Sword and Veil (Everstone Series book 1 preview)

Chapter 11

Maelyn's heart leaped into her throat as Fenner slipped off the cliff, his body now suspended awkwardly by his leather belt. The heavy chain connecting him to Rowan pulled taut, but the segment between Maelyn and Rowan remained slack. Rowan, now supporting Fenner's full weight, gritted his teeth and held on with all his strength.

"Fenner!" Maelyn shouted. "Idiot! Grab the rock!"

She turned as a hand grasped the strap around her waist. Esme scaled over, bracing Maelyn in case Rowan were to fall or slide. Fenner was flailing as he dangled, now soaked with ocean water, the higher waves submerging him as they crashed upwards.

"He can't gain any purchase with the waves finding him." Esme said, her voice eerily calm. "We need to pull him above the ocean's reach."

Maelyn checked on Rowan, who wrestled against his teammate's weight. To his credit, he hadn't moved. She spoke to Esme.

"We need to help Rowan. I don't know how long he can hold."

Esme nodded. "Leave it to me." She reached around Maelyn and climbed past her.

By the Nine, this woman is incredible

Maelyn followed as Esme scaled toward Rowan, remaining close enough to provide freedom of movement, given the limited length of chain between them. The empty buckets scraped against the rock, the wind gusts clubbing the wood against the rockface.

Esme reached their comrade and scaled around to his right side, being cautious to not disrupt his hold. She ensured she found solid footing, before holding the cliff with one hand and grabbing the chain and pulling.

Rowan opened his eyes at the relief of pressure. He glanced down, wondering if Fenner fell prey to the waters' grasp. He reached for the chain to help Esme, who strained against the weight as another wave crashed upwards.

"Fenner!" Maelyn shouted. "Climb the rock!"

The kid gasped, spitting the ocean water from his mouth, terror written on his face. She repeated the command. He grabbed the chain with one hand, and the smooth rock face with the other, trying to pull himself upward. But he slipped back down the slick surface as another wave crashed into him, throwing him against the rock.

Living hells, what do we do   

                                                                                             ҉   

The recruits were restless, some still watched the four, silently praying for their success, while others were chatting as if it were any other beautiful day. Eli couldn't understand how some people disregarded others in danger.

Thankfully, his head was feeling better, the dizziness now gone and each minute that passed, the throbbing lessened. It was difficult to see what was happening with the squad near the bottom. Eli was kneeling down at the cliff's edge, straining his eyes, which only made his headache return.

"How are they doing?" Arlo asked from behind Eli, lying in the grass.

His carefree attitude was dampened as the challenge continued, but Eli wasn't sure what was going through his mind. He assumed Arlo's cheery demeanor was a mask, something to shield himself from the dire situation– or something more. He wondered if Arlo truthfully was that confident in himself and those around him. Perhaps he wasn't familiar with death or was so familiar with its presence, it was commonplace.

Regardless, Eli became more nervous by the minute, now that around an hour passed. He possessed little experience with climbing, and certainly nothing close to this. He was an excellent swimmer, but falling in wasn't part of the plan.