Keon was out of control. Disorientated from the fall, the world was kaleidoscoping around him. Suddenly he levelled out as the wind shifted direction. He found himself staring straight ahead towards the opposite walls of the Narrow Strait. He’d lost a good deal of altitude and was unlikely to make it even a kilometre. He wanted to turn and see if anyone was coming for him, but dared not risk banking off course. The floor of the canyon was fast approaching. Sticking out both legs, he braced himself for the impact.

Particles of dust choked his throat as his feet hit the ground hard and a rock clipped his foot. Knees bent, he tried breaking into a controlled run to slow his speed. The pain shooting up his ankle forced him to let go of the glider, pushing him into a roll. After tumbling several metres, he slid to an achy stop.

His legs, his back, his ribs. Everything throbbed and he was caked in sparkling dust to boot. He looked like one of Bella’s art projects. She always left dunes of sparkly glitter piled up on the kitchen counter that he would inevitably have to clean. The ordeal would leave him twinkling from head to toe.

Rolling onto his hands and knees, he took stock of his surroundings. The shadow of the shining cliffs loomed over him. Zaphon was nowhere to be seen and wisps of orange and red were creeping across the waves of the evening sky. Night was fast approaching.

 

* * *

 

Dawit reached the edge of the cliff first. Dropping his glider, he’d taken off down the slope with a speed that belayed his size. There he was! Mercifully, Keon hadn’t drifted far. What little lift he’d gained had guaranteed that. The others quickly amassed around the cliff’s edge.

“What the bloody hell happened?!” said Shem.

“The winds. They came sooner than I expected…”

“No, we were late,” seethed Avana.

“He was holding it up. I warned him not to…”

“Does it matter?! We need to help him!” said Zahara.

“Should we abseil?” offered Kai.

Shem shook his head.

“We’ll lose the light. We need something fast.”

“And the gliders’ll take us out too far,” said Dawit. “Jonas?”

They turned to face the masked man, cradling his chin in deep thought. After a few seconds he began signing.

“What…Helicopter seeds?” said Zahara.

“You mean, sycamore seeds?” asked Dawit.

Jonas pointed at him.

“Yes! That’s it,” she said.

“What about them?”

She turned back to Jonas.

“We can ride our gliders down like sycamore seeds. They just need a few adjustments.”

Jonas gripped the centre of his glider and tore it down the middle. He bent both wings in opposite directions to make opposing blades. Next, he untied the rope from his pouch and bound it around the middle section. Tying the mouth of the pouch to preserve his horde from foraging, he fastened it back to his belt. He held the new contraption aloft and nodded to Dawit. A brilliant smile spread across Dawit’s face.

“Let’s do it.”

Without a second thought, Jonas ran and jumped off the cliff, gripping the roped centre of the blades. As the wind caught the glider, it spun a few feet into the air before steadily descending in a twirl. The others worked rapidly at their own gliders. Dawit, remembering that he’d dropped his on the way down, looked around frantically. There it was, halfway up the hill being gently rocked by the wind.

Down in the valley, Keon cocked an eyebrow at the spectacle unfolding before him as the Millionth and Fifth descended like a squadron of military helicopters coming to rest on the dusty sands of the valley, silhouetted against the gold evening sunlight.

Jonas landed first, a good two hundred metres away. Sprinting over, he skidded to a stop, immediately dropping to one knee to check Keon over. He didn’t realise this guy cared so much. His hands flashed in a myriad of signs before Keon’s eyes.

“I have no idea what you’re saying, but I’m glad to see you.”

A smile seemed to break out beneath the mask. Guess he had a jaw after all. He signalled to Keon’s ankle.

“It’s not that bad…ow…”

As Jonas pulled him painfully to his feet, they were joined by the others.

“You’re an idiot, y’know that?” said Avana.

Jonas shot her a look of rebuff. She rolled her eyes and walked away. Zahara came to support him on the other side, placing a hand on his chest to steady him. He felt his cheeks flush hot.

“You ok?”

He nodded silently.

Avana paced in irritation. Keon couldn’t quite hear what they were saying, but it looked like Kai was trying to calm her down. He could tell it wasn’t working though, given that she wouldn’t look him in the eyes; staring, instead, at some random rock on the valley floor.

“What’s her problem?” he muttered under his breath.

Zahara and Jonas exchanged looks.

“Try not to take it personally.”

“She called me an idiot. That’s pretty personal.”

“She’s not wrong though. That was pretty stupid.”

He was about to retort, but she was right. He wouldn’t admit that to her though. Not after she called him an idiot.

“Dawit, you gotta call it, mate,” said Shem.

Hands on his hips, Dawit heaved a sigh of resolution at the ground.

“We won’t make it. It’ll take us an hour just to reach the wall; more if Keon can’t walk.”

Kai dragged a clawed hand through his hair, “So what, we’re just gonna camp out in the middle of the Strait? You know what that means right?”

Keon limped over, Jonas and Zahara supporting him on either side.

“Yeah. No sleep tonight,” muttered Shem.

 

* * *

 

It was twilight by the time they neared the wall. The last streaks of daylight were glinting off the tips of the crystal cliffs. They set up camp about four hundred metres from the sheared rock face. The camp was arranged in a circle with a fire smouldering at its centre. Keon sat by the flames, arms folded under his armpits. Zahara sat cross-legged on the other side. A moist poultice had been applied to the injured ankle which did little to salve his bruised pride. Whatever was in it was doing wonders for his foot though. The sprain wasn’t even that bad, but Zahara insisted on fussing over it. He didn’t mind. Fussing over ittechnically meant she was fussing over him.

The rest stood armed, facing outwards into the canyon; all with swords and shields, some with spears or javelins. They’d forged bows that were slung across their backs and dozens of arrows embedded in the ground at their feet.

Dawit, standing at the western edge of the circle, turned to look back at the glistening cliffs. Following his gaze, Keon saw darkness extinguish the last glint of light lingering at the tip of the crystal canyon.

Dawit exhaled, shoulders sinking with the weight of expectation.

“Go time.”

From that point on, silence was the order; the only sound the gentle snap, crackle and pop of the flames. Beyond the orange halo of the campfire, the light dipped into a cobalt abyss; the canyon stretching out like a velvet sheet all around them. Nothing stirred.

Keon saw the last traces of twilight give way to the cool, simmering glow that filled the ocean each night. After about twenty or so minutes, the nebulae began to shine.

His gaze fell back upon the Millionth and Fifth, standing like a human Stonehenge around the camp.

“Are they seriously staying up all night?”

Zahara watched her comrades, solemn, “They don’t have a choice. If we’re not careful, they’ll sneak right past us.”

“Who?”

“The Mysts.”

 

* * *

 

The hours stretched doggedly into the night, yet still they stood. Every hour, someone took Zahara’s place by Keon. By midnight, they’d cycled through the entire team once and come back round to Zahara. Avana had beleaguered him to stay awake but doing so had become a losing battle.

“If they see you, they’ll ask questions. Under no circumstances are you to answer. Our job is to keep them away from you. Don’t make it harder,” she’d said.

“Why not forge a tent for me to hide in then?”

“They’re not stupid. A group of Torchbearers guarding a single tent in the middle of the Strait won’t go unnoticed.”

“Several tents then?”

“That would be even more conspicuous.”

Before his chin could tap his chest, he jerked back up to find himself gawking at a dull, grey cloud of smoke walking through the canyon. ‘Walking’, because it appeared to have legs. With each step, smoke billowed around the outline of a form that hung briefly in mid-air before dissipating.

He began to make out arms swinging at its side; a voluminous, featureless head bobbing to and fro with each stride. The humanoid form alternated between visible and invisible; indistinguishable from the swirling swells of smoke one second, then fuzzy arms and legs periodically taking shape before disintegrating into vapour.

There was a sudden flash of light amidst the plumes, like lightning arcing between storm clouds in the sky; then a blood curdling scream tore through the canyon, startling Keon alert.

There were more of them! At least five or six; maybe even seven, coming from all directions, trudging silently through the darkness. The Millionth and Fifth stood firm and immovable. Nobody flinched.

It was only when his chest started to burn that Keon realised he’d been holding his breath. At any other time of day, his exhalation probably would have gone unnoticed, but in the silence of the canyon, it seemed to ricochet from wall to wall.

The cloud nearest appeared to turn its head. It was hard to tell from the smoke billowing around its every movement. Angling towards the camp, it limped towards them. Keon couldn’t tear his eyes away from the apparition.

It came within inches of Shem’s set jaw, peering over his shoulder in Keon’s direction. It seemed to cock its head to one side, scrutinising him.

“What’s wrong with that one?” it said, wincing as a spark ignited its belly.

The rasp of its voice was crisp and loud, as though spoken directly into Keon’s mind. Shem held his head, moving only his eyes to glance in the thing’s direction. Nearby, Avana eyed him fiercely, silently admonishing him to keep his mouth shut.

“He’s injured.”

“We know a good few of the old remedies,” it said, jovially. “That poultice won’t quite do it you know. All you have to do is ask—”

“We don’t want your help!” snapped Avana, an uncharacteristic crack in her otherwise composed demeanour.

It was Shem’s turn to glare at her with a ‘what the hell are you doing?’

The cloud curled its head, fixing it’s smouldering gaze on Avana.

“Well, aren’t you a rude one?…What are you hiding?…Who is he?”

“This is Kingdom business,” said Shem, “Perhaps you’d like to take it up with the Throne?”

At this, it jolted, then slunk away in a trail of mist. It wouldn’t be the last to approach.

About an hour later, their numbers had increased exponentially. One in particular roamed around the defence circle like a commander inspecting his troops. It stopped, examining each member of the battalion from head to toe.

“Dawit. I know you…”

“Kai. I know you…”

“Shem. I know you…”

“Avana. I know you…”

“Oh, I know you…Jonas.”

Having completed the circle, it stopped, staring straight between their shoulders in the direction of Keon and Zahara.

“But who is this?”

Jonas moved to block its view, his steel blue eyes boring holes into the swirling mass of gas. After what felt like a seven-minute standoff, it appeared to lose interest and filter away.

In the distance, Keon saw three more huddled together. Despite their featureless visages, he was certain they were talking about him. No matter how much the group were trying to hide him, he was drawing attention.

“How long’s this gonna last?” he asked.

“Probably until daybreak,” said Zahara.

“When’s that?”

“Not soon enough...”

“What the bloody hell are they?”

“For lack of a better word?…Ghosts. Spirits of the ancient dead who refuse to rest in peace.”

“Ghosts…so, they can’t hurt us, right?”

“Oh no, they can hurt us,” she said, turning to him with a mischievous grin. “But we can hurt them right back.”

More and more of them were amassing in a froth of cloud encircling them, jostling and bumping one another; whispering in sharp hisses. Multiple flashes lit up the crowd.

“I think the jig’s up, mate,” called Shem to Dawit.

“What’s drawing them?” asked Kai.

“Avana ticked them off…”

“Well, who told you to have a bloody conversation?!”

“I had it under control!”

“Wellworn told us to!…”

“Guys…”

The Mysts began moving, as though suddenly spurned on by something. As they strode towards them through the dust and dirt, more and more flashes erupted from their billowing bodies, sparking into blue flames. As the flashes grew in intensity, they illuminated the shadowy silhouettes of long-limbed, gangly forms wreathed in the smoke; bodies bent and broken in awkward, contorted shapes. With each flash of light, they let out those ear splitting screams, their every step an excruciating agony.

“Aw hell…”

“Bows!” Dawit bellowed.

The Millionth and Fifth bent down, notched their arrows and released in synchronised unison. As the first few Mysts dropped like cascades of dry ice, the rest broke into sprints; their paths crisscrossing over one another as they bobbed and weaved through the dust. The burst of speed made their wispy forms harder to discern, the crossing paths of smoke and vapour obscuring their individual whereabouts. A wall of smog fanned around the defence line, cutting visibility to almost zero.

“Blades!”

Slinging the bows across their backs, the Millionth and Fifth grabbed their swords, shields and javelins.

“Close the line!”

Tilting the shields horizontally, they backed off several paces until the shields were but a few feet apart. At the approach of the Mysts, the fire seemed to recoil.

Keon spun round in a crouch. On all sides, sparks lit the area, as if they stood in the midst of a roaring lightning storm. In place of thunder were death curdling shrieks. Dawit slashed. Kai parried. Avana shoved. Jonas thrust. Shem stabbed.

“Don’t worry mate! We’ve got this!” called Shem over the clamour.

But Keon didn’t hear him. His eyes were locked onto the nebulous hand clawing its way between Avana’s feet. He cupped his hands around his mouth to bellow over the battle, but his warning was swallowed by the unearthly wails of living plumes. The frothing hand wrapped the points of its swirling claws around Avana’s ankles and yanked her feet out from under her. Keon could only watch as she hit the ground and vanished beneath her toppling shield.