Chapter 18 #2
None of the caves we came across were at the base of the cliffs where those without wings could take refuge, so when the sun started to cast streaks of gold and pink across the sky and darkness was a short time away, we updated our plan.
We would stand on Jaron’s shoulders and get into a cave, and then Tatiana and I would pull him up together. It was one of those plans that sounded much better in theory than it would play out in practice.
Tatiana was the first to pull herself over the lip of the cave, then Jaron lowered to one knee so I could get on his back.
I grimaced, looking up. What if we weren’t strong enough to pull him up?
In the distance something made a noise that was between a chitter and a howl.
It sent chills down my spine. Instinctively, I knew it was a predator.
“We can do this,” Jaron said with a half-hearted smile.
“It’s getting dark. We have to do this.” With renewed determination, I got on his back and when he stood I scrambled up onto his shoulders. I was able to pull myself over the lip of the cave, rolling into the shallow space. Tatiana and I both got on our bellies and reached down.
“I’m going to jump and grab your arms, brace yourselves.” Jaron said.
When he jumped, we both clamped our hands around a wrist, but his weight dragged us both forward and I let go, grabbing onto Tatiana’s waistband and hauling her back.
Jaron thumped back down to the ground, thankfully landing on his feet.
“Let’s try again and—” I was interrupted by the same noise I’d heard before, that chittering howl, only it was much, much closer.
Jaron whirled around, looking at the surrounding foliage even as the waning light sent long shadows cascading around him. I looked at Tatiana and she had the same urgency in her eyes. “We have to get him up here.”
I looked around the cave to see if there was something we could brace our legs against, but there was nothing, no big stones or anything we could grip.
A bush rustled.
“Ladies, I would really like to get up there with you.” There was a frightening urgency in Jaron’s voice.
There were very few times when he had sounded scared, one had been when we'd left mom’s hospital room after the cancer diagnosis and he’d fallen apart, resting his head on my shoulder as he cried.
Panic overtook me and I shook violently.
Had we escaped one death only to fall into another?
I would not leave him alone down there if something attacked him.
“Jaron, pull that rock over and step on it, we can probably pull you up if you don’t jump and jerk on us like that.” Tatiana’s voice was surprisingly strong, though a tremor made it crack in the middle.
Tatiana and I laid on our bellies on the edge again.
I didn’t know if it was my imagination, a trick played by the encroaching darkness, but I thought I saw a slim tree several feet away shake.
We had to get Jaron up. There was no choice, no failing in this.
The consequences would be… too much to bear.
Jaron stepped up on the stone Tatiana had mentioned, and it put him about a foot and a half above the ground. He stretched up and with his height he was able to grasp our wrists and we grasped his with both our hands.
“One, two, three.” I said. On three, we both pulled with all our might.
A horrible keening sound preceded a bulky object, undistinguishable in the darkness, as it burst into the small clearing around the cliff. Adrenaline must have lent us strength, because we were able to haul Jaron over the edge swiftly.
That awful sound came again from below, accompanied by the sound of scratching. Claws on stone. I grabbed a rock the size of my fist and held it, terror stealing my breath. Could it climb the cliff?
We sat huddled next to each other in silence until the sounds stopped and the chittering howl sounded further down the ravine.
Tears I'd kept at bay this whole time finally broke free and a sob choked me. I didn’t want them to see me like this, I needed to be strong.
It was my fault we were in this situation in the first place, damn it.
I wanted to slap myself for the stupidity of it all.
I should have asked more questions. I put so many people in danger.
Then I trusted Arrazyl, putting the two people I love in even more danger by thinking we were safe when I should have been planning an escape.
Strong arms wrapped around me and I was pulled into a warm embrace. Jaron didn’t say anything, he just held me and patted my back.
How were we ever supposed to make it five days in this jungle to the village he’d mentioned?
I almost wanted to go back to the vorazka and throw myself at the mercy of Arrazyl.
I'd thought he was starting to believe me, that we were making progress in understanding one another, but after what his captain said I realized he was just being decent to us because he thought it would get him more information before he killed us, not because he was good, or kind. At least not to us.