was steep and rocky. Once they had to walk in a crouch for about twenty-five feet in order to pass under a rock roof. Another tough spot required them to remove their packs and slither between the rocks, tugging their packs behind them. Several times they had to scoot on their butts over boulders with little or nothing to hold on to.
“I guess you were right,” Amma called up to Taemon as she lowered herself down a crag. “Getting to the saddle isn’t simple.”
“I would have liked to be wrong,” Taemon called back. He walked toward the edge of the crag, turned around, gripped the ledge with both hands, and slowly started to lower himself. Almost immediately his left arm gave out on him. He held on with one hand and found a foothold just before he slipped. He scrambled the rest of the way down and shook out his left arm once he was back on solid ground.
He was glad Amma hadn’t seen that. If she knew how much he was struggling, she might insist they turn back.
Next they had to hop across some large rocks strewn in the little valley they were in.
“This isn’t so bad,” Amma called out as she picked a path from rock to rock.
“I know why you’re so far ahead of me,” Taemon said, trying to hide how out of breath he was. “It’s my scarf, isn’t it? You’re embarrassed to be seen with me.”
Amma laughed. “Who’s going to see us? Squirrels?”
Taemon hopped onto the next rock and nearly lost his balance.
“Taemon!”
“I’m okay,” he said quickly, jumping to the next rock as if to prove it. “Just lost my balance for a sec —”
“Look!”
He looked up. Amma was pointing at a gap in the rugged mountainside.
“The saddle,” she said.
It was the highest point of the path they were on. A narrow canyon led up to it, then there was a slope that was crazy steep and strewn with boulders and loose rocks. That’s what they had to get over.
“It looks impossible,” Taemon said.
“You mean impassible?”
Taemon nodded. “Same thing.”
Amma tilted her head as she peered at the slope. “I wouldn’t say impossible. But pretty tough. Let’s rest for a bit and enjoy the view.”
They sat on an outcropping that looked out over Deliverance.
“Look how far we’ve come.” Amma took a sip from her water bottle.
A jagged ravine lay below them, and far beyond that, the wooded valley of Deliverance. To the south, they could see the cluster of buildings that made up the colony. Directly ahead, to the east, the city of Deliverance was clearly visible, the walls forming a diamond shape around it. Logging camps were visible as well, both the powerless and the abandoned psi-powered ones. Way off in the distance, the hazy line of the ocean wavered in the sunlight.
“It looks so peaceful from here,” Taemon said.
Amma murmured her agreement.
Taemon thought about all the turmoil that was going on right now. The city of former psi wielders trying to adjust to a completely foreign lifestyle without psionic power. The colony struggling to help the city dwellers while also looking after their own people. Deliverance was anything but peaceful at the moment.
After a few more meditative moments, Taemon stood and turned to face the daunting slope they had to cross. Amid the scraggly brush, two squirrels took turns chasing each other.
“Why don’t you stay here and get the lunch ready?” Amma suggested. “I’m going to set my snares. If we’re lucky, we’ll have fresh roasted squirrel tonight.”
“Never thought I’d feel lucky to eat a squirrel,” Taemon said, fumbling with the zippers on his backpack.
“And I never thought I’d be crossing Mount Deliverance and going to the Republik,” Amma responded, grabbing the snares. “Life has a funny way of surprising you.”
While Amma was gone, Taemon worked on setting out their lunch. There wasn’t much, but it still took a surprisingly long time. He hadn’t used psi since rescuing Amma from Free Will’s men; why wasn’t his arm
“I guess you were right,” Amma called up to Taemon as she lowered herself down a crag. “Getting to the saddle isn’t simple.”
“I would have liked to be wrong,” Taemon called back. He walked toward the edge of the crag, turned around, gripped the ledge with both hands, and slowly started to lower himself. Almost immediately his left arm gave out on him. He held on with one hand and found a foothold just before he slipped. He scrambled the rest of the way down and shook out his left arm once he was back on solid ground.
He was glad Amma hadn’t seen that. If she knew how much he was struggling, she might insist they turn back.
Next they had to hop across some large rocks strewn in the little valley they were in.
“This isn’t so bad,” Amma called out as she picked a path from rock to rock.
“I know why you’re so far ahead of me,” Taemon said, trying to hide how out of breath he was. “It’s my scarf, isn’t it? You’re embarrassed to be seen with me.”
Amma laughed. “Who’s going to see us? Squirrels?”
Taemon hopped onto the next rock and nearly lost his balance.
“Taemon!”
“I’m okay,” he said quickly, jumping to the next rock as if to prove it. “Just lost my balance for a sec —”
“Look!”
He looked up. Amma was pointing at a gap in the rugged mountainside.
“The saddle,” she said.
It was the highest point of the path they were on. A narrow canyon led up to it, then there was a slope that was crazy steep and strewn with boulders and loose rocks. That’s what they had to get over.
“It looks impossible,” Taemon said.
“You mean impassible?”
Taemon nodded. “Same thing.”
Amma tilted her head as she peered at the slope. “I wouldn’t say impossible. But pretty tough. Let’s rest for a bit and enjoy the view.”
They sat on an outcropping that looked out over Deliverance.
“Look how far we’ve come.” Amma took a sip from her water bottle.
A jagged ravine lay below them, and far beyond that, the wooded valley of Deliverance. To the south, they could see the cluster of buildings that made up the colony. Directly ahead, to the east, the city of Deliverance was clearly visible, the walls forming a diamond shape around it. Logging camps were visible as well, both the powerless and the abandoned psi-powered ones. Way off in the distance, the hazy line of the ocean wavered in the sunlight.
“It looks so peaceful from here,” Taemon said.
Amma murmured her agreement.
Taemon thought about all the turmoil that was going on right now. The city of former psi wielders trying to adjust to a completely foreign lifestyle without psionic power. The colony struggling to help the city dwellers while also looking after their own people. Deliverance was anything but peaceful at the moment.
After a few more meditative moments, Taemon stood and turned to face the daunting slope they had to cross. Amid the scraggly brush, two squirrels took turns chasing each other.
“Why don’t you stay here and get the lunch ready?” Amma suggested. “I’m going to set my snares. If we’re lucky, we’ll have fresh roasted squirrel tonight.”
“Never thought I’d feel lucky to eat a squirrel,” Taemon said, fumbling with the zippers on his backpack.
“And I never thought I’d be crossing Mount Deliverance and going to the Republik,” Amma responded, grabbing the snares. “Life has a funny way of surprising you.”
While Amma was gone, Taemon worked on setting out their lunch. There wasn’t much, but it still took a surprisingly long time. He hadn’t used psi since rescuing Amma from Free Will’s men; why wasn’t his arm
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