The Rope

Where the hell were Jaella and T'zuri?

About that time Ahamay started pecking at Sahli's rope. Which did very little damage but would get the attention of anyone with attention to spare. I was vaguely aware of Jaella taking up Sahli's rope and as much in the arts as I had been the last hour I could see the electricity that passed down that rope between the two of them. Sparking through and around the fibers and linking their hands. She was borrowing enough time to allow me to get up the side of the cliff and I did not waste it. It was too preciously bought.

As soon as I got shoulder height with the edge I told blue to climb over me and to safety. I yelled at blue to tie off the excess rope so that if the girls lost their grip .. they would not lose the progress they had made. As little as it was it could be the margin between Sahli's safety and certain death. Once she did I hefted myself up and over and ran to where Jaella and T'zuri were working to heft Sahli's weight up.

I took the rope from Jaella .. I could see her hands were burnt from the friction of rope. The blisters had been torn open and were bloody. But I concentrated on pulling Sahli up .. hand over hand. The girls taking up the slack to make sure we did not lose progress. Finally he got close enough for me to grab his shoulder and arm and haul his upper body over the lip of the cliff.

I lay back gasping for air on the grass. Trying to break the seams of my lungs by packing as much oxygen in there as I could at one time. I was just barely aware enough of Ahamay to realize he had risen up on the updraft of air and then he dove ... strait for the opening of the cavern and I barely got out in time.

That shook me to my core. Really shook me. I had not expected that and I was too tired to try to figure it out.

Jaella needed her hands seen to by a healer and I examined one of T'zuri's to see if it did also .. hers were not as bad but certainly not good. On fire by the friction of the rope and I let her grasp my arm .. a simple trick really but effective. Cooling her hands before I could get her back and have them seen to.

As we all gathered ourselves to make our way back to the Harigga I told blue who was collecting the ropes to make sure my rope got back to my wagon. It was not any ordinary rope. And she asked if she could clean it first .. and I said no. Never. Bothered by the idea. And she chuckled.

A simple chuckle about something I was dead serious about was all that was needed to tip the scales and bring out my temper and I lunged at her .. backhanding her into one of the bridge supports. Furious. All the pent up anxiety of that chasm and the cavern just walked out of my head and traveled down my arm and laid some energy right upside her face.

Jerking my rope from her I strode for the Harigga. At this point I was closed off to anyone and everyone. The heat in my brain as intense a fire as any pyre and I was still shaking off the cold sweat that had wrapped around my shoulders as I barely avoided joining Ahamay within the cavern.