Deeds of Their Past - 14. Chapter Fourteen

Brohm was right. Neither had gotten much sleep. They took turns napping, but jolted awake at the smallest sound. When first light finally broke, both men were inwardly relieved the night was finally over.

Leaving the gully behind, they continued their journey across the barren mountain range, spending most of the day climbing the path in a series of switchback turns up a steep mountainside. Reaching the summit, they found themselves still dwarfed by the seemingly never-ending parade of peaks surrounding them.

At the higher altitude, the wind blew colder, and random patches of snow became more prevalent. Nathan noted the path had skirted around the large mountain, and they were now heading westward.

As evening approached, they scouted for a place to camp, but had no luck. Once the sun had dipped below the horizon, it quickly became bitterly cold, and the constant wind blew right through their clothes.

“Up there!”

Brohm pointed in the near dark to a recess in the rock twenty metres up the uneven mountainside. From their vantage point, it was difficult to tell if it was large enough to hold even one person.

“I’ll go up and check it out,” Nathan said.

The climb wasn’t as treacherous as he expected, and found the recess wasn’t a cave, but simply a crack in the side of the mountain. It was large enough for the two of them to spend the night, and most importantly, the surrounding walls acted as an excellent barrier from the wind. Nathan jumped his way down to find Brohm donning his woollen clothing.

“So you finally decided it was cold enough to put on some proper clothes?” Nathan chided.

“Getting there, yuh. I hope you have some good news.”

“It’s the best we’re gonna find tonight. Let’s grab the blankets, food and water, and head up.”

“What about the horses?” Brohm asked.

Nathan shrugged. “There’s nothing we can do. Let’s just hope they’ll be okay.”

It was clear Brohm didn’t like it, but knew Nathan was right. The big man had a tougher time scaling the rock, but managed to make it unscathed. Laying down a few blankets over the rough ground helped to create some comfort, and they sat in the dark, eating their boring meal.

“What I wouldn’t give for a warm fire right now,” Nathan said, rubbing his hands.

Brohm, stuffing a chunk of bread in his mouth, took Nathan’s hands into his. In comparison to the cold air, they were burning hot, and sensation quickly returned to his fingers.

“Like a blacksmith’s forge,” Nathan said.

Brohm smiled. “Yup.”

After eating his fill, Nathan lay down on his side and pulled up a blanket. The wind whistled through their small refuge, but down low on the ground, it was a negligible breeze. He casually watched Brohm, who peered up curiously at the night sky through the narrow chasm, and down at the horses on the path.

Nathan smiled to himself, feeling immensely safe. They were in the middle of nowhere, and he had a burly ally at his side. Hot, raw emotion suddenly filled his core and spread across his body, yet he shivered, his skin covered with goosebumps.

Brohm belched loudly, the sound reverberating in the small space. “Oops, sorry,” he said, packing the food back into a bag.

“Any idea how far it is to get out of this pass?” Nathan asked.

Brohm yawned and lay down beside him. “I reckon we’re halfway through. There’ll be a few more days of this cold weather, but we should be fine.”

Nathan nodded and closed his eyes. “Goodnight Brohm.”

“G’night,” he said, resting on his back, continuing to stare up at the small patch of night sky.

* * *

Nathan woke to find himself on frozen tundra of hard-packed snow and patches of ice. Beyond lay a flat and featureless horizon in all directions. White ground, blue sky. He shielded his eyes from the relentless sun. It sat large in the sky, yet offered no warmth.

For hours, he wandered the empty plains, never finding escape from the cold or blinding white. The sun seemed stuck in place, never shifting from its position in the sky. Finally collapsing to his knees, shivering uncontrollably, he gave up any hope and waited for the elements to take him.

A distant voice caught his attention. Scanning the horizon, he saw a black speck breaking the white continuity, barely able to make out the figure’s arms waving overhead. The voice called again. He was unable to discern the words, yet the intonation seemed friendly, and given the circumstances, he didn’t care if it was friend or foe. Pulling on his remaining strength, he stumbled his way toward the black speck.

Stepping onto a patch of ice, he slipped and fell, smashing his head against the frozen ground. The stark contrast of red blood splashed against white alarmed him, and he pressed a hand against the wound to slow the bleeding. Attempting to pick himself up, his slow reflexes failed him again and he slipped, spraining his ankle and falling backward.

Yelling out in pain and anger, he looked toward the horizon, hoping the person would come to his aid, but the black speck had disappeared. With nervous fervour, he surveyed the empty vista, hoping he’d simply lost track, but as he feared, the person was gone.

Despair took him, and he fell to racking sobs. The wound continued to bleed profusely, stinging his eyes and staining the icy white around him. He didn’t care. He welcomed it to speed up the inevitable.

Then a hand grabbed his shoulder in a firm grip.

“Nathan.”

He recognized the voice, but couldn’t put a name to it. Wiping his eyes, he glanced up with blurry vision. The figure stood in shadow behind the gigantic sun, its face obscured.

“H-help me,” Nathan managed.

“You’ll be fine. Just take my hand,” the voice said, calm and confident.

Reaching out with a bloodied hand, the figure accepted it and pulled him to his feet. The act of rising up blinded him with a flash of light, and he let go in an attempt to shield his eyes. But even covered, all he saw was white. He felt weightless, and exhaustion left his body. A calm filled him, and all was silent.

“Are you still there?” he whispered.

“I’ll always be there for you.”

The soft words surrounded him, its solemn vow filling him with an aching joy so strong he thought he would weep. Gradually, the world returned. Birdsong. A distant river flowing. A gentle breeze smelling faintly of jasmine. Warmth.

Blinking again, his vision returned. He found himself naked, standing in a meadow of long grass surrounded by trees.

“Nathan,” the voice spoke behind him.

He turned to find Brohm stepping toward him, also naked, yet unconcerned. He took Nathan into his arms and held him fiercely.

“Thank you, Brohm.”

The big man held Nathan’s head, moving in to grant a passionate kiss. Instead, to Nathan’s surprise, Brohm offered him a sly smile.

“You really need to take a piss.”

Nathan, baffled by such a statement, realized he was right. “What? How—”

“You should really go.” Brohm nodded sagely.

“But what about that kiss?”

* * *

Nathan jerked from his slumber and opened his eyes, confused. He found himself sleeping on his side, staring at the rock wall. Loud snoring assaulted his ears, and he felt a heavy weight along his side and a hand on his chest.

Gathering his senses, he pulled back the blanket to find Brohm’s arm holding him close. The big man had snuggled up behind him, keeping Nathan comfortably warm. Despite two layers of clothing and his cloak, warmth emanated from Brohm all along his backside. He smiled, feeling Brohm’s chest push against his back as he snored.

Then he felt something else: his bladder near to bursting. Slipping out from Brohm’s grip, he braved the cold and stepped out of their little refuge. The wind had calmed, but the bitter cold remained. While taking care of his business, he gazed up at the stars, telling him a few hours remained before daybreak. He finished and wormed his way back under the blankets, snuggling up against Brohm. Careful not to wake him, he delicately took the big man’s arm and laid it over him as before.

Thankful that the snoring had subsided, he closed his eyes and tried to get back to sleep, but it was no good. His mind filled with rousing fantasies of the man that held him.

“In my dreams,” he whispered to himself.

“What dreams?”

“Oh, I thought you were asleep. Sorry for waking you.”

“S’okay. It’s still dark though. Let’s sleep some more,” he said, pulling Nathan closer against his body.

“Thanks for keeping me warm,” Nathan said.

“No problem, l’il buddy. You were shivering in your sleep.”

Nathan closed his eyes and tried his best to quiet his mind, but the few last hours before daybreak seemed to last an eternity.