“Do you two care to fill us in on what you’re doing? This mind reading is a little tedious for us mere mortals,” Atu complained.
Kayla’s laughter joined Jaden’s. “Ever played arrowball?” She dodged the cable snapping at her, ducking as it soared over her head and latched onto the wall behind her.
“No, but I don’t think you have either, considering the way you’re ‘playing’ it,” Atu snorted.
“Yes, we changed the rules a bit.” Jaden flicked his wrist again and shielded his eyes as more itty-bitty mutants were annihilated. “Kayla and I are playing against Mama Spider.”
With a gleeful shriek, Iri jumped over to join them. “I get it! I get it!”
Atu moaned. “Why am I always the last one in on these things?”
Iri explained. “We’re getting Mama upset enough to shoot her webs at us. The dodging is the same as what you’d do on the arrowball court. Except, instead of the usual target, the wall behind us is what we’re trying to get her to aim for.”
“But why would . . .” Atu’s voice trailed off as he figured it out. “You’re planning on using those cables to cross the lava river! Brilliant!”
In a flash, he joined them, his DD sending its own devastating shafts. With four of them firing at the jiggling sacs, they completely eradicated the threat in a few seconds.
With the last batch’s disappearance, Kayla altered her target. She released the spitting current, watching it stream through the air. It hit Mama Spider squarely. Another flash of vivid light. Kayla shielded her eyes, then checked the spot. Mama Spider was history, along with all her babies.
Still, Kayla didn’t want any little critters that might’ve crawled away, creeping up on them. Closing in on the side of the boulder, she checked all its nooks and crannies, then the area around the boulder, up the walls, and the roof. She even backtracked down the tunnel a bit. Only when she was satisfied they had incinerated every single one of those ghoulish little babies did she return to the others.
Jaden had an enormous grin on his face. “You missed the one on your smart suit.”
Kayla shrieked and began dancing about as she tried to find it. When Jaden laughed, she realized what she’d seen on his face. “You were teasing!” She punched his arm so hard he winced, but it didn’t stop the chuckles. She smacked him a second time. Once hadn’t been enough.
Jaden backed away, his hands in the air as he tried to smother the laugher still rocking him. “Okay, okay, bad joke. Sorry!”
Kayla huffed, crossing her arms as she glared at them. “Now that you’ve had your fun, should we cross the river?”
That sobered the lot of them. Kayla smirked. Nothing like a dose of reality to calm the hysteria.
Jaden sighed. “Well, it would be wasteful to not use the excellent bridge the spider gave us. We should use it before we lose it.”
“Lose it?” Kayla echoed.
“Looks like the heat from that river is already too much for some of those cables.”
Kayla turned. True enough, the bottom cables were drooping, leaning ever closer to the lava. “Huh. I guess they may look and feel like steel, but perhaps it is just webbing after all.”
As they watched, the lowest cable dissolved in the middle. Instead of a snapping twang as Kayla would’ve expected, it was more a sigh as the two pieces on either side wilted into the smoldering river.
Kayla crossed to a cable higher than the rest already bending toward the heat. When she gave it a solid yank, it held before yielding a little. “These cables in the middle are also getting soft. We’d better use the highest cables if we don’t want them sagging into the river while we cross. And we’d better hurry.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Jaden had no time to resent the fact he was deciding. Again. His mind raced at light speed, factoring the calculations. Then he made Atu go first. Atu countered it should be one of the girls and Jaden almost lost it. “We don’t have time to argue. I need you to go first because if any of us reach the other side with burns, you’ll need to fix us—preferably with no burns of your own!”
Atu stared at Jaden for a moment. “You know, I’m starting to resent this healing gift! You’re treating me like my life is worth more than any of yours.”
Iri intervened, putting a hand on Atu’s arm. “That’s not what we think. And never, ever begrudge your gift. It’s incredible. And exactly what we need to get us through to the end of this quest in one piece.”
Iri’s words soothed Atu. Jaden nodded. “She’s right, dude. If you’re not around to heal us, how are we ever going to survive?”
“I can’t bring you back from the dead,” Atu muttered.
But his tone held no heat, and when he shoved his backpack around to his front, then leaned toward the cable, Jaden tried not to sigh his relief too audibly.
They had climbed up onto Mama Spider’s rock. It had been the launching point of all her cables, and, for whatever reason, she had tethered them to the tunnel wall behind her. It was the only spot they access the highest cables from.
Atu pulled the sleeves of his smart suit down to cover his hands. With one last recriminatory glance at Jaden, Atu turned and wrapped his hands and legs around the cable, hanging under it so his body formed a basket. Without further ado, Atu alternated shifting his hands and legs to inch along the cable.
Satisfied he was underway, Jaden directed the girls to their cables. They clambered on in the same fashion, beginning their own path across. He kept one eye on the progress of his friends and the other on the knot of cables attached to the wall beside him. He hadn’t been sure whether they should chance two people crossing at a time. But events decided for them.
As they had reached the top of Mama’s rock, a second and third cable dissolved into the lava in quick succession. When Jaden glanced back at their anchor knot, it was smoking. He had dumped his water bottle over it, unsure whether it would make the situation worse or better. The hissing and steam subsided to reveal the knot no worse for wear.
Reaching out his hand, Jaden had hovered it over the knot, gauging the temperature. The heat rising from the river and attacking the cables was traveling along them back to their source. It would only take a few more cables before the heat compromised the knot, and then any chance they had would literally go up in smoke.
A sharp cry made Jaden turn his head. A hiss was all he allowed himself. Kayla’s cable was dangerously low, almost as low as the cables that had melted. The lava spitting up from the river was only inches below her. A stray globule must’ve jumped higher than the rest and nicked her.
“Are you okay?”
“I will be when I get to the other side of this cable,” Kayla ground out.
Jaden couldn’t take his eyes off her. No surprise she was already looking like she would take first place in the race to reach the other side. She was already past the midway point. He chanced a glance back at the knot, finding it smoking again. He dumped more water on it. When he turned his head again, Kayla was dropping on the other side. She faced him.
“Your turn!”
“Ow!” Jaden wished he could turn the volume of his headset down. “No need to yell.”
“Jaden!” Her eyes were wide and pleading through the heat warping the air between them.
“Yes, on my way.” He shouldn’t have been teasing her. She was right. There was no time. Dumping the last of his water over the knot, he pulled his smart suit over his hands. He could already feel the heat coming off the cable before his hand touched it.
Jaden braced himself and placed a hand on the cable. Warm, not hot. Still, if it was warm through the smart suit, it was hot enough to burn uncovered skin. Hooking his legs over the cable, he felt the heat there too. I shouldn’t have wasted those seconds teasing Kayla.
Jaden backed along the cable, thankful for his time spent climbing in the Shadow Mountains. Despite his speed, the decreasing tension on the line was unmistakable. That meant . . . Pain seared into his back. Sharp, fiery, intense.
<
br /> Almost losing his grip, Jaden pulled himself closer to the cable even as another drop of heat burned its way into his skin. The agony was so severe, Jaden had to fight to keep his mind in the game. And he wasn’t even halfway. Which was where the cable would sag most.
As he scurried along the cable, he glanced backward over his shoulder to the lowest point. Only four feet above the molten lava, and that was without his weight, meaning the cable could drop lower. Even at four feet Jaden wasn’t sure his smart suit wouldn’t combust from the heat. He stopped moving.
Kayla’s voice was a shriek in his ear. “What are you doing? You don’t have time to stop! Hurry!”
Jaden knew she’d be mad at him for not answering, but he had no bandwidth for that now. He assessed the surrounding cables. The one Iri had used was still high above him. Two cables hung about seven feet below Iri’s, and then two more were slightly higher than his. A final two were already below him.
Those two and his cable would be the problem. Once those cables dropped into the river, he couldn’t stop the heat from reaching the knot. It would start smoking again. And with no way to cool it down, how long before it caught fire and dropped all the cables into the river broiling under him?
Judging distances, Jaden decided it was his only chance. Shoving a hand inside his backpack, on his stomach for the trip across, Jaden rummaged for the rope. Extracting it without spilling the rest of his pack’s contents was difficult. After some frantic wiggling, he wrested the rope free just as another blob of lava leaped high enough to scorch its way through his smart suit and into his skin.
Growling against the pain, Jaden used his teeth and one hand to tie a thick knot at the end of the rope. He leaned sideways. Concentrating, he aimed for the two cables slightly above him. The rope hooked over both cables, and the knot swung back down toward him. Grabbing the knotted end, Jaden passed it through the loop he had made with the rest of the rope. Then he pulled on the loose end, relieved when the knot slid up to the top and secured itself against the two cables above.
He didn’t waste time. The next spurt of lava was encouragement to scramble up the rope. Even as he reached the cables above, the rope began smoking. Jaden had guessed this might happen. He increased his pace. Curling his knees around one cable, he ripped the smoking rope free. As he bundled it around his arm, he hoped it wouldn’t catch fire. The rope secure, he placed his hands beside his knees.
It was now or never. Letting go with his hands, he flung himself backwards, extending his arms to generate momentum. When he was almost doubled over backward on himself, he let go with his legs. His body continued its arcing trajectory, and Jaden hoped he had timed it right.
Arching his head, he searched for the next two cables. There they are! Jaden grabbed at them. His body was at an angle, and so his left hand hit first—and slipped onward. He had to catch with his right hand, or he would be toast. Jaden didn’t see the cables, just felt one biting into his hand. Reflex had him gripping the cable, rather than intention. A second later, his arm screamed in agony as every joint complained at having to halt the momentum of his body weight.
He heard cheering from his friends waiting on the other side of the river. Wincing as pain lanced his shoulder, Jaden levered himself upward until he straddled the two cables. That done, he snatched the rope off his arm and wound it around the two cables.
The rope neared its end and Jaden tied it off. He didn’t waste time inspecting his handiwork. Smoke was already rising from the rope again, and he heard faint twanging as strands snapped. Using his hands to keep him steady, Jaden maneuvered his feet onto the tiny square platform of rope.
Balancing, Jaden let go with his hands and rose to his feet. He had never felt more vulnerable. Jaden took a moment to make sure his balance was perfect. Then he took a deep breath. With a quick snapping motion, Jaden bent his knees and jumped.
Jaden hadn’t even been sure it would work. When the cables and ropes worked together to trampoline him upward, it was with such force he missed latching onto the highest remaining cable.
The cable zipped past his eyes, already level with his waist before he registered his moment had passed. Pure luck was the only reason his legs were still bent. They hit the wire, spinning him around so violently Jaden’s legs ended up on the wrong side.
As he flailed through the air, it reminded Jaden of a trapeze artist changing direction on his swing. His body floated backward over the cable until his hands hovered over it for a second time. He didn’t waste this opportunity. His hands snatched at the cable, finding purchase, and Jaden secured his hold.
For a moment, Jaden could only hang there, breathing raggedly. He almost hadn’t made it. He became conscious of noise. Warbled words from the others. Still dazed, Jaden glanced at them, noticing their panicked hand gestures. Reality crashed down, and the words made sense.
“The knot’s on fire!”
“Hurry!”
“Come on, Jaden, you got this!”
Groaning, Jaden locked his hands and legs around the cable. With focused movements, he scuttled backward along the cable, relieved when hands touched him. When he released his legs from the cable, Jaden would’ve fallen if Atu hadn’t supported him. Dropping his hands to his knees and sinking his head, Jaden gulped down air.
It took a few minutes for his breathing to return to normal and for his legs to stop quivering. Feeling like he could stand again, he rose. The stinging slap caught him by surprise. Kayla followed by leaping into his arms, knocking him over. Stunned, Jaden lay there as she pummeled his chest.
“Don’t you ever do that to me again! I thought you were going to die—a few times! Never, ever again, you hear me?”
Jaden finally had the wherewithal to grab her hands. “Hey, stop that! I’m sorry. You think I wanted to do that to you?”
Tears streaked Kayla’s face. She stared at him like he had grown mushrooms on his head. Then her face crumpled, and she dropped onto his chest, hugging him so fiercely Jaden felt like he couldn’t breathe again.
“Easy.”
Kayla’s grip only loosened a little, but it was enough to take in some air. Jaden wrapped his arms around her, breathing her in. “I know, I’m sorry. I didn’t have a choice.”
As his hands ran up and down her back, soothing her, he didn’t say his actions were preferable to the slow, tormenting death he would’ve suffered if his cable had dipped into that molten rock. No, there’s only so much a brain can take.
Some time later, Atu said, “Let me look at those burns.”
Kayla reacted like she had been electrocuted. She jumped back and Jaden felt her absence acutely. His arms felt empty. Reaching for her, he found Atu blocking his way.
Atu’s face was stern. “I need to take care of those burns.”
Jaden sighed. “Always so serious.”
A giggle from Iri diluted the tension. Jaden rolled onto his stomach, allowing Atu access to his back. When the golden light flowing from Atu’s palms swirled over him, Jaden experienced immediate relief.
“And you were the one who didn’t want to go first. What would we have done if we didn’t have you to heal us on this side?” Jaden murmured when the light faded and Atu allowed him to sit up.
Atu rolled his eyes. “I suppose I can let it go. Can you? Or is this going to be something you harangue on and on about?”
Jaden laughed. “It’s behind us, dude.” His laugher subsided. “Time to see what’s ahead.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Kayla needed something to do. Despite their embrace, Kayla was still mad at Jaden for taking risks. Understanding his reasons didn’t nullify her anger. He hadn’t told them what he was doing before he’d acted on his own. Again. He hadn’t asked for help. He’d taken matters into his own hands as he had so many times before. Will he ever learn?
Turning so Jaden couldn’t see her expression, Kayla peered into the gloom of the tunnel leading away from the river. The bright light from the fiery lava made discerning anything dee
per in the tunnel impossible. Kayla was debating activating her night vision feature again when there was a loud plop behind her. The hissing and crackling that followed had the others whirling too. While it wasn’t something attacking, it was a problem.
Kayla sighed as the lava flow absorbed the knot and cables. “There goes any chance we had of getting back across.”
“Not that it was an option after we all made it here,” Jaden muttered.
Kayla glanced at him, unsure whether he was attempting to make her feel better about the situation. His scowl didn’t help. She had no way of discerning whether Jaden was holding resentment toward her or if it was anger at the predicament they were now in.
Jaden caught her staring and turned away. His reaction made Kayla think he had directed his scowl at her after all. Jaden stared at the tunnel, his face shadowed. “At least we know the spiders never made it across to this side.”
Too exhausted to stay angry, Kayla crossed to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder, feeling him tense as she did. If she could’ve reached his neck, she would’ve planted a kiss there. But their height difference made that impossible. Sighing, Kayla ran the hand down his back instead, then stepped next to him as her hand slid further down to grasp his.
When she looked at him, she found those fathomless blue pools staring back at her. “Am I forgiven yet?”
“I’m getting there.” Kayla pointed at the tunnel. “What made you say the spiders didn’t make it this far?”
Iri and Atu joined them, having decided it was safe to approach, considering Jaden and Kayla weren’t yelling at each other.
Jaden pointed at the floor. “Dust.”
And not just a thin layer. She moved her foot, and a small cloud swirled up. “I suppose we have the tunnel to ourselves then.”
“For now anyway,” Jaden muttered. “Keep your eyes open for any sign of that changing.”
Without another word, he let go of Kayla’s hand and marched down the tunnel. Kayla stared after him, feeling deserted. It wasn’t only how he let go of her hand. It was the way he spoke. Like something inside him was dead.
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