The Witch's Apprentice: Chapter 25
Climbing the Colossus
Hello and welcome back to The Witch’s Apprentice. if you’re new here, I recommend starting from chapter 1. Otherwise, welcome back!
In the last chapter, we followed Sarah, Lix and Henry into the Rannoc Ranges where they happened upon upon a wandering colossus, carrying an elven artifact embedded in its side. According to Lix, the sword was one of the rare artifacts capable of weakening the elves of the Wild Hunt. Seeing an opportunity, Sarah attempted to fly up on her broom to retrieve it, but before she could grasp the hilt, the colossus swatted her from the air like a fly.
While she was recovering, Henry spotted a rope ladder hanging from the giant and decided to take his own chance, and that’s where we continue the story.
Chapter 25: Climbing the Colossus
The trio quickly closed the distance to the colossus, its frame creaking and groaning with each step as it plodded along.
They stopped ten feet from the giant. Now the ground was shaking, and pebbles and dust drifted like a cloud behind the wandering mountain.
"Watch out!" Henry shouted, ducking as a rock bounced off his shoulder.
Sarah flinched and covered her eyes against the dust swirling around them. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked, but Henry’s answer was cut off by Lix.
"If we get much closer, I’m going to be digging dust out of my scales for days," he whined, flapping his wings. "Do you know how hard it is to keep your scales nice and shiny like this?"
Henry gave a vague nod, his focus on the swinging rope ladder attached to the colossus’s thigh. The ladder swayed with each step, the rungs dangling tantalizingly close to the ground with each lurch forward. “I can do it,” he said, taking a deep breath.
Sarah grabbed his arm. “Be careful, though. If it notices you, we’re all in trouble.”
He nodded. “Don’t worry. I got this.”
With a quick burst of speed, he closed the remaining distance to the Juggernaut, the sound of his boots drowned out by the thunderous noises from the creaking behemoth. When he reached its feet, he leaped, grabbing onto the bottom rung of the rope ladder with both hands.
“Be careful,” Sarah hissed, her heart pounding as she watched him dangle precariously.
“I’m fine!” he called back, already pulling himself up the first few rungs. His boots found purchase on the swaying ladder, and he began climbing, his movements steady but swift.
Sarah’s breath caught as the colossus let out a low rumble, but it didn’t stop walking. It didn’t even turn its head. “He’s going to get himself killed,” she muttered, clutching her broom tightly.
Henry clung to the rope ladder, inching his way up the colossus’s rocky thigh. From the ground, Sarah squinted against the sunlight bouncing off the colossus’s jagged surface, her heart hammering as she watched him climb. The colossus continued its steady march, oblivious to the small human scaling its side.
“Maybe he’ll actually do it,” Sarah muttered under her breath, barely noticing Lix perched on her shoulder, his tail flicking anxiously.
“He’s almost halfway there,” Lix chirped. “I think he can do it.”
“I hope so,” Sarah muttered, her gaze fixed upward as Henry reached for another rung. The rope creaked under his weight, and for a moment, everything seemed fine. Then it happened.
One of the rungs frayed and snapped with a sharp twang, and Henry let out a startled yell as he dangled by one hand. His legs flailed for purchase, his boots scraping uselessly against the colossus’s rough surface. Sarah’s stomach dropped.
“Henry!” she shouted, her voice cracking.
The colossus let out a low rumble, the sound vibrating through the ground and up Sarah’s legs. It shifted slightly, as if swatting at an itch, and the rope ladder swung violently. Loose dirt and stones dislodged from its rocky surface, pelting the ground below. Henry slid down several rungs before catching himself, his knuckles white as he clung on for dear life.
“Don’t worry! I got this!” Henry yelled over his shoulder, though his voice wavered just enough to betray his nerves.
Lix, perched on Sarah’s shoulder, let out a nervous trill. “I don’t think he’s got it.”
“Me neither, Lix,” Sarah mumbled, her hands gripping her broom handle tightly. Her knees felt weak just watching him. If only she could help him somehow. But if she got to close on her broom, she would just get swatted again.
Henry began climbing again, his movements slower and more deliberate this time. Sarah held her breath as he reached the top of the ladder, finally pulling himself onto the colossus’s waist. He paused, one arm wrapped around a jagged protrusion of stone as he surveyed his next move.
“What’s he doing now?” Sarah muttered, squinting to see.
Henry reached into his bag and pulled out what looked like a grappling hook. He adjusted it with one hand while clinging to the colossus with the other, his movements careful but strained. Just as he prepared to throw the hook, the colossus shifted again. A sudden jolt sent Henry swinging wildly, his body slamming against the colossus’s side.
Sarah’s breath caught as he clung to a rocky outcrop with one hand, the other still holding the grappling hook. “Hold on, Henry!” she yelled, her voice trembling.
“For the record,” Lix added, “this was a terrible idea.”
Henry grunted, his muscles straining as he tried to pull himself up. For a moment, Sarah thought he might actually manage it. Then the rock he was clinging to crumbled under his weight, and with a startled cry, he plummeted.
The world seemed to slow as Henry tumbled through the air, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Dust and loose gravel kicked up around him as Sarah ran forward, her heart pounding.
“Henry!” she called, skidding to a stop at his side. He groaned, rolling onto his back and clutching his ribs.
“I’m fine,” he said, wincing as he sat up. “Mostly. My pride’s taken a beating, though.”
“Your pride?” Sarah stared at him, her hands on her hips. “You could have broken your neck!”
“Good thing I didn’t,” Henry said with a weak grin, dusting himself off as he got to his feet.
Sarah exhaled sharply, her anger fading into relief. “Well, at least it wasn’t a total waste.” She gestured to the ground around them, where shiny fragments of rock and mossy chips littered the earth like debris from a landslide. “There’s colossal chips everywhere.”
Lix fluttered down to examine one, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. “These are worth something, right?” he asked, poking at a chip almost as big as his body.
Sarah nodded, crouching to pick up a piece. “Yes. It’s one of the ingredients we need for Radley’s cure.”
Henry grinned, brushing off his pants. “See? Not a total failure after all.”
Sarah rolled her eyes but couldn’t help smile. “Let’s just grab what we can and get out of here before the colossus decides to come back.”
Soon after they'd gathered a substantial amount of chips, Sarah dropped a final handful into the sack strapped to the mule. "That should do it," she said, straightening up to stretch her aching back while slowly wiping her hands on her trousers, which were now covered in dirt.
“Think we’ve got enough?” Henry asked, leaning heavily against a boulder.
Sarah eyed the bulging sack and nodded. “Yeah, I think so.” She pushed her hair back, tying it into a messy knot to keep it off her face. She glanced at her hands, grimy and rough, and sighed. “Now we just need to find some Starlight Pigment. According to the journal, it’s some kind of glittering blue concoction that’s often used in cave paintings up here.”
“So we just need to find a cave and scrape off some old painting, then?” Henry said, shifting his weight.
“Yeah.” Sarah snapped the journal shut with a grin. “How hard can it be?”
Lix, who had been darting between scattered chips and buzzing with energy, landed on her shoulder. “Famous last words,” he said, tilting his head. His wings twitched, scattering a fine layer of dust into the air.
“Then let’s not jinx it,” Sarah said, brushing dirt off his shoulder with a smile.
“I think I know where to find a cave,” Henry said, glancing at the graying sky. “But there’s a storm coming. We better find shelter for the night.”
Sarah glanced at the sky. It didn’t look like it was going to rain, but after Henry’s prediction in Heatherholm, she knew better than to argue and soon after the first drops of rain tapped against Sarah’s jacket like tiny warnings.
“It’s just a drizzle,” she said looking up at the sky. “It’s actually quite nice after all the climbing.”
“We better find shelter,” Henry repeated in his stoic manner.
“Ok. But it’s only midafternoon,” Sarah said shaking her head.
But within minutes, the sky darkened, and the drizzle turned to a downpour. Raindrops streaked down her face, soaking her hair and clothes as the trail beneath her feet transformed into a muddy stream.
“Ok. I take it back,” Sarah spat, squinting against the sheets of rain. Her boots squelched with every step, and her sodden trousers clung to her legs. Lix had disappeared into the safety of her jacket pocket, the occasional flutter of his wings tickling her ribs.
“Better in here than out there!” Lix chirped, his voice muffled but unapologetic.
“Lucky you,” Sarah grumbled, shifting her pack higher on her shoulders as cold water trickled down the back of her neck.
Henry, leading the mule a few paces ahead, turned back with a grin despite the rain plastering his hair to his forehead. “We need to find some cover. Can’t have us drowning before we find that pigment.”
“Brilliant observation,” Sarah shot back, blinking raindrops from her lashes.
Henry just laughed, scanning the terrain with practiced eyes. The steep slopes and jagged rocks of the Rannoc Ranges offered little in the way of shelter, but he pressed forward, his pace steady despite the rising streams underfoot.
After what felt like an eternity of slogging through the rain, Henry raised a hand to signal them to stop. “There,” he said, nodding toward an overhang carved into the side of a hill. The rocky ledge jutted out just enough to offer some protection, and beneath it, the ground was relatively dry.
“Perfect,” Sarah said, relief flooding her voice.
“Let’s set up here,” Henry said, tying the mule to a nearby tree. He handed Sarah a bundle of canvas. “Help me with the tent.”
Soon after, they were out of the rain and Lix poked his head out, his tiny face scrunched in annoyance. “This rain is awful,” he said, his wings buzzing faintly. “Maybe we should visit the queen of the Fae again. Her realm was less wet.”
"I know," Sarah said with a weak smile, tossing a blanket onto the floor of the tent to soak up the moisture.
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