CHAPTER 41: 41: BROKEN BRIDGE PT 1

Drake led his friends down the long dirt road. Ahead of them was a bridge that looked like something large had crashed into it, breaking it into pieces. He could see no way to get across the bridge. On each side of the ravine, there was a remnant of the bridge; there were only the first few planks to walk on. The center of the bridge was missing completely.

The bridge had been broken for a long time, and the old wood was already turning gray and brittle. Even stepping on the small portion of the bridge that was left could mean disaster; the wood would turn to dust from extra weight, causing an endless fall into the deep, dark depths of the ravine.

The ravine stretched as far as the eye could see. Even on the map, it extended off the parchment and out of sight. It appeared never-ending. Drake could see no possible way to cross the broken bridge.

"So, now what? How do we cross it?" Mike asked, staring at the skeleton of what was left of the bridge. "The gap between the two sides is too wide, so we can’t jump across or throw something to pull us over. The wood is too brittle, and the ravine is way too deep. We can’t even see the bottom. If we fell, there is zero chance of survival. What do you want to do?"

Drake pulled out the map and studied the area where the bridge was. The ravine stretched across the map as if there was no ending. He could see no other bridges along the ravine. The broken bridge was the only one. It was as if they didn’t want anyone on the other side of the ravine. He knew that wasn’t the case; there was a town somewhere on the other side. It was called Storm Town. It was on the map.

As he studied the map, the thought of the town, still in his mind, a revelation flashed through his head. The town on the other side of the bridge had the same name as the power that Mike had. The second town that wasn’t that far away was called Chadwick town, which would be for Chad, and the one they had stayed at was named after him. Something told him that the three towns were named after the three of them. This, in his mind, confirmed that they were on this quest together. It was their quest, too.

Another thought formed in his mind. ’I wonder if Mike is the key to crossing, considering his town is on the other side.’ Shaking his head and releasing that thought, he turned back to the map to see what options he could find.

"I don’t see any option," Drake grumbled as he studied the map, trying to come up with a plan. He looked over at Renn, "Any chance you can fly?" It was more of a sarcastic statement. He had no idea what to do. He was pulling the proverbial straws, trying to figure out a way across.

Renn gave her half bark, half howl. Her green eyes were glowing faintly as she watched the Ravine. She was guarding it in the same manner as she did the forest around the clearing they stayed in.

"I’ll take that as a no," Drake said dryly. "I wish you had wings."

Letting his eyes glow a bright emerald green, Drake looked at the bridge and then the surrounding area. A thought had crossed his mind. Things in this dimension are not always as they seem. The main example he could think of was the clearing of illusion. It looked like they were in the middle of endless water, but it turned out to be an illusion. Drake wondered if that was the case here. He had the lamp of truth on his belt, and even without his magical sight, everything should appear as it really was, cutting through any illusions that may be present.

’No, it’s what it looks like. I have my lantern on and my sight. It looks the same either way you look at it.’ Drake thought, then picked up a rock and tossed it over the edge where the bridge should be. It fell to the ravine’s dark depths with no resistance. There was nothing to stop its fall.

"I’m open to suggestions," Drake said. He was frustrated. He wished that things wouldn’t be so messed up. He already hated this dimension. This place was filled with life-or-death situations, and he hated living like that. He couldn’t wait to get home to the ordinary world. He liked the new skills and the cool new familiar was nice, but he almost died twice, Chad once. He prayed that none of that would happen to Mike.

Mike frowned. "I got nothing." He was frustrated as well. They couldn’t seem to catch a break.

Chad studied the bridge. "Maybe it’s a puzzle." His brows were knitted together in thought as he tried to figure out the solution to getting across. He thought of scenario after scenario from the movies he had watched, with the characters in the same situation.

"How can a bridge be a puzzle?" Mike asked. He couldn’t think of any possible way that could be true. It looked like an old bridge with no way across. He knew it was real because he watched Drake test it. The rock fell, disappearing into the ravine.

Chad turned to Mike. "I watched this movie once. It had a bridge. I don’t remember the movie’s name, but in it, there were invisible platforms that you had to walk on to get across. If you missed one, you would fall. They were positioned in different locations, so it wasn’t a straight line. Anyway, I was wondering if this bridge could be something like that."

Drake, hearing his friend’s suggestion, picked up a handful of dirt and started walking toward the bridge. When he reached the edge, he looked down into the endless ravine. It reminded him of a crack in the world, where if you fell through, you would fall into the expanse of space. He could see no ending, no bottom; there was only darkness.

Flinging the dirt that he had in his hand, he let it fan out; it soared out from his hand, spreading out as it flew farther, then started to descend. There was no resistance, no invisible platform, there was nothing. The dirt kept falling into the abyss, vanishing out of sight.

He turned to look at Chad. "Nothing. Any more ideas? We have to remember that things in this dimension are not always what they seem. I think a puzzle is a valid option; we would just have to figure out what that puzzle is." He was hopeful. If they couldn’t get across the ravine to the other side, they would not be able to complete their quest and go home. He had thought about all the games he had back home. When you came across a broken bridge, you would have to collect items to repair it. He didn’t have any tools to cut wood or build with. He also needed something like nails or rope to attach the wood to extend the bridge. He had no idea where to start.

Mike started to chuckle for no apparent reason. Chad and Drake turned to see what was so funny. Seeing his friends look at him, he explained. "I was just thinking, it’s too bad you couldn’t tame a flying beast. Then I thought. We haven’t seen any beasts other than wolf-type. Gargoyles aren’t beasts, so it’s not like you can tame them. Then I had this image of gargoyles flying us across because you tamed them. It was funnier than it sounds. I mean, they’re trying to kill us, why would they help us?"

Drake sighed. "I guess I would have to see the image for myself. Either that or you are going insane laughing at things that aren’t really funny from being in this dimension too long."

Mike shrugged. "You would have to see the image for yourself."

The sound of Renn growling caught their attention. Her green eyes were narrowed, focused on the ravine. Glowing green saliva began to drip from her fangs. Her claws extended.

Drake immediately uncoiled his whip, letting it fill with energy. He prepared his spells in his other hand, ready to fight.

Mike pulled his sword, holding it in a firm grip. The spikes of his gauntlets glistened in the light of the twin suns.

Chad held his bow, with a glowing arrow already notched.

Staring at the ravine that Renn was focused on, they prepared for battle. They waited for something to happen. Everything was quiet. They knew something was coming. If there weren’t, Renn wouldn’t be acting the way she was. A sudden sound echoed in the ravine. As every second passed, the sound became louder. It sounded like massive wings, and there were a lot of them.