It was too dark even to think about starting back to the harvest lodges. They ended up building a fire where Hyden and Gerard had camped the night before. The three of them exchanged stories, and had a great laugh at the fact that Hyden was the only one who hadn’t left the ground, but was the only one who had fallen.
While Little Con boiled some dried beef into a stew, Hyden inspected the eggs his brother had brought him. He was pleased beyond words at what he saw. All six of them were safe and sound and nestled in a bed of fresh keep moss. He made up his mind to buy Gerard a whole wizard’s costume—the robe, the hat, and even a staff, if that was what he wanted. He didn’t think it would be though. Gerard seemed to have matured a great deal since just that morning. The sparkle of the ring in the firelight, and the tired, serious look on his face made him look anything but youthful. Hyden saw a man, where only this morning, he’d seen a boy. It was a strange sight to see, because most of the time he didn’t even consider himself an adult yet.
“Wendlin, Jeryn, and Tylen are the only ones left to harvest now,” Little Con informed them. “They’re camped at the other end of the canyon. They probably think I fell, since I didn’t come back to camp tonight.”
“If they thought you fell, they would be out looking for your carcass,” Hyden said matter-of-factly.
“Or dancing a jig,” Gerard added with a laugh.
“They probably saw you come down,” Hyden reasoned. “Same as I did.”
“How could you have seen him knot-head,” Gerard smirked. “You were busy kissing rocks.”
They all laughed heartily at that. Little Condlin dished the stew into Hyden’s and Gerard’s bowls and then waited for one of them to finish. His bowl was back at his brothers’ camp. Hyden had eaten a healthy meal, while Gerard and Little Condlin had been busy climbing, so he only slurped a few mouthfuls, and then passed his bowl on to his young cousin. Gerard, on the other hand, attacked his meal like a starving dog.
“Are you going back to the lodges with us in the morning or what?” Hyden asked.
“Back to Tylen’s camp,” Condlin answered. “Wendlin and Jeryn climb early in the morning. Tylen goes last, since he is the oldest in the clan who’s not on the council.” Little Condlin always spoke of his brothers proudly, but when he spoke of his oldest brother Tylen, his chest swelled bigger than usual. “Tylen’s gonna break my pap’s record this year.”
Hyden knew in his heart that Gerard could have brought back a dozen eggs today, if he hadn’t been sidetracked at that fissure by the ring. A climb that high up into the thick of the nesting band was rare. Gerard had gone higher than anyone Hyden had ever seen. The weather had been exceptional, and the hawklings themselves were far less aggressive than most years, but he still wasn’t sure if even he could have climbed as well as his brother had today. He would have never risked that leap, that’s for sure. Another thing he knew for certain was that Tylen could climb like a lizard too. If tomorrow was as perfect a day as today had been, then Tylen really might have a chance to break Big Condlin’s record. Hyden kept his thoughts to himself though, because Little Condlin’s chest and head were already swollen enough.
As soon as he finished eating, Gerard lay back and went to sleep. Little Condlin wasn’t far behind him. Hyden took the time after he ate to clean the dried blood from his head. He covered Little Condlin with his blanket, and lay down close to the fire. It had been a long and eventful day, and sleep found him quickly.
The next morning, Little Condlin was anything but quiet as he gathered up his things in the predawn light. He woke up Hyden and Gerard with eyes full of excitement and pride. With a mouth full of chatter he wasted no time leaving. He was off to his brothers’ camp in the hopes of catching them before they started their climbs. Gerard wanted to throw a rock at him for waking them for no real reason, but he couldn’t find one that wouldn’t crack his head in half if it hit him.
The day started with much moaning and groaning from both brothers. Hyden’s head hurt badly. It was not so much the actual wound that bothered him, but a deep inner ache that felt like a hot rock was loose inside his skull. Every little move he made caused the rock to roll around and scald another part of his brain.
Gerard was no better off. Like burning wires cutting through his muscles, his pain spread throughout his shoulders, back and legs. His movements took great effort and came with audible strain, but he didn’t dare voice a complaint. He didn’t want to hear Hyden razz him for whining.