he reached Cloudcroft.

“Neither of us were successful?”

Andrew stopped at the top of the slope. A stranger’s voice echoed up, and he spotted two silhouettes, walking up toward his camp. He hurried to the left, ducking out of sight.

“It seems so,” the conversation continued. “I almost had it secured, but then I was attacked. Three of them.”

“Three, you say? I encountered only two, but they escaped through smoke. I know not where they would be now.”

“I spotted them last night. They’ve gone to a local guildhall, and they’ve likely enlisted.”

The two went silent, leaving Andrew to listen to his own beating pulse.

“Will this be a problem?”

“It makes things a little harder, yes. But there will be another time. For now, we regroup with the others and wait for the next opportunity…”

Andrew’s mind was buzzing. Who were these people, and what were they talking about? Their footsteps drew closer… Now wasn’t the time to wonder. He had to get back home without getting caught up in whatever trouble was brewing.

As quietly as he could, Andrew tip-toed toward the plateau’s ledge–

Clack!

–And he stumbled as a loose pebble slipped underfoot, clattering down the canyon wall before splashing in the river.

“What was that?”

“No one else is meant to be here… We have an eavesdropper in our midst!”

“Show yourself!”

The quiet footsteps crescendoed into a clamoring charge.

Andrew spun his head around, looking for a way out. Yet the only exit was the tunnel those two were running up. That, and the drop below…

Heart pounding, Andrew braced himself and took a breath. Before he could rethink it, he leaped off of the canyon plateau, plummeting toward the river–

Splash!

The cold creek enveloped him to the tip of his headfin. Water cascaded over him, muffling his ears. With a burst of energy, he paddled and kicked his way to the surface, breaching the water and sucking in a deep breath.

He took off his waterproof backpack and clambered onto it, shivering and dripping from head to toe. The current swept Andrew downstream as he floated atop his camping equipment. He didn’t dare to look back.