Elusion by Claudia Gabel Cheryl Klam

Author:Claudia Gabel, Cheryl Klam [Claudia Gabel, Cheryl Klam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2013-07-11T22:00:00+00:00

I jab the spiked steel plates attached to the bottom of my fire-engine-red boots into a rocky crevice. When my feet are secure, I let the rope out, rappelling a hundred feet or so before throwing my pickax against the wall of the mountain, causing a shower of pale pastel crystals to rain down on my knit hat. I pause a moment, pressing my gloved hands up against the mountain, and hold steady. I inhale and repeat the process over and over, yanking out my pickax, pushing off and rappelling downward, adrenaline flowing through my limbs. It’s as if I am flying, swooping in to land.

The rush I am feeling is no longer just in my mind—I can feel it possessing every moment, every breath, every gesture. My legs are like channels of water surging toward a dam, but my arms are like ribbons tied to an old fence post, flickering in the breeze.

I land smack against the side of the mountain and pause to breathe in a fresh, jasmine-scented Nordic wind that is billowing through the atmosphere. I take off my gloves so I can feel the cold particles land upon my fingers. The snow is refreshingly cool, and it leaves a light pink stain on my hand when it melts.

“How’re you doing?” Josh calls out from his perch above me.

“Great,” I say, smiling up at him. “How much time do we have left?”

Josh pushes his jacket sleeve up and glances at his wristband. “Thirty minutes.”

“Wow, I feel like we’ve been at this for hours.” I look down below. When we arrived in Elusion, the ground beneath us was barely visible. And now? The trees are nothing more than tiny dark purple dots that match the lake. “Do you think we’ll make it?”

“I hope so—we’ve gotten pretty far already.”

I nod as I kick away from the mountain, bouncing back.

And just like that, everything goes haywire.

The rope slides out of my brake hand, causing me to lose my balance. It slips through my fingers as the anchor holding it lets loose. I begin to free-fall, yanking short as the rope connecting my harness to Josh pulls tight, tugging so violently against him he’s thrown against the mountain, his pickax flying out of his grasp. I dangle in the air beside the mountain, held up only by my harness.

My left hand reaches for the mountain while my right continues to clutch the pickax as if my life depends on it. But it’s strange—I don’t feel the least bit terrified.

In fact, I feel . . . incredible.

I find a slight indentation, enough to dig my fingers in, and pull myself toward the sparkling rock, heaving my pickax so that it is wedged in place.

“I’m okay, Josh! I’m okay!” I shout.

“Regan!” he yells. “Stay still. I’m coming to get you.”

Click.

I glance down. The top snap of my harness is loosening, the safety straps unbuckling as if by invisible fingers.

Click.

Another snap is undone.

“Josh!” I scream—not with terror, but delight. “My harness is giving way!”

“Don’t move!” Josh quickly lowers the rope, practically diving toward me.

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