Page 74 of Tiger's Tale
No, Veru said to him in protest.
“Now, ladies,” Iriko said out loud, holding up his hands. “Just listen to my idea.”
“See? They don’t like it. Let’s stop and consider our options,” Danik said. “He does have a good thought, just not a well-executed one.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Iriko said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Obviouslyyouhave the ability to scale the cliff. But you can’t see where it ends or how high it is. That’s both good and bad. You have no fear of it, and that’s good. For you. And yes, we’ll need you to climb it—in fact, probably more than once. But there’s no need to risk everyone’s life in the process. First, are we certain this is the only way up?”
Iriko cocked his head, listening to the tigers and consulted with them silently before addressing the group. “Stacia and Veru are in agreement. This feels right,” he announced. “But they are also in agreement with Danik that we should examine every option.”
“Fine.” Danik then turned to Nik. “Nikolai, do you think your magic can be guided at all? Can you try to direct the action in some way? Say to make harnesses to carry the tigers such as Iriko suggests?”
“Possibly. But why? I thought you said it was dangerous.”
“Oh, it still is, but my thought is to have him go up and then use those muscles of his to support us by using harnesses and ropes he ties off up top as we climb. That will help us in the ascent since we aren’t tigers. Once we have two or three of us up there along with our supplies, then one can remain here, harness a tiger, and the rest can pull her up.”
“Yes!” Zakhar said. “That should work much better than carrying one while climbing and risking two lives at once.”
“Fine,” Iriko said. “I suppose I ‘see’ the logic. Of course, all that depends on our budding shaman. We’re assuming he can make it work.”
Nik said, “You all are assuming a lot. As far as I can tell, the boots work how they want. Did you forget I said it was possible, not probable?”
“Sounds like a trus’s way of avoiding risk, if you ask me.”
“You talk as if you know me. You don’t. You have no idea what I’d be willing to risk, so don’t assume anything!” Nik got in Iriko’s face and poked him hard in the chest just to make certain he got the message. “I’m not afraid of you. In fact, I’ve faced far, far worse than a spoiled soplyak like yourself and lived to talk about it, so bring it on.”
Iriko’s white grin was wide. “You want to fight? It’s been some time since I tossed a man down a mountain, but I’d be happy to see the tail end of you.” He laughed. “That is, I’d relish ‘seeing’ the tail end of you flipping over your head again and again and again as you tumble and bawl like a detka through the eyes of your podruga.” Iriko started throwing a fake temper tantrum, then stopped himself by sucking his thumb loudly.
Nikolai’s face tightened with anger, then, to everyone’s surprise, instead of attacking the man, he grabbed the boots, ran to the cliffside, and, after yanking them on his feet, leapt onto the rocks and began climbing.
Everyone’s mouths dropped open in shock, including Iriko’s. His thumb fell out, the mocking forgotten as he turned toward the sounds of a still-livid Nik climbing the rock face. Somehow, though he was an amateur climber at best, Nik managed to ascend thirty feet in just a few seconds. When he started to slow down, and the adrenaline wore off, his body trembled, his foot slipped, and he dangled by just his hands for a dangerous moment before finding another foothold.
Both Stacia and Veru panicked and screamed in Iriko’s mind to hurry and help their friend, but the young man was already moving before he heard them. Thanks to the tsarevnas’ trained gazes on their friend, Iriko was halfway to Nik when the magic shoes decided to lend aid of their own accord.
The laces grew into strong cords that pounded into the cliff, making powerful rings, while others wrapped around his torso and legs, creating a belt and harness. Then others stretched high above his head, disappearing into the mist, and he could feel when they tightened on something far above him and began to pull him upward.
Soon Iriko was next to him, climbing slowly alongside. The ropes didn’t stretch out to help him like they did with Nik, but Iriko didn’t seem to care about that. His only thought was to ensure Nik’s survival. As they continued to climb, he carefully coached Nik on how to locate the best places or what he should look for when he needed to rest for a moment. With his enhanced strength, he could support Nik when his arms or legs trembled or pass him a length of cord that was too far out of reach.
There was one point, near the top, where even Iriko needed to pause. It would require a literal leap of faith. Only a tiger could do it, and even Iriko couldn’t sense what waited for him. Would he land safely atop the cliff on an outcropping or hit another ledge and plummet to his death? There was no way to be certain.
Nik felt that they were surely at the top. The cords created by the boots ended in the fog bank just above them. Iriko wasn’t so sure, and he was too far above the tigers to use their eyes. The two men clung nearly upside down on a section that widened and spread over their heads in a ledge, but there were no other options for them. He knew he must somehow leap over it, or they had to turn back and go down.
Nik wasn’t able to pull his body up and over a ledge curved in such a way using only his arm strength. With his legs dangling beneath him, he wouldn’t have the upper-body muscle, even as a trained soldier. Iriko wasn’t even certain he could do it with the strength of a tiger to aid him. Especially when he wouldn’t be able to see what waited for him over the ledge. Was it another section of sheer rock cliff, or was it a resting spot? Had they finally come to the end of their journey, or would this be the end for them?
Legs shaking, Iriko shut his eyes and thought about his sister. She’d been so brave. Baikali hadn’t hesitated when it came to saving his life. He’d never thought of himself as being in the same league as her, but maybe if he at least tried, she might someday be able to forgive him for what he’d done. Maybe his ancestors would perhaps give him the opportunity to be a servant to her in the afterlife. He thought he might like that. Gathering his courage, he leapt.
Nik watched in awe as Iriko’s large body moved in the air. His legs dangled in space, and then somehow, by the sheer force of his will, he drew himself up and over the incline, twisting and managing to get a leg over the edge. Then he was up and enveloped in the fog above them. Waiting for the sound of Iriko’s landing up top or, even worse, the sound of a crash, and his body falling and hopefully not brushing against his own since such a thing would absolutely cause Nik to lose the fragile grip he had on the cliff himself, Nik held his breath. But there wasn’t a sound.
A moment later, the cords shifted, moving violently. Nik cried out, his hands and feet slipping from their holds as he grasped the rope for dear life. If it wasn’t for the belt around his legs and waist, he would have surely fallen. Then he was being yanked up, and quickly.
Within just a few moments, he was unceremoniously dragged over the lip of the rock and into the fog, where he was embraced by a very large, very sweaty bag of muscles that smelled slightly like raw fish and moss.
“Get off me,” Nik mumbled against Iriko’s fur vest. “I’m glad to be alive too. Try not to squish me in the process of celebrating.”
Iriko grabbed Nik’s shoulders and shook him, too hard. “Who knew your temper would get the both of us up here?”
“Yeah. Well... now that we’re here. What do we do next?”
