Inktober 2024 - 19 - Ridge

"All you have to do is get to that ridge. Past that point, you'll be safe."

His aunt's words – among the last ones he would ever hear from her – were echoing in his mind as he walked. At first, it had seemed like a reasonable target, but now that he had been alone in the wilderness for a few days, he was not so convinced anymore. Surely he did not need to go that far to lose his pursuers? Surely they wouldn't go to such lengths just to catch him? Maybe he could stop now, and he would still be all right? When he had been looking at it from the village, the ridge did not look so remote, but now, even though he had been steadily going towards it since he'd left, it felt out of reach.

Other strong arguments against his caretaker's advice were bouncing around in his head: why that ridge in particular? What made it so special that, upon reaching it, he would be out of harm's way? How ridiculous of a reference point was it? Besides, if the people chasing him could get to the ridge, what would stop them from going over it like he was supposed to? None of it made sense.

It helped – or rather it didn't – that he finally had time to think about it all. When the danger was clear and present, getting as far away as possible made sense, and he did not question the specifics. Now that he was no longer under immediate threat, fleeing seemed less pressing.

Of course, if he was wrong, and they did catch up with him, he would not have another opportunity to escape. By the time he noticed them on his heels, it would be too late. They would not let him put this much distance between him and them again. So, on the off chance that his aunt's advice was correct, he soldiered on.

It took him several more days to reach his destination. By then, he had decided to get there out of sheer spite, just to know whether or not his aunt had been right. He didn't know what he would gain from it, but he wished he could tell her somehow, in case she ever had to give the same advice to someone else. He could never bring her the information either way. Whether or not there was a safe place beyond that ridge, there would be no journey back.

The good news was, there was some sort of translucent barrier running along the ridge. The bad news was, there was no guarantee that those hunting him would not be able to go through as he was about to, or that there weren't people just like them on the other side anyway, if not worse. But he'd come so far. He knew for sure what awaited him if he went back, and it couldn't be pretty, whereas there was a modicum of hope of indeed finding a better place if he crossed that line. So, he took a deep breath, and went through.