I make it to the twenty-seventh height before the freezing air pierces my body to a level that becomes unbearable. My green cloak does nothing to divert the biting sensations against my skin or the cold hum in my bones, everything about me is just chilled to the core. The walk does serve its intended purpose, however, and I now make my way back down the heights fully awake, ready to take on the rest of the books that are waiting for me.
There’s three more stacks on the table when I make it down to our hub. Three more stacks that I know I can get through during the night and perhaps even have some time to take a small nap before the morning begins. I grab a stack and bring it with me to the settee and sit down on the rug, then lean my back against the wooden leg in an uncomfortable position so that it juts hard into my shoulders and keeps me awake.
Unfortunately, the first stack offers nothing.
I discard the last book of that group and bring my knees up to my chest, bowing my head in exhaustion and more frustration. My neck hurts in all the wrong places and my eyes are heavier than they’ve ever been before. All of my limbs are turning stiff while the ache in my head just never seems end. In my past searches I always had the leisure of taking my time, resting and eating and relaxing whenever I wanted. But that leisure is not afforded to me here, and King Zander expects for the book to be found in Red Falls.
Fuck me, I’m so tired.
I sigh and shake out my body, trying to loosen my muscles before I stand again. I walk back to the table and start on the last two stacks, holding the books up to my face as my now trembling body fights to stay awake.
“It is dawn, Alexis,” I hear Morose state quietly.
I glance up from the book in my hands, the last one of the last stack, and reply firmly. “Then we will push through.”
Morose shakes her head, “you are no good to yourself like this. When was the last time you slept?”
Golem frowns besides her.
“Sometime yesterday,” I make my way to the settee, “when will the search end?”
“At sundown tonight,” she replies.
“Then we will push through,” I repeat harder, holding the book up to my face and blocking the two of them out of my sight.
It takes me a long while to get through the last text but I ultimately decide to throw it in the discard pile with the rest.
Fuck. Me.
I sigh and stand up, looking at Golem and Morose in small disappointment.
“I have no new leads aside from what we found earlier. Let’s proceed with the last of the eight heights and continue our search. I’ll bring these six books with me.”
Our group moves to the twenty-fourth height as the chill from the mountaintop cascades down in a heavy embrace. I promptly reach for the extra coat Clair delivered at some point and wrap it around my green cloak, the warmth instantly comforting me from the cold that’s trying to consume my full being.
Ancients,I hate the cold now.
I put up with it during our winters, but I think it’s safe to say that I now want nothing to do with it after this trip.
I sigh again and take a look at the heights above us, noticing they’re indeed more smaller and condensed then the ones below. The opening at the top of the mountain is now wider and bringing in the morning air with a stronger gust. I wrap the coat tighter along my waist as Golem places a small plate of breakfast on the table in front of me and walks away. The berry crumble is nice but I immediately reach for the coffee, happy to let the caffeine take a hold of my heart and keep my body moving.
My breath is now coming out in soft white hues as I wait for Golem and Morose to bring back books for me to read. I rub my hands together and blow warmth into them, this height truly colder than any others we’ve made camp at though not nearly as cold as those remaining above.
I flick through the six texts we’ve kept as leads and feel my eyes droop at the thousands of words plastered over the pages. My hands start shaking again when I flip through them, and soon enough, so does the rest of my body. There’s a silent battle raging in my bones that wants to force me to sleep, so I focus instead on my steady and pounding heart, letting the caffeine fuel the tired muscle that’s beating on its last life.
Golem is the first to return with a new stack of books and places them on the table. I give him a tired smile and reach for the top of the stack, my shoulders slumping over the wood in a heavy embrace. I read and proceed onto the next, then the next, and vaguely remember two more small stacks being brought in.
At some point I feel my head slouch in my hand and my elbow fall off the table. I catch myself at the last moment before my forehead hits the table.
Ancients.
My body just tried to force itself to sleep.
I can feel the heaviness wanting to take over completely, every part of my body begging for a rest and a break from this damn exhaustion. I refuse to give into it and instead read even harder, each finger trembling and shaking as I flip through page after page.
When the exhaustion becomes too unbearable and my body tries to fall asleep again, I quickly stand up and tilt my head to the mountain peak with a large sigh, debating my next plan of action.
I know I have to stay awake. Today is the last day. There’s no way I can go back to Zander empty handed.
