Chapter Sixteen: Hesitation (P1)

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A/N: READ PLEASE!!!
So I need help from all you readers! This chapter needs to be cut. Help me please? I've tried cutting out parts and changing things around, out of the entire book this is the most difficult chapter for me! I've especially tried turning it into two separate chapters but can't seem to find a good cut off point to separate it. IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY. I've actually rewritten this chapter FIVE TIMES and this is the best I can do! Help please!

VENNY
   "What's it, Alie? I looked down at her. "Lookin' like you're havin' some trouble there."
   "I was made," she gasped, "for climbing," another rasp, "snowbanks." She leaned her head against the rough stone. "Not rocks." She finally finished.
   I grinned and went back down the side of the cliff so I was next to her. "Here, I'll help you."
   She turned her head so I could see her sweat-covered face under her shaking arm. "You've grown at a ridiculous," she swallowed and gasped, "pace in the last few months, but I'm still at least... at least twice your weight."
   "Doubtful." I said dryly, then  shrugged with a grin. "But suit yourself." I scattered up the side of the cliff easily. "Fine!" She called up. "Fine, fine!"
   I grinned down at her and put one hand to my ear as if having problems with my hearing, teasing her. "What's it?"
   "Help me. Sweet Mother, help me."
   "I'm no goddess," I said, going back down, "but I will help."
   "You're a mountain goat in disguise." She grumbled.
   "Need help, Alie?" Geac called down from where he stood on the ledge about thirty feet up.
   "No!" Alie called, but her squeaky voice made him frown. I waved at him to stay up, mouthing that I had her. He nodded but kept watch. No doubt if she fell, he would jump down after her and learn to fly.
   "Here." I said and gripped the tan rock with one hand, wrapping my other arm around her waist. "Put your foot in the hole about a foot above your left one, then reach your right hand up about two feet and an inch of so to your right."
   "It's too high. I'm not that tall."
   "Kick up a bit. I won't let you fall."
   "Mountain goat." She mumbled and I felt her take a deep breath before she leaped up a bit. She almost missed the ledge but I steadied her.
   "Good." I hopped up so I was next to her again. "One more time, then you're past the hard part. The rest is easy."
   "How will I get over the ledge?"
   "Geac is waiting to pull you up. Now come on." I wrapped my arm around her waist again and held her tight. "There's nowhere to put your foot so you'll have to jump a bit."
   "What?" Her squeak was now a squeal. "What about where your foot is?"
   "My foot isn't on anything."
   "What?" She squeaked again. "You're just hanging there by one arm?"
   "I'm fine, s'long as you hurry it up. Left hand up to where mine is, then right hand on the ledge about a foot above it, then you should be able to put your foot in the ledge you're nearly banging your nose on."
   "Should?" She echoed, looking at me with a panicked expression.
   I looked at her blandly. "Hangin' by one arm here." I reminded her.
   Her look went even more fearful but it did get her moving. I had to hold her weight for a second as she found the right ledge with her fingers, but then her fingers clasped it and her foot hooked and she was fine.
   "Good, should be easy now."
    She grumbled about goats again but moved the last dozen feet to where Geac waited. The second her feet touched the ledge, she shoved her face inside Geacobs cloak and let out a scream as if she'd been holding it in so long that it needed to come out or she would choke. Geacob let out a laugh and wrapped his arms around her.
   I went down to where Hark was waiting on the wider ledge below with Loryn and Lenny. All three had orders not to climb until they could be attached to the ropes. We had several ropes, but none of them long enough for this ledge so Uncle Jack was climbing down half way and acting as an anchor. Hark had that piece missing from his shoulder and was too weak besides. Loryn was actually a good climber, but she didn't have the muscle strength to keep it up as long as we needed. She nearly fell twice simply because her muscles gave out on her so she was told to use a rope. Lenny could climb, I was sure, but he was missing four fingers on his left hand and half of one on his right from a bit of trouble with kingsmen a few years back, so was unable to.
   "Ready!" I called up to Uncle Jack who dropped the rope down to us. Lenny himself tied it around his waist, needing very little help but at least the rope would catch him if it fell. He got up about half ways, then another rope was dropped down and Uncle Jack removed the rope from Lenny and replaced it with the other. He waited until Lenny was a few feet up before dropping the rope again.
   Loryn waved the rope away. "I still need a rest." She said, but I knew she was actually worried about Hark who seemed to be sapping strength even by standing there. I tied him on myself.
   "Think you can make it?" I asked.
   "I'm fine." He said, but weakly. I frowned but nodded and helped him get started, then watched him get more pulled to the top then climbing it himself.
   "He's not doing well." Loryn said quietly.
   "I know." I snapped at her, then grimaced. "Sorry, I'm not angry with you."
   She smiled slightly. "I know. I... I know you don't want to talk about it, but I only bring it up because I think you should know that he's been spitting up blood."
   "What?"
   She gave me a sad look. "He tried to hide it from you, but he tends to forget about me. I just thought you should know. I'm sorry, I feel terrible."
   "Quit saying you're sorry." I snapped. "Not everything is about you." I quickly jumped up, catching the ledge and climbing up quickly, effortlessly. By the time I reached the ledge, Hark had already been hauled over and Alie was pushing a cloth to his mouth and checking his forehead as if expecting a fever.
   When he pulled the cloth away, it was tinted red. Alie looked at it, then pretended she didn't notice as she folded it over and handed it back, telling him to keep it with a smile that disappeared the second she stood and turned away.
   Geac stopped her from going anywhere but didn't say anything, only looked at her with both concern and question.
   Alie shook her head and he wrapped his arms around her.
   And with that, I knew what I had already suspected--- my friends time was very nearly up.
   I went through the Rangers and sat next to Hark, pasting a smile on my face. "Finally some rest, eh?"
   "Aye." He said, putting a smile on his own. "I've decided that I like the sea better than the air." He paused. "Or the ground really."
   I snorted. "You can always head home."
   "And miss all the excitement?" He grinned. "I gets t'see a bloody dragon, Venny. Up close even! What a story that'll be t'tell me da!"
   I lost my smile, forced as it was, this was easy. "You wont be telling him any stories if you don't go home now, Hark."
   He smiled without falseness now. "It wont be me tellin' it." He glanced around briefly and kept his voice low. "It wont be some lowly shipboy tellin' the story of young Hark an' his companions, siftin' quietly into the dragons lair. Aye, it'll be the King of Tark tellin' it, eh?" He grinned at me. "Imagine how proud me da'll be when the king himself tells a story like that? About how his own son traveled from east to west, north ta south, climbed the greatest mountain in all the land 'long-side ye, all the way into the dragons lair none has seen since King Arow Dargoyln was alive."
   "That's all this is for? A story?"
   "Of course, Venny! Every time I sets off on a new a'venture, me first though is what story I be gettin' this time."
   I felt an uncontrolled anger rise up. "And if you don't make it to the dragons lair? If you dies in your bloody sleep t'night? What story would I tell then?"
   "If that happened, then ye better well bloody lie and add me in, y'fool!"
   I'm not entirely sure why, perhaps it was the words or the completely serious expression he wore while he said them, or even if it was just the stress of the whole situation. Perhaps all three reasons were the cause. Whatever it was, this struck me as the most funniest thing in the land and I started laughing. Great gales of laughter that came up from deep in the belly and shook everything from nose to toes. It only took a second for Hark to join in and the two of us howled together like we used to, shaking the mountain, ignoring the odd looks from the others as we clutched our bellies and gasped for breath in between.
   It was the kind of laughter that was rare, even among the best of company in the best of times. It was a laughter that came for no reason but was never forgotten once it faded away.
   It didn't occur to me until much later that I would never share that rare, perfect, child-like laughter with another ever again.

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