clarify his last question in his own language.
"He thinks he can climb up the cliff face with her, and meet us in a few days on the other side. But if the guards at the border have information about us, they might capture us there," I translated.
"It won't work. We'll be stopped at the border. They may be looking for the princess but I doubt they think she is traveling alone. I would bet all of Nadea's gold that they have our descriptions as well." Iarin smirked.
"We all climb." Kaiyer pointed at us and then the cliff wall.
"We would lose our horses and supplies. It would make the trip very difficult. Also, we are assuming they don't have guard posts on the top of the cliff faces." Nadea said with obvious frustration.
"I look," Kaiyer said as he crawled back to the horses.
"No!" Nadea tried to whisper, but Kaiyer was remarkably fast and had already retreated out of earshot.
Nadea seethed a curse before she pushed away from the outcrop and crawled the twenty feet after him. Iarin and I followed, coming to our feet when the pebbles and rocks had turned into a mossy grass. It was still stiflingly humid and hot. The canyon walls were covered in dense green foliage; small streams of water poured off of them. I had seen Nadea climb similar faces during our exploration of the ruins, and it hadn't appeared that difficult.
At least for her.
"You aren't going up there," Nadea said to Kaiyer, as he browsed through the pack on his horse. "Listen to me." She stepped into the small space between him and the steed so he would be forced to meet her gaze. He didn't take his arm out of his pack, so it lay across her shoulder. "You are not climbing the cliff. It is too risky; we'll find another way. Hey!" She poked him in the chest with her finger when he went back to his pack. "Now you somehow don't understand what I am saying huh?" She looked to me. "Tell him he can't go up there."
I didn't need to translate. He looked over at me and spoke in his language.
"Tell her she has an hour to figure out a better idea. I am bored." Kaiyer looked back to her as he finished. "Tell her she can come with me. That is what she really wants."
His face broke into a smile. Nadea frowned as he stepped away from her and walked twenty feet from the horses to stretch.
"He said you should think of another idea within the hour or he'll go. He said you can come with him,” I told her.
"What is this about?" Greykin said. "What does the guard post look like?"
"There are at least three dozen of them at the entrance to the canyon. There could be many more at the actual border," Iarin replied to him.
"Shit. So the scrawny guy wants to climb the walls of the cliff? Let him! He'll fall and we won't have to worry about him anymore!" Greykin smacked his hand on his knee with pleasure.
"His original idea was to take Jessmei up with him and let us go through the border without her," Nadea said, as she looked over at Kaiyer stretching.
"Oh, now I am certain this guy is an idiot," Greykin spat out. "He's not going anywhere alone with her."
I looked over to Jessmei. She glanced back and forth between Greykin and Kaiyer in frustration. I guessed the beautiful girl was too timid to voice her actual opinion.
"Alright. Time for the grown up to figure this out. I've let the children run the show for too long. Keep an eye on Jess while I take a gander." Greykin walked toward the outcropping, dropping into what looked like a painful crawl for the last twenty feet.
"Nadea, I don't think I can climb that wall," Jessmei said to her cousin, her perfect face creased with worry.
"Don't worry. You won't have to. We'll find another way," Nadea said. She turned to Kaiyer and I could see the worry on her face. The journey had turned sour when Jessmei had joined us. Her presence made the whole situation more dangerous. We needed a full company of soldiers to properly guard her. Not the four of us.
Greykin returned within ten minutes. He had a sparkle in his eye. The danger
"He thinks he can climb up the cliff face with her, and meet us in a few days on the other side. But if the guards at the border have information about us, they might capture us there," I translated.
"It won't work. We'll be stopped at the border. They may be looking for the princess but I doubt they think she is traveling alone. I would bet all of Nadea's gold that they have our descriptions as well." Iarin smirked.
"We all climb." Kaiyer pointed at us and then the cliff wall.
"We would lose our horses and supplies. It would make the trip very difficult. Also, we are assuming they don't have guard posts on the top of the cliff faces." Nadea said with obvious frustration.
"I look," Kaiyer said as he crawled back to the horses.
"No!" Nadea tried to whisper, but Kaiyer was remarkably fast and had already retreated out of earshot.
Nadea seethed a curse before she pushed away from the outcrop and crawled the twenty feet after him. Iarin and I followed, coming to our feet when the pebbles and rocks had turned into a mossy grass. It was still stiflingly humid and hot. The canyon walls were covered in dense green foliage; small streams of water poured off of them. I had seen Nadea climb similar faces during our exploration of the ruins, and it hadn't appeared that difficult.
At least for her.
"You aren't going up there," Nadea said to Kaiyer, as he browsed through the pack on his horse. "Listen to me." She stepped into the small space between him and the steed so he would be forced to meet her gaze. He didn't take his arm out of his pack, so it lay across her shoulder. "You are not climbing the cliff. It is too risky; we'll find another way. Hey!" She poked him in the chest with her finger when he went back to his pack. "Now you somehow don't understand what I am saying huh?" She looked to me. "Tell him he can't go up there."
I didn't need to translate. He looked over at me and spoke in his language.
"Tell her she has an hour to figure out a better idea. I am bored." Kaiyer looked back to her as he finished. "Tell her she can come with me. That is what she really wants."
His face broke into a smile. Nadea frowned as he stepped away from her and walked twenty feet from the horses to stretch.
"He said you should think of another idea within the hour or he'll go. He said you can come with him,” I told her.
"What is this about?" Greykin said. "What does the guard post look like?"
"There are at least three dozen of them at the entrance to the canyon. There could be many more at the actual border," Iarin replied to him.
"Shit. So the scrawny guy wants to climb the walls of the cliff? Let him! He'll fall and we won't have to worry about him anymore!" Greykin smacked his hand on his knee with pleasure.
"His original idea was to take Jessmei up with him and let us go through the border without her," Nadea said, as she looked over at Kaiyer stretching.
"Oh, now I am certain this guy is an idiot," Greykin spat out. "He's not going anywhere alone with her."
I looked over to Jessmei. She glanced back and forth between Greykin and Kaiyer in frustration. I guessed the beautiful girl was too timid to voice her actual opinion.
"Alright. Time for the grown up to figure this out. I've let the children run the show for too long. Keep an eye on Jess while I take a gander." Greykin walked toward the outcropping, dropping into what looked like a painful crawl for the last twenty feet.
"Nadea, I don't think I can climb that wall," Jessmei said to her cousin, her perfect face creased with worry.
"Don't worry. You won't have to. We'll find another way," Nadea said. She turned to Kaiyer and I could see the worry on her face. The journey had turned sour when Jessmei had joined us. Her presence made the whole situation more dangerous. We needed a full company of soldiers to properly guard her. Not the four of us.
Greykin returned within ten minutes. He had a sparkle in his eye. The danger
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