Wrought Iron, Book 1 of Merlin's Message

Chapter 8 - Chasing the Rabbit

Bottled water and power bars got them going in the dim light of dawn. No one felt like cooking before packing up. The canyon was shadowed, and grey. It gave the place a ghostly look. The air was dry, crisp, and cool. It tickled and tingled on bare skin. Above them, the blue sky was pale between the cliffs. Indigo water flowed purposefully in the gloaming. Sounds echoed sharply in the canyon, and everyone kept their voices down.

"So, now what?" Mike sniped.

"Where's the cave?" Taeko asked while sipping water.

"How do we get up there?" Hannah piped.

Gavin looked up to where the cave opening showed as a slight shadow, and his eyes followed the crooked line down to the canyon floor.

"Dafydd?" Gavin asked.

Dafydd smiled. "Let's stack all the gear by the cliff. There is a way up. Gavin, I think two of you should stay here. We'll get to the cave and then let down a line to haul everything up. Then those two can ride the line, and we'll pull them right up. What do you think?"

Gavin paused. It seemed like Dafydd, despite his military experience, was keeping his agreement to recognize Gavin as leader of the group.

"Sounds good to me." He thought about it. "Let's look at this path first before we decide."

"Fair enough," Dafydd answered and walked towards the upstream edge of the beach.

A path about a foot wide in the cliff's rock face slanted in towards the wall. It rose up sharply towards the cavern entrance.

"What do you all think?" Dafydd smirked.

"It looks like a rain gutter," Mike observed.

"I don't think I can go up that," Hannah worried.

"Gavin, since you're the biggest, Mike and I should climb, and you stay down here with Hannah," Taeko suggested.

"You guys sure you want to haul my 210 carcass up on a line?" Gavin asked with a grin.

"We can manage." Dafydd nodded.

Dafydd faced Mike and Taeko. "I'll take it slow and rig a hand line as I go. That'll make it easier for you." He looked at Taeko.

"You don't have to make it easier for me, bucko," Taeko retorted. "You can follow. If one of you takes a nosedive, you're not grabbing me on the way down."

Dafydd frowned. "Well, I think it would be safer if I go first. I've got some climbing experience."

"Yeah, Taeko," Mike concurred. "And maybe we should tie a line between us. You know. So if one of us falls, the other two can hold them up."

"Whatever," Taeko exhaled with an eye roll.

She jumped up on the ledge and seemed to dance her way up the jagged path.

"Try to keep up, boys!"

Dafydd and Mike looked at each other, and both shrugged.

"After you, man," Mike gestured with an open hand.

They both laughed and started up.

While Taeko seemed to fly up the rock trail, the heavier guys had to go up sideways, facing the cliff. About halfway up, Mike slipped on some loose rock, lost his balance, and started to tip towards empty space.