Page 11

11

Rohan had spotted Farah’s red hair the moment she exited the hut. The strands glowed like fire in the bright rays of the rising sun. She shimmered as if diamonds had been crushed into her bronze skin. Her thick braid exposed her pointed ears.

He felt Kalyani’s gaze. Rohan almost decided to stay at the top of the mesa and wait for Farah to join him, but she would take too long. Besides , he didn’t want to start their journey with her believing she was in charge. He blew out a breath and made his way down, all the while steeling himself for what was to come. He had days alone with the elf ahead of him. How quickly before she regained her magic? How much quicker would she try to get away?

If he were in her shoes, it would be immediately. That’s why he intended to put things to her plainly once they were out of Siguk . She’d be shocked that he knew her secret. On the heels of that would be anger. She might even try to convince him to remain quiet by stating how knowledge of her being undercover could harm others. When that didn’t work, she might try to harm him.

Rohan snorted. She would try to kill him. It would be pure instinct, but he was prepared regardless.

He dropped the final few feet to the platform and turned toward Kalyani and the elf. His gaze lingered on Farah for a heartbeat as he walked toward them. The faded gray attire of his people seemed to accentuate her hair. She had rolled up the sleeves and pushed them above her elbows. The clothes hid the curves of her body, but the belt emphasized her small waist.

“ I see the seaweed worked,” he said.

She raised her brows and looked him over. “ It seems so.”

“ Not completely,” Kalyani corrected. “ She can stand and walk, but quick movements wouldn’t be wise.”

Rohan jerked his chin to the cliff. “ Can you climb?”

“ Like you?” Farah asked with a laugh. “ Not even when I wasn’t injured.”

“ There are ladders.”

She shrugged, her lips twisting. “ I suppose we’ll find out.”

Rohan swung his gaze to Kalyani . He hoped this wouldn’t be the last time he saw her. They’d stayed up most of the night preparing for the future and talking about everything and nothing—something they hadn’t done in months. It reinforced his need to find Lata and the others. More than that, it revealed how he had closed himself off to those closest to him when he should’ve seen Kal was there, waiting to help.

She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. “ Remember , it’s okay to ask for help. You don’t have to do it all yourself. Be careful.”

Her tears wet his cheek. Rohan gave her a final squeeze and released her. “ I’ll be back with Lata and the rest as soon as I can.”

“ We’ll be waiting.” Kalyani wiped her cheek.

Rohan reached around her for the bags he had prepared for the journey. He gave one to Farah and slipped the other over his head and pushed an arm through. “ Ready ?” he asked Farah .

“ Not even close,” she mumbled, then looked at him. “ Lead the way.”

He exchanged a look with Kalyani before heading to the first ladder. But he didn’t go up it. Instead , he waited for her.

“ What’s wrong?” she asked when she reached him.

“ You’re not healed. You go first. That way, I can catch you if you slip.”

Her eyes widened as she looked up the sheer cliff. “ Slip , huh?”

“ Just be mindful of your hands and feet. Don’t let your mind wander. You need to be focused.”

“ It’s like the trees.”

He frowned at her. “ What ?”

She dismissed him with a shake of her head. “ Nothing .”

There were several different ladders, each only going up so far on the cliff before the climber had to move to one side to get onto another ladder. However , one main ladder went straight up with a connection in the middle that could be severed to stop someone from getting to them from either direction. Thankfully , it had never needed to be used.

“ Here we go,” Farah said under her breath and swung the pack around so it hung against her back. She grabbed a rung and put her right foot on a step before hoisting herself up.

He watched her for several minutes to make sure her leg could handle the climb. Then he followed. She was much slower than he was used to, but he had been climbing the ladders since he could walk. He glanced down at Kalyani , who observed them from the platform. She wouldn’t leave until they reached the top and were out of sight.

Rohan noticed Farah’s ragged breaths after only five minutes. “ Pause if you need it,” he told her.

“ If I do that, I may not move again.” But she looped an arm around one of the ropes and stood there, her forehead pressed to a rung.

At this rate, it would take them all day just to get to the top. If there was time, he’d give her another day. But there wasn’t. They had to go now. The red seaweed had been a risky decision, but he’d been desperate. They had a long way to go, and if he wore her out now, it would only make things more difficult. He halted to consider his options. Only one made sense.

“ Let me get up to you, and you can climb onto my back so I can carry you,” he stated.

“ I can do it.”

She started climbing again before he could reply. Rohan shook his head at her stubbornness and kept a close eye on her. He saw her wince when she pushed off her left leg. Her knuckles turned white as she clasped the rope tightly. He didn’t have to tell her to rest again. She halted, making sure to take all the weight off her injury.

“ Bet you regret forcing me now,” she called down.

He rubbed his forehead on his shoulder. “ Things will be easier if I carry you.”

Her answer was to continue climbing. The process repeated three more times before her left foot slipped. A startled cry ripped from her lips as she yanked herself against the ladder. There was no getting around it. She was using the leg too much. Even she had to admit it now.

“ Hold on,” he told her and hurried to climb up beside her.

“ Are you crazy?” she demanded. “ There isn’t room for both of us.”

“ I know what I’m doing.”

Her eyes flashed with anger, but he also saw her fear. “ That doesn’t comfort me.” She looked down and groaned when she saw the distance.

He wound his arm around the rope several times to get a good grip and then repeated the action with his foot before wrapping an arm around her. She was tense, her body trembling from exertion and terror. Her breathing was ragged, her eyes wild.

“ Let go of the ladder and hang on to me,” he told her.

It seemed she was past listening.

“ Farah ,” he called, loud enough to get her attention.

Hazel eyes jerked to him. He found himself staring, taken off guard by the dark amber burst of color around her pupils that mixed into the brown and gold of her irises. How could such unique eyes exist? Did magic create the color?

“ I don’t think I can hold on much longer,” she whispered, her eyes filled with horror.

It pulled him out of his daze. Look at my arm here,” he said, motioning to the one wound around the rope. “ Do the same with yours and repeat it with your leg. The rope will hold you.”

It took her a few tries, but she got her right arm secured and then her right leg.

“ Good . Now , I need you to do exactly as I say, all right?”

She nodded and looked down.

“ First , don’t do that again.”

“ Right ,” she murmured.

He shifted closer so his thigh was positioned under her. Then , he used his free hand to loosen the strips of cord he had attached to his belt for this exact scenario. In seconds, he had tied some quick knots in both ropes. He put them in his left hand and wrapped his right arm around her once more.

“ Look at my hand. See those loops? One will go around your ankle so you won’t have to use your leg muscles to hold on.”

“ Okay ,” she answered shakily.

“ The second will wrap around your wrist. Then you’ll climb onto my back. That’s when I’ll secure the bindings to your other arm and leg.” He caught her gaze when she tried to look away. “ You can do this.”

She swallowed loudly, then nodded once.

“ Ready ?”

“ Nay .” But she lifted her injured leg so he could loop the rope over her boot and tighten it at her ankle.

He got the cord on her left wrist with relative ease. The hard part would be getting her to release the ladder and move onto his back. It was also the riskiest part. Rohan tested his left side arm and leg that he had wound in the ladder rope one more time.

“ Listen closely,” he urged. “ I’m going to drop my arm from your waist, and I want you to bring your left arm across my back and place it in my hand.” He wiggled his fingers to show her.”

She started to glance down.

“ Farah ,” he called. Once she met his gaze, he held hers there. “ Look at me. Only me. Don’t look away. Got it?”

“ Got it.”

“ Now , give me your left arm.”

She put out her arm, but her hand only brushed his neck. “ It won’t reach.”

“ It will. You need to lean toward me.”

Her fingers inched over his left shoulder, then down his biceps.

“ More ,” he urged.

She pressed her lips together and eased to the side.

He had to bend his hand back to finally grasp her wrist. “ Good work. I have you. Now , I need you to bring your other arm over so I can tie your wrists together.”

“ If you wanted me tied up, this would’ve been easier when I was unconscious.”

Rohan bit back a snort at her unexpected dry humor. “ I’ll remember that for next time.”

“ There won’t be a next time.” Then she sucked in a breath and released the ladder to grab his shoulder. Her fingers bit into him, revealing the depths of her fear.

“ Well done. Put your hand through the loop there,” he directed. When her wrist went through the loop, he grabbed the end with his teeth and pulled it tight. “ We’re halfway there. The legs will be easier.”

She snorted. “ I don’t think so.”

“ I’m going to catch your leg with my free hand. All you have to do is unwind your leg from the ladder and swing it over so you can wrap both around my waist. Ready ?”

“ I wish you’d stop asking me that. The answer hasn’t changed.”

She gave him no warning but suddenly had both legs around his waist. The rope he had put on her left ankle earlier nearly fell off from her wild movement, but he caught it in time. Within moments, her ankles were tied around his waist.

“ I suppose this is where you tell me to let go of the ladder,” she said.

“ That’s right. Once you release the rope, put your arm under my right one. That way, after I tie off the cord, you won’t choke me.”

She grunted. “ That’s a thought.”

“ Ready ?” he asked, unable to help himself.