Tarashana Rachel Neumeier (top 10 motivational books TXT) 📖

together now. The cloth will be tied around your waist; I will take a loop around my wrist. If you fall, I will catch you—”

“You won’t,” she protested, forgetting to speak taksu. “I’ll pull you off after me, Ryo!  It doesn’t matter how strong you are, on that ice, any sharp pull will be too much!”

“It will not happen in that way. If you fall, I will drop low on the other side of the bridge.”

“Then your weight will pull me up, and off over the other side right after you! No!”

“I will drop low,” I repeated patiently. “Not off. I will use my knife to stop myself from slipping. This is dangerous, but truly, not that dangerous. Do not argue. Come here and let me tie the knots.”

“Men,” she muttered in a disgusted tone. But she did as I said.

 -22-

After all our fears, the ice was not as bad to walk upon as I had expected. Strange as it had been to watch Tano’s body cant abruptly forward at so sharp a slant, when I stepped over the edge and onto the sharp drop of the ice and the same change in direction happened to me, it felt entirely normal. The world seemed to have become slanted around me, while I walked on ice that ran out utterly flat and level before me. This was not bad to walk upon. Except that this time, the empty sky fell away to both sides.

The drifting mist hid the land that lay below. Sometimes a glimpse might appear, a little patch of green very far below, where some small valley made a sheltered place for a meadow. To one side and behind us, the glorious sky. To the other side and ahead of us, the disturbing emptiness that was the shadow of the Saa’arii tide spread out. Beyond the sky in every direction, the serried heights of the mountains, one behind another as far as I could see. Dominating the view, towering above every other mountain, the great bulk of Talal Sabero. To climb to the great heights of the sacred mountain, a man needed rope and steel stakes and a hammer to drive them; and time enough; and the favor of the gods. We had none of those things now except the favor of the gods, but that was better than all the rest. From the pull, I knew Aras was far above us. He had already come to the heights of that mountain, or nearly.

Then, between one step and the next, something changed. I felt it as sharply as the crack of a whip against my skin, though it did not hurt, or not in the same way. It came so suddenly that on better ground, I might have flinched. Here, I suppressed that reflex, relaxing into the feeling that was like pain.

Before me, Lalani had gasped. She took a quick, unconsidered step and slipped, then tried to catch herself and slipped again. I dropped low, driving my knife into the ice, bracing myself, not trying to help her. One person’s struggle can unbalance someone else. If she fell, I would catch her, but if I fell, no one would catch me. So I waited. She recovered her balance after a moment and looked at me. She was panting with terror, probably for at least two reasons. “Ryo—” she began.

“Ryo!” Iro called. He had paused to turn back toward those of us behind him. “This is the tie?”

“Yes,” I agreed. “Aras is certainly calling more urgently now.” Much more urgently. He needed me—needed us all—he needed us, and we were still so far away, I could not see how any of us could come to him in time.

But we had to try, and hope the gods arranged our path to bring us to the place before it was too late. I said, “Iro, you should run as fast as you feel you can manage. Tano, the same. Lalani and I will make our way more slowly. Do not wait for us.”

Iro turned without a word and jogged away, slowly at first and then taking a faster pace. But Tano hesitated. “Ryo—” he began.

I clicked my tongue in disapproval. He checked himself, catching back the protest he wanted to make. “Better,” I told him. “Follow Iro, but only as fast as you feel is safe. Do not try to run as fast as he is running. Watch him carefully. If he falls, take better care when you come to that part of the bridge. Take more care altogether. If you both cross safely and you come up to him, take his orders. I know you may not like to, I know he has only three winters more than you—”

“I will do it,” Tano interrupted me.

“Good. Once you come to Aras, take his orders above all. Will you obey me in this?”

“Yes, Ryo.”

“Good. If Iro does not wait for you, or if he falls, then do not wait for me. Go on at your best speed. Find Aras and help him if you can.”

“Yes,” he said again, reluctantly but firmly. He began to turn away, but paused and looked back at me. “You may not believe me now, Ryo, after the other time. But I think I can hear your sister singing.” He did not wait for me to answer, but turned and jogged after Iro.

I stood still for a heartbeat, listening. Far away, just at the edge of hearing, I thought that I too might hear Etta’s high, pure voice.

“Ryo,” said Lalani. “You should get past me so you can also run. This isn’t so bad, truly. If I go slowly enough, I’ll be fine.”

For an instant, I thought of doing as she said. But for many reasons, I had already decided not to do that, and all my reasons still seemed good to me.