Ayleah winced as she shifted her weight to get more comfortable on the rocky ground. She had only her blind luck to thank that the wound was not too deep. The thief had come face to face with her suddenly around the side of the taxi, and his blade hadn't been very long. Jaen had done a good job on the bandage. It would need changing before they left in the morning, but for now it felt comforting. All three of them had done so well in the crisis. She hoped she wasn't, in the end, a burden for them. Her own survival abilities gave her some confidence, but she was also grateful that her newfound companions seemed so much more experienced in the ways of adventure.
Even Jaen, who had been sullenly reflective most of the day, had broken his quiet immediately upon sensing a threat. He had seen the robbers first, and though Leb did most of the actual fighting, it was his call to action that had saved all four of them. Niisi had protected her once she was hurt, skillfully wounding the attacker so they could get away. Once in the taxi again, they had given her such wonderful care; soothing the shock of what had happened. It all seemed a bad dream now to Ayleah as she sat a short distance away from camp, watching the sunset.
They had stopped at the side of the road for lunch when the two robbers attacked. The spot must have been near an unsavory sort of city, but they had chosen it for the grand view that lay before them. The road topped an open hill, giving a panorama of mountains to the east. The first range ran in a straight dark line from north to south, fronted with steep wooded cliffs and tumbles of massive boulders. The land had been shaped by water in ancient times, in turns liquid and frozen. From one spot a torrent must have once streamed out, cutting a deep gap in the line of mountains and leaving a pool of sediment just beyond. Upon the lip of this ancient terrace they now made camp. The view west looked back over the rolling landscape from which they had come. Ayleah gazed out and thought of the mountains she had seen when they were down there.
Now closer, the mountains seemed more wild. No longer green-blue shapes against the horizon, she could see the different trees that made up the cloaking forests. Here and there rock peeked out of the greenery, hinting that beneath all the life and growth and decay was a more primordial solidity. The gap where lay the small metropolis of Bristol was a narrow gateway into a different world. Ayleah had experienced forests and old wild places, but nothing like the depths of what she sensed beyond that mountain gate. The sun gleamed bright as it passed out from a wispy cloud, bringing her back to the present.
It was a gorgeous sunset tonight, though she supposed the location helped. In front of her, the ground sloped sharply away. They were atop a dusty cliff that marked the end of the sediment terrace. A little ways up slope the trees gave way to a vast open field on the edge of the metropolis. This narrow strip of trees between the metro recreational fields and the cliff edge provided a pleasant grove for resting. The four of them would be spending the night at a public campsite here and leave for Bartlett Falls in the morning. Leb wanted Ayleah to rest, and said they could make good time on the river road and be at the falls by midday. Ayleah liked the campsite well enough. It was dry and sandy, but being in the trees near this steep edge felt a little like being back home. The shape of the land was similar, though there was no lake below the cliff. It did face west though; the sunsets at home had also been very pretty. She sighed and softened her gaze as she took in the colors of the setting sun. it was particularly rich tonight; a deep burnt orange predominated. The sun barely showed over the horizon, and likely had already set. The show was just a play of refraction, though a beautiful one. Small wispy clouds sailed here and there, almost invisible until caught by one of the colors. One became edged in a glowing fire, gilding the tender tuft. For a moment Ayleah was entranced by the depth of the orange glow, the color unimaginably pure in its representation.
As she fell asleep that night, Ayleah thought about the balance of the world; the day had held such frightening contrasts of emotion. That a day in a life could so casually include both the terror of the attack and the gratitude of friendship in equal and immense measure was incredible. The intentions of the robbers did not seem to belong to the same world as the beauty of the sunset's gleam. Her last thought was about that orange-gilded cloud, and how it seemed odd that she couldn't remember leaving that seat by the cliff.
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