“I cannae!”
“What do ye mean ye cannae?”Elijah moved to the base of the tree and looked up. “The same way ye climbed up, ye climb down.”
“I cannae!”Connor’s voice rose with panic. “I’m stuck! Me foot is—it’s caught, and every time I try to move, the branch shakes, and I’m goin’ to fall!”
Piper’s heart clenched.Now that she was closer, she could see that Connor was indeed stuck—his foot wedged between two smaller branches, and his position precarious enough that any sudden movement might send him tumbling into the water below.
“All right,”Elijah said, his voice shifting from angry to calm. “All right, lad. Daenae panic. I’m comin’ up.”
“Be careful,”Piper said before she could stop herself.
Elijah glanced at her,something unreadable in his eyes, then began climbing. He moved with the confidence of someone who’d done this before, probably many times as a boy himself. Within moments, he’d reached Connor’s branch.
“Da.”Connor’s voice cracked.
“I’ve got ye,”Elijah said, positioning himself carefully. “Now, listen to me. I’m goin’ to free yer foot, and then ye’re goin’ to hold onto me while we climb down together. Can ye do that?”
“Aye.”But Connor didn’t sound convinced.
Elijah workedat the branches to free Connor’s foot, his movements careful and deliberate. Finally, there was a snap as one of the smaller branches broke away, freeing Connor.
“There. Now—”Elijah started, but Connor didn’t wait for instructions. The moment his foot was free, he launched himself at his father, wrapping his arms and legs around Elijah like a barnacle.
Elijah caught him,nearly losing his balance. “Connor, I need ye to?—”
“Daenae let go!”Connor buried his face in Elijah’s neck. “Please daenae let go!”
“I willnae let go,but I need both hands to climb down. Ye need to release me.”
“Nay!”Connor’s grip tightened. “I cannae! I’m scared!”
Piper watchedfrom below as Elijah tried to reason with Connor, to get him to loosen his grip enough for them to descend safely. But Connor was having none of it; he was too frightened, too worked up.
“Connor,”Elijah said, his voice strained. “Lad, ye need to trust me. I cannae climb down with ye clingin’ to me like this.”
“Then we’ll just stay up here!”Connor’s voice was muffled but adamant.
“We cannae stay up here forever.”
“Why nae?”
“Because…”Elijah stopped, clearly at a loss.
“Connor!”Piper called up. “Can ye hear me?”
Connor’s head lifted slightly. “Aye?”
“Doye remember that story I told ye that day at the loch? About the kelpie and the blacksmith’s daughter?”
“Aye.”
“Doye remember what the daughter did when the kelpie was trapped?”
There was a pause.“She… she showed it kindness. Even though she was scared.”
“That’s right.She was brave even though she was frightened.” Piper kept her voice gentle. “And right now, yer da needs ye to be brave too. Can ye do that?”
“I… I daenae ken.”
