“The next bit’s going to be hard.” Kass told them after a brief period of rest.

Cat narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

“Harder than the bit we just did?” Amanda asked, somehow finding enough energy to pull herself into an almost sitting position.

Kass nodded her head at the tunnel entrance, encouraging Cat to go take a look.

Cat did and moments later her voice came back loud and clear. “Oh shit.”

“What is it?” Amanda asked Kass, too tired to speak up so Cat could hear.

“A gap in the floor. I was thinking we could use Indi for this. Or I can try and float you?” She wouldn’t use her telekinesis unless Amanda was okay with it.

“How big’s the gap?” Amanda asked.

Before Kass could reply, Cat returned. “Can we sling the rope across that?” Cat asked.

Amanda and Kass were silent for a time.

Eventually Amanda asked. “Can I see it?” as she pulled herself out of the rope and started dragging herself toward the tunnel.

Cat quickly moved to help her.

They couldn’t both fit in the tunnel very well so once Amanda was on her stomach and facing down into the tunnel Cat got out of the way.

She didn’t argue about sending Amanda down to look. The woman was better with rope and rescue systems than any of the rest of them so it was worth her taking a look. She’d probably have a better idea of what to do.

Indi’s face lit up when she saw Amanda enter the tunnel on the other side of the gap.

“Hey, Indi,” Amanda said returning her smile and then staring into the abyss with a frown.

Indi’s own smile disappeared. “I don’t know if I can shield this.”

Amanda nodded then gave her another smile. “Don’t worry we’ll think of something. Hey Cat? Can you pull me back up.”

Cat grabbed Amanda around the knees and pulled her back up into the alcove. She then handed her a block of chocolate and salami from Kass’s bag having just remembered to fulfill her promise of food from earlier.

“The rope idea’s not bad,” Amanda mused. “If you go at one side and Kass and Indi at the other Kass can probably pin you all against the wall with the rope around you and there will be enough left over that I can make fireman’s seat to pull myself across in.

Kass nodded, “I can do that.”

Cat gave a nod as she munched on her own piece of salami. “You want me this side?” she asked Kass.

“Um.” Kass thought about it. “It’s probably easier if you two go the same side.” She didn’t seem certain though.

“You’ll be able to hold your side?’ Amanda asked.

At the look of doubt on Kass’s face Cat suggested an alternative solution. “Why don’t I go the same side as you, we do a normal meat belay, and Indi can tie the rope to herself on the other side, shield, and then you push her and her shield against the back wall. That way you don’t accidently crush anybody and nobody gets pulled into the pit.”

Kass nodded but added “I can usually pin fine, its just moving stuff that’s hard, or pinning myself or things in different directions. One pin is fine.”

Amanda nodded. “Alright, pass me the rope.”

She inspected her knot from earlier. She then set aside several metres of rope, tied another similar group of loops in a section in the middle and handed it to Cat. “Chuck this over to Indi and tell her to put it around her middle and tighten it so it’s secure but comfortable. Explain what we’re going to do, make sure she’s happy with it and then come back up here.”

Cat gave a single nod and crawled down into the tunnel.

Moments later she returned and gave another nod. “Okay. She’s not completely sure about shielding around the rope but she’s fine being pinned to the rock.”

“Err, I don’t think we’re both going to fit in that tunnel,” Kass said with some trepidation, “and if you’re going to be in the middle...”

Amanda nodded as if she’d already been thinking about that. “Yup.” She was eyeing the crack where Kass still had anchored the end of the rope. She wasn’t sure about that edge. She could see there wasn’t much else to tie on to up here though, which explained why Kass had picked that spot in combination with using her powers.

“I can hold it from here,” Cat said. “There’s enough friction coming out of that tunnel, and I can get a foot either side. We can put the end in the crack for backup.”

Amanda nodded. She then looked over at Kass.

“I’ll go through to the other side and Indi and I will hold the rope from there.” Kass replied filling in the rest of the plan

Amanda nodded again and Kass disappeared down into the tunnel.

Soon her voice called back, “Okay, ready when you are.”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Amanda took her makeshift harness but didn’t get into it yet.

“How are you going to tie onto the rope?” Cat asked.

“I’ll just loop it around and tie it back off. That’ll do.”

“That can’t be good for the rope?” Cat observed, thinking that rope rubbing on rope would not only cause a bit of wear and tear but that it wouldn’t be easy to slide.

Amanda shook her head. “I don’t think this rope is lasting much past this trip, it’ll be fine for that short section. It’s already been half eaten by a dragon, not to mention the edge we ran it over before. You got that end?”

Cat nodded and seated herself with her feet pointing toward the tunnel and just off to one side so Amanda would be able to get past. She pulled the rope so it was taught.

“I’ll tie myself on once I’m down in the tunnel. It’ll reduce the amount of sliding I have to do.”

“Don’t fall in the hole.” Cat warned.

Amanda returned Cat’s smile but once she was down in the tunnel she was already regretting her plan of going face first. The tunnel wasn’t completely flat and she knew spending too much time with your head below your feet wasn’t a good position to be in, especially when you were already injured.

She tied the knot faster and with less attention than she knew she should have given it, but she was eager to get across. Part of her just wanted to stop and wait for rescue. Objectively she knew it was much better that she got out now. Survival rates always decreased the longer rescue took. She also knew from Cat’s earlier expression that there was no way the woman was leaving her behind, so the faster Amanda moved the sooner Cat could get someone to look at her bullet wound.

She got the others to loosen their hold while she tied herself on. Once she was tied on they lifted it again, simultaneously hoisting Amanda off the ground enough that she could pull herself along under the rope. Her knot held, despite her rapid and rough tying. Years of practice had made her efficient even when she was half out of it.

She didn’t pause before starting to move. There was a lot more friction even than she’d been expecting and she used her good leg to help push her out over the gap. But once she was hanging completely in mid-air there was only the wall to push off. She had to rely on her arms.

“You want us to help pull?” Kass called when she saw Amanda struggling to make much ground. The end her rope harness was on ran from her knot over to Kass and Indi’s side, around them and then formed the rope above her.

“If you can,” Amanda replied knowing it would take her ages but not sure how Kass was planning on holding one end and pulling the other. Both Kass and Indi would struggle to do either of those things on their own.

The hushed whispers she heard coming from that end only reinforced her worries.

Next thing she knew the rope was moving though. Glancing back at them from an upside down perspective she could see that Kass was focused on holding the top rope leaving Indi free to move the bottom. It was still very slow though and by three tugs Indi had to pause to get her breath back.

“I've got an idea,” Amanda called.

“Yeah?” Indi asked.

“How about I try lift myself up and you pull when I do?”

“Okay,” Indi replied sounding happy to have a plan.

“Can you do that without putting too much force on the rope?” Kass questioned.

“How’s it going down there?” Cat called at the same time.

“It, um, it’s going alright,” Amanda replied. “We’re getting there.”

“If you and Indi just pull this way at the same time you should move a bit faster,” Kass suggested.

“Just watch your hands,” Indi said.

“How about you put some constant pressure on Indi, just whatever you can maintain, and that’ll just make it easier for me to pull,” Amanda suggested.

“Okay.”

Indi got to applying a consistent tug. It wasn’t enough to move Amanda on its own but it made it easier for Amanda to pull herself along.

Amanda was sore, sweaty and out of breath by the time she arrived on the other side of the gap. She looked up and found herself staring up at blue sky and for a moment the joy in seeing it made her forget all the pain and tiredness. Then reality hit her again. “Where does that come out?” she asked, even now the practicalist.

Before anyone could answer Cat called through asking if they were across. Kass called back a reply and they waited in silence, Amanda’s question forgotten.

As they waited Indi held out her hands, admiring them in the sun. “I’m sorry,” she said with a sad smile.

“Hmm?” Amanda asked.

Indi stopped staring at her hands and met Amanda’s eyes. “For wandering off. I nearly got us all killed.”

“That’s a flaming understatement,” remarked Cat coolly as she bridged across the gap.

“Cat!” Amanda warned. She then turned to Indi and shook her head. “It’s fine, I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“And for forgetting my sunscreen,” Indi added, although she seemed a little less sad now and more like she was just rolling her eyes at the ridiculousness of it all.

“That one wasn’t your fault,” Cat replied. “If I recall correctly it was Amanda who tipped your bag out.”

Amanda frowned. “Tipped the bag...” Her eyes widened, “oh shit!” she gave Cat a look that asked for confirmation of events.

“Yup, sunscreen was under the car,” Cat replied with a double raise of the eyebrows.

“I should have checked though,” Indi said before Amanda could say anything else.

Amanda just shook her head.

“Personally I blame the phoenix,” Kass replied in a quiet deadpan joke almost as if she expected no one to be listening. “And we’re not quite out of the woods yet.” Her gaze travelled up the last bit of tunnel before they hit daylight.

“Are those mushrooms?” Indi asked squinting up at the light.

The entire roof of this section was open but most of the walls were vertical except for one side where the floor rose at a slow angle for about 30 metres to what looked like an exit. Just prior to the exit, and still in the shade, was the largest grouping of blue mushrooms they’d seen so far.

“Well I see how they get into the lower cave,” Indi added. “I guess this is their preferred spot, damp and dark for most of the day except for the fleeting moments of direct sunlight when they can release their spores. It must be hard to be a mushroom only seeing the sun for such short periods.”

Cat gave Indi a strange look.

“Given that’s the morning sun and we’re on the west side of the hill they might get more than a brief moment.” Amanda replied.

“Not with the steepness of that hill.” Cat countered. Then she sighed and rolled her eyes. “How are we supposed to get past that section without disturbing the spores?”

“There’s enough room to sort of hop between them if you’re careful,” Kass replied then sucked in a deep breath. “That’s the easy bit.”

Cat nodded down at Amanda, reminding Kass that not everyone could hop right now.

“We can make a stretcher or something,” Kass shrugged then added, “and there’s a bit more room for telekinesis in here.”

Cat narrowed her eyes to indicate what she thought of that plan and then she registered the other thing Kass had said. “What’s the hard bit?”

“The bit that comes after. And we should get moving before the sun gets on those mushrooms right?”

Amanda nodded. “Yup.”

“Bring the rope, I'll show you the next bit,” Kass commanded of Cat as she started up the slope.

Cat rolled her eyes and got to her feet. “Wait here,” she said to Indi.

Indi nodded and stayed with Amanda.

“Sorry about your sunscreen,” Amanda said once Cat and Kass were out of earshot.

Indi gave a smile. “It’s fine, at least we had an adventure, I mean as long as we all get back and...” she trailed off and then added, “sorry about your leg.”

“That one is definitely on me,” Amanda replied. She would have added more about her not following her own advice of three points of contact but she was just too sleepy to talk much more than she had to. She closed her eyes to rest.

“Amanda?” Indi asked.

“Mmm?”

“Are you okay?”

Amanda nodded without opening her eyes. “Just resting.”