Ascension Read online

“Go now,” the shaman ordered, “before you are discovered.” With that, the young girl pulled her hood back up and melted into the darkness of the forest.

  *

  Alix was getting worse. His head throbbed and his vision was getting watery. He moved along with one hand on the cavern wall. He heard a faint noise behind him, and he turned, expecting to see the horde after him once again. Instead, he saw the briefest flash of light. Had he imagined it? He had not committed too much time to the direction he was now headed in, so he turned around and headed to the right, in the direction of the flash. Maybe it was the shaman outside the entrance? After a short time, he could see stars splashed on the wall of the cave. He realized he was looking outside through the crack. He was nearly there. He stumbled to the entrance and held out his hand, expecting some invisible wall to resist him. Instead, he felt the cool night air. He rushed forward and spilled through the entrance. He was free. The chilled air felt like a plunge into an icy lake. It soothed his pounding head and cleared his blurry vision. The shaman was standing before him.

  “What took you so long?” she chuckled. With that, she turned and headed down the mountain path. Alix followed behind silently. He looked at the moon, now starting its slow descent, and began to tremble all over.

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