Thieves Alike

     When Malvus awoke the next morning, breakfast was already prepared and waiting.

     “What a pleasant surprise!” Malvus remarked. He was even more surprised that he slept in so late. He wasn't accustomed to late nights.

     “I was even able to clean up a bit,” Zena smiled, holding a broom.

     “Thank you. I'm humbly in your gratitude," Malvus said with a slight bow. The breakfast spread looked similar to the breakfast he served them on the first morning after their arrival. He couldn't help but smile; a smile that remained on his face for the duration of breakfast. After they ate, Zena and Nathan packed up the rest of their belongings.

     “I really appreciate everything you guys have done during your stay," Malvus said, wiping away a tear. "I’ll miss having you around."

     “We’ll miss you too. You’ve taught us lots,” Zena sniffed. Nathan wasn't emotional, but nodded. Churp, on the other hand, made a lot of noise. “I guess Churp is also sad to see us go.”

     “Maybe, but I think it's making that noise because you swept away its favourite web to rest in,” Malvus winked. The Aboogala appeared to huff.

     They exchanged hugs and handshakes before Zena and Nathan continued on their hike to Neopia Central. Churp made some more chirping noises, but this time it was because it was sad they were leaving.

     The two travellers continued along the path that they loosely followed to Malvus's small cabin. They weren't even out of the wizard’s sight when Nathan began rummaging through his pockets and pulled out a small bag of crisps.

     “What are you doing?!” Zena asked abruptly. “We’ve just started on our journey and you're already snacking?!”

     “Well, it’ll be a long trip, and you shouldn’t walk on an empty stomach, you know,” Nathan said, letting out an obnoxious chuckle.

     “We’ve just finished break-," Zena said, stopping mid-sentence with a gasp. “Where'd you get that?!”

     “I found it in Malvus’ pantry," Nathan said, shaking the bag at Zena.

     “Did you ask before taking it?” Zena asked sternly as she grabbed for the bag.

     “No. Should I have?” Nathan said, nimbly evading the attempt.

     “Uh, yeah!” Zena said sarcastically. “He just gave us free room and board!”

     “Not exactly. I do remember working pretty hard for the past few weeks, cutting and moving firewood.”

     "Right, for free lessons!” Zena said. She may have been a petty thief at times, but she never stole from anyone who tried to help her. Nathan had obviously not adopted the same school of thought.

     “Which I didn’t attend most of the time,” Nathan reminded her and waited a moment for Zena to roll her eyes. “Just call it the petty thief inside of me. I can’t break old habits. Besides, don't you remember the first lesson Malvus demonstrated to us? The key to a good trick is misdirection through distraction. Well, call this a success.” Nathan smirked as he cracked open the bag. The moment the seal broke, a dozen springs flew out in a series of whirling noises resembling the sound of fireworks. Zena’s eyes instantly teared up at Nathan’s startled expression. She dropped to her knees and howled with laughter.

     “You couldn’t have been more correct!” She managed to get out. “Best trick ever!” Nathan, as always, was not too impressed when the trick was at his expense. He looked back towards the cabin and watched Malvus extend his arm in a jovial wave. Nathan turned around, dropped the bag and continued to walk away. Zena picked herself up and followed him after giving Malvus a huge thumbs up. It would be a while before she was able to calm herself down. Nathan too.

     **********

     Instead of walking along the river, Zena and Nathan kept their distance to avoid bumping into someone they knew. The difficult terrain would require extra time, but Nathan was confident in his navigational skills and was familiar with some of the less-travelled trails they could take.

     The beginning of their journey was smooth and enjoyable as they hiked through an old-growth pine forest with little underbrush, but as the terrain transitioned into a rocky, mountainous region, they began to slow down and carefully watched their every step.

     Zena peered over a cliff with a sheer drop measuring at least fifty feet. The view allowed her eyes to trace the unkept trail ahead. The trail appeared to meander along many of the steep hills, and dreadfully close a few cliff edges. The view was breathtaking, but some of the drops ahead were easily two or three times larger than where she now walked.

     Not much time had passed before they approached several large boulders blocking much of the path. Zena looked up the side of the cliff and could see the exact spot where the boulders had eroded away from the cliff. Torrential rain was common and often caused landslides in the region. Fortunately, there was ample room to cross, but it required that they step closer to the edge than Zena was comfortable doing. Normally, she wouldn't attempt moving forward under such conditions, but she was determined not to turn around. The obstruction in the path was the likely reason why the trail ahead was unkept, and until the boulders were cleared away, she doubted if any merchants would be brave enough to continue.

     The conversation between Zena and Nathan had been reduced to few words since they departed from the old cabin. Eerily similar to the day they left Silver Hills. The thought of what happened back at Silver Hills still haunted the Green Ixi, but only when she allowed herself any time to think about it. Her vivid dreams had also calmed down. Malvus knew exactly what to say to help her deal with her emotions. How she missed him already.

     Nathan appeared to be deep in thought, whether he was still pouting about Malvus' parting gift, or about something completely different, she wasn't sure. As they continued on, Zena inquired if Nathan was feeling okay. He took a moment to collect his thoughts before answering, carefully crawling around a couple of large boulders.

     "Wouldn’t it be nice if this was all ours?" Nathan said finally after clearing the wide stretch of boulders. He swung his hand out towards the endless landscape. Zena took a moment again to take in the beauty, being mindful of where she stepped. The leaves in the scattered stands of hardwood trees were changing colour, blotting the landscape with red, orange and yellow.

     “Yes, it’s beautiful and so peaceful with no one around. With some imagination it's as though we do own this land," Zena said, deeply breathing in the fresh air.

     “But we don’t!” Nathan said abruptly and started walking again. The bitterness in his voice made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

     “No. I guess the Emperor does, but it's still peaceful," she said. The Brown Lutari didn't seem content with her answer.

     "One day I will own this land. As the trees look up to us now, it will be the many settlements looking up to us," Nathan said. Zena wasn't sure how to answer. Could this possibly be what had been occupying his mind?

     “You don’t agree?” He urged a bit more aggressively than he meant to. She took a moment herself to answer, hugging the largest boulder as she successively passed it. It wasn't that she needed to hug the boulder, but it made her feel more comfortable.

     "You can't just take land that belongs to the Emporer. He'd arrest you before you even had chance to start something," Zena answered. Nathan gave a smug laugh.

     "I would start an outpost with a few trusted friends and build an army big and strong enough to withstand the Imperial army."

     "You're not serious," Zena said, stopping dead in her track. All emotion drained from her face, leaving behind a blank expression.

     "What if I am?" Nathan smirked before adding, "You know there are ways of doing this."

     "That's not funny. You know I'm still trying to get over-" she said before taking an involuntary step back. Her foot slipped and she slid off the side of the cliff with a shriek.

     "Zena!" Nathan shouted, shaking the conversation they were having out of his head. He dropped his backpack and ran over to the edge where Zena had dropped. She was grasping onto a small crevasse in the cliff's side with white knuckles as her feet scratched feverishly up the wall, scrambling to find something on which to support herself. Her left foot found the side of a rock obtruding from the side of the cliff. Her right foot quickly slid over to stop herself from dangling. Nathan dropped to his belly, but his reach wasn't long enough to get a good reach.

     "I can't hold on," Zena shouted, feeling her grip start to loosen. Nathan ran to his backpack and pulled out the rope they used to tie down the tarp over their tent. It was not very thick, but it would easily support her weight. He looped and tied one end around the largest boulder and threw the rope over the edge. Zena examined the rope dangling next to her, but hesitated to take hold. Her fingers were barely holding onto the thin crevasse. Once she made a move, she would surely drop. Her other hand alone wouldn't be able to support her weight.

     "Grab hold, Zena! I'll pull you up!" Nathan shouted down to her. Zena looked at the rope again. She prayed that it was tied securely enough, though she trusted Nathan's knots. Either way she had no choice: Either grab hold, or drop.

     Zena reached for the rope. As suspected, the sudden movement caused her other hand to slip. She squeezed the rope as hard as she could with her right hand and brought the other over to assist. Pain flared through her hand as the rope burned her tightly squeezed palm. She stopped sliding, hand throbbing and arms weakened, increasing the distance between her and Nathan. She wanted to give up, but her spirit urged her to hold on tight. Nathan tried to encourage her to climb, but her unwilling hands were incapable of moving. Her legs dangled again and this time there was nothing on the cliff's face to step onto.

     The pain in her palm and the aches throughout her body were becoming too much. If only she could rest her feet. That would at least allow her some time to think. Though reluctant, she looked down. There were some bushes directly below her. Maybe that would be enough to break a hundred foot drop if she fell? Anxiety and frustration filled her chest. How did she get herself into this situation? It was just a few hours ago that she was enjoying breakfast with Malvus.

     She studied the end of the rope and observed a loop that Nathan made to stake down the tarp when they last used it. It wasn't within her reach, but a bit further down the rope. If she could slide down the rope a bit, she was certain the loop was large enough to put one of her feet through. If successful, it would help alleviate some of the pressure from her throbbing hand.

     Slowly, Zena slid down the rope, keeping her hands in a tight grip. She winced as her wounded hand slid along the rough rope, but before long she was able to slip her right foot into the loop. Now standing, she was able loosen her grip slightly. She felt a little more relieved, but still very scared. How was she going to get back up. She was now easily ten feet down from the ledge.

     Nathan watched in complete shock as Zena managed to steady herself. He had never felt so helpless in his life and only slightly relieved once Zena gave a thumbs up that she was okay.

     "I'm going to try pulling you up now," Nathan called down. Zena gave another thumbs up. He grabbed hold of the rope and began to pull. It was much harder than he imagined with Zena's dead weight on the other end. He watched closely as the rope rubbed against the sharp, rocky ledge, freying slightly with every pull. He paused. Was this going to work? The rope was already too thin for his comfort level. He lowered her again to gather his thoughts.

     Nathan stood still for a moment, on the brink of panic, as his mind raced for a solution. He couldn't even think of a spell that would be useful in their situation. Zena looked up and saw Nathan's head disappear.

     "What's going on?" Zena called up. She found it easier to speak now and released her reddened hand to assess the damage. She rubbed it on her shirt as if to brush away some of the pain. She looked back up again. "Why did you stop?"

     "I've got a plan. Hold on," Nathan said. He ran back to the backpack and unravelled the tarp he had rolled and strapped to the underside of the bag.

     "Do I have a choice?" Zena shot back. "Maybe I should just hang in here too?" She wasn't sure if she meant that as humour or frustration. She was just trying to keep herself from being overwhelmed with fear.

     "Pulling you up this way isn't going to work. You're going to have to conserve some energy," Nathan said.

     "Oh, good idea! Maybe you can throw me down a granola bar or some other food, and I'll make us a picnic!" Zena hissed. She knew getting upset didn't make the situation better, but it was partly his fault that she was in this situation. And was he expecting her to climb? She already tried that unsuccessfully and there was nothing else to hold onto. Besides, her hand really hurt.

     Nathan ignored her comment. The tarp should work. He hoped anyway. There didn't seem to be any other option. If he went back to the cabin to grab Malvus, it would easily be dark before they returned, even if he ran at a full sprint. He threw enough of the tarp down to dangle a healthy distance past Zena.

     "Ok, Zena. This will work," he started, trying to convince himself as well that it was true. "When you feel ready, I want you to grab ahold of the tarp and start climbing. Take as much time as you need."

     "I don't think I can. My hand is aching," Zena said, looking up at Nathan, who peered back over.

     "It's really not as far as you think. I will help," Nathan urged. Zena inspected her hand again, then balled it into a tight fist. She felt pain, but it was manageable. She nodded.

     "I'm ready," she said.

     Zena grabbed onto the blue tarp that had been lowered down to her. The pain in her right hand flared up, but she would have to mask it for the time being. These next few moments were critical to her survival. Nathan held firmly onto the tarp as Zena slowly started her ascent. Having no way to support her feet any longer made this task less than ideal. She stopped.

     "This won't work," she admitted, calling up to Nathan. "It's hard to get a good grip."

     "It's okay! Keep trying! I'll pull!" Nathan shouted down to her. He grabbed hold of the rope that had slackened slightly and pulled it over the tarp to act as a buffer between the rope and the sharp, rocky edge of the cliff.

     "Hang on!" Nathan shouted as he pulled with all of his might on both the rope and tarp. Zena made slow progress to the top. When the tarp eventually snagged firmly onto the ledge, Nathan had no choice but to let go and use both hands to pull on the rope.

     The rope slid smoothly along tarp. Finally, Zena came close enough to the top to grab hold. She clambered onto the ledge, kicking wildly with her feet for something to catch her foot on until finally, with some extra effort by Nathan, she successfully climbed over the ledge and onto the flat ground. She rolled far away from the edge and laid there for a while on her back. Nathan, not believing exactly what happened, dropped to his knees, arms supporting his chest and head from touching the ground. They remained quietly in these positions for a moment before Zena broke the silence.

     "Well, let's hope it doesn't rain," she said. Nathan looked up, realizing both the tarp and rope fell over the edge. They made eye contact and suddenly began laughing out their stress. And not at all because they were humoured by the situation, but relieved it was over.

     They rested for a few minutes while Nathan mended Zena's hand before continuing on with their journey. Nathan suggested they head towards the river. It would be easier to follow the river than the challenging terrain they would otherwise encounter. He also felt strongly that any manhunt for them would have long been over. Zena agreed. She had more than enough excitement to last a lifetime.

To be continued…