Cassima's way to the south half of the plateau was impeded by the lush vegetation that made progress nearly impossible in some places. Roots protruded from the ground, large rocks littered the earth and thick, numerous trees forced her to move forward in a twisting, turning manner.
It was odd – Graham had described this plateau as being nearly bare except for a few sickly pine trees. Then again, he also had described a vast, poisonous lake surrounding an island with a castle built on it and an impossibly deep chasm between the cliffs and the rest of Kolyma. Cassima was definitely in a time before all those things existed – perhaps she had come here even before the hideous Hagatha the witch became a resident of this beautiful land.
It wouldn't surprise Cassima to learn that Hagatha was in some way responsible for many of the uglier features of the land that Graham had encountered. It was a shame that such a lovely land had to turn bad in some places, but there was nothing that Cassima could do about such a thing now – it had already taken place, after all. Perhaps King Neptune would say that this was just part of the Great Story – whatever in Samhain's name that meant.
Cassima
finally came to a clearing in the middle of the thick woods. A large, tall hill
composed entirely out of boulders dominated the center of the clearing. A
fast-flowing waterfall bubbled out of a spring at the top of the hill and
cascaded down it, forming a small stream that flowed west. This had to be the
source of the waterfall that Cassima had seen at the base of the cliffs. What
an odd formation it was, though. Water tended to bubble up out of the lowlands,
not the mountains. The only explanation for this spring that Cassima could
think of was that magic had been involved. 
The spring was odd enough on its own, but what Cassima found even odder was what spiraled up the hill and came to a stop just beside the topmost waterfall – a path. It was narrow and uneven, but it had to have been made by humans or a similar sentient race – no animals could create a path as well-formed as this one.
The path wound its way up the hill, circling it twice before reaching its top. The falls intersected it twice, but a large stepping stone was placed in the stream's center on the lower part of the path, and the water was rerouted through a hollow between the path and the hill on the higher part. Somebody had definitely played some part in modeling this hill to reach its current state, but whom? Was it some primitive race of people that once inhabited Kolyma, or did some sorcerer merely construct this hill merely to have something picturesque to gaze upon? It was just as enigmatic as the path in the Impossible Mountains, and Cassima eventually decided not to waste her time trying to come up with any other explanations for the stone hill's presence.
Instead, she decided to walk to the top of the hill and get some water from the waterfall. She was quite thirsty, and with the hollow shell she had gotten from Neptune's Channeler, she wouldn't have to resort to scooping water up with her hands, either. The path up the hill was a steep, yet interesting one. By the time Cassima had reached its top, she felt a little dizzy from going around the hill so many times. From here, she could see almost all of Kolyma: its trees, its lakes, its fields, and not a single sign of human habitation. Cassima couldn't help but wonder what her own land had looked like before humans arrived.
She turned her attention to the bubbling waterfall, took out her shell and carefully filled it with the cool, clear liquid. The shell didn't hold much, so after she drank her first shellfull of water, she refilled it again, drained its contents, then refilled it once more.
As she was filling the shell the fourth time, a low noise suddenly filled the air. Cassima froze, looking about to see where the noise was coming from. Suddenly, the burbling sound of the waterfall changed. It sounded as if it was pattering off an object beneath it, and as Cassima looked, she could see what the object was.
It
was a small, light blue, scaly head, vaguely reptilian in form, sticking
through the waterfall. The head drew forward, revealing a long, sinewy neck
attached to it. Cassima suddenly realized that there was a cave behind the
waterfall, and this creature was slowly emerging from it. The menacing blue
creature slowly stepped out of the waterfall and stood in the shallow pool
beneath it, staring with pale, squinting eyes at Cassima. It had a thin,
armored body supported by two muscular legs. Two membranous wings jutted out at
its shoulders, and a row of glittering spines lined its back. 
Cassima's heart and mind raced. That creature that Edgar said he saw while she was changing and her eyes were closed – he hadn't made it up after all. This was the creature. It had to be. He had been telling the truth, and even though this creature wasn't a demon, it had a demonic appearance.
Cassima had never seen a beast like this one before, but she knew aggression no matter what animal it manifested itself in, and this animal was not in a peaceful mood. It opened its jaws, revealing a set of long, curved fangs, let out a low, rattling hiss and spread its wings. Cassima didn't wait to see what it did next. She spun on her heel and took off running down the perilous path. She heard a heavy slap of wings beating the air and knew that the creature was pursuing her. Cassima didn't know whether it wanted to eat her or simply chase her away from its lair, but she couldn't care less at the moment. As she rounded a tight turn, the creature suddenly dove towards her with its mouth wide open and its deadly teeth exposed, but Cassima was able to duck just in time.
She leapt to the ground as soon as it was close enough, rolling out of the way just as the creature took another swoop towards her. She leapt to her feet and took off running north towards the cave, where she prayed the creature wouldn't follow her. The thick trees, exposed roots and large boulders left her little opportunity to run in an erratic pattern that would throw the creature off. Her only option was to run as straight as she could and as fast as she could, praying that the beast wouldn't catch her. She knew it was close behind her, though, following her above the treetops. Its wing beats sounded like muffled drums – beating a funeral march.
Cassima ran as fast as her aching lungs and legs would permit her, trying to keep from screaming. Finally, the cave was visible only a few yards to the north. She leapt over a tangle of roots, dodged a boulder and streaked towards it – unfortunately, the land surrounding the cave was completely devoid of shelter that could shield her from the creature. Still, she had no other choice.
She sprinted towards the cave, her eyes fixed on the dark entrance, where she would be safe. She barely heard the heavy wing beats less than a foot behind her, barely saw the shadow that had suddenly darkened her path, and barely even felt the hot, putrid breath on her skin – but she did feel the sting of the fangs as they sank into her arm, and that was when she screamed.
Continue to the second half...
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Proceed to the next section if you've already read both halves...
