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“Is that what you think?” Iryana cried. “No, Misha. Nothing is wrong with you.”

“There has to be!” Misha slammed her eyes shut, pressing her head against the cliff and crouching slightly. Like she could hardly hold herself up anymore.

“Look at me,” Iryana ordered desperately. “Look right at me.”

She waited until Misha turned her face, darting eyes steadying on Iryana.

“It fucking sucks, okay? What you’ve been though.” Iryana rasped in a ragged breath. “I can’t tell you it won’t suck anymore. But I can promise you that I love you. I love you more than life itself.”

Misha’s brows crumpled.

“It’s okay to be afraid,” Iryana continued, urgently. “We’re all afraid. But you’re brave too. You’re the bravest guardian in our entire clan. I am so proud to be your sister. Now I want you to say it. You are brave enough to climb up this cliff. You’re too brave to let fear stop you.”

Misha searched her eyes, some of the panic leaving them. Her breathing slowly evened out.

“I’m brave enough to do this,” Misha whispered into the wind, half question and half statement.

Iryana smiled, sliding her hand against the rocks to squeeze her little sister’s arm. “We do this together, okay, Mishi?”

Slowly, her sister nodded. “Together.”

Misha’s panic lessened, and Iryana looked up to pick out the best path. With the sunlight waning, it was getting harder to see. They had to hurry.

“Left hand there!” Iryana pointed at a handhold until Misha reluctantly reached for it. “Then put your right foot here.”

She ordered her sister like that, one step at a time until Iryana couldn’t see the best choice and had to climb up after her, carefully coaching her sister.

“How do I get up?” Misha called down, panicked once she reached the ledge.

Iryana talked her through this, too. “Just focus on getting one elbow up first.”

Misha grunted, but then called down, “Now what?”

“Other elbow.” Then, “Push up on your elbows until you can get a knee up.”

Iryana watched from below as Misha climbed the rest of the way onto the ledge, standing on wobbly feet. She could hear Hadima and the others cheering from above.

Iryana cut Misha’s rope, which was still stuck between the rocks. Then she finished climbing.

Misha was there to help her get onto the ledge, clinging to her as Iryana came to her feet.

“Thank the gods,” she heard Hadima cry.

“Thank you, Iri,” Misha said, squeezing her hand tightly. “I’m proud to be your sister too.”

Iryana smiled, eyes watering. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Let’s move!” Edishta ordered.

It was almost dark when they made it to the camp for the night. The moment they stepped off the ledge, Misha was hugging her, and once Hadima had untied herself, she joined in. They clung to each other like there wasn’t a force in the world that could stop them.

Because there wasn’t.

“We made it,” Iryana cheered, finally feeling steady enough to pull back.

“I should go check on everyone,” Hadima said with a relieved smile, squeezing them one last time and running off.