Jacob put his foot on the plank and looked up to find the rope. It was level with his head, which would make things more difficult. It was at that height for a reason, of course. Sweet Pea and Akeno wouldn’t be able to reach it if it was higher.
His hands were still sore from using the machete. He should’ve taken the time to fix them with Kaede sap. No chance to do that now.
Jacob walked slowly, looking back occasionally to check on the progress of those behind him. The emotions emanating from them were surprising. Everything from nervousness to fear to excitement and even slight boredom—that one was Aloren, of course. But no, Matt’s emotions showed some indifference too, along with his excitement. Why was he bored? Then Jacob smiled when he remembered all the rope courses his brother had completed over the past few years. He wasn’t really afraid of these sorts of things.
He felt a tug in the rope around his waist when he was at least fifteen feet across and turned to see that Gallus was just getting on the plank. Jacob took a deep breath. The entire group was on the board now. If they fell, no one would be able to save them.
He continued onward, trying not to think about that.
A moment later, everything went black. He gasped, pausing. It was the weirdest thing ever—as if someone had turned off the sun and the lights, with no action on his part, and no residual vision. He’d never been in such complete blackness.
Jacob shuffled forward, feeling with his feet, making sure he knew what was under him before stepping.
Akeno practically freaked out when he went through the trap, and Jacob instinctively looked back to see what was wrong. He nearly stumbled in surprise at what he saw. “I can still see your emotions!”
“That’s wonderful!” Gallus said.
“Yeah! I’ll check on you guys every few steps.”
“Good. You’re about twenty feet from the wall.”
Jacob nodded, knowing Gallus was watching. He counted the steps in his head, listening as the others went through the trap one at a time.
He’d nearly reached twenty when he felt a strong lurch in the rope tied around his waist, causing it to dig sharply into his stomach. His sword shifted, its weight knocking him off balance, and he lost his footing, holding onto the line above as tightly as he could while his legs swung out from under him. The board banged sharply against his shins, and his hands burned from the friction. He slid backward down the line by what felt like a couple of feet, bumping into Akeno, who cried out.
Everyone yelled in shock, and the line bounced Jacob up and down. He scrambled back onto the board, wishing he could see what he was doing.
“Quiet!” Gallus said. “Who fell off the board first?”
“I did,” Sweet Pea said. “Lost my grip. I’m holding on to the board. I . . . I think I can pull myself up.”
Jacob heard grunting, and the rope dug into the skin of his waist, making him wince from the pain.
“Careful, Sweet Pea,” Gallus said. “I’ve got you.”
The rope slackened and Jacob faced away from the others, toward the wall again. He held tight to the line above. “Is everyone okay?”
“Yes, we’re all on the board again,” Gallus said. “Keep going.”
“That was really close,” a little voice said near Jacob’s ear, making him jump.
Jacob looked and saw a tiny spot of green—her emotion, representing happiness. “Early! Where have you been?”
“Watching and visiting Aldo—I would’ve come to help if you needed it.”
“Okay. How far from the wall am I?”
“Close. Very close.”
Jacob scooted forward, feeling the board with every step, making sure not to put his foot down without being confident he wouldn’t fall off the side. How would they do stuff like this without the sensation of touch?
Then his foot found nothing. He shuffled to the side and felt solid stone. Great! “I’ve reached the wall!”
“Wonderful!” Gallus said.
Jacob found the lamp post and clung to it for support with one hand while helping Akeno off the board. The wall was fairly wide on top.
“Gallus, now what?”
“Um . . .”
Jacob frowned, hoping Gallus had thought this far in advance.
“I need you to climb past the pole, then drop to the ground in the middle of the archway. Aldo said the wall is about ten feet tall. Don’t go into the city and don’t exit—stay right in the middle of the archway. From what Aldo mentioned, we’ll have around six feet of area under the arch to work with.”
“Okay.”
“And I’ll help you!” Early said.
“Thanks, Early. You totally rock.”
He felt his way around the pole, then paused. “How am I going to drop to the ground without pulling all of you with me?”
Silence. Then, “Good point. Untie yourself. The rest of us will stay together and undo ourselves one at a time. When we join you, we’ll do up the knots again.”
Jacob untied the rope and continued with Early guiding him.
“Just a little farther,” she said. “Just a little farther. Stop. You’ve reached the arch.”
Jacob sat on the part of the wall closest to where the stone rose, then twisted and lowered himself until he was hanging by just his hands.
“How far is the ground from my feet, Early?”
“A little less than you are tall.”
Just wonderful. He pulled himself back up to talk with the others. “When you come around the pole, find the spot where the wall meets the arch—Early will help you—and lower yourself with your hands. I’ll be below, trying to guide you. The drop from the wall to the ground is more than ten feet. I’ll do my best to catch you. Luckily, I can still see your emotions, so I’ll know where you are.”
The others acknowledged that they understood, and he watched the colors of their emotions brighten, reflecting anticipation, panic, confidence, and fear. No boredom now.
Jacob took a deep breath and wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. After a moment, he lowered himself once again, took another deep breath, then let go. The wind rushed by him, tickling his ears.
The fall was over and he landed, stumbling a bit, then righted himself. He froze, waiting to see what happened. No pain! The tension he’d felt earlier dissipated—being an athlete had its perks. And he definitely still had the sensation of touch, thank goodness.
“I’m ready for you, Akeno.”
Akeno’s emotions showed he was about to go hysterical. “All right,” he squeaked.
“If you get hurt, we have plenty of Kaede sap. You’ve got to calm down. It’s going to be okay. ”
“I’m fine.”
Jacob narrowed his eyes when Akeno’s colors didn’t change. “Seriously, Akeno. I can see your emotions, remember? You aren’t relaxing. Just breathe.”
Gallus chuckled. “He’s probably not going to feel better until he’s on solid ground again.”
Jacob agreed, and changed tactics. “Just take your time. You’re light enough—I’ll be able to catch you. Sack of potatoes, remember?”
Akeno laughed, a bit of yellow coloring the air around him. “Yeah, I remember.” He paused. “Okay, I’m coming.”
Jacob watched the emotion come closer. He was going to have to get used to this. There wasn’t a real shape, and the color faded in and out—stronger in some areas than others. It was interesting to see it without Akeno’s face. And it was even stranger to realize Jacob saw it without using his eyes.
While waiting, Jacob glanced in the direction where he imagined the fortress to be, and sure enough, the strong emotions were still there. He detected slight movement and figured the Shiengols were restless. He would be too, after being trapped for over sixteen years.
Jacob looked back and saw Akeno’s color lowering. He wasn’t sure if it was around Akeno’s head or his torso at that moment, but at least it gave Jacob an idea of the Makalo’s position.
He reached up on tippy toes, but didn’t feel anything. “Are you hanging by your hands yet?”
“Nope. Give me a minute.”
The deep yellow lowered even farther, then Akeno said, “Now I am.”
Jacob reached up again, swishing his hands through the air, and finally his fingertips brushed the bottom of the Makalo’s shoe.
“Whoa,” Akeno said. “Was that you?”
“Yeah. I can’t really reach your feet.”
A pause. “I guess I’ll just let myself fall, then.”
“And I’ll do my best to catch you.”
“On the count of three. One, two—you’re still down there, right?”
“Yes, Akeno.”
Another hesitation, then, “Three.”
The emotion rushed down to Jacob and he put his arms out, trying to keep them below Akeno.