Page 37 of The Mage on the Hill
“A good hat.” Darius plunked it on his head, where it felt right and comfortable still. “Yes.”
“Perfect.” Toby’s grin had recovered its normal wattage. “Now you’re Indiana Valstad.”
Darius raised an eyebrow at him and tried his best to scowl. “Indiana Jones was… a hack.”
Two uninhibited laughs from Toby in under an hour felt like a satisfying victory.
When Zubayr frowned down at Toby’s sneakers, a walking stick also had to be acquired, and finally they set out, taking the Land Rover down the hill from Zubayr’s house, then back up to the parking lot in Leonard Harrison State Park so they could pick up the Turkey Path trail.
“It’s early in the season, and you get most people coming up here in the fall for the leaves. Then it gets crowded.” Zubayr pointed toward the trail sign that appeared unchanged from when Darius had seen it last. “Today should be pretty light traffic. It’s about a mile down. Steep in spots. So if either of you need to stop, don’t push yourself. Plenty of places to rest along the way.”
Toby’s gasp as he reached the spot where he could see the gorge sent a thrill up Darius’s spine. Someone who had seen it often might become jaded, but seeing it again through the wonder in Toby’s eyes was like the first time, gazing out over the closely huddled, round-topped mountains of coniferous green that dropped in sharp slopes to the creek below. Old geology—four hundred and eighty million years ago when the mountains formed and the water first began to carve its deliberate, persistent way through them.
“It’s gorgeous,” Toby whispered.
“It is.” Zubayr pulled in a deep breath, his expression almost relaxed. These were his mountains—Darius understood that sense ofI belong here. “I hear people call it the Grand Canyon of the East. Not the best comparison. We’re going down to the third waterfall, then heading off the trail.”
The weather cooperated as if someone had asked a special favor of Mother Nature. In the midfifties, with only the occasional light breeze, sun enough that it was still comfortable under the trees, and clouds enough to cut down on the glare of a completely clear sky. Zubayr led the way with Toby following. Darius took the back, since he might need more time in steeper sections and he could keep a better eye on Toby that way.
Most of the trail wound through a series of switchbacks. Sturdy and sometimes not so sturdy fencing served as guardrails where there were drop-offs. Benches waited at several turns, and wooden bridges spanned boggy areas or gullies too deep to fill in for the path. Zubayr was right in that summer and fall saw a good deal of foot traffic, so the park kept the trail in excellent condition. Civilization etched into the midst of a dark coniferous forest so hikers could have the experience of the natural world with most of the inherent perils removed.
Darius wasn’t criticizing. He wasn’t at all the rugged explorer he’d once been, and his creaking body appreciated good trails. Though… woods, Central PA…. “Copperheads?” he called down the trail.
The glare from Zubayr probably should have turned him to stone. “Really? That’s your commentary on the trail, Valstad? Don’t worry, Toby. The snakes don’t like the trails much, and it’s not warm enough for them to be active yet.”
“Oh, um, okay? Copperheads are poisonous, right?”
“I suppose if you ate the venom gland, they would be,” Zubayr answered at his driest. “Otherwise, they’re venomous. But not numerous and too sleepy today.”
“Anything else? Bears? Wolves? I dunno, small dragons?”
Darius couldn’t help a little smile. “Grizzlies. Tigers. Giant… spiders.”
“Great.” Toby stopped and waited for him to catch up before poking him in the chest. “No teasing the city boy. Not funny.”
He wanted to catch that hand and kiss those fingers. Darius contented himself with a soft chuckle.
Two rests, one near fall on a patch of slippery pebbles (Darius), one small cobweb freak-out (Toby), and they’d reached the terraced falls near the bottom of the trail. Here they left the trail, with Zubayr helping Toby over the dark, moss-covered stones to cross where the falls narrowed. Magic thrummed under Darius’s feet here, calling him to take off his shoes and sink his toes into his Earth magic. This confluence where Zubayr had found his Water ran deep under the falls and in a rough outward oval from where they had crossed.
They didn’t need the water today, stopping instead in a clearing hidden from anyone who might be on the nearby trail. Toby sank onto a fallen log as soon as they halted.
“All right?” Darius crouched in front of him, checking his hands.Good. Steady trickle.
“M’okay. I am. Legs were just getting a little shaky.” Toby squeezed his hands. “You holding up?”
“Durable… despite appearances.”
“Maybe there’s gym memberships in our future. Try to get back to being able to walk up and down stairs like normal people.”
You don’t even know that you’re doing it, talking so casually about having a future. This is why I believe in you.“Take a minute.” Darius joined him on the log. “Tell me… when.”
Zubayr patted him on the shoulder. “I’m going back up. You don’t need me for this, really, and it’s better with fewer people watching over your shoulder. I have my phone on. Call me if you need anything. Like scaring off a tiger or some such.”
The urge to call him back sat heavy in Darius’s throat, but he managed not to. Zubayr was right. This wasn’t Pittsburgh. Toby’s channel wasn’t one that would cause natural disasters. And yes, Toby would most likely concentrate better with just the two of them.
“I’m good.” Toby nudged him. “So what are we doing?”
“Phone.”
