Page 29 of Wandering Wild

I watch as Charlie swallows and repeats, “What’s coming... next?”

Hawke dusts soil from his pants, then continues forging a path for us through the brush, calling over his shoulder, “I already told you we have to go down to find water. Remember: nature speaks, we listen.”

* * *

We hike upward for half an hour through the dense forest, until we find ourselves on another ledge similar to the one we landed on, just narrower—and ending at an even steeper cliff face. Last time, the drop was intimidating, but this time it’s a near-vertical edge that Hawke cautions us to keep our distance from. Not that we need the warning.

“Do you want the good news or the bad news?” he asks, opening his backpack and withdrawing an assortment of items that cause a spike of adrenaline in me, and prompt the paling of Charlie’s features.

“How about we stick with the good news only?” she says weakly.

Hawke unfolds a map and lays it on the rocky ground. “The good news is, according to this, there should be a small stream a short distance from the base of this cliff.” He presses a finger to the paper. It has so many topographical details that it might as well be drawn in hieroglyphs for how well I can read it. “That means water is in our sights.”

I hold my breath as I wait for the other shoe to drop, already knowing what he’s about to say.

“The bad news,” Hawke goes on, “is that the quickest way down isover.” He indicates the rope he carries. “Have either of you rappelled before?”

I raise my hand. “I have. It’s been a while, though.” My stunt double handled the more extreme action scenes in all of theLost Heirsmovies, but I still did as many as I was allowed, purely for the thrill of it.

“We rappelled at school camp,” Charlie says. Her eyes go to the cliff and her throat bobs. “But that was fifteen meters down a man-made tower with all the safety equipment you can imagine. This is... not that.”

“Fifteen meters, four hundred feet, they’re about the same,” Hawke says cheerfully.

Charlie sends him a flat look. “I don’t know who taught you math but they absolutelyare not.”

“Give or take a few hundred feet,” I murmur. EvenI’mdaunted by the task before us.

“You’ll both be fine,” Hawke says in a coaxing voice. “In fact, I bet by the time you reach the bottom, you’ll want to climb back up and do it all over again.”

Judging by Charlie’s expression, she doesn’t agree. But then she glances at me and holds my gaze, a storm of emotion behind her eyes, before she finally slumps her shoulders with resignation. I feel a pang of guilt over the bargain I elicited from her, and decide that once this trip is over, I’ll find a way to thank her outside of what I’ve already offered for Ember. It’s the least I can do, given all that’s likely ahead.

Hawke begins to uncoil his rope, gesturing for us to follow him to a nearby eucalyptus tree. “For obvious reasons, it’s important to anchor yourself around something strong, and, where possible, rooted deep into the earth. Something like this is perfect.” He raps his knuckles against the solid tree trunk and proceeds to wind the rope around the base, showing us how to knot it before tossing the rest over the side of the cliff.

Charlie makes a moaning sound as it falls out of sight, prompting Bentley to peek out from behind his camera and offer her quiet reassurance. She whispers her thanks, but her face remains pinched with dread.

“In your packs you’ll find helmets and gloves, so grab those and put them on,” Hawke instructs, doing the same himself. Once we’re geared up, he clips carabiners to our harnesses and tightens all our straps, before asking, “Who wants to go first?”

A squeak leaves Charlie, so I take one for the team and say, “I will.”

At my offer, Hawke hooks the rope into my carabiner and maneuvers us all closer to the side of the mountain.

“You said you’ve done this before, but it doesn’t hurt to have a refresher.” He curls my fingers around the rope. “This is your brake hand. It never leaves the rope—that’s the most important thing to remember. You let go, you fall.” He waits for me to nod, then looks over to Charlie until she does the same, before he continues, “You’re in control of your own descent, so go as slow as you need. Lean back, keep a nice wide stance, trust the rope to hold you. Even if you slip, as long as your brake hand stays tight, you’ll be fine. Just take your time, don’t panic, and find your way back to your feet.”

I nod again, my heart beginning to pick up speed.

Hawke goes over a few more safety details, making me recite everything back to him, and Charlie as well, before he checks all our gear one last time and finally indicates for me to approach the edge. He and Charlie are now clipped onto the rope as well, though I know they’ll wait until I’m at the bottom before starting their own descents. Bentley, too, is secured, and currently wriggling forward on his stomach until he’s half over the edge, angling for the best way to film my rappel from above.

“Ready when you are,” Hawke tells me. “Remember: trust the rope.”

Given how many times I’ve skydived, and even how many times I’ve rappelled before, this shouldn’t be as nerve-racking as it is. But still, as I turn my back to the view and lean out over the edge of the mountain, carefully transferring my weight onto the rope, I can’t keep my insides from roiling. Fifteen meters or four hundred feet, it really doesn’t make a difference when you have to rely on a nylon cord to keep you alive.

“That’s it, Zander, you’re doing great,” Hawke says as I ease my way backward into a horizontal position, my pulse thrumming in my veins. “Relax that brake hand a little so you don’t get caught up. There you go.”

Hawke continues to offer directions and praise as I begin to work my way down the side of the mountain, the hardest part passing once I leave the edge and fully commit to the descent.

“Awesome work,” Hawke calls to me. “Keep it up. Slow and steady.”

I gain confidence with every downward step, and soon feel bold enough to cast my gaze around, marveling at the close-up view of the rocky cliff and how it meets the forest spread out beneath me, the contrasting colors indescribable. I think about the last time I rappelled with a similar outlook, and with some surprise, I realize it wasn’t for a scene inThe Lost Heirs, but to celebrate Maddox’s seventeenth birthday.

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