The Energy Crusades (9 page)

"Okay, Ajax." I tried to sound more confident than I felt.

"Okay. Let
'
s eat something first and then we
'
ll give the signal when we
'
re ready."

A cart had been placed in the room while we
'
d trained with my orb. It had been left near the door we
'
d entered, only from this side of the room the massive doors were not visible. There was just a small, narrow door with the word ESCAPE written above it. When we completed our training for the day, the word would change to read EXIT, but it was vital not to open the door before the second word appeared, unless you wanted to ask for an escape. Such minor details were imperative to weapons training and could mean the difference between failure and success.

On the cart
sat
two energy bars and two glasses of a juice-like concoction. They would provide the energy and nourishment our bodies needed to face the footpath. We leaned against the wall and consumed our food in silence. I willed myself to think positively about the path, pushing the fear from my heart. As I ate, the nutrients worked in my body as they were meant to, and I felt refreshed and energized.

"Are you ready?" Ajax studied me carefully.

"Yes," I answered, with all the determination I could muster, "I
'
m ready."

"Remember to follow me. Talk to me if you
'
re struggling."

I nodded, and he gathered our supplies. On the bottom of the cart were two packs for our backs. He handed one to me and I put it on. It would contain whatever the Teachers thought we might need to complete the exercise. Ajax walked to the middle of the room, looked up at the control booth and held up his hand, signaling we were ready to begin. We stood side by side as the room began to change. As the world shifted and bumped into place, the room rocked like an earthquake, and I grasped his arm to keep my balance.

Before our eyes, a new world appeared. We found ourselves at the foot of a rocky path, its immense slope rising steeply into the cloudless blue sky above us. The rocks were the color of rust, orange and dusty, and the heat blanketed our bodies. There wasn
'
t a whisper of a breeze in the thick, oppressive air and all around us red rocks rose into the sky. Ahead of us
were
rocky mountains; behind us
were
rocky mountains, and the only way to go was up, up, up.

Our solar glasses darkened in response to the bright sun. The foot and hand holds carved into the rocks were obvious, but the path rose steeply without an end in sight. I swallowed, and tried not to let the image of falling enter my thoughts or the feeling of vertigo envelope me. If one of us did fall, some type of rescue would appear, saving us from serious injury, but it would also mean we had failed. Falling wasn
'
t an option and I closed my eyes, took a few deep breaths, and mentally prepared for the challenge in front of me.

"Don
'
t look up," Ajax urged. "Just put one foot in front of the other."

I opened my eyes and focused on his. Ajax
'
s eyes were hidden behind his glasses and I couldn
'
t tell if they were blue or gray. "One point at a time," I answered, repeating the familiar phrase Tiergan and I used to encourage each other with during a tennis match. We helped each other to only focus on the point at hand, never worrying about future points. Letting your mind jump too far ahead was often a costly mistake. Ajax smiled, understanding the reference. When we trained, he took his role as my mentor seriously, and did not wish for me to fail. When we trained, we let our resentments fall away.

"One point at a time," he agreed, and then began to ascend.

I concentrated on matching where Ajax placed his hands and feet, pulling my body up the rocks as the sun beat down on my face. It was slow going and took a long time to haul my body a short distance up the slope. The quiet pressed against me until all I could hear was the hot sound of my breath and the movement of Ajax above me. It felt like mere minutes had passed before I was sweating profusely and struggling to keep my concentration. Sweat poured into my eyes and clouded my solar glasses, making it even more difficult to find and grasp the holds. Droplets of perspiration dripped down from Ajax
'
s body, and if he stopped to shake the hair out of his eyes, the moisture from it would fall onto me until I couldn
'
t discern his sweat from my own.

My legs began to burn with fatigue from the constant climb, but I knew I could overcome it. I was accustomed to pushing my body to physical extremes, and shaky, exhausted legs were common on the tennis court. Placing my feet correctly proved easier than finding the right indentions with my hands, which grew slick with sweat the longer we climbed. At times, I couldn
'
t decide whether to wipe my glasses or dry my hands, and as my vision became more clouded, I could no longer see Ajax
'
s feet above me, and had to rely on my own senses more heavily. Our bodies were soaked in the red dust of the mountain, and I finally had to keep my eyes closed entirely, in order to keep the dust from blinding me.

My throat began to ache from the dry, dusty air. I felt the holds with my feet carefully until I sensed the correct one, and then found a place for my hands to lift me up. With my eyes closed and the heat pressing around me, I felt totally alone on the rocks. I could hear Ajax
'
s movements above me, but I could no longer depend on his steps to guide me.

Just when I thought I would choke from all the dust, the rain began, lightly at first, which felt glorious on my skin. While my eyes were closed, I hadn
'
t noticed the clouds approaching. The water washed the dust from my face, allowing me to see the dark, ominous weather closing in around us. With it came a little breeze and some cooler air. I paused on the rocks and held my face out, letting the drops of rain clear the dust and sweat away. Finally, I was able to look up and find Ajax. He was right above me, struggling to clean his face as best he could. I
'
d managed to keep pace with him, even without my eyesight. It was enough of an accomplishment to boost my energy. Ajax looked down momentarily, but I gave a little nod and he continued up.

The rain, which had been refreshing at first, began to hammer us relentlessly. We could hold out our tongues to drink a few drops, but it was a small comfort. Dust became mud and it slid down around us, dragging all sorts of rocks and debris with it. As the rain pounded down, the mud fell more violently, and I was pelted with rocks. One of the larger ones hit me in the arm, tearing the skin and leaving a gash in my suit. It began to gush with blood. I pushed the pain from my mind and kept as close an eye on Ajax
'
s feet as possible, holding my concentration the best I could while we continued the climb.

I was keeping up, despite the avalanche of mud flowing all around us, but I made the mistake of lifting my head too far. A sharp rock struck me savagely across the cheek, opening a large gash just under my left eye. The pain of it took my breath away, and I lost my train of thought. My foot slipped and I grasped at a hold with my left hand. Ajax felt me falter and stopped in his tracks, leaning down to offer me a hand. Close to panic, I scrambled to reach him, calming down slightly when we connected. He held my arm tightly in his as I struggled to regain my foot holds, the taste of blood hot in my mouth.

"Don
'
t let go, Ajax," I called, forcing my voice to remain calm.

"I won
'
t, Kaia," he called back, but he sounded worried. I wondered if he was injured as well. "Focus now," his voice soothed me, and my heart started to calm its frantic rhythm as I concentrated on his voice. "Close your eyes and clear your mind." I did as he instructed, holding his arm as tightly as I could. When my breathing was under control, I loosened my grip to find his bare hand. Immediately, the strength from his body flowed into mine as our hands entwined. The longer I held on, the better I felt, and his steady grip served as an anchor to my flailing senses. Instead of focusing on the pain in my cheek and arm, I focused on the warmth of his hand against mine. My panic subsided and I tried to let go of Ajax, ready to continue, but he held tight, keeping his hand in mine a moment longer. I opened my eyes to find his, nodding as a signal I could continue on the path. His face was a blur in the rain but I hoped his vantage point allowed him a better view of me. He squeezed my hand one last time and then let go.

We continued on the path as slowly as ever. I couldn
'
t guess how many hours had passed, but it must have been many because I started to feel like I needed to replenish my fluids. It took all of my focus to pull my body up through the rain and mud. My clothing was soaked through
to
my skin and heavy with mud. The extra weight pushed against me, and the material clung to my body uncomfortably. Still, I felt pings here and there from falling rock, but I did not make the mistake of lifting my head again, lest another piece of earth strike my face. It was bad enough when the rocks hit my hands, causing an urge to let go.

Eventually the rain slowed and the world lightened with the emerging sun. The storm passed over our heads, and the onslaught of mud and rocks began to slow. It was safe to lift my head, but my body was shutting down and I kept my chin to my chest. Cramps began to take hold in my legs. I worried about lifting my head, fearing I would see the path rise endlessly above me, and all hope would leave me and I would fall. I needed to believe the summit was near in order to coax my body up one more hold.

As the rain became a light drizzle, blood began to pour from my cheek and I could taste the metallic flavor in my mouth. My stomach heaved. The higher I climbed the more ravaged my hands became until I forced my thumbs through my sleeves, hoping for some relief.

When the rain stopped, I felt the sun again, hot on my body. There was nowhere for me to go but up and I labored on. Although the heat from the sun became more intense, my body started to feel chilled. Goosebumps sprang up all over my arms and spread to the rest of my body. The nausea boiled in my stomach as I started to dehydrate and I had to stop and rest my head on the rocks in front of me, taking several deep breaths and trying to talk myself out of the horrible cold spreading throughout my body. I wondered if I could reach into my pack and grab some nourishment, but I couldn
'
t decide what to do. As my focus slipped away, I was too afraid to lift my head for fear my head would spin and the dizziness would cause me to fall.

"Kaia!" Ajax called from somewhere up above me, but I couldn
'
t look up, sure I would throw up all over the rocks. "Kaia!" He called again, more forcefully. "Look up!" His voice was both commanding and soothing. I found the will to lift my head in his direction, and found he was less than a meter above me, and about to heave his body onto flat ground. We had reached the summit. Only a few more pulls and I would make it too. In an effort to calm my nerves, I reached into my pocket and grasped my orb. It was cool to the touch and seemed to vibrate with energy. I willed it to fill me with the strength to continue and instantly felt its energy spring into my fingertips and travel up my arm. Energy spread like a warm fire throughout my weary body, relieving the sick feeling and providing the will to continue the climb. My hands reached for the next hold as I found my composure and dragged my body over the summit and then fell to the ground next to Ajax. I lay with my cheek on the hard ground with no intention of ever moving again.

Ajax sat up and began pulling things from our packs. "Sit up, Kaia." It was a command but it wasn
'
t harsh. He tugged my arm and coaxed me into a sitting position, then removed the glasses from my face. Next, he handed me a rehydration drink, and I forced myself to drink slowly, although I had the urge to take huge gulps. I knew if I drank too much at once, I would throw up for sure. After a few sips, I lay back down on my side, hoping Ajax wouldn
'
t make me move again.

"Sit up," he ordered again, "I need to see your face." I had forgotten about the injury. There were so many other things to worry about. I dragged myself into a sitting position as he got out the healing balm. My face was dirty though, as was the rest of me, and I wasn
'
t sure how in the world I would apply the medicine. Ajax and I regarded each other. He looked as bad as I felt. His suit was also torn in places, and he had a gash on his head just above his right ear. During the climb, his body had probably shielded mine from the worst of the avalanche of rocks, while he took the brunt of their full force. There was another cut at his shoulder, wet with blood. My stomach felt queasy at the sight of him injured. I didn
'
t like it; it made me want to fix him.

"Look," he said, motioning to the scene around us.

I noticed our surroundings for the first time. We were at the top of a steep, rocky slope on a flat expanse of ground far more forgiving than the rocks we
'
d just climbed. If I didn
'
t look down, I could avoid the knowledge of the return journey. The terrain was much more forgiving up here and the rocks gave way to a grassy expanse and an outcropping of trees beside a pool of water. It was a small oasis among the red rocks. I looked longingly toward the water, imagining myself sinking into it.

"Ajax," I said, meeting his eyes again, "I
'
m going to have to get in the water." He managed a nod and I knew he was exhausted too. Both of our bodies were weary and he probably felt the same desire to submerge himself in the pool. "I have to get out of these clothes," I continued, "But don
'
t worry. I have clothes on underneath. Okay?"