When Joseph rounded the receding corner, he had to stop himself. Being so close to Calarapan's rampage, the booms were pounding on top of him while the ground shifted under his feet. Yet, it was what he saw that took his breath.
The wall had hidden so much from him. Now he looked upon a whole new landscape. The lawn where his structure stood had lost its acres down river. He thought the gap that cut across the village path and reached toward the base of the mountain was bad, but when it traveled ahead of him and across the river, it opened wider.
Cutting out to the right, it wasted no time in aligning with the river, slicing straight down the middle. The water had long
since fallen over the edge, leaving half of the muddy riverbed as a ledge.
A chasm stretched across the expanse, carving a curve out of the forest line on the other side.
Joseph knew. He knew this emptiness had followed right along the border of his land. All that stood protected was Calarapan's stronghold. Looking ahead, this extra piece of ground he stood on ran all the way to the back of the structure. He had to squat down and dig his fingers into the dirt underneath him. Calarapan's destruction could just as easily throw him over the edge.
Where he positioned himself now, he could see how far Calarapan's stronghold reached across the river. It wasn't as large as he thought. In fact, it was way taller than it was deep. Another tower, but shorter. Looking up, he saw why the large slab roof hadn't fallen like he thought it would. The thick body of stone kept going, capping off this structure and extending out over where the center of the lawn should have been.
Following it and seeing how the gap cut to the left as soon as it reached the back of this new structure, Joseph's heart sank.
With all that had fallen away, had his structure fallen as well? He'd have to find out, and the only way to do that was to venture further. How strange it was that he was able to.
Calarapan continued to build, shaking this named land, breaking it apart, yet Joseph had purchase upon this edge. Having pierced the ground with his fingers, he noted how the dirt hadn't budged under Calarapan's onslaught.
With each collapse, Joseph assumed more of his land would fall because of Calarapan's will. Only his structure would remain. That's all Calarapan cared about.
The villagers stood their ground at the front of it. This narrow stretch of land never deviated from its width all the way to the
rear section. Where his heart had sunk before, now it beat anew. There had to be a will behind this sliver of purchase, giving him access.
Bracing himself, slowly rising and pulling his fingers from the ground, he thought he saw his opportunity.
"Chantale?" he whispered.