The cold was exhilarating but deadly and Zone stretched his limbs to keep them from becoming numb. The fire they built was no match for the temperature but it helped a little bit.
He looked at Amihan and marvelled at the way she shrugged off the cold like she was on a Sunday morning stroll.
Zone surveyed the horizon but apart from the occasional splash of orange and reds, all he saw was a sea of cloud stretching for as far as he could see.
"What was she like?" Amihan startled him.
"Who?"
"The girl we are waiting for."
"Oh. let's see...I wasn't that close to her. I remember her to be small and quiet and was always by John's side."
"Who is John?"
"Our leader of sorts. Well, he wasn't really but he was the oldest, so…"
"I see. So he was the strongest."
"Uhm...not really."
"The smartest?"
"That would be Ice, the one we are waiting for."
"The most magical energy then."
"That would be a toss between Ora and Grace, I think."
"Then why was he the leader?"
"I don't know. He sees things we can't."
"That's not much of a qualification…"
"Did you want to ask me something specific or you just wanted to pass the time?"
Amihan snuggled closer to him.
"A little bit of both, I guess. Tell me more about Ice."
"There's not much more to say. I didn't get to know her when we were travelling. She was our healer. She was frail and was a little annoying because she seemed like she didn't know what she was doing most of the time."
"Is she young, like you?"
"She looked young."
"Why did you call her Ice?"
"I don't know. I just heard the others call her that. We joined the group late. I wasn't there at the beginning."
"Maybe she has ice powers," she said speculating.
"None that I know of. I didn't see her use anything other than her potions."
"Oh well, she was boring then," she said, looking satisfied.
"Why the need to classify her?"
"Nothing. Just making sure," Amihan went away humming while Zone was left wondering what that conversation was for.
___________________________________
Ice woke up feeling lethargic. She did not sleep well on the small rock ledge she found. She could not light a fire to keep the cold out so she kept waking up. She was afraid she might freeze to death.
Frozen Ice. wouldn't that be a sight?
She laughed a little at the image. Ash certainly would have laughed harder. That one has a dark sense of humor.
This part of the mountain was mapped but farther up is no longer familiar territory. She could very well die.
She looked down. She can no longer make out the images below. She examined her hands for cuts.
No fresh ones. The scars are all healing.
She flexed them. They felt loose and strong.
So far so good.
She contented herself on some dried meat and some water. She would have to drink sparingly. She didn't know what's ahead.
Ice took out the ropes and started climbing again.
She miscalculated the force needed to swing up. She made sure to tug the axe hard but the angle of the rock made it impossible not to swing out her whole body in order to gain the momentum to climb over.
The axe began to slip from the fissure. She panicked and almost lost her grip. As a result, she missed the chance to swing up with enough force.
She dangled over the chasm.
Below her are thousands of feet of empty spaces.
Death!
She did not think to secure the rope because it was just a couple of feet above the ledge where she rested the night before.
Still close enough.
If this did not happen.
Now, she is hanging without a secure line.
Damn, another mistake!
She calmed herself down. It was no use blaming herself. She had to solve this problem.
Think!
The previous ledge is still just 20 feet down but it was at an odd angle. If she let go now, she would miss it by a mile.
Two feet at the most.
She could swing herself inward before letting go.
She could then tumble down to certain doom because she did not consider the physics.
Of course her momentum would be greater coming down so the force of the swing would not matter much.
She had no leverage to give herself enough push towards the ledge.
The axe.
If she could swing the axe on the lip of the outcrop, that could work.
Could.
It would.
The timing is crucial. To be able to do that, she should forget her fear of falling and concentrate on the axe biting on the rock below.
If she froze, then that would be the end of her.
You can't afford to doubt yourself now. You can't stay here forever.
The wind, as if to add to her misery, decided to blow hard at that point. The whistle seemed to mock her. She gritted her teeth and gripped the handle of the axe tighter.
Now or never.
She let go.
She swung her axe at the rock as it came to her eye level.
Thunk!
The tip of the axe head hit solid rock.
It did not bite!
It did. Thankfully it did at the end.
The momentum was enough to wrench her shoulder from its socket.
She dislocated her shoulder.
It didn't feel like it at first because she did not feel the pain. Only a sudden numbness.
Then when she tried pulling herself up, that was when the pain kicked in.
She almost let go of the axe. The pain was excruciating.
She managed to twist her body enough to allow her to switch hands.
Slowly, she pulled herself up.
With one hand.
When she finally got up, she stared at her left hand for a long time.
She could not believe she could do that.
It was amazing.
Then she fainted.
_________________________________
"Are you sure she is coming?"
"Alasan was sure. And Lemmeng was sure."
"Why isn't she here yet?"
"She will be."
"It's the fourth day now. How long would it have taken her to climb?"
"Two days. Three at the most if the conditions are favorable."
"What if she got into an accident?"
"There's no use going into 'what-ifs' now. We just wait. Have faith in her."
Zone and Amihan are feeling restless.
It's true.
It would have taken a normal person two and a half day to climb the mountain.
But Ice is a little on the frail side. It would have to be at least 5 days for her. They would wait.
Besides, there is a peculiar feeling that he has been having since they arrived at the top.
He could feel her and knew approximately what was going on in her mind.
Afraid but determined.
That's good enough for him.
The feeling was like a tiny little sound just beyond the reach of his ears but it's there. Like a steady hammering of a blacksmith.
Only the sound is distant and muffled.
The important thing is, he could hear it.
Until yesterday.
Now nothing.
He couldn't hear a single thing. Like Ice disappeared.
He felt afraid but he kept his faith.
She will be here.
____________________________________
Ice woke up on the fifth day after going in and out of unconsciousness for three days.
She kept dreaming of a woman nursing her, giving her food and water.
It looked like Ora but older.
Thanks Ora.
It was her but it wasn't her. Nevertheless, it was her memory that strengthened her.
She tried moving her shoulder.
It still felt painful but the throbbing is reduced. It was a little less swollen. She could use it if she is careful.
She rummaged in her inventory for anything useful. She found painkillers. She took one.
The pain subsided considerably.
She looked at the outlying rock that denied her access to the top.
It looked bigger.
She sat down and prayed.
"What are you still doing here?"
"I am afraid."
"Of what?"
"Of failing."
"If you do not move, you would surely fail."
"If I do move, is it a guarantee that I will succeed?"
"If you move, it would be 50-50. If you don't, it will be zero."
"You speak like life is just a series of numbers."
"Sometimes it is. We are born, we age, we die. Guess how you measure those."
"By numbers?"
"Yes. time is a number. Life is a number. However, even if you were to remain in zero, the world will move. Indecision doesn't help you. If you wish to stay and not hope to see what's on the other side, that's your choice."
"I wish it was that simple."
"But it is. The difference between this moment and the next is that you get older. You get older even if you do nothing. Time doesn't wait for you. Those moments in between, you decide what happens."
"I still don't get it. Isn't being afraid part of me? How do I get rid of it?" how do i force myself to decide?"
"You don't force yourself. It's either you do or you don't. It is really that simple."
"Even if you say that, I wouldn't even know where to begin."
"You took your painkillers, right?"
"Yes."
"Where did the pain go?"
"Huh?"
"Where did it go? If it was part of your injury? Why did it go away? Your injury is still there."
"I guess the painkiller told my brain to ignore it."
"So the pain is all in your mind?"
"I guess you can look at it that way."
"Then maybe the fear is also just in your mind. There is a way to make it go away."
"There is no medicine for it."
"So you keep saying to yourself. But there is. If pain is an illusion, then fear is an illusion."
"I did not think of it that way…"
"Bravery is not the absence of fear. It is what you do in spite of the fear. Like the pain, it is still there."
"Then what do I do?"
"You already know what to do. That is not the proper question."
"When?"
"There you go."
___________________________________________
"It's the seventh day, Zone. Give up."
"Wait."
"I am done waiting. Let's go."
Zone was looking at Amihan and knew he was losing this battle. He has very little faith left.
If amihan were to urge him once more, he might succumb.
Thunk!
The axe surprised him that he jumped back.
His heart felt like it might leap out of his chest.
A hand emerged. It was bloody but it looked strong.
He was transfixed as Amihan sidled up to him to welcome their visitor.
Ice stood before them, clothes almost in tatters, hands bleeding and hair matted in clumps.
Only her eyes did not look battered.
They looked triumphant.
"I thought you said she was frail?" Amihan asked Zone.
He didn't hear it. His laughter drowned whatever sound she might have made.
Smiling, Ice gave zone a bloody fist bump.