She nodded, some of the panic leaving her eyes.
I made eye contact with the others. “Same thing for everyone. I go first, find the safe path. You follow my exact route. No improvising.”
Maddox scoffed. “And if you’re wrong?”
“Then you learn from my mistake.” I met his stare. “This is what leaders do.”
Turning back to the gap, I gauged the distance I’d need to cross, sucking in a few breaths to build up my courage.
“Take care,” Maddox said softly. “Wouldn’t want an accident, now would we?”
Ignoring him, I gripped the vine, testing its stability with my full weight before committing to the swing. The rough fiber bit into my skin, but it held.
My heart plunged down as I swung, airborne for forever or a second. I found purchase with my boots on a narrow ledge barely wide enough for my toes on the other side.
As I moved downward, the rope bridge looked sturdier and much more reachable now, the others keeping pace. Kerralyn nearly lost her grip halfway across the gap, but with my guidance, she made it, and sent me a proud grin after. Bryson’s weight made the vine creak, but it held.
Every few feet presented a new challenge. Loose rocks. No handholds at all. And gaps that had to be jumped across, though nothing like the huge slice we’d already passed. My shoulders burned. My fingers bled. And my legs trembled so hard they could barely support my weight.
When I finally reached the bridge, I shook with exhaustion and adrenaline. Sweat ran down my face and made my leathers stick to me in uncomfortable places. If I made it through this, I was going to sit in a bath and soak for days.
We crowded together on a small spit of rock jutting out from the wall, staring at the bridge spanning the gap ahead. Taut, weathered rope had been used for a railing, and cracked wooden planks bound together with vines and ropes spanned the bottomto step on. It looked even less substantial now than it had from above.
“It’s, um…” Derren frowned and glanced up the cliff as if he was contemplating climbing back to the top to find another way across.
Lexie wiggled her shoulders and flexed her arms to loosen them up before rubbing her hands together. She gave me a sharp nod.
“Alright.” Bryson walked closer and studied the structure. “Several planks are missing, so we’ll want to take care in those areas.” He stooped down to look at it from a different level. “I see some broken vines and ropes between a few of the planks, so you might want to avoid those altogether. They could…give way. Hold on to the rope railing at all times and with both hands.” He latched onto it and shook it, making the bridge tremble and a whop-whop-whop sound echo across the cavern.
“This isn’t terrifying at all,” Lexie said, nervous laughter coming through in her voice.
I was so exhausted, I wasn’t sure I could properly feel fear any longer.
“I’ll go first.” I eased around Bryson.
“Why you?” Maddox barked.
I met his gaze. “If it collapses, you’ll know to go another way.”
“And you’ll…”
My shrug made the bee stings on my neck burn. “If the bridge doesn’t collapse, you’ll know it’s safe to cross.”
Turning my back on him, I tested the first plank with a gradual increase in weight before bouncing to gauge the strength in general. It felt secure enough, though the whole structure swayed sickeningly.
“We should go one at a time,” Kerralyn said brightly. “No need to make it bear all our weight at once.”
“Wise.” Bryson patted her shoulder.
She beamed up at him and snugged the straps of her bag across her back.
“Don’t look down,” I said.
Lexie snickered. “But I love heights.”
“Really?” Derren asked. “That’s new to me.”
“Today. I love them today!” If she kept talking, I had a feeling she was going to dissolve into hysterical laughter. Or cry.
