Speechless in Achten Tan: Book 1 of The Sands of Achten Tan, page 23
"Better?" he asks, his breath ghosting my cheek.
"Yes, so much better," I admit. My trembling has diminished and I’m warmer. Geb's body over mine keeps off the worst of the wind.
"Are you okay?" I ask. I know he's scared, too.
"Focusing on you helps." He grins. "Now reach up and move to the next handhold. I'm right behind you."
I glance up. Kaii nods and points me towards a dip in the bone I can grasp. I move my foot to a slightly higher groove and pull up on the handhold. When I'm situated, Geb repeats the move behind me, covering my back. Kaii tugs the rope to keep it taut. I let it support my weight just the tiniest bit to see if I can trust it.
We repeat the process several times. Kaii climbs higher, securing the rope. Suddenly I blink and I'm out of my head again, swinging from the rope high on the rib, nothing between me and the ground or the stars above my head.
I look down at the two figures on the rib and immediately regret it. One of them—me—looks up and shouts in my voice, “Mila, don't move!"
I have no intention of moving. I wouldn't know how, even if I wasn't terrified. The figure that's me must be Kaii now. He doubles the pace, climbing higher and faster than I ever could. Geb scrambles up after him, taking more time to find hand holds, before making a move. I swing there watching. If only we could control these switches, it would be a useful trick. Kaii is almost parallel to where I'm swinging when I'm thrust back in my own head.
I almost panic, because Geb isn’t tight against me anymore. He still has a way to go. Kaii reels in the rope until I feel it supporting my weight.
"Look at me," he says. I tip my head up. "You're doing great. We're halfway there." Focusing on the distance doesn’t help—it reminds me of the way we have to go—but before I can dwell on it, Geb reaches me. I feel his steady warmth at my back again. I can finally breathe.
"Got you." He's panting after climbing faster than normal, chasing Kaii. "How are you doing?"
"She's fine. And I got more than I bargained for with you pressed up close and personal against me when I flashed," Kaii thinks. "We will definitely revisit that three-way discussion later."
Geb groans.
"I thought you couldn't climb aroused.” Geb's tone is more amusement than annoyance.
"Well, apparently you can, so now it's a matter of pride for me."
"Sorry to disturb… whatever this is," Kamal interrupts. "But D'or sees someone climbing the stairs. It's probably nothing, but I recommend moving now."
"On it." Kaii heaves himself up, doubling his pace.
I take a deep breath, steeling myself before I climb again. Geb presses a kiss to my neck, his lips sending tingles down my spine, the right kind of distracting.
"Almost there," he breathes in my ear.
I nod and start climbing again, repeating the process of waiting for Geb before moving. We're rounding the curve at the top of the rib, the bone under our bodies giving us more support as we scale it, when my attention is drawn to Kamal’s perspective, standing at the top of the stairs. A guard armed with an Elvish bone sword is advancing on him with a scowl.
"Evening, friend," Kamal greets him.
"What are you doing up here?" The guard scratches his bald head, frowning and panting from the climb.
"Came up to watch the fireworks." Kamal gestures towards the God tree, praying, "Don't look up, don't look up," in his head. From where he's standing, we’re still visible over the edge of the rib.
"Can't be up here. This is the chief's rib." The guard moves to grab Kamal’s collar. Kamal sidesteps precariously close to the end of the stairs.
"Come on, friend. I'm an An’cher." He touches his uniform in emphasis.
"You could be the G'ant queen herself, as far as my orders are concerned." As the guard moves closer to Kamal, his attention snags on the end of a rope dangling by the top of the stairs.
“What the…” he says, reaching for it and raising his sword towards Kamal in a swift move. I feel the scratch as the tip of the sword nicks his neck. My brother’s fear leaps as he flashes back to the night Gerwyn cut his throat. He swallows, struggling against the rising panic, but maintains a strained smile.
“What’s that doing there?” His tone is jovial as he maneuvers himself to lunge. He's too close to the edge.
“Kamal, don’t,” I beg.
The guard tugs on his end of the rope. It tightens around my waist, pulling me down. Geb presses against me, trying to pin me to the rib. His arms strain, using the enhanced strength the yellow elixir grants him.
“I wouldn’t do that, friend,” Kamal warns.
“No?” The guard grins and tugs harder on the rope, his gaze traveling up, up past the curve of the rib.
"Didn't your mother teach you it's bad luck to tug on ropes?" Kamal’s smile is desperate and feral. The guard hesitates at first, but then he snarls.
"My gasting mother didn't teach me nothing, on account of not sticking around to raise me. Which is why I have guard duty on Reebfest instead of spending it with family. Thank you for the reminder, An'cher."
He gives the rope a vicious tug, hard enough to jerk me away from the wall. My momentum pulls me away from the rib, hitting Geb hard in the shoulder. His right hand slips. He pinwheels, trying to grab hold again. I swivel to reach for him. His chest collides with my shoulder and then he falls.
I scream as Geb plummets. The rib flashing white in front of him as he falls.
Kamal looks up. I have a view from his eyes as he notices the falling figure. The guard's eyes are drawn up, too. Kamal uses the distraction to push away the guard's sword, slicing his hand. He launches himself at the guard, struggling to yank the rope from his hands before the guard pulls me off, too.
The guard loses his balance. They teeter momentarily at the top of the stairs, the guard grasping at Kamal’s shirt as they grapple. Then, as I watch helplessly, they both plummet off the side of the stairwell.
Chapter 28
Flashback
I struggle to breathe as I watch the motion through two sets of eyes. I glance down, thinking I'll see Geb plummeting endlessly to the bottom of the rib. Instead, I'm met by a pair of golden eyes swinging barely two lengths below me. My breath huffs out in relief.
"That's what the ropes are for," Kaii reminds me.
I barely have time to feel relief as my focus returns to Kamal. Is he still falling? Not again, I plead. I can’t lose him again, especially not like this.
Kamal jerks to a stop, slamming into the wall of the rib below the stairs. I hadn't noticed Kaii rigging a harness and security rope for Kamal too. It's the only thing preventing him from falling the rest of the way. But the guard is clinging to Kamal, desperately grasping his shirt. The fabric is gradually ripping under the guard's weight. The man is frantic, eyes wide and legs kicking. If he keeps flailing, he’ll knock them both off the rib.
“That tether won't hold,” Kaii thinks. “Kamal is a big guy, and that guard has enjoyed a few too many ribs in his day.”
I know Kamal can hear Kaii’s thoughts. My brother tries his best to hold on to the frantic guard—but the man is slipping. The guard’s bone sword clatters to the bottom of the rib. His anguished cry accompanies the ripping of Kamal’s sleeve as it tears off his body. We all see the panic in the guard’s eyes up close through Kamal's perspective, as he realizes he's going to fall. Kamal reaches out to him, but the man’s hand slips through his fingers and he plummets to the ground.
We’re too high up to hear the body hit below, but D’or’s perspective confirms the landing at the base of the rib. D’or, momentarily panic-stricken until he confirms Kamal is still alive, releases a sigh of relief. His only concern now is Kamal’s safety. I feel sorry for the guard too, but I share D’or’s concern for my brother’s welfare.
Kamal twists on the rope till he’s facing the rib, slides his feet into grooves and locates handholds. “Good thing we all tagged along for that climbing lesson, huh?” He’s smiling, but shaken. D’or doesn’t relax until Kamal pulls himself over the side of the stairs and collapses against the rib.
“Don’t you ever do that to me again,” D’or thinks.
"Seconded," I add.
I wish I could give them some privacy as my brother’s boyfriend broadcasts love and concern to him. Kamal sends back love and reassurance. Valla and I sigh and turn to Geb, who climbed back up next to me while Kamal was struggling with his own climb.
"We should probably do something about the body.” Kaii voices the thought none of us wants to deal with. "D'or, did you see where he fell?"
"On my side of the rib, over the tar moat. If we were really lucky, he'd have fallen in the tar. Scratch that, if he was really lucky, he'd have fallen in the tar," D’or replies solemnly.
"We'll go out and see," Valla offers. Sozi reacts to her suggestion with horror.
"You realize if they see the body, we all see it.” D'or shudders.
"We killed him," I gulp. "We deserve to see what we did."
Nobody argues. I resume climbing. Kaii and Geb follow my lead. My heart is pounding and heavy as I heave myself over the top of the rib and roll over on my back to rest, staring at the stars.
Geb finishes climbing and flops down next to me. Kaii is standing on top of the rib, hands on his hips, surveying Achten Tan spread out below us like a king's glittering crown. From up here, all we can see are sparkling lights.
“Come here.” I hold out my hand to Kaii. He smiles and lets me pull him down on my other side. As the three of us lie there, side by side, a flower of light blooms above us and explodes. I grip both their hands tighter.
“It’s beautiful.” I sigh. “What is it?”
“Fireworks,” Kaii responds. Half a dozen other flowers bloom, different colors and shapes expanding above us in a spattering of explosive sound and light. “Is this the first time you’re seeing them?”
“Yes,” both Geb and I respond, exchanging a glance. Geb squeezes my hand.
“It's the best view in Achten Tan,” Kaii says. His mind drifts to memories of watching the fireworks from the top of the rib. I thought he was always celebrating and surrounded by friends, but most of those memories are of him up here alone.
“I’m glad we got to share this with you.” I squeeze his hand.
“I’m glad I was here for your first time,” Kaii responds.
“You had to make it sound dirty,” Geb laughs. I think Kaii is growing on him.
“Whenever possible,” Kaii laughs back.
The rest of the group watches the fireworks through our eyes. I’m glad we can take a moment to enjoy this beauty together. When the lights above us fade and our ears recover from the explosions, I’m aware of a door opening and closing. Valla and Sozi’s apprehension is palpable as they trudge along outside the rib and freeze in horror. A chill crawls up Valla’s spine, transferring to all of us. There’s an awful cracking and crunching sound coming from behind the rib. Valla and Sozi press close to the bone.
“What is it?” I squeeze Kaii’s arm so hard he hisses.
“A Boggoliz.”
I’ve never seen one live and up close. I've certainly never seen one feeding. The creature stands on two legs, balancing itself on a thick muscular tail as its front paws hold its meal. It’s made quick work of the guard's corpse. I get a terrifying glimpse of entrails dragging on the ground, razor-sharp teeth in a wide, scaled muzzle, before Sozi gags and grabs Valla’s hand, tugging her back towards her room.
“Will it chase them?” I chirp with worry.
D’or sends a negative. “It’s still eating. They should be safe.”
“I hate Achten Tan,” I think before I can help it. I know it’s their home, but I can’t stomach the thought of living my life in this horrid place. Kaii turns his head. His eyes find mine in the moonlight.
“I’m sorry.” I can’t hide the way I feel.
“You finally get it.” He shrugs. “It’s the only way to survive here. Face the danger head on, embrace the beauty when you can find it.” He stares at me for one more beat, then flicks his gaze towards the stars, to remind me of the fireworks and the two moons shining over this bizarre place. He's right. There is beauty. I'm just not sure it outweighs the negatives.
“We should get going.” Geb sits up, tugging my hand. I sit up, refreshed by our momentary hiatus. Geb pulls me up into his arms. Kaii turns away from us and begins rigging the ropes above the window.
“It should be easier rappelling down,” he thinks.
“How are you doing?” Geb asks out loud. We don’t have real privacy, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I lean into him for warmth and comfort. I'm so emotionally taut after these few short minutes of climbing, it feels like I’ve reached my limit of being scared. Anything more will probably just roll off me. I hope. I don't voice my feelings, but Geb nods as if he gets it.
Geb nuzzles my neck and, after flicking a glimpse back at Kaii, who's busy with the ropes, he kisses me. I know everyone is in the back of my mind watching, but I need this right now. The sensation of Geb’s lips on mine is perfection. His hard body pressing against me makes the rest of the world disappear, taking the edge off the fear and the tension.
After too short of a kiss, Geb pulls away and takes my hand, signing, “Let’s finish this and then we can get the gast out of Achten Tan. I can't wait to leave this place behind.”
I nod eagerly, but my eyes find Kaii’s over Geb's shoulder. The sorrow in his gaze is like a punch, stealing my breath. He tilts his head, shaking loose the emotion. When he holds out his hand to me, his smile is back.
“Ready?”
NO, I tap.
“Okay then.” Kaii reaches out and grabs me by the harness around my waist, tugging me closer to him. He threads a rope through. Geb steps up to my side. Kaii shows him how to thread his own rope, then checks if it's holding strong. The three of us line up with our backs to the drop.
“Lean back,” Kaii says, demonstrating as he leans out into the void at an angle. “Put all your weight on the rope. You may think you’re standing on the rib, but it’s an illusion. The rope is all that matters.”
It’s the most horrifying thing I’ve ever done. We’re positioned right above the window of the treasure room. It’s about three lengths straight down. The first few steps, against the curve of the rib, aren't so bad—aside from the crippling fear of the abyss below me. Then comes the first step where I'm no longer able to stand straight.
“Let your knees bend and gradually sit on the rope,” Kaii instructs. He's right beside me, close enough to hear my teeth chattering. Sitting in his harness, he’s practically swinging back and forth. The fearless gaster is having fun, his teeth glowing white in the moonlight. There's a crash and a curse above me, as Geb slips and smashes into the rib, scraping his knuckles.
“Are you okay?” I reach out to grab his hand as he pulls parallel to me, kissing the scraped skin. Geb nods, his glow brightening as I hold his hand.
“Okay, knock it off already,” Kaii growls, uncharacteristically. I snap my eyes up to stare at him. He inclines his head. We’re just above the window.
“Who goes in first?” he asks, his fingers tense and knuckles white on the rope. He’s prepared to lead the way, but he’s acknowledging this is my show. I broadcast gratitude at his gesture. Then Geb and I exchange a look.
“Me?” It comes out half a question. I'm scared.
“Or I could,” Kaii offers.
Geb follows almost at once with, “So can I.”
“No. I’ll do it. I should be the one,” I insist, shoving my shoulders back to lower myself till I place my feet on the windowsill. There are no bars, nothing preventing my entrance but the glass. Opu Haku must trust his magic. I feel for a crack, hoping the window will swing open, but I'm not that lucky.
“Break it,” Kaii says. “If somebody is here to hear us, better we know now.”
Feeling unusually bold, I kick the window till a crack appears. On the next kick, it shatters. I swing to the side of the window, waiting to see if someone comes running. We wait to the count of fifty, but nothing stirs inside.
“All right.” I lower myself through the window, careful not to scrape against the jagged shards of glass still lodged in the frame. Once I'm in the room, I step aside to leave space for Kaii and Geb. Kaii is next in the room, with Geb just behind him.
The treasure room is larger than I remember. It’s empty, except for several racks on the wall holding the bone weapons Opu Haku confiscated from the Svaalti.
“Those are new,” Kaii points out.
At the side of the room opposite the door, there’s a large cupboard carved into the bone of the wall. The Craven markings on it glow with power I can sense.
“Why Craven?” Valla wonders in my mind. Both she and Sozi perk up, eager to be called on to do their part.
“Nobody in Achten Tan knows the language. Except for Rapaecio Pallor,” Sozi replies, his tone knowing and just a bit smug. He's in his element here. “And even after studying it for days…“ A hint of uncertainty creeps into his thoughts. “I hope I can translate it correctly.”
A series of intricate symbols are carved into the floor between us and the bone cupboard. We weren't ready for those. They weren't visible from outside the room. At least I hadn't noticed them, maybe because I was busy getting my nose bent out of shape.
"Does anyone know what those are?" I ask the group. Gast, I should have been more prepared, but we were so preoccupied with the Craven text and climbing we overlooked a ward.
“Do you know the order in which Opu Haku walks through the symbols?” I ask Kaii.
He shrugs. "Sorry, no idea."
"Can we get over them somehow?" I wonder if we could rig a rope to pass above the symbols, entirely eliminating the need to step on the floor. But the ceiling is smooth. There's nothing to tether a rope to.
Geb narrows his eyes. "When we watched him put the staff away, did he step on the symbols or between them?" All three of us wrack our brains for the answer, but after examining the closely placed marks, I don't believe he could avoid stepping on any symbols. "We just need to know which ones."
