The night was quiet except for the occasional crackle of the fire and the faint rustling of the wind through the canyon. Amukelo and Eliss sat across from each other with their warm meals.
Eliss glanced at Amukelo several times. She couldn't shake the tension that had lingered in the air since his outburst earlier that day. Finally, unable to contain her curiosity any longer, she set her bowl down and asked, "Amukelo, why did you react like that? That passage didn't seem that dangerous. With my magic, we probably could've crossed it without any issues."
Amukelo didn't look up. He kept his focus on his meal. For a moment, Eliss thought he might not answer. But then, after a long pause, he spoke.
"Because of a similar decision," he said, "my friends died."
"There's no point in taking unnecessary risks," he added after another long pause, his tone bitter. He set his bowl down. "We chose the option that didn't seem too dangerous. It looked safe enough—just like that gap you saw. But it turned out to be catastrophic."
Amukelo didn't elaborate further. Eliss didn't press him. She could see the pain on his face. Instead, she nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful.
"Okay," she said softly. "Let's find something safer."
Amukelo gave her a brief, almost imperceptible nod, and the conversation ended there.
The next morning, Amukelo woke to find frost coating the ground. His breath was visible in the crisp air as he sat up, stretching his sore muscles and pulling his cloak tighter around him. Eliss was already awake, rubbing her hands together to warm them before casting several small fires around the camp. The magical flames flickered brightly, their heat pushing back the morning chill.
Amukelo nodded in approval as he stood, his joints stiff from the cold. "Good thinking," he said, his voice still gravelly from sleep.
Eliss offered a faint smile as she finished tending to the fires. "It's freezing," she said, shivering slightly. "I don't think I've ever felt a desert this cold before."
Amukelo nodded, pulling his cloak tighter. "Deserts in winter are no joke. The temperature volatility can be extreme."
They ate their breakfast quickly, the warmth of the food helping to chase away the lingering chill. After some time they packed up their camp and mounted their horse, continuing their journey along the canyon's edge.
Not long into their ride, Eliss spotted something ahead. "Amukelo, look!" she called out, pointing.
Ahead of them was another potential crossing point. Unlike the previous gap, this one was fully connected, with no visible breaks in the stone. However, the middle section of the natural bridge was noticeably thinner than the rest.
Eliss dismounted, walking closer to inspect it. "This could work," she said. "What do you think?"
Amukelo approached cautiously, his eyes scanning the crossing. His heart tightened as the memories threatened to resurface again, but he forced them down, focusing on the present. He stepped closer to the edge, studying the way the stone curved and narrowed. It was risky, but it was the best option they had seen so far.
"Can you reinforce it with your magic?" he asked, his voice steady.
Eliss nodded. She raised her staff and began casting. A horizontal wall of stone materialized across the thinner section, connecting the weaker points to the thicker, sturdier edges.
"There," she said, stepping back to admire her work. "I've reinforced the thinner part. It should hold now."
Amukelo examined the reinforcement. Satisfied, he nodded. "That'll help," he said. "But we're not crossing yet."
Eliss blinked, surprised. "Why not? It's reinforced now."
Amukelo gestured toward the ground beneath them. "There's still frost on the stones," he explained. "Cold stone is more likely to crumble under pressure, and it's more slippery. We'll wait until the afternoon when the sun has had time to warm it up. It'll be safer."
Eliss frowned, her impatience bubbling to the surface. "But it looks fine now," she said. "Why not just go?"
Amukelo gave her a sharp look. "We wait. I'm not risking it for just a few hours."
Eliss opened her mouth to argue but stopped herself. She remembered his words from the night before. With a reluctant sigh, she nodded. "Okay," she said quietly. "We'll wait."
Amukelo nodded in approval, though his expression remained somber. "Good," he said. "We'll make the crossing when it's safer."
After some time, when the sun melted the frost, and the air was a little bit warmer, Amukelo finally said, "I think it's finally time. Let's go. But before we do, make sure you reinforce it as much as possible."
Eliss nodded confidently, stepping forward and raising her staff. Her magic hummed through the air as she cast additional walls and supports around the narrowest parts of the crossing, the shimmering stone taking shape with precision and care.
"Done," she said after a moment, lowering her staff with a satisfied smile. "Let's go."
They mounted Eliss's horse and began the slow, cautious trek across the canyon.
The crossing was narrow but manageable, the edges sharp and jagged from centuries of erosion. Amukelo kept his gaze ahead, avoiding the temptation to look down into the abyss below. It wasn't a fear of heights—he had faced worse climbs in his lifetime—but the thought of falling stirred something primal within him, a reminder of how fragile life could be.
The horse moved carefully. At one point, the horse accidentally kicked a small rock, sending it tumbling into the canyon. They both froze as they listened to the faint echo of the rock falling, the sound growing softer until it disappeared into the depths.
Amukelo's breath caught. For a moment, he thought he might hear the rock dislodge something more substantial, but shortly after the silence settled again.
As they crossed the canyon, Eliss turned to him. "See?" she said lightly. "It wasn't that bad."
Amukelo exhaled a long, slow breath, trying to loosen the tension in his shoulders. "Yeah," he began, "it was quite—"
A sudden, sharp sound cut him off. It was a crawling, scraping noise, like claws or segmented legs skittering against the stone. The sound grew louder, coming from the edge of the canyon behind them. Amukelo turned just in time to see several enormous millipedes climbing up from the abyss.
Their segmented bodies were black and glistening, each one nearly as long as a man's arm. Their antennae twitched as they scaled the rocks with unnerving speed, their legs moving in a synchronized wave.
"Watch out!" Eliss shouted, raising her staff. She cast a shimmering wall of water between them and the advancing millipedes. The creatures slammed into the barrier, momentarily halted by the magical defense.
Amukelo didn't waste a moment. He leaped off the horse, drawing his sword in one fluid motion. He swung it, severing the head of the first millipede that breached the water wall. Its body twitched violently as it fell to the ground, dark ichor pooling around it.
Before he could follow up, another millipede lunged, its mandibles clicking menacingly. Amukelo sidestepped, narrowly avoiding its bite, and slashed downward. The blade bit deep into the creature's thorax, but its segmented body writhed even as it collapsed.
Behind him, Eliss shouted something. Amukelo turned just in time to see one of the millipedes latch onto the back of their horse. The animal reared, letting out a terrible scream of pain as the creature's mandibles injected venom. Eliss responded quickly, firing a barrage of water bullets that pierced the millipede's body, killing it instantly. But the damage was done—the horse collapsed, its legs trembling before giving out entirely.
Amukelo gritted his teeth and leaped away from the falling animal, landing with a roll. The remaining millipedes turned their attention to him. Eliss joined the fight, as she cast another wave of water bullets. The projectiles struck the creatures, slowing them but failing to deal critical damage.
Amukelo took advantage of the opening, charging forward with a sharp battle cry. He swung his sword in a wide arc, cleaving through the nearest millipede. Its body split apart, its legs flailing wildly before it went still. Another lunged at him from the side, but Amukelo anticipated the attack, twisting his body to avoid its bite before driving his blade into its soft underbelly.
The last two millipedes hesitated, their antennae twitching erratically as they assessed their opponents. One of them skittered forward, but before it could reach Amukelo, Eliss cast another spell—a burst of earth spikes erupted from the ground, impaling the creature.
The final millipede seemed to realize it was outmatched. It clicked its mandibles angrily before retreating back toward the edge of the canyon. Amukelo didn't pursue it, his chest heaving as he lowered his sword.
Eliss approached cautiously. "Is it over?" she asked with a shaky voice.
Amukelo glanced around. When he saw none, he nodded. "Yeah," he said, his voice rough. "It's over."
They both turned to look at the horse, which lay lifeless on the ground, its side darkened by venom and blood. Amukelo sighed heavily. "We need to move," he said. "This place isn't safe."