Chapter 29 Alar
ALAR
"When the path beneath your feet crumbles, training facilitates the quick response needed to leap onto solid ground."
—Commander Raiden Vale, Elite Forces Field Manual, Vedona Academy
The first warning was a subtle shifting of the ground, a vibration that sent pebbles skittering down the mountainside.
"Stop!" The word left my mouth before my mind processed what was happening. "Nobody move!"
But it was too late.
With a sound like thunder, a section of the path ahead began to give way, and I saw Shovia, Codric, and one other pilgrim slide toward the edge.
My heart leaped into my throat, and time seemed to slow.
I couldn't reach them over the chasm that had opened between us, but then, moving faster than should have been possible, Morek dropped to his stomach at the edge of the crumbling path, shooting both arms out to them.
His right hand locked around Shovia's wrist, while his left somehow caught the strap of Codric's pack.
The two pilgrims who had been ahead of Morek reacted fast, immediately dropping to grab his ankles to prevent him from sliding down, pulled by the combined weight of Shovia and Codric.
The third pilgrim tumbled further down, but she managed to catch herself on a narrow ledge several feet below.
The fog that had clouded my thoughts all morning burned away as adrenaline surged through my system, and I pushed Kailin against the mountain face a moment before more of the path crumbled away.
The two holding on to Morek's ankles were slowly hauling him and his cargo up, and those behind them were pulling on them to add counterweight.
Codric and Shovia's situation seemed to be handled, but the girl down on the ledge still needed someone to rescue her.
"Lysara!" I called. "We need ropes!"
Assessing the situation, I concluded that it was too dangerous to toss her the rope, as any movement on her part risked her tenuous hold. Someone needed to go down and get her.
Our guide, who had been checking on the stragglers of our group when the trail crumbled, was already running up toward us. She stopped several feet below us, dropped her pack, and pulled out two coiled lengths of rope.
I glanced at the pilgrims holding on to Morek's ankles.
They were straining with the effort, but their grip was solid, and they were slowly pulling him up along with Codric and Shovia.
I hoped that Morek would be able to keep hold of his precious cargo for as long as it took for those behind him to pull all of them up.
"I've got you," Morek grunted. "I'm not going to let you fall."
I glanced at Kailin, still pressed between me and the mountain. "Stay here."
She nodded, fingers gripping the rough stone.
"I'm going down for her." I motioned toward the pilgrim, who was clutching the ledge. The thin air that had been suffocating me all morning barely registered now. "It's too dangerous to just toss the rope to her."
Our group leader nodded and handed it to me.
Working quickly, I wrapped the rope around my chest and waist.
Lysara checked my knots. "Well done. We'll lower you down." She motioned for several pilgrims to come forward and help her hold on to the other end of the rope. "Signal if you need to stop."
Meanwhile, the other pilgrims who had been pulling Morek back along with Shovia and Codric managed to get all three of them to solid ground.
When they were safely on the other side, Morek turned on his back and groaned in pain.
The front of his shirt was torn, and I could see that he was bleeding; the skin on his chest and belly was injured from being dragged over the rocks.
I owed him big time for saving my cousin and Kailin's best friend.
On my signal, Lysara and her helpers lowered me steadily while I kept my body close to the rock face. The girl remained remarkably calm given her precarious situation.
When I reached her, I carefully secured the second rope around her before she wrapped her legs around me and let go of the ledge she'd been clinging to.
"You are incredibly brave," I told her as Lysara and the others pulled us up. "Nerves of steel."
"So are you." She smiled. "Thank you for coming to get me."
When we made it back up without incident, Lysara clapped both of us on our backs. "Good job, you two. You kept your cool."
She helped untie us and then looked at the trail. "The question is, what do we do now?"
A section about twelve or thirteen feet long had collapsed entirely, leaving a gap that was impossible to cross without leaping over, and that was too dangerous. We, along with the pilgrims behind us, would have no way forward unless we could find a solution.
"I saw fallen trees back there," Lysara said, gesturing behind her to where the path curved around the mountain. "We might be able to build a bridge."
While she backtracked to where she'd seen those trees, I looked over the gap at my cousin and thanked Morek and Elurion for saving his life.
Morek was sitting now, his shirt was off, and Shovia was dabbing ointment over his wounds.
I turned to Kailin, who still hadn't moved from her spot against the mountain face. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and her whole body trembled. Her fear of heights and the terror of watching her friends nearly fall to their deaths must have overwhelmed her.
"Hey," I said softly, touching her arm. "They're safe now. Shovia and Codric are okay."
She nodded but didn't open her eyes. "I know. I heard them. I just need a minute."
"Take your time." I kept my hand on her arm.
Across the gap, Shovia moved to check Codric for injuries, but he seemed mostly fine, more shaken than hurt. Still, I was sure that his armpits were severely chafed from the backpack straps cutting into them.
It took nearly an hour for Lysara to return at the head of a procession of pilgrims holding two long but slim tree trunks.
"This should be enough," she said, examining the gap before shifting her gaze to me. "I've never built a bridge before. Have you?"
"No, but it shouldn't be too difficult." Reluctantly, I let go of Kailin's arm and went to work.
We secured ropes around the two long trunks and carefully maneuvered them into position.
Slowly, we lowered the first trunk across the gap, where Morek and two other pilgrims guided it into place.
The second trunk followed, and we lashed them together.
We positioned them right next to the rock face, so it could be used to provide additional stability.
With the makeshift bridge secured, Lysara tested the knots one final time. "Okay." She looked at the pilgrims next to her. "We need someone light to go across first."
"I'll go," the girl I rescued volunteered.
Lysara arched a brow. "Looking for more adventure, Baila?"
Baila shrugged. "Paying it forward."
Lysara nodded. "Then go."
We all watched, holding our breath, as Baila carefully made her way across our improvised bridge. The logs shifted slightly under her weight but held firm.
"It's solid," she called back once safely across. "But you need to hold on to the rock. The logs roll a bit."
Lysara turned to our group. "We'll go one at a time. Keep your eyes forward, hold your hand on the rock, and don't stop halfway."
My gaze went to Kailin, who had pressed herself back against the mountain face, looking pale as she watched the others cross.
One by one, our group made it through. Some moved quickly, eager to get it over with. Others inched along, testing each step. The logs creaked and shifted, but remained steady.
Finally, only Kailin, Lysara, and I remained from our group, but there were many more behind us who were waiting for us to get across.
"We need to go," I said quietly.
"The other groups are waiting for us to be done," Lysara said gently. "You can crawl across if you want."
Kailin opened her eyes but kept them fixed on me, deliberately not looking at the gap. "I can't."
"Yes, you can." I moved closer, blocking her view of the drop. "I'll be right behind you. Five steps, that's all it is. Just keep your eyes on Shovia. She's waiting for you on the other side."
Her friend had positioned herself at the other end of the bridge, arms outstretched. "Come on, Kailin!" Shovia yelled. "Show this drakking mountain who's boss!"
A shaky laugh escaped Kailin's lips. She took a deep breath and nodded. "Don't cuss Mount Hope. It's sacrilege."
Shovia laughed, but it sounded forced. "Okay, okay. Show this beautiful, blessed mountain who's boss!"
"Five steps," I whispered in her ear. "Nothing to it."
I half expected her to take Lysara's advice and crawl over the logs, but she surprised me by putting one foot forward and her hand on the mountain face.
I itched to follow behind her so I could catch her if she lost her balance, but I knew it would only further endanger her, making the log bridge less stable.
Kailin made it across without incident, falling into Shovia's outstretched arms and then immediately moving to press against the mountain on the other side.
"Well done," Lysara said. "All of you."
We resumed our trek, the incident already beginning to feel dreamlike in the thin air. But the torn pack strap Codric kept adjusting, and Morek's shredded shirt and scratched arms were solid reminders of how close we'd come to disaster.
I fell into step beside Kailin, positioning myself between her and the drop-off without comment. She didn't acknowledge the gesture, but I felt some of the tension leave her shoulders.
"That was some catch," Codric said quietly. "Remind me to buy Morek a drink when we get down from this damn mountain."
"Sure thing. But I still haven't lost hope of making it to the Citadel."
He snorted. "Since when are you the optimistic one between us?"
"Don't tell me that you've given up hope."
He shrugged. "That was one hell of a wake-up call."
"You're doing much better than I am."
"Am I? You weren't the one who needed to be rescued. You did the rescuing."
"I was lucky." I cast him a smile. "Are you okay?"
He nodded. "Nothing wounded except my pride."
The summit was still far above us, and we all had our own battles to fight before we reached it. But for now, we were alive, and the path ahead would hopefully remain solid beneath our feet.