Stil , Raoul told Vayl, “Your fatherly advice is about as helpful as a case of smal pox.”
“I was simply tel ing him the truth.”
Raoul cal ed down to Aaron, “Why don’t you want to come?”
“I’m afraid of heights!”
My Spirit Guide’s frown deepened as he looked over at us. “I don’t suppose either one of you thought to bring rope.”
“One of our Dogs was carrying some,” I said. “Should we assume it got eaten?”
“Blech,” said the blemuth.
“I’l take that as a no.” I leaned over until I could see the acrophobe. “Yo, Aaron! Look around for the Dog’s pack! It had rope in it!”
While he searched I said, “Vayl, do you trust me?”
“Implicitly,” he replied.
“Then wil you let me handle this situation? I think it needs a woman’s touch.” He lifted my hand and kissed it, his lips lingering just long enough to remind me that we hadn’t had any
Yanking Aaron from cover and whispering fiercely, “Quit being a big pussy just when your dad needs you the most,” I pul ed the pack from the bush where it had landed when the straps had broken, and jerked the rope out of it. As I unwound it I said, “I’m going to tie this around you. Then I’m going to climb back up there and tie it around the blemuth’s wing. There wil be no way you can fal because Raoul and Vayl wil also be holding on to the rope and together they’re about as strong as a construction crane. So al you have to do is climb. Got it? Good. How the hel long is this sucker?
Shit, we could probably summit Mount Rainier after we’re done here. Come on, turn around.” After I knotted Aaron in, I also cut myself a good length and secured it to the pommel of the sword that was stil securely jammed between the blemuth’s toes. Taking the ends of both ropes, I wrapped them around my wrist a few times, tucked the raw ends under, and made my climb, al the time saying, “See how easy this is? A monkey could do it. In fact monkeys do it al the time.”
“Monkeys have tails!” Aaron cal ed.
“They are also often being chased by bigger monkeys,” Vayl told him. “In your case, that would be another group of Brude’s fighters, closing in on our position more quickly than I anticipated. Is someone bleeding?”
We al checked ourselves, found no cuts or bruises. Then I realized. “It’s the blemuth. He’s as real as we are. They’ve got to be smel ing his injury.”
Raoul cal ed down, “Aaron! You have about thirty seconds before we’re surrounded again! Get your ass up here!”
I glanced at Vayl and whispered, “Raoul said ‘ass.’”
Vayl’s head descended a notch, his version of a nod. “He seems to be quite excited. I think he may be enjoying this adventure of ours.”
“And you’re not?”
“I am with the woman I love and one of my sons. My life has never been so complete.” I glanced down. “So how long are we going to let him dangle there before we start pul ing him up?”
“Give him a few more seconds. His character could use some polishing.”
“You real y do love him, don’t you?”
Vayl sighed down at Junior, who was making the ascension about fifty times more difficult than it had to be. “I love him more than life itself. However I do not like him much yet. I am hoping that wil change as we spend more time together.”
“Aaah!” Aaron looked down, flipped out, lost his grip and slipped a total of twelve inches. Vayl nodded to Raoul, who came over to our side to help haul the kid up. “He’s something next to useless,” Raoul growled.
“Not everyone was meant to save the world,” Vayl said. He looked down at Aaron fondly. “But the fact that he is trying to rescue his father, despite the fear that hounds him, continues to draw my admiration.”
I wasn’t sure how impressed Vayl was when Aaron final y joined us at the blemuth’s shoulder, accidental y caught sight of the ground, and passed out. But, having spent some anxious moments inside elevators and, once, a very smal closet, I could admit that we’ve al had better moments.
Maybe Junior’s were stil ahead of him.
Vayl didn’t seem quite as hopeful. He leaned over his son and brushed his hair back from his forehead. When he looked up the concern made deep furrows between his eyes. “Tel me, does it look to you as if he is fading?”
He did look pale. I held my hands in front of my face. No sign yet that our extended absence from the world had affected me physical y. Maybe I was building up some kind of resistance from previous “vacations.” But the fact was that we didn’t belong here and our bodies knew it. If they failed before our mission was accomplished, we could wel be stuck in Brude’s horror show for eternity. I yanked on Daisy’s ear and got a low, rumbling growl to let me know he was paying attention.
“Take us back to the castle.”
Daisy began to lope, like a horse who’s been working al day and suddenly catches a whiff of his trough ful of oats. Surreal, the feeling of riding on a giant creature’s shoulders. I told myself it was just like gal oping through the fields on the back of my grandpa’s old gelding. Except supersized.
