Xiantha (The Ammonite Galaxy Series, Book 3)

Chapter 22

"DO YOU KNOW how to abseil?" asked Six.

Diva shook her head.

"Don't worry, I'll teach you. You'll love it!"

Diva raised one eloquent eyebrow.

Six, completely misinterpreting her silence, went on, "We can leave the ropes in place so that it will be an easier and safer climb back up." He smiled happily. "Lucky we thought to bring that extra rope down from the Independence!"

Diva saw a couple of Pictorian spiders the size of dinner plates scuttling around the top of the chimney, and muttered a pithy comment under her breath about Kwaidian ideas of fun. Luckily, Six didn't hear it. He went on with his plans.

"Let's see, we will need one rope to get up the first stage from the bottom of the cavern, two will be enough for the middle section – there were really only two difficult parts there – which leaves us two for this section. That is great. We can go down together, so I will be able to keep an eye on you."

It took Six quite some time to tether the ropes adequately before they began the descent, even though he had also brought some tethering clamps from the space trader. He tested the hold over and over again, Diva saw. Then he gave her a lesson which seemed to her to involve more brute strength than technique, and signed for her to begin her descent.

"Ladles first!" he said, with his usual insouciant grin.

She peered down into the black depths beneath her, and her head swam. She drew back hastily. "This rope seems awfully thin," she grumbled.

He looked surprised. "Don't you want to come? I can go by myself if you prefer – there is really no reason for both of us to go, after all."

Diva stiffened. There was no way – absolutely no way under Sacras – that she was going to stay sitting back up here like an old woman and miss all the action, while Six swarmed up and down these ropes as if he were a Coriolan monkey.

"We would use better tools on Coriolis," she told him.

"Oh, so sorry, your highness, of course you would have better ropes on Coriolis. Perhaps you would like your humble servant to hike 30,000 light years back and get some?"

She tossed her head. "I suppose these will have to do. Are you sure they aren't going to break?"

"Nearly."

"Terrific!" She stomped over to the head of the chimney, twined the rope around her body in the way he had shown her, and let herself over the edge, going rather pale as her whole body became suspended on the rope. "Well – are you coming, nomus, or are you going to stand there all day staring?"

Six gave another broad grin and seemed to fling himself over the edge, enjoying every minute. Diva could have throttled him.

ALL WENT WELL for the first thirty metres or so. Diva found herself sweating as her nerves protested that this was a very stupid thing to be doing, but was actually rather pleased with herself. She was progressing, she thought. She had certainly had one or two nasty bumps against the rock face, but they were becoming fewer and farther between now. She thought that she was getting the hang of the thing.

"Uh-oh!" Six's voice came from a few metres above her, and to one side.

She looked around wildly. "What? What have you seen? What's the matter?"

"Err . . . we are going to have company."

"Company?" Her voice terminated in a shriek. "What sort of company?"