💎A Collision of Fates💎 (Straight to Gay) (MxM) (18+)

85 - Breck

"This looks ominous," Warlan said. He put his hands on his hips and turned to both sides, looking for agreement. "Is it on the map?"

Henrov tilted the piece of parchment to the side, and held it closer to his face. "No. But there isn't much on this map in the first place." He looked into the deep ravine that cut through the rocky, craggy ground in front of them. "This is where the road leads, though, and it should bring us to the viney trees, our next landmark."

"We'll just have to hope that it's a quick journey," Mikh said.

"This is what we signed up for, defenders," Henrov said. "We're almost there."

"I'm only nervous because... well... we know The Golden Spire is aware of our presence, right? What with Maxil attacking Nick and Breck in Garresz." Warlan pointed at the ravine. "I just can't help but think that this would be a good ambush point."

"We don't know that." Henrov shook his head. "Maxil was seen in Garresz, so what? We have traveled for days since then, finding our way through the most mysterious forest in the world. If Maxil followed us here, we would've seen him."

"If you say so," Warlan said, his voice remaining unconvinced.

Breck breathed out, and looked down at Nick. The other man was standing close to him, closer than he had before. Since last night and their talk with Warlan and Mikh, something had changed within Nick. He was putting on more of a show now, acting more like Breck's soulmate. Mikh's comment must've really scared him.

"What are you thinking?" Breck asked, keeping his voice low.

Nick shrugged and turned up, meeting Breck's gaze. "I'm thinking that we don't really have much of a choice."

The descent from the top of the cliff had been pretty smooth. There was a wide, steady path that carved its way down from the top of the overlook, sliding, carefully, across the edge of the cliff and gently guiding travelers back into The Spread below. But this ravine before them, a deep gash in the earth, was not going to be smooth. On each side of the ravine, jagged, rocky walls soared upwards. The walls would not be able to be scaled. When they entered the thin, twisty ravine, they would have to follow it until it ended.

Henrov rolled the map back up and slid it into the small satchel that he had been carrying it in. He eyed the ravine again, and then turned back to the rest of them. "Don't stray from the group. Stick close together. If you see anything, anything at all, let me know." He didn't ask for words of affirmation this time, which was odd. The old man simply turned back around and began their trek through the ravine.

The rest of them had no choice but to follow him. Breck and Nick brought up the rear of the party. They walked into the ravine side-by-side. Breck trained his eyes on the tops of the ravine walls, hoping that their walk would remain uneventful. He could barely see over the bend. Above the endless, rocky sides, small patches of grass were visible, but they quickly curved over the edges of the walls. Above, the great trees of The Spread loomed over them, almost looking like they were leaning down, hanging over top of them oppressively.

And that was how they moved through the ravine. Henrov and Geer led the way at the front of the pack, silent and careful. Occasionally, Henrov called out a warning when a large root stuck out of the ground or a rock presented a tripping hazard. Even Warlan and Mikh, who had spent their entire journey south talking, were mostly quiet. They shared a few whispered words here and there, but Breck could sense their nervousness. Nick walked in front of Breck, his crallo, again, barely managing to contain his ass. And Breck made sure to watch their surroundings, prepared for any danger, any commotion.

Walking through the ravine was not a short journey, not like they had hoped. It stretched onwards for a long time, tracing a winding, meandering path through The Spread, forcing them to move in directions that would not lead them to their goal. The sun shifted in the sky, the canopy of the forest above them allowing slats of light to beam down from above. By the time the sun had begun to fall in the sky, they still hadn't reached the end of the ravine.