After successfully hiding from two more Outer Patrols, the group of rebels finally reached the point where the Map said they should leave the big lava tube. It described a tight crawl-hole on the right side, and a wide but low belly-crawl that made everyone moan, feeling scraped hands and knees in advance.
The crawl-hole was horizontal this time, but they almost wished it was another climb-hole, as it had no level floor. Scraped skin oozed blood, and they hadn’t yet arrived at the belly-crawl.
While chewing dried mushrooms, they remembered hearing stories that once, long ago, ointments had existed that could sooth and heal scraped skin.
None of them had ever seen such a thing, and agreed that if they ever existed, they had run out long ago, or were kept under lock and key in the Government Tunnels.
Tir and Jin made rude noises.
The belly-crawl, as they suspected, was on solidified lava. It looked smooth from a distance, but was just rough enough to open all the scrapes and cuts on their hands and knees, and add many new ones.
Their faces were not exempt, and anyone who dared to rest their heads for a moment, paid the price. The section of one-foot-high tunnel was only about twenty feet long, but took two hours, and all their energy.
NEBADOR Book Ten:Stories from Sonmatia 39
Dem licked his hands. He knew it was necessary to keep them from getting infected, but couldn’t stop himself from cringing from the stinging sensation while they dried. Finally, he got out the Map.
After finishing her own licking, Fim brought their brightest glow-stone close.
“Unless there’s another way to this point, we’re done with Outer Patrols.”
“Hooray!” several people cheered.
Tik just nodded.
“Now we have a Dangerous Ledge,” Dem explained.
“Ah! Ledges are easy!” Tol asserted.
Tir waited a moment before speaking. “We’ll see.”
Dem looked around. Everyone was dead-tired, but their current location was nothing but sharp rocks. “We need to rest and sleep soon . . .”
“Not here!” Bel moaned. “No one would get any sleep on this. We need some nice, soft sand.”
Fen, Tol, and Fim agreed quickly with nods. Tir, Tik, and Jin looked less sure, but didn’t say anything.
Dem was very uncomfortable with the idea of traveling again after the hours of hiding they had endured, and the many cuts and scrapes they had all received, but didn’t feel he had the right to ask them to sleep on sharp rocks.
The so-called ledge turned out to be a series of barely-visible handholds and footholds on the wall about twenty feet above a pit with twisted rocks at the bottom.
Even Tol saw the risk. “Yep. Dangerous Ledge. But we can do it.”
Tik wore an intense frown.
“No way around?” Tir inquired when the Map was out again.
Dem studied it, with Fen and Jin looking on. “Not that we know of.”
Tir took a deep breath while placing her glow-stone in a shallow pocket so she would have both hands free.
During the next few minutes, everyone else finished chewing mushrooms and did the same.
Feeling a burden of responsibility for the others, Dem went first, and
NEBADOR Book Ten:Stories from Sonmatia 40
narrated the size and location of every handhold and foothold, especially when gaps forced him to stretch.
Tol came next, feeling confident that he could handle the so-called Dangerous Ledge.
Tir followed, adding a girl’s perspective to the narration.
Plump little Fim looked at Tol, who was having no trouble with the crossing, smiled, and took the first handhold.
Bel started across next, then Fen.
Without warning, and at first without any sound, Fim disappeared. For a moment, she was merely surprised that her hand had slipped off the next handhold. Another fraction of a second later, it dawned on her that her trailing hand hadn’t held either. By then, she was half-way to the bottom.
The others heard a forlorn cry just a split-second before a heavy thud.
Everyone else froze where they were, and complete silence filled the cave.
With his heart in his throat, Dem got a secure grip with one hand and pulled his glow-stone from his pocket. Farther back in the line, Fen did the same.
Fim was face down, her neck and one leg twisted at weird angles, blood quickly covering the rocks under her.
Tol looked, immediately started crying like a baby, and didn’t pay any more attention to his handholds.
Tir, just behind him, saw Tol’s state of mind, quickly got a good grip and threw her free arm around him.
Dem dropped his glow-stone and did the same from in front of Tol.
“Everyone, please watch your hand and footholds . . . stay where you are until you feel ready to move . . . don’t even look down if you can help it.”