Lynx pulls me up, and I squeeze him tight, my body shaking from all the release of pent-up adrenaline. “It’s okay, Kitten,” Knox says, rubbing my back. “You and everyone else are safe now.”
Shame consumes me as I didn’t even think of the rest of the group, but soon enough I pull away and check on them anyway.
“Was anyone else hurt?” I ask, seeing Chester and Ryker dusting themselves off.
“Nah, we’re good. Just landed hard. Nothing like you and Reaper,” Chester says, pushing up his glasses.
“You must have instinctually thrown out a bubble. It was the only thing holding you and Reaper up,” Levi agrees while unbuttoning his long black coat, and my stomach sinks.
“Well, I got to keep people on their toes, you know,” I say with a hint of laughter to play it off, but no one is biting. Taking in the area, I see the red demon door behind me, and by the edge of the ravine, there’s a suspended wooden bridge with planks missing.
Great, that’s just what someone with a fear of heights would ask for.
“Well, it looks like there’s only one way to go,” JP points out, taking a tentative step out onto the wooden death trap only to find the plank he thinks is there is really missing. “Shit!” He yelps, yanking his foot back abruptly.
Ryker looks over his shoulder and whistles. “Damn. That must be some illusion. Even I can't see through it. Can you, Rez?”
Taking a tentative step closer to JP, I peer around his shoulder to examine the bridge, only to see the first tile there. “Yeah, no. It looks like it’s there,” I agree, feeling like we’re already defeated when our test hasn’t even started…at least I don’t think so.
“Well, at least this will be easy for me,” Moni boasts as she flutters up and flies across the bridge. She gets as far as the first plank and bounces off an invisible force. Thankfully, JP catches her before she falls from the shock.
“Guess you’ll have to rough it with the rest of us,” he points out, helping steady her as she sizes up and allows him to take the lead. “How do we want to do this?” he asks the group.
“Probably one at a time,” I suggest, nodding my head and eyeing the rest of the bridge. “By the look of the damn thing, it doesn’t appear all that sturdy. I doubt it will hold any of our weight.”
“That’s my concern too,” Knox agrees as he grabs a contraption from his bag and calls for Reaper. “But if it isn’t sturdy to some degree, no one would be able to run the Road of Worth.”
Hmm. He does have a point.“What are you doing?” I ask, giving him a bewildered look.
“Making a harness. Mind letting him out of his bubble?” He gives me a pointed look, and a blush creeps up my neck as I look over and find my helpless pup staring at me, stuck in his translucent cell.
“Shit! Sorry, Reaper.” I quickly drop the bubble and follow Reaper's progress as he trips over his tail on his way to Knox, where he is efficiently attached to the harness.I wish I would have thought of that.
I glance back at the bridge and wipe my sweaty palms against my thighs.
“Look, I know you’re nervous, but we’ll go slow and test each step one at a time and give us some distance to make sure it holds our weight, okay?” JP reassures me with a smile. Knox sends warmth down our link, and I take in a deep breath, slowly exhaling as I look around the group. Everyone else seems ready to tackle this task, but I realize Moni is sporting dark gray bark, letting me know I’m not the only one feeling this way.
JP insists on taking point, bypassing the first step, and putting weight on the second plank. As a group, we collectively hold our breath as he puts his weight down and steps out with the next one, finding that it supports him as well. Approaching a gap, it isn’t until the fourth step that he misses and stumbles. We all gasp as he falls toward the opening, only for him to land where the missing plank suddenly appears.
“I’m okay,” JP calls out, bending over to catch his breath. I can see his chest heaving from here, though all he’s showing us is his back.
“I can’t watch. It’s going to cause me to have a lung attack! Save me,” Moni cries, turning to Chester to hide her face.
Chester pats her back and consoles her gently. “You mean heart attack, but I got you.”
“Here, I’ll go next. I don’t want you to get too far ahead to where we don’t remember where to go,” Levi offers, stepping out tentatively and waiting until JP takes a few more steps before following.
We slowly cross like that until it’s my turn. I’m fifth in line, and I’m thankful for the side railings as I step out because a gust of wind starts the bridge to sway, almost making me lose my breakfast.
“The secret is to not look down,” Zeke says behind me.
“Sure, but you forget, I’ve already seen the bottom,” I reply.
“Then keep your eyes on Reaper,” he suggests, and he does have a point since Reaper is now strapped to Knox’s back infront of me. Plus, I get to see Knox’s ass flex as he walks. Two for one, you can’t beat that.
Three-quarters of the way across the bridge, the wind gets so bad that I try to redo my hair and almost topple over while doing so.
“Here, I got ya.” Zeke reaches out and steadies me while I throw my mess of curls back into a messy bun. As I twist my hair, my tie snaps and throws itself over the bridge like I was holding it hostage. Ironically, at the same time, the wind dies down slightly as I make the mistake of following its descent from this impossible height towards the black whirlpool of death, only to be jerked back as it bursts into flames, reaching maybe ten feet below us.
