Chapter 3 - Arrival

The journey lasted a few days, but finally they reached the edge of the gorge.

While they were hidden behind some rocks and dry shrubs, the two sent to patrol the area came back.

<> started one.

<> kept on the other one <>.

Kiira stood up and grabbed the men's shoulders, saying: <>.

Irik spoke from his seat: <>.

The girl turned and smiled: <>. And at this sentence Irik received a pat on his back from a comrade.

<> concluded Kiira. Everyone agreed.

That night, as soon as the dark cloak covered everything, two ropes were thrown down the gorge and the fifteen fellows went down, trying to make as little noise as possible.

It was not easy, since they couldn't light some torches up, however, they were skilled rock climbers, grown in a land where the only thing impossible was a lack of rock.

In brief, they were down in the gorge.

They flattened themselves against the rocky wall and started traversing the passage.

They made no noise, but the fear was unavoidable. 

Many times they saw torches lighting from the edges above them, heard some little stones moving, and those little signs were enough to make them be in a cold sweat. Luckily, anyway, they were covered by rocky excrescences hiding them.

This way, all night long, they managed to reach the exit of that gorge just before dawn.

However, the two patrollers were right: towards the end of the gorge, they didn't hear other sounds or see other lights. The enemies weren't patrolling all the gorge.

Once out, they found an immense, arid, deserted plateau.

<> Kiira reassured them <>.

Irik wasn't really sure and gave voice to his thoughts: <>.

<> participated in one of the patrollers of the previous day, <>.

<> told the man <>.

<> intervened Kiira, <>.

The dark man looked at her and nodded. Hence, they traversed the plateau. 

As the party thought, they traversed the plateau without being noticed, and just over midday, they started to see some little plants and grass sprouting from the arid soil.

<> whispered Kisya.

Her father got closer: <> agreed, <>.

And reach out her daughters shoulders with his arm, tenderly smiling at this thought.

In about an hour, a watcher came back to his resting fellows, reporting he saw a village in proximity.

<> sighed Kiira, stretching.

Half an hour later, the party reached a small town. There was all around a high wooden wall, with a door on the front. Men, dressed in light clothes, were going up and down the catwalks, with long sticks leant on a shoulder.

They were the hottest hours in the afternoon, and, even though there was no one outside the city, a buzz of voices came out of it.

The fifteen comrades got closer to the wall and a man from the catwalk addressed them: <>.

Irik answered: <>.

The sentinel nodded, turned around and shouted: <>.

The fellows smiled at each other, relieved to have eventually found their compatriots.

<> Kiira sadly murmured, while the doors were opened and two men came out to escort the newcomers inside.