Chapter 10 The 3 Rope System

The wood cracked and the ropes strained beneath us. The entire structure groaned like it was screaming in pain.

"Faster!" Rowan shouted.

The horses pulled desperately while the Bladders pushed from behind. Their boots scraped against the planks as they threw their weight against the wagon.

Nobody needed to be told what would happen if the bridge gave way. The wagon moved forward.

Then disaster almost struck.

One of the wheels slipped between two broken planks. The entire wagon tilted dangerously to one side.

Everyone froze.

Even the horses panicked, letting out frightened cries as they struggled to keep their footing.

"Push!"

Dozens of hands shoved together. The wheel finally broke free. The wagon moved forward violently before rolling onto solid ground away from the bridge.

For a brief moment, relief washed through the group. The wagon was safe. We had done it.

Then suddenly the bridge shook again. Harder this time.

The support ropes stretched violently and our celebration died instantly.

Nobody could smile anymore.The tension only grew worse. Rowan stared at the bridge. His face suddenly lost all color.

Then his eyes widened.

"Run back to the solid ground!"

Nobody questioned him, everyone immediately turned. The people still on the bridge sprinted toward the starting side.

I understood instantly. We couldn't reach the wagon side anymore. It was too far.

We had barely managed to push the wagon to safety before everything started falling apart.

The bridge wasn't going to survive and running back was our only chance.

I ran, everyone ran.

The bridge bounced violently beneath our feet and wood splintered beneath boots.

The entire structure of the bridge shook as if it were alive.

Some people slipped, others shoved past each other in panic. Several Bladders grabbed their friends and dragged them forward.

Fear consumed everyone, then

SNAP!

One of the main support ropes broke. The entire bridge dropped violently.

Everyone screamed.

Several Bladders instantly lost their footing.

One disappeared through a gap in the planks, his scream echoed through the canyon.

Another managed to grab a rope, a Bladder reached for him and missed.

The falling Bladder vanished into the darkness below.

I froze.

For a second, my legs stopped working.

I could only watch. People were dying right in front of me. Then another scream filled the air.

Someone else slipped. The bridge continued collapsing beneath us. The remaining Bladders threw themselves toward safety.

Some reached solid ground. Some didn't.

One girl was almost safe. She was only a few steps away when the plank beneath her shattered. She reached for another Bladder. Their fingers touched for a second before she disappeared into the canyon. Nobody could help her.

Then came another, 

SNAP!

The second support rope broke. The bridge folded inward and the wood exploded into splinters.

Finally, the entire structure collapsed into the canyon. The sound echoed for several seconds then silence followed.

Nobody spoke, nobody moved. We all stood there breathing heavily.

I counted faces then counted again, not everyone was here anymore. Some of them would never come back. The bridge had devoured them.

Yet Rowan's voice eventually broke the silence.

"We still have to cross."

Several people stared at him. Honestly, I could hear a Bladder cursing at him behind me. Another looked ready to punch him.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing after how we barely survived this, he still wanted us to cross.

"There is no bridge and people just died right in your eyes but the mission is more important." I said in anger.

It wasn't nice watching people die.

"Yes, young master." Rowan replied without emotion. "The gold must reach The Coldlands."

The way he said it made me furious. Like those deaths were simply another problem to solve and people mattered less than cargo.

Rowan turned toward the others.

"Bring the climbing ropes."

Nobody argued with Rowan not because they agreed with him but because there was no other choice. They were trained for this.

The bridge was gone. The wagon carrying the gold sat safely on the opposite side of the canyon, but we were stranded.

Between us and the wagon was nothing except empty air and a drop deep enough to make my stomach twist whenever I looked down.

Several Bladders moved together and began unloading supplies from their packs. Others dragged thick coils of rope toward the edge of the canyon.

"What are they doing?" I asked.

"Building us a way across," Rowan replied.

"That's not a way across."

"It is if you want to survive."

I stared at him. He couldn't be serious. These people are loco.

Everyone immediately got to work except me who had no idea what was going on. I stood still like a rock.

The ropes were thicker than I expected, almost as thick as my wrist. Several iron hooks were attached to one end. Rowan picked up a bow.

Then he tied a thin cord to an arrow.

I frowned.

"What are you doing?"

Before I could ask another question, he pulled back the bowstring. The entire group watched. The arrow shot across the canyon.

It sliced through the air before passing through a large iron anchor ring fixed into the rock wall on the opposite side.

The arrow buried itself into the dirt behind it. The thin cord stretched across the canyon.

I finally understood.

The arrow wasn't carrying the heavy rope. It was only carrying a thin guide line.

"Long before I was born, traders used this canyon route to move goods between territories." Rowan pointed toward the iron ring fixed into the rock.

"The anchor rings were hammered into the canyon walls decades ago,' he said. "Whenever bridges fail, they give travelers another way across." He added.

The iron looked old and weathered, but it was still firmly buried inside the rock.

Several Bladders immediately grabbed the cord. A thicker rope was tied to it.

Then the people on the opposite side began pulling. Slowly the heavier rope slid across the canyon. Then they repeated the process again and again.

Soon three heavy ropes stretched across the gap. 

The ropes formed a narrow path hanging above the canyon. One rope stretched above head level. Another ran below for our legs. The third hung between them and carried the safety harnesses.

Just looking at it made my stomach twist. The entire thing swayed gently in the wind.

I watched carefully as Rowan explained it.

"Everyone listen carefully, the top rope is for your hands."

He pointed upward.

"The bottom rope is for your legs."

Then he pointed toward the rope hanging between them.

"The middle rope is connected to a harness around your waist. If you slip, it keeps you from falling."

I stared at the setup. Now I understood.

One rope to hold.

One rope to support your body.

One rope to keep you alive if everything went wrong.

It still looked terrifying, I almost peed myself.

"No way I'm doing this," I muttered.

Several Bladders immediately nodded.

"This is suicide." I blurted out like a crazy man.

Rowan ignored me.

"I'll go first." He said.

He secured a leather harness around his waist. A metal ring connected the harness to the middle rope.

Then he climbed onto the system. His hands grabbed the upper rope. His legs wrapped around the lower rope. The harness remained clipped to the middle safety line.

Slowly he began moving.

One pull, then another and another. His entire body hung above the canyon while the ropes swayed beneath him.

The wind pushed against him repeatedly. I felt sick just watching risking his life.

Yet Rowan continued.

Several long minutes later, he reached the opposite side safely. Relief spread through the group.

Then Gabi volunteered.

She secured the harness around her waist and stepped onto the ropes without hesitation.

I honestly thought she was insane.Twice, the ropes swayed beneath her. Once, her foot slipped from the lower rope and several people gasped but she quickly regained her balance and continued moving.

Unlike Rowan, she moved quickly. They had been doing this for a long time and there was no single fear in the face and soon she reached the other side too.

"See?" Rowan shouted from across the canyon. "It's safe."

Safe? I almost laughed, nothing about this looked safe.

One by one the others began crossing.

Some moved slowly, some moved fast and some cursed the entire time but eventually they made it.

Even Enzo crossed and only two people remained.

I and the quiet boy.

I stared at the ropes. The more I looked at them, the thinner they seemed. The wind sounded louder. My palms became sweaty.

"Young master," Rowan called. "You have to cross."

I swallowed hard. Every horrible possibility entered my mind.

What if the rope snapped?

What if the hook came loose?

What if the anchor ring broke?

What if I slipped?

So many what if's.

"Young master," Rowan called again.

I hated this place, I hated this mission and I hated those ropes but I had no choice. I had to do this once and for all.

Slowly I stepped forward. The harness was secured around my waist and a metal ring locked onto the safety rope.

My hands trembled as I grabbed the upper rope then I wrapped my legs around the lower one exactly the way Rowan had shown us.

The quiet boy climbed on behind me. I took a deep breath then began moving.

Immediately I regretted everything. The rope dug into my palms.

Every pull burned, my poor shoulders screamed. My legs shook from gripping the lower rope. The harness cut into my waist whenever the wind pushed me sideways.

I wasn't walking, I wasn't climbing, I was dragging myself through the air.

One pull, then another and another.

I tried not to look down but I failed. One fall, that was all it would take.

"Don't look down, Widen. Don't look down," I whispered.

I repeated it over and over trying to calm myself and not to panic.

Halfway across, sweat dripped down my face. The ropes kept swaying beneath me and the wind howled through the canyon.

Then suddenly, 

SNAP!

The sound exploded through the air. For a split second, I didn't understand what had happened.

The lower rope beneath my legs gave way. My body flipped violently upside down and the safety harness caught me. My scream echoed across the entire canyon and suddenly I was hanging above death.

I thought the harness was safe, they told me it was safe. It was all a lie. I was deceived. Fear consumed me as I heard another tearing sound. The leather strap around my waist began to rip and the harness stretched lower.

Another tear echoed through the canyon. My fate had been sealed.

"Young master " Rowan opened his large disgusting mouth.

Fuck him.