32. Deacon

If I had to guess, it's got to be nearly 3 am. We've been moving on the route I'd chosen without incident for the last few hours. Finn is carrying Amira, as we have taken turns to ensure we can keep our pace. Team East is probably fast asleep, knowing they are on their way with no one behind to stop them.

But they know we're ahead. They have to after finding only three humans on the platform, and our clue was missing. There's no way Saint doesn't know it"s a foot race to the finish. That being said, he also knows we're traveling with our human map.

We have to keep moving, but my feet are aching, and my wolf wants nothing more than to run.

One more day, and you will get your chance.

Turning our last zag to the right, the area opens up, and the shadows of the mountains loom around us. We've reached the cliff.

I scan the area, spotting the finish without effort. About a half mile from the base of the drop, they've constructed an elaborate open-air arena with seating on both sides of a center stage. Boxed-off sections indicate the Alpha's home packs, while packs just coming to observe are scattered below to fill in the sections.

The whole dog and pony show. Well, wolf and pony.

According to the map, we can take a thin trail to get down the hundred-foot nearly vertical drop.

We definitely should have kept some of the fucking rope. It's less than a foot wide and narrows even more at some points.

Turning around, I shine our last working flashlight toward the group. Their faces share my lack of enthusiasm, and I can see our exhaustion.

"Ideas?" I ask, coming up completely empty on my end.

Finn sets a sleeping Amira down a few feet away and joins our small huddle.

"What do we have to work with?" Marcus asks, pulling his bag in front of him so we can strategize.

"We have less than four feet of rope remaining and half a med kit." Finn starts.

"I've got nothing," I add, knowing my pack is the least helpful with the cooking supplies.

"Do we know how far the cliff drop is?" Marcus asks before continuing. "Because if we have enough clothing, maybe we could tie some together. It wouldn"t be a long solution, but it might give us a few seconds if we slip."

"Looks close to 100ft. Do you want to Rapunzel it over or tie us together in a Three, or rather, Four Musketeers moment? All for one and one for all?"

Now I know I'm overtired because the movie references are tumbling out of me, and I almost chuckle at my comparisons.

Marcus and Finn look at me like I've grown another head before working out a plan.

The rope will tie Amira to Marcus's back so he can have both hands. Amira isn't especially keen on being in ropes again, but she concedes once we allow her to peek over the edge.

I guess survival instincts trump PTSD.

Meanwhile, Finn and I find a way to attach a few tied sweatpants legs in a makeshift harness around our waists that will allow us to move independently of each other but assist in an emergency. The clothing ropes won't hold for a total drop, but they might give us a minute to regrip if we slip or slide.

When we line up, I'm at the front with the flashlight, one I hope will last until the bottom. Marcus and Amira follow me, and Finn will be in last.

It's nearly silent outside save for the crunch of loose gravel underfoot. Part of me wishes we could hear anything to distract us from the climb we are about to make.

The first few steps onto the narrow ledge go off without a hitch. I use my hands to balance as I sidestep and move swiftly, my heels hanging off the edge. Marcus, on the other hand, has to nearly lay his body and drag it across the rock wall. Even as light as Amira is, the additional weight has him fighting to keep from leaning back. Finn stays as far back as the makeshift clothing rope allows so Marcus doesn't feel pressured or crowded.

This is a terrible idea.

Just as I think it, a chunk of rock falls loose under my foot, causing me to leap further ahead. The move keeps me from falling but leaves a considerable gap in the path Marcus and Finn must navigate.

Fuck.

"Hang on, let me get solid before you go," I say, setting my feet as far from the gap as possible.

Marcus dares a look down at the almost eighty-foot drop and nods, his throat bobbing with his swallow. He could probably make the distance without jumping, but only if the two sides hold up.

Scooting as far as my section will allow, I attempt to find a handhold to secure myself in case he needs to grab me. Nothing allows me to get any kind of grip, but I dig my fingertips as hard as I can before reaching out with my other hand and nodding back at him, giving him the signal to go.

Marcus pushes off without hesitation, keeping his movement forward and only briefly pausing with one foot on each side before shoving his back foot off, grabbing my outstretched arm, and pulling himself across even as more dirt comes loose.

His momentum carries him across but also pulls my weight forward, causing me to lose my grip on the rock. In slow motion, I feel my balance shift. It's just enough to have me teetering, my muscles fighting to counter the movement.

Releasing his hand, I grab for anything I can use to catch myself, flapping my arm against the unforgiving wall. I twist my foot, stepping backward and slamming my back into the hard surface.

Rocks cascade down the dark cliffs, the sound of them bouncing fades the farther they fall, and my eyes follow their path now that my body is facing out instead of in. For the first time, it hits me how high we are.

We wouldn't survive a fall from this height.

I can't fall.

I have to make it back to Grace. I can't die.

Exhaling, I release all of the air in my lungs.

"You alright?" Marcus asks, his voice low, as if talking louder will somehow alert the mountain to our trespassing.

"Peachy." I grind out, still processing how close I just came to falling, all because rather than letting him leap alone, I gave him my hand.

Fucking stupid.

I like Marcus and consider him a friend, but I shouldn't risk myself for him. I can't do that to Grace. I don't know if she would be okay if I didn't survive this.

I wouldn't be if I lost her.

She's my world. My life has no purpose without her.

I need to be more careful. I promised her.

"Let's go," I cough out, slowing my racing heart as I strategically shuffle to a slightly wider part of the trail, where I can turn myself back around.

The next thirty feet go by without incident, and I find myself picking up the pace so we can get to the bottom. I lock my focus on my foot placement and try my best not to allow my mind to wander. Every once in a while, I hear a grunt or intake of breath that has me freezing and looking over my shoulder to ensure everyone is okay.

The trail shrinks even further when we finally hit the halfway point, with small boulders embedded in the path. So not only do we have less to stand on, but it's bumpy and uneven. Couple that with the wall starting to angle closer to our faces, and it"s a recipe for disaster.

Great.

I pause, waiting for Marcus and Finn to get close enough to see what I'm seeing so I don't have to yell. From up here, I'm sure our voices would carry, and the last thing we need is another team hearing us when we are this close to winning.

"Stone, you won't be able to cross the next ten feet with Amira on you," I state, understanding that it's obvious but also knowing that he needs to hear the words.

His need to be the hero will get him killed. When he leads a pack one day, he must learn to remove the emotion from his decisions. He can't save everyone.

"Amira, can you walk this section carefully?" Marcus asks, his voice tender as if speaking to a child.

Resolve settles on her face, and I know she's willing to try.

"I'm going to have you shift your weight toward Finn so he can take the backpack from you, and then we will switch over to Deacon. He will pull you off and onto the ledge. Once you are clear, I will retie the rope between us to catch you if you fall. Just to be safe." Marcus says, locking eyes with me to ask if I can do this.

We have little room to work with before the slant gets sharp and the ledge goes down to only a few inches, but we'll have to make it work.

Marcus removes the ties from himself, separating him from Amira and us to allow the removal of both her and the bag without catching. He finds a tight hold for his hand in a crack between two chunks of hardened Earth and leans toward Finn.

Finn waits for Amira to adjust, slowly sliding Marcus's backpack off her back before reaching out. For a moment, I think the bag's going to slide right off her arm. It"s so thin that the weight seems heavy for such a frail limb, but she manages to swing it a little, and Finn secures it without an issue.

Once it"s clear, Finn straps it to his chest, and Marcus leans back my way.

Our best option is for me to hook under her armpit, so I inch closer, extending my left arm as much as I can, but my fingers barely reach her wrist.

We're too short.

Seeing the disconnect, Marcus lifts his left foot off the ground, placing all of his weight onto the toe of his right, and uses his right hand to help lift Amira closer to me.

It's enough to slide my hand under and onto her back. I take on her weight, adjusting my stance to stay balanced and cheer internally.

Fuck yes!

In a blink of an eye, I witness the hold in Marcus's left hand crumble under the added force, and before I can move to catch him, he falls, arms flailing as he searches aimlessly for something to grab.

My heart stops beating, and the tiny woman I'm holding grips me tighter as my arm swings her to the ledge without care. I can't pull my eyes from Marcus as he plummets closer and closer to the base of the rock wall.

The only sound I hear over his screams as they echo off the cliff's hard surface is someone shouting, "NOOOOOOOO!"

I don't even realize it's my voice as I stand there watching my closest ally and only friend fall to the frozen ground below.