Chapter 9 The Beast and The Bridge

Gabi wasted no time. The moment she appeared, she grabbed my hand tightly and pulled me along. Her fingers dug into my wrist as she ran.

I didn't even know what was happening.

I just ran.

The thing she was running from wasn't even close enough for me to see properly, but the fear on her face was enough to make my legs move. Rocks crunched beneath our feet as we raced through the darkness.

"What's going on?" I asked.

My voice came out breathless as I struggled to keep up with her pace.

"Do not look back." She warned.

But I didn't listen. I turned my head.

The moment I did, my entire body went cold.

Something was chasing us. At first, I thought it was just a large animal. Then it stepped into the moonlight.

The creature was massive. Its body resembled a mountain lion mixed with a lizard, but horribly distorted. Thick gray skin stretched over layers of muscle. Jagged bone spikes protruded from its back and shoulders. Its front limbs were longer than its legs, giving it a strange hunched appearance as it charged forward.

Its eyes glowed pale white in the darkness, making it look almost blind.

Every step caused the ground to tremble slightly. The beast wasn't particularly fast.

It didn't need to be. Its enormous size allowed it to cover terrifying distances with every stride.

"What is that?" I screamed out.

"Canyon beasts." She said.

The creature let out another roar that echoed through the canyon walls. My heart nearly stopped. We ran harder.

The wind slapped against my face. My corset squeezed my ribs so tightly that every breath felt painful. My legs ached, but I forced them to keep moving.

Soon we reached a narrow section of the canyon. A deep gap split the rocky ground ahead. A small cliff separated one side from the other. Gabi stopped suddenly.

The beast was still behind us. Not close enough to grab us.

"We have to jump." She said.

I stared at the gap.

"Jump."

Before I could argue, Gabi tightened her grip on my hand. Then she jumped.

The world seemed to disappear beneath me.

For one terrifying moment, there was nothing below except darkness. Then Gabi landed safely on the opposite side.

I wasn't so lucky. My foot slipped. My body moved downward, I screamed as I slid over the edge. My hands desperately clawed at the rocky surface.

Then something grabbed my leg, it was the Canyon Beast. It had reached the cliff. One of its massive claws wrapped around my ankle.

Its weight pulled me downward.

I felt my body stretch painfully as I dangled between the cliff and the beast. The canyon wind roared in my ears. Below me was nothing but darkness and jagged rocks.

Above me, Gabi stared in horror. The beast growled and tightened its grip. Its claws dug into my boot. I could feel myself slipping.

Slowly, inch by inch.

The creature tried pulling itself back up using me.

I screamed again.

My fingers were losing strength. I thought this was it. I thought I was going to die. Gabi dropped to her knees immediately.

"Hold on." She said.

I wanted to laugh.

Hold on? I was barely hanging on. The beast growled again and pulled harder.

My shoulders screamed in pain. Then I saw Gabi pull out a dagger. She crawled closer to the edge. The beast snapped its jaws beneath me. I kicked desperately at its face again and again but nothing worked.

The beast refused to let go. Gabi leaned farther over the cliff than I thought possible.

For a second, I thought she was going to fall too. Then she struck, the dagger shot downward straight into the beast's eye.

It roared and immediately released my leg , its body lost balance and for a brief second, I saw pure rage in its remaining eye.

Before it fell form the cliff, all I could hear was it's roar.

Gabi immediately grabbed my arm and pulled me back onto solid ground.

The moment I touched the ground, I collapsed. My chest heaved violently.

I couldn't control my breathing. The corset felt like it was crushing my ribs.

My vision blurred instantly.

"I can't breathe." I muttered.

Gabi knelt beside me.

"Do you have Asthma."

I shook my head. "No, it's the corset."

Realization crossed her face. Without hesitation, she grabbed the dagger again and cut off the corset.

The pressure vanished instantly as air rushed into my lungs. For the second time in what felt like forever, I could breathe properly.

Gabi looked at the ruined corset.

"Beauty is indeed pain." She muttered.

I sat there breathing heavily. My hands were shaking. I had almost died again.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke we just decided to walk back to the camping site.

"Why didn't you leave me all alone, you risked your life to save mine." I started the conversation.

Gabi kept walking for a few seconds before answering.

"If I left you to die, I will also die, the baroness would kill me. So I'll rather die for you instead." She replied with a smile.

I slowed slightly. Her answer hurt more than I expected. Not because it was cruel but because it was honest.

"But I don't worth it." I whispered.

Gabi sighed. "Sooner or later. You'll be the one to rule the Barony. I'll have no choice but to accept you. I am way below you even if I am skilled, people like you can still destroy me in a second."

I immediately shook my head. "I am not like her." I replied.

Gabi looked ahead. The moonlight reflected off the rocks around us.

"You're still young, you can't really say who you're like or who you'll be like. There are may more years to come and may more things that'll happen."

I couldn't argue with that. Maybe she was right. Maybe nobody truly knew who they would become.

Soon voices echoed ahead and several Bladders appeared. Rowan was leading them. The moment he spotted me, he rushed forward.

"Young master. Are you okay?"

He immediately pushed Gabi aside and started checking me from head to toe.

"What happened?"

"We were attacked. She saved me." I replied softly.

Rowan didn't even look at Gabi. His eyes focused entirely on me. Then he noticed the blood on my palms. His expression darkened instantly.

In one swift motion, he drew his blade and pressed it against Gabi's neck.

"What were you thinking? How could you let the young master get hurt and you had no scratch." Rowan growled.

I was surprised by his behaviour. I froze and stared at him trying to understand what was happening.

"Rowan, she saved my life. Put down the blade now." I said.

Rowan hesitated then lowered the weapon before stepping back.

"Everyone go back to rest. Our journey continues tomorrow." Rowan said.

Slowly, everyone began leaving.

I glanced back at Gabi. She said nothing.

Neither did I. But for the first time since arriving here, I felt like I owed someone my life.

I was back in the tent before I even realized it.

My body was exhausted. Every muscle ached from running, falling, hanging off a cliff, and nearly becoming dinner for a Canyon Beast. The moment I lay down, sleep claimed me.

---

Morning came far too quickly. It felt like I had only closed my eyes for a few minutes.

I hissed under my breath and buried my face into the blanket. I wanted another hour of sleep. Just one more hour.

Unfortunately, nobody cared what I wanted.

I dragged myself outside the tent. Rowan was already standing there fully dressed and prepared.

The other Bladders were awake too. Some were packing supplies while others were extinguishing the campfire. Everyone looked ready except me.

I stood there for a moment without saying anything.

"We'll be setting out soon." Rowan said.

I nodded tiredly. Soon the camp was packed and we continued our journey through the canyon.

The path became narrower as we moved deeper into the rocky terrain. Massive stone walls rose on both sides of us. The further we traveled, the quieter everything became.

I turned briefly and noticed Enzo speaking with Gabi. I didn't think much about it.

I simply looked away and focused on the road ahead.

I already wanted this mission to be over.

We had barely completed half the journey and I was already exhausted.

After several hours of traveling, the canyon suddenly opened up. Then I saw it.

The bridge.

My stomach immediately tightened. The bridge stretched across a massive gap in the canyon. Thick ropes held it together while old wooden planks formed the pathway. Some of the boards looked newer than others. Many appeared weathered, cracked, and worn by years of use.

The entire structure swayed gently with the wind.

"We need to cross over."

I stared at the bridge.

"Can it bear all our weight at once?" I asked.

"Yes, it should." Rowan replied.

The word should did not inspire confidence.

The wagon rolled forward first. The horses moved carefully onto the bridge. Immediately the structure groaned beneath their weight.

Every plank creaked. Every rope stretched.

The bridge swayed from side to side.

The horses flattened their ears nervously and snorted as they walked.

Even the wind felt stronger here. It pushed against the bridge and made the ropes tremble.

"Keep moving," Rowan ordered.

Nobody complained. There was no other route. The wagon continued forward. The Bladders followed behind while others remained near the rear.

I stepped onto the bridge carefully.

The moment my foot touched the wood, the entire structure shifted slightly beneath me.

My heart nearly stopped.

I grabbed one of the side ropes immediately.

The others didn't seem bothered at all.

It was obvious they had crossed bridges like this before and I was the only one struggling not to panic.

I tried avoiding looking down. That lasted three seconds. The moment I glanced over the edge, my stomach twisted violently.

The canyon seemed endless. My legs instantly weakened and I looked away.

"Don't look down, Young Master," Rowan advised.

Too late, I already had.

The wagon reached the middle first. Everything seemed fine. Then came a small crack sound, everyone heard it.

Every single person froze another crack followed, this one was louder.

The bridge dipped slightly. The horses immediately became restless. Their nervous movements caused the wagon to shake.

Rowan's expression changed instantly.

"Move the wagon!"

The Bladders reacted immediately. They rushed forward and began pushing. The horses pulled harder. The wagon moved forward. I didn't want to help but I also didn't want to die.

I rushed forward and joined them. Together we shoved against the heavy wagon. The wheels rolled across the wooden planks.

Then another crack sound.

Several planks shattered behind us. My blood ran cold instantly.

"I thought you said it was safe." I hissed at Rowan.

He didn't answer because now everyone could hear it. The bridge was breaking apart.