Daughter of No One by Maria Lewis

Author:Maria Lewis [Lewis, Maria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Media Tie-In, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, historical fantasy
ISBN: 9781839082818
Publisher: Aconyte
Published: 2023-11-07T14:14:01+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Sinai Peninsula, 824

An hour to rest and recuperate was all they could spare before a rope was passed around among the group. Azadeh muttered something to Onyx, pointing off into the distance and throwing her arm wide twice. The wolf seemed to understand what she meant and when Azadeh caught Roshan staring, she simply whispered, “She’ll meet us on the other side.”

A far more preferable thought than having to strap the creature to one of their backs and lug her up the ascent, as Roshan suspected the wolf weighed probably more than Francis.

“Let Wei go first,” Azadeh said, as Roshan surveyed the mountain in front of them with trepidation. “He seems the most confident. You go in the middle, and I’ll anchor us at the rear. If you slip or fall, the weight of both of us will be enough to hold you in place until you get your balance again.”

Roshan appreciated the reassurance because she needed it. Geir and Gud exchanged a glance as if they were nervous, too.

“Everyone, try to and stick close together,” Dias called, overhearing their conversation. “That way, if anyone gets in trouble, someone won’t be far away to help.”

They began their ascent and would reach the steepest part of the mountaintop near dawn, meaning they would tackle the most dangerous portions in full daylight instead of foreboding darkness. The only good thing about climbing during the night, however, was it disguised how high up they really were. Roshan didn’t feel one way or the other about heights, but she wasn’t too enthused about being maimed beyond recognition. The concept of plunging down a crevasse to her death wasn’t particularly appealing either, but the only thing worse would be actually surviving. Laying there in great pain, hopeless and waiting for death to come in the form of a wolf or eventual blood loss seemed quite grave to her.

The pain in her hands kept her focused on the immediate task rather than on her fears, however. The skin on her palms blistered against the rope as they continued to climb, each of them tied to each other in groups for safety. Her fingers cramped as she clung to each outcropping, searching for a better grip as she continued up higher. She was freezing as she pressed herself against rock so cold it felt like ice, but Roshan was desperate to try to keep herself as close to the mountain as possible, so she wasn’t swept off the side in one of the powerful gusts of wind that rushed by every few minutes.

Sunrise broke over the horizon just as they neared the top, the light bloodthirsty as it cast a piercing red glow over their party. Roshan was at the front of the group, tied to Azadeh and Wei. Nafanua, Dias, and Francis were linked in another trio, with Geir and Gud making up their own duo. The three clusters moved slowly but steadily at a good pace. Initially, she’d been worried about Wei, but the old man was much more capable than she gave him credit for.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.