Chapter 346: Guards
As we approached the lower-rim checkpoint, the refugees began to grow restless. They were dry, worn, and weary, exhausted from a month of grueling travel. Blue Canyon offered much in the way of water, but I’d been forced to walk long distances before and knew how hard it could be on the body and feet for regular, unenhanced mortals. Just how many times had I collapsed and had to let Soltair carry me in the early days of our adventures?
A minute later the light vanished plunging us in shadows. The temperature dropped several degrees, and I shivered, drawing my cloak tight about me. The cliffs towered high in the air, blotting out the sun, split by crags and jagged blue peaks. The road was wide enough for two wagons side by side, but it seemed no thicker than a hair working its way up the cliffs. Several small forts jutted out high above at each switchback, built into the cliffs themselves.
I paled, gripping my staff tightly, wishing I hadn’t looked ahead. We had to climb up there? This side was even higher than the rim we had come down before, and unlike back then, it wouldn’t be over with a single jump. With any luck, I could walk close enough to the cliff without being forced to look over the edge.
The thought calmed me, but I immediately tensed as a nearby gray-haired woman stumbled toward me, knocked off balance by another gruff-looking refugee. She seemed to fall toward me in slow motion, but my body was heavy and unresponsive, leaving me powerless to dodge. I had just braced myself for the impact, praying she wouldn’t collide with my Sunpurge, when a flash of silver blurred in front of me.
"Easy there, ma’am," a feminine voice said.
I peeked up, startled to find one of my guards standing protectively over me. She gripped the woman by the shoulders, gently setting her on her feet. My guards cowl had fallen off in the commotion, revealing a beautiful woman in her twenties, with shoulder-length black hair and intense green eyes. The silver gleam had been from her armor, which peaked out of her rags. Her voice was deeper than most women, but resonant and beautiful, like a bass.
The refuge stared up at the woman in awe, struck by her intensity. She just smiled in response and gave her a little nudge, breaking her from her stupor. The refugee jumped and quickly bowed her head, mumbling an apology, before fleeing deeper into the caravan.
The guard chuckled and replaced her cowl, giving me a worried glance. "Are you alright, milady?"
I nodded, gripping my staff in both hands, my heart still pounding. "Thank you. I, um, don’t think I got your name...?"
"Luxxa," she answered with a relieved simple. "I apologize for not being closer before the incident. I stopped to help a man with his wagon, and nearly didn’t catch up in time."
"It was my fault. I could have cast a spell, but that would have been, well, it would have given us away. Thank you for saving me."