Chimeg stood up and rushed to Baat. Baat lay upon the floor of the cave. He was not moving. His eyes were closed. Chimeg knelt beside him and lifted his head in her hands. She was talking quickly in her own language, saying Baat's name over and over.
Garibaldi sat up. Boli pressed himself against the far the wall of the cave, staring at Baat and Chimeg with wide eyes. Sallina crawled across the floor to Baat. Dan sat down in the cave mouth and looked out.
Chimeg put her ear next to Baat's mouth. She stopped talking and listened. She sat up and started crying. She saw Baat's spear and picked it up. Sallina thought she was going to attack Dan. Sallina grabbed the shaft of the spear.
"No."
Chimeg looked at Sallina and at Dan. "No. No, I not fight. Let go."
Sallina let go. Chimeg held the shiny steel blade of the spear next to Baat's mouth and nose. She knelt and looked at it. She held it up. She laughed and pointed to the blade. There was a patch of mist upon it. The mist meant that Baat was breathing.
Chimeg put the spear down on the floor. She turned and grabbed Baat's cape. She rolled it up and put it under his head. She arranged his arms and legs so he would be comfortable. Then she bent over and put her head upon his chest and held his shoulders with her hands. Sallina stood up. Chimeg closed her eyes, but Sallina could see tears dripping out of them and onto Baat's shirt.
Sallina looked up. Dan sat as he had been all day, looking out at the ravine from the shadows of the cave entrance.
"What happened?" Garibaldi said.
Sallina knelt beside him. "Baat tried to go outside. Dan hit him and knocked him out."
Garibaldi nodded. He lay back down on the ground. He breathed deeply. He touched his wound with one hand. "Just do what Dan tells you to do." He closed his eyes.
Sallina stared at Garibaldi. Should she tell him about what Baat had said? Garibaldi was in pain. He could not use his leg. If she did tell him, what could he do about it? All he would be able to do is worry. She stood up and went to sit beside Boli. He looked into her eyes. "It's okay," she said. She put her hand upon his head.
And so they sat, waiting. Seagulls called outside. The shadows moved slowly. The color of the sun went from yellow to pink. Chimeg sat up and stroked Baat's hair. Dan pushed his head out of the shadows and held his ear to the cave mouth. After a while he turned and said to Sallina. "There are men on the beach. They're looking for us."
Sallina nodded. She did not know what to say to Dan.
Baat opened his eyes. Chimeg moved away from him. He sat up and rubbed his head. He looked around. Dan smiled at him.
"Feeling better?" Dan said, "I thought you needed some rest. You were up all night, and sitting all day like a man going to the gallows."
Baat shook his head. "I not understand you." He moved backwards, and sat leaning against the cave wall. He looked down at his trousers and then at the other people in the cave.
Dan laughed. "I reckon you had your pee, too. I bet that feels better. I did you two services in one."
Baat ran his fingers through his hair. Chimeg picked up his spear and held it out towards him. He took it and stood it beside him. She picked up his helmet, which was lying nearby, and put it beside his feet. He took it and set it beside the spear.
The light outside faded. The sun was setting. The ravine glowed pink in the last light of day, and then began to go dark. Sallina crossed the cave and sat down beside Baat. Chimeg stood up and went to sit beside Boli. The boy put his arms around her and held his head next to her tummy. Baat stared at the floor.
After a moment, Sallina noticed that Baat smelled like pee. Poor fellow, she thought. He must be so ashamed. What could she say to him to make him feel proud of himself again? She could not think of anything, so she just sat there.
"Your share of the food is on the plate there," Dan said to Chimeg. "It's for you and the boy."
Chimeg picked up the plate, and she and the boy ate the food quickly. When they were finished, they picked up Dan's cup and shared the water between them.
Sallina leaned close to Baat's ear and whispered, "Dan says he heard men on the beach. He says they are looking for us down there."
Baat nodded.
"What should we do?" she said.
He shook his head.
Now it was dark in the cave, and almost dark outside. This day had been the first of September. It was twenty-eight days ago that the Reliant had dropped anchor off Independence Island for the first time, in a small bay off the west coast, and there had been a crescent moon in the sky for the first hour of the night. So there must be a crescent moon in the sky again tonight. In an hour or two it would follow the sun below the horizon, and there would be only the light of the stars.
"I'm not going to take out my light," Dan said. "I don't want anyone to see us up here."
Nobody answered him. Garibaldi was snoring quietly. Sallina put her head on the cave wall and closed her eyes. She tried to figure out a way to get her and Garibaldi away from here. The Endeavor was in Faith Town, if she remembered correctly. The Endeavor had sailed to Faith Town to do business with the junk from Chiin. Surely the crew of the Endeavor would welcome them aboard? Jacqueline was on the Endeavor. She would welcome them. And once they were on board the Endeavor, they would be safe from Dan, and the Captain would not be able to keep their gold. But how could she get Garibaldi to Faith Town? Dan would not let anyone leave the cave. And even is she did leave the cave, how would she find the way in the dark, without Dan's light? Even if she knew the way, would Garibaldi be able to walk that far?
Sallina must have fallen asleep, because it was absolutely dark in the cave when she opened her eyes.
"Okay," Dan said in the darkness. "It's time."
It's time, Sallina thought. Her chest felt tight. It was hard for her to breath. She wanted to sit up, but her body felt weak. She forced herself to take a deep breath. She felt her heart beating in her chest. Tha-thump, tha-thump, tha-thump it went. She felt dizzy. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her knees.
Light shone upon her eyelids. She opened her eyes. Dan's light was shining upon the cave floor. He stood in the middle of the cave with his light in one hand and his coil of thick, old, knotted rope over one shoulder. Chimeg and Boli sat together against the far wall, asleep. Garibaldi was still snoring.
Baat sat near the cave entrance. "You say no light. Now you make light."
Dan did not answer. He looked at Sallina. "Wake up Garibaldi and get him to sit up."
He walked to Chimeg and Boli. He shook Chimeg's knee. "Wake up."
Chimeg opened her eyes and blinked. Boli sat up and did the same.
"We are going now," Dan said. He stood up and pointed his light at Garibaldi.
Sallina knelt beside Garibaldi. "Wake up, Garibaldi." She held the top of his arm and rocked him a little. He opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling. He looked at Sallina. He smiled.
"Time to go?"
She nodded. She helped him sit up. She picked up his helmet and crutch.
"Don't bother with the crutch," Dan said. "Just get him up yourself."
Sallina put down the crutch and helmet. She took Garibaldi's hand and helped him stand. He leaned on her for a moment, and then reached out for the cave wall and leaned upon that instead. He smiled.
"Okay, ready to go."
Dan nodded. He looked at everyone in turn. "Okay. We're going to climb down to the beach from the end of the ravine. We're not going to take the stairs. There's a chance that the policemen may be watching the stairs." He put his hand on his coil of rope. "This rope is thick enough that we can climb down the cliff with it. I tied knots in it to help us get down. But it's not long enough to get us all the way down to the beach. We have to climb down half-way. There is a ledge for us to stand on half-way down. I saw it this morning. The climb is not difficult, but we have to do it in the dark. We can't use my light or we will be seen."
Dan looked at Garibaldi. "The climb is going to hurt you. Your wound may open up. But you're going to do it. You have strong arms. You can climb down with your arms and one leg."
Sallina looked at the fireplace. Dan had put all his metal things away. Her canteen was no longer on the floor, and her pack was next to the cave mouth. Dan had cleaned everything up and put the packs out ready for them to go.
"How use rope two times?" Baat said.
Dan smiled. "I will go down first. You will follow. I will go back up again, untie the rope, drop it down to you, and climb down myself without a rope."
Baat looked at Dan. He frowned. "I not like that plan."
Sallina thought about it. The plan sounded good to her. If Dan said that he could climb down on his own, she was sure he could do it. He would go up to the top. She looked at Baat. He looked back at her. What if Dan untied the rope at the top, pulled it up, and left them there on the ledge, half-way up the cliff?
Sallina put her hands on her hips. "I don't like that plan either."
"Oh really?" Dan said, "You can come with me, or you can stay here. Which is it going to be? Because I am going now, and I have the rope."
Baat picked up his spear and put his helmet on. From underneath the helmet he stared at Dan. Dan shone his light straight into Baat's face. Baat blinked. Dan turned the light away.
"Garibaldi," Dan said. "What are you doing? Staying or going?"
Garibaldi looked around. He raised one eyebrow. His face was pale in the dim light. Sallina thought he looked confused and stupid.
"I'm not going to stay here."
"Chimeg?" Dan said. "Are you coming with me?"
Chimeg looked at Baat. "I'll go with Baat."
"Baat? Coming or going? If you come, you have to leave your spear behind. I don't want you climbing down the cliff with it. You can put your helmet in your pack, but don't wear it while you're climbing."
Baat stared at the floor. He thumped the butt of his spear upon the rock. He looked up at Dan, "I come. But I say to you now, if you trick us, I kill you. If I not kill you, my father kill you."
Dan turned to Sallina. "And you?"
Sallina stared at Dan. His jaw was shut tight. He was frowning. The light was dim, but she thought his eyes were red, also. She looked down at the hand that held his light. It was clenched tight. She looked at Garibaldi. He was going with Dan. She was not going to stay behind on her own, that was for sure. But she wanted to say something to Dan, something that would make him change his mind about tricking them and leaving them on the ledge.
"Dan," she said, "If you−"
Dan held up his hand. "No. I'm not asking for your opinion, or any speech about me and what you think I should do. I'm asking you for a yes or no answer. That's all. Now give it to me. Are you coming with us or are you staying behind?"
Sallina clenched her fists at her side. Tears welled in her eyes. She looked down at the cave floor.
"Going," she said, but it was hard for her to speak clearly because she was trying not to cry.
"What's that, Miss?"
"I'll come with you!" She turned away and put her hand over her face. Garibaldi held her close to his chest. She put her arms around him.
"Stop crying," Dan said, "You will have the rest of your life to think about how you acted here, right now, in this cave. You made your choice, now let's go."
He walked towards the cave mouth.
Garibaldi whispered in Sallina's ear, "I don't know what is going on here. I was asleep. But we have to go with him."
Dan shone his light upon the cave mouth and stepped outside. Baat picked up his pack and followed him. Chimeg and Boli stepped out. Sallina helped Garibaldi across the cave. She stopped and picked up her pack and put it on her back. The pack was was full and heavy. Garibaldi's pack was still inside hers. The pack was not comfortable, but she did not take time to adjust it. Dan's light was moving away from the cave. She wanted to stay close to the light so Garibaldi would be able to see better.
She put her arm around Garibaldi's waist and his arm around her shoulders. He leaned upon her. Together they stepped out of the cave. Garibaldi no longer had the second bandage holding his heel up off the ground. He had to keep his leg up with the muscles on the back of his leg. When he hopped on the rocks of the ravine, he groaned.
Sallina looked up. The sky was clear. The wind was light. The moon was gone. By the light of the stars, she could see the walls of the ravine and the open end in front of her. Dan was walking slowly towards it.
When Sallina and Garibaldi reached end of the ravine, they looked over the edge. Sallina could not see the waves below, but she could hear them. The sea was black and the sand was gray. She could see the beach to her left, but not to her right. The staircase, and the place where the rowboat was supposed to pick them up, was to her right. But the cliff jutted out on that side and hid the beach from view.
Dan was tying the end of his rope around the trunk of a stumpy tree growing a few paces back from the edge of the cliff. He used his light to help him tie the knot. When he was done, he stood up. "Sit down, all of you." He put his light away. His five companions sat down. He let the rope over the edge of the cliff. "I'm going down. Let your eyes get used to the starlight. Watch me go down if you can. Watch me with the corners of your eyes. The corners of your eyes see better than the middles at night."
He took the rope in both hands. He walked backwards over the edge, holding the rope with his arms straight. He leaned back until he was standing sideways with his feet on the cliff. He took one step backwards, and another. At each step, he moved one arm past the other and held the rope farther down. The starlight was dim, but they could see him moving. Sallina looked to one side, and she found that Dan was right: she could see him better with the edges of her eyes, and especially when he moved. Soon, Dan was no more than a dim shadow, and a little while later, Sallina could not see him at all. But she kept watching the darkness.
"Where is he?"
Baat crawled over the rocks and pulled on the rope. It was loose. "He not climbing."
"What's he doing, then?"
"Maybe he climb down to beach and go."
Sallina nodded. Nobody said anything. Baat shook the rope again.
"Help me up, please, Sallina," Garibaldi said.
Sallina helped him up. He walked to the rope and took hold of it. "Here I go."
"No," Sallina said, "Let me go first."
"I got to the rope first, so I get to go first. You wait here. Hold the top of the rope in one hand. When I get to the bottom, I'll let go and tug on it, so you'll know it's time for you to come down."
Garibaldi held the rope and stood on the edge of the cliff. He used both legs as he stepped backwards. The rope was thick and stiff. There were knots in it that made it easier to hold. He put one hand around a knot, and held on tight with the other hand. He leaned back. He felt a stab of pain in his wounded leg. He tried to keep it straight, but it bent anyway. His other leg slipped and he fell towards the cliff.
"Ah!" Sallina cried.
Garibaldi did not let go of the rope. He held it with both hands. He stuck out his knees. His knees hit the cliff. His head went forwards. His forehead struck a rock at the top of the cliff and he saw an explosion of white stars. His arms were stretched out and he was hanging by the rope against the cliff. He blinked. He bent his good leg and put it on the rock. He pushed himself away from the cliff. He looked up. A face was looking down at him.
"Are you okay?" It was Sallina.
"Yes." He blinked. Something was dripping into his eye. It must be blood. He looked up. "Don't shout again, please."
Garibaldi took a deep breath.
"Sorry," Sallina said.
Garibaldi looked down. He waited, hanging there on the rope, until he felt less dizzy. He wiped his forehead against the top of his jacket sleeve. That hurt, but he wanted to get the blood out of his eyes. He looked down. He put a little weight on his wounded leg. Pain stabbed through his thigh. He moved one arm down below the other. The rope was thick, but holding onto it was hard, much harder than he had expected. The rope hurt his hands.
Garibaldi took another deep breath. He could do this. He knew he could do it. He just had to go slowly.
He did go slowly, one step at a time. After the tenth step, he was finding it easier to move down the rope. He lost count of his steps by the time he heard Dan's voice below him.
"Well done."
Garibaldi put his good leg on the ledge and stood up. Dan found his hand in the darkness and shook it. "Well done."
Garibaldi leaned against the cliff and sat down a few steps from the rope. The ledge was large, easily large enough for all of them to stand on. The waves were louder now. He looked up at the stars and stretched out his leg. He rubbed his wound with one hand, but that hurt, so he stopped. He closed his eyes and listened to the waves. They were not big waves. The beach was not far below, but still too far to jump.
Dan knelt beside him. "What happened up there?"
"I hit my head."
Dan opened his jacket and wrapped it close around their two heads. He shone his light upon Garibaldi's forehead. "I see."
"Oh," Garibaldi said, "I'm supposed to tug on the rope."
Dan laughed "Good idea. I forgot about a signal. I'm glad you decided to get on with it. I'll pull on the rope."
Dan stood up and pulled on the rope.
"What happened?" Garibaldi said.
"Someone pulled back."
Garibaldi nodded. That was good. He closed his eyes. Dan knelt beside him again. He was rustling around in his pack. Some small rocks fell down the cliff from above and landed on the ledge. Someone was climbing down the rope.
"Move your head forward." Dan wrapped a bandage around Garibaldi's head, covering the cut on his forehead "Done."
Garibaldi put his head back. "Thank you."
More rocks fell down from above. One landed next to Garibaldi's wounded leg.
"They don't trust you," Garibaldi said.
"Nor should they." Dan stood up. "I've done terrible things in my life."
"I'm sorry," Garibaldi said.
"So am I." Someone was right above them on the rope now. Garibaldi could hear whoever it was breathing as they climbed. It sounded like Sallina.
"But then again," Dan said, "I enjoyed it at the time."
"Hello," Sallina said, "Is Garibaldi okay?"
"Yes," Dan said.
Boli came down next, then Chimeg. Sallina held the rope. It went loose. Something rustled above them and came rushing down past the ledge. The rope went tight in Sallina's hands. She started pulling it up onto the ledge.
"What just happened?" Dan said.
"Baat is climbing down without the rope," Sallina said. "He threw the rope off the top and now I'm pulling it up again."
Dan said nothing.
"Why?" Garibaldi said.
"We thought that would be better," Sallina said.
Sallina pulled the end of the rope onto the ledge and put it in a pile at her feet. She stretched out her fingers. Her hands hurt from climbing down. A few times, on the way down, she thought she would not be able to hold on.
Several small rocks fell down from the cliff above.
"Move close to the cliff," Dan said. "If he falls, it's best he doesn't land on one of us."
They stood close against the cliff, except for Garibaldi, who stayed sitting down. They waited. The waves washed against the beach below. A breeze ruffled their hair. A single cloud, drifted across the stars, blotting them out and revealing them as it went.
Sallina leaned against the cliff. She folded her arms and smiled. Because Baat was climbing down on his own, Dan would not be able to climb away and leave them on the ledge without a rope. It was Baat's idea to drop the rope down. When Sallina asked how he could climb down without a rope, he said "I am son of Sukh." So, she had agreed to his plan, and now she was glad of it. Dan had not said anything, which must mean that Dan did not know what to do next. If only she and Baat could think faster than Dan, they would be able to get to the beach, and when the rowboat came, she was sure that the sailors would not leave them behind. It may be that the Captain and Dan wanted to leave them behind, but not the rest of the sailors: not Pops, not Otis, not Jasper, and not Sharpy.
"What's happened to him?" Garibaldi said.
Nobody answered. No more rocks fell from above. They heard no sound except the washing of the waves on the beach and the hiss of the breeze against the cliff.
"I think he's stuck," Dan said. "There's an overhang about half-way down. It's no problem with a rope, but free-climbing it would be hard."
Sallina stared up into the darkness. She could see the cliff as a black wall taking up half the sky. The stars shone in the other half. She could not see Baat. She was sure he had started climbing down, because she heard rocks falling after Baat dropped the rope. Dan must be right. Baat was stuck.
"What should we do?"
"You tell me, Miss," Dan said, "It was your bright idea to have him climb down instead of me. You tell me what you're going to do about it."
Sallina stood and thought. She could not climb up to the top of the cliff and tie the rope there again. Dan could, but she didn't want to ask him. She closed her eyes. Surely there must be something she could do to help Baat?
"How long can he hang on?" Garibaldi said.
"Is he going to fall?" Chimeg said.
"I'll go get him," Dan said. "Give me the rope."
Sallina picked up the pile of rope and held it to her chest. It was heavy. Parts of it hung down to her knee. Baat's plan had gone wrong. But that did not mean that she should give the rope to Dan. So far they had stopped Dan from leaving them behind. If she gave him the rope, would he be able to trick them in another way?
"Give me the rope," Dan said.
Sallina held out the rope with both hands. What else could she do? She could not leave Baat on the cliff alone.
"Give me the rope."
"Here it is! I'm holding it out for you."
"Keep your voice down," Dan said.
Sallina felt him take the bundle of rope. She let go. Part of the rope fell to the ground. Sallina pressed herself back against the cliff.
"What a mess," Dan said. He crouched on the ground, and began untangling the rope and coiling it up in the starlight. Baat was hanging onto the cliff above them. He could fall at any time.
"Hurry," Sallina said.
Dan did not answer. It took him a full minute to coil the rope. He put it over his shoulder.
"I'm going now. I'll have to climb up to the top and tie the rope. That will take me ten minutes. Baat will climb down. I'll pull the rope up and climb down myself."
"Why don't you drop the rope down," Sallina said, "And then climb down. Won't it be easier to climb without the rope?"
Dan did not answer. He grabbed the cliff with both hands, put the tip of his boot on the rock, and stepped up. He put another foot on the cliff, moved a hand, and stepped higher. Sallina watched him. He took a step up the cliff with every few seconds. He made it look easy. No rocks fell down. He made no sound.
When he was about five arm-lengths up, Sallina could no longer see him. But she stared up after him anyway. On her way down, she had counted her own steps. She had taken forty-three small steps backwards down the cliff. She guessed that each of her steps was half an arm-length. The cliff was roughly twenty arm-lengths high.
She turned and looked down at the beach. She could see the white foam of the waves upon the sand. She could smell the salty water. The cliff was less steep below the ledge. There were large black shapes below her, which might be boulders. She guessed it was only another ten arm-lengths down to the sand, and only five arm-lengths down to the highest of the boulders. Five arm-lengths was too far to jump. She could jump from the hay loft of her barn at home and land on the dirt floor. That was four arm-lengths. But she had to land properly with her knees bent, or she would hurt herself. A five-arm-length jump in the dark, down onto black shapes that might or might not be boulders, would be dangerous.
On the other hand, they might be able to climb down without a rope, if they were careful. If Dan could climb up the sheer cliff above, she was sure they could climb down the steep slope below. She looked up again. She saw no sign of Dan or Baat. Dan was going to take the rope with him, she decided. He would think that they were stuck on the ledge, and he would go and meet the rowboat. But she and the others would climb down without the rope, and be there in time to meet the rowboat anyway.
Sallina put her head in her hands. No, that would not work. Garibaldi needed the rope to climb down. She stomped her foot on the ledge. That made her feel better.
"What's the matter?" Garibaldi said.
"Um," Sallina said. "I'm just worrying about Baat. And the rest of us."
"Dan will get him down, don't worry."
"Yes. I'm sure he will."
Sallina crossed her arms and smiled. She knew what she would do. She would hold onto the rope after Baat came down. Dan could pull on it, but she would keep hold of it, and he would have to let go. Then they could all climb down to the beach with the rope.
"The rope," Chimeg said.
"What's that?"
"The rope is here," Chimeg said. "I have it."
Sallina stepped over to her. She reached out for the rope. Her hand touched it. She grabbed it and pulled it towards her. Chimeg let go.
"Thank you," Sallina said.
She felt something shaking the rope above her. She stared up. A rock fell down. She pushed herself close to the cliff. A dark shape moved above her. The dark shape said something. By the sound of his voice, Sallina knew it was Baat. When he was close above her, she let go of the rope. The moment he stood on the ledge, she grabbed it again and held onto it.
"Hold the rope," she said to Baat.
"Why hold?"
"We need it to get down to the beach."
"Dan bring down."
"No, he's going to pull it up."
Sallina felt a pull on the rope. "He's pulling it!" There was another pull, this time much stronger. Sallina was nearly lifted off the ground. "Help me, Baat!".
Baat grabbed the rope. There were two more pulls, each strong enough to jerk their arms in the air above their heads.
"He strong old man," Baat said.
"I'll say. But I'm not letting him have the rope."
The pulling stopped. They held the rope and waited.
"Garibaldi wants to know what you are doing," Chimeg said.
Sallina looked down at the place where Garibaldi was sitting. Why couldn't he speak for himself?
"Are you alright Garibaldi?"
She heard Garibaldi make a kind of snorting noise. He whispered to Chimeg.
"He says that if Dan were such a devil," Chimeg said, "He would leave the rope tied at the top."
Sallina frowned. She hadn't thought of that.
There was a noise above them, and some clattering of small stones. The rope went loose. A moment later, it fell past them and over the edge of the ledge. The weight of the rope pulled suddenly on their hands. For the second time, the rope hung down the cliff below. She and Baat pulled it up as quickly as they could and piled it on the rock at their feet.
"Now we can get down on our own."
She smiled at the dark shape that was Baat standing next to her. He said nothing.
"Baat? Is something wrong?"
His head moved. "No."
"What happened up there?"
Baat folded his arms. Boli sat next to Chimeg's feet. Sallina thought she saw his wide eyes shining in the starlight, looking up at Baat.
"I could not climb down," Baat said.
"I know. Dan said there was one place that was hard to climb down."
Baat said nothing.
"Did Dan stop and talk to you? Did you know he was coming to help you?"
"He talk to me."
"What did he say?"
"He say he tie rope at top, then I climb down." Baat leaned back against the cliff and kicked a rock with one foot. The rock rolled off the ledge. Sallina counted two seconds. The rock clattered on the boulders below.
"Don't be ashamed, Baat," Sallina said, "You did your best, and look," she pointed at the rope. "We have the rope, and we're all here. So everything is fine."
Baat looked out from the ledge towards the sea.
Sallina stepped over the rope and knelt beside Garibaldi. "How is your head?"
"It hurts," he said in a whisper. "I think my leg is bleeding again."
Garibaldi breathed slowly. Sallina waited for him to say something more. He didn't. She touched his leg. His muscles tightened.
"No, please don't touch it."
Sallina moved her hand away. "We're going to get you out of here."
"I know," Garibaldi said. "I know you are doing your best. Maybe it's me who can't think straight."
"I'll look after you," Sallina said.
"I know," he said. He reached out and held her arm. His grip was strong. He was almost hurting her, but not quite. He pulled her slowly towards his face. When her ear was near his mouth, he said, "No matter what happens, it was worth it to spend six weeks with you, and share your bed at night."
Sallina held her breath. She felt as if her heart had stopped. He let go. She pressed her lips against his forehead. They touched the bandage. She tasted his blood upon her tongue.
"And in the morning, too," she said.
"And in the morning," he said.
She kissed the hair on his head. She decided to let herself stay next to Garibaldi for twenty seconds. After that, she would figure out what to do next. At least Dan would not be with them to frighten her. She would be able to think more clearly without him.
Behind her, Chimeg and Baat were whispering together. That was good. They should talk to one another. Baat should not be so angry.
She closed her eyes. One, she said, and breathed out.
Sallina had just taken breath number eighteen when there was a thump on the stone in front of her. She looked up. A dark shape stood on the ledge, on the other side of Garibaldi.
"By the kraken," the shape said. "You kids are really starting to make my blood boil."
"Hello Dan," Garibaldi said.
Sallina stared at Dan. Dan said nothing. He was breathing heavily. He moved something in front of him. After a moment, she realized that he was wiggling the fingers of both hands. Now he bent the fingers back, one after the other.
"What are you going to do?" Sallina said.
"I'm going to get you disobedient rascals back onto the ship," he said, "So that I can have the immense satisfaction of watching you flogged on the main mast."
Dan stepped over Garibaldi's legs. "Where's the rope."
Sallina stood up and turned around. Baat bent down and picked up the rope.
"No!" Sallina said. "Don't give it to him."
Dan stopped. He turned around and stepped close to her. She tried to move back, but Garibaldi was sitting behind her, and she did not want to trip over him.
"I ordered you not to raise your voice," Dan said, "You just raised it again. That's disobedience. So is keeping hold of my rope." He leaned closer to her. "Make no mistake, young lady, you being stupid may get you killed, and Garibaldi with you, but it ain't going to get me killed. I'm getting out of here alive, no matter what you do."
He stepped away from Sallina and took the pile of rope from Baat. "What the devil have you done to it this time?" He dropped the rope on the ground. "Don't you have enough sense to coil a rope? You already watched me coil it up once, now you want to watch me coil it up again?"
Sallina did not know what to say, so she said nothing.
"I help you," Baat said.
"No," Dan said, "I'll do it. But thank you for offering."
He took out his light and shone it upon something he held in his hand. It was round and shiny. He put his light away. "It's forty-five minutes before midnight. We have plenty of time, and the see is perfect for a landing. All we have to worry about are the policemen."
He crouched down and began untangling the rope. Sallina stood watching him, her heart pounding. Nobody said anything.
When the rope was coiled upon the ground, Dan stood up. He took out his light and shone it upon the shiny round object again. "Forty minutes until midnight. There's no place to tie the rope here. One of us has to stay up here and hold it. Sallina, who do you think should stay up here and hold the rope for the rest of us?"
Sallina looked at Dan and at the edge of the cliff near her feet. Whoever held the rope would have to climb down without the rope. Baat had been stuck on the cliff once already, but Dan had climbed up and down.
After some time had passed, waiting for Sallina to answer, Baat said, "Dan hold the rope. I go down first. Dan come last."
"Yes," Dan said, "That's what I was thinking. But I figured Sallina would start worrying about whether or not I would let go of the rope when she was climbing down. Do you trust me to hold the rope, Sallina?"
No, I don't, Sallina thought. But she did not want to say so.
"I agree," she said, "You should hold the rope."
"Okay," Dan said, "I'll check on Garibaldi first."
He moved along the ledge, past Sallina, and knelt beside Garibaldi. He put the rope on the ground. "Where do you hurt the most?"
Sallina moved next to Baat. She spoke in his ear. "Do you trust Dan to hold the rope?"
Baat stared out into the night for a while. He turned his head and whispered. "If he want kill me, was good time to kill me when I up there." He pointed up the cliff.
Sallina frowned. Baat seemed to think that Dan could have pushed him off the cliff when he was stuck. But how would Dan do that? Pushing Baat off the cliff would not be so easy. It would be hard enough for Dan to hang onto the cliff himself, let alone try to push someone else off.
But then she remembered Dan striking Baat on the back of the neck with his hand, and Baat, the son of Sukh, falling to the ground, unconscious. If she had not seen Dan do that with her own eyes, she would not have believed it was possible. Never, in all her years of watching boys fight in school, or in her own fights, had anyone ever knocked someone unconscious by hitting them with the side of their hand.
"He not kill me now."
Sallina nodded. "Okay."
She turned and watched Dan doing something with Garibaldi's leg. She guessed he was putting a new bandage on, but she could not be sure, because he was doing it in the dark. She looked up. There were three or four clouds in the sky, black patches against the stars.
Dan put his pack on, picked up the rope, stood up and turned around. "So, who's going first?"
"I will go," Sallina said.
Dan took two steps towards her. "Are you sure you can go down first, into the darkness?"
"I'll try."
"What if there are policemen at the bottom?"
"Do you think there are policemen down there?"
Dan looked over the ledge and stared into the darkness at the base of the cliff. "Not likely, but possible. I'd say a one or a two on a die-roll."Sallina looked over the ledge herself. After a while she said. "I'll scream if there's anyone down there."
"Okay," Dan said. "If not, tug on the rope a few times."
"Okay," Sallina said.
Dan picked up the coil of rope and threw it over the edge. It fell out of sight. A moment later it slapped against the rocks at the bottom. He sat down with his back against the cliff.
"I have my feet braced against two rock edges here. I have the rope wrapped around my arms. I won't let go."
Sallina knelt beside Garibaldi. "I'm going down." She kissed him on the cheek.
"You are brave," he said. "Don't let go of the rope."
"I won't."
She stood up and walked to the place where Dan was sitting with the rope. She knelt down and felt for it. She found it where it passed over the top of the cliff. She held it with one hand above the cliff-top, and another below. She slid her legs over the edge and felt with her toes until she found something to stand on. She leaned back, moved her hands down the rope, and stepped backwards down the cliff.
Her hands hurt already. They were still sore from the first climb. She wanted to reach the bottom quickly so that she could let go of the rope, but she forced herself to go slowly. Her hands would get better in a day or two, but a fall might kill her. She remembered her mother telling her that the difference between an animal and a human is that a human will choose to endure pain so as to stop themselves from being wounded or killed.
After fifteen steps backwards, she could hear the rope brushing against the sand below her, and she knew she was almost at the bottom. Her hands were hurting so badly, and she was so frightened that she would not be able to hold on any longer, that she did not care if there were policemen waiting at the bottom or not. She took her last few steps quickly, pushed away from the cliff, and landed on the sand.
She stared into the darkness and listened. There were boulders on either side, but she could see between the boulders to the sea. She could not see the waves, but the sound of them was loud and clear in her ears. She breathed deeply and rubbed her hands.
She waited while ten waves washed upon the shore. She saw no sign of anyone between the rocks or on the beach. She found the rope with her hands and pulled on it three times.