Free Ammonite Stars (Omnibus): Ammonite Galaxy #4-5 by Gillian Andrews Page A

baby.”
    “It’s just a simple precaution.” Ledin tested the ropes, and then gave a nod. “After you, then.”
    The climb back up was arduous, and Diva found herself stymied on several occasions. It took all of her courage to force herself to listen to Ledin’s calm instructions, and ignore the panic which was sitting firmly in the back of her mind. Her face was set, and tense with concentration as she moved, foot by agonizing foot, up the dangerous drop. Grace, who was back in place now that the avifauna had abandoned the area, was watching from far above as the two specks of light gradually resolved themselves into dots, and then moving parts as they inched their way up the sheer rock face. Grace kept her eyes trained on them; she was determined to help if anything else decided to stop them on their ascent.
    All went well until Diva got overconfident. She went for the next stretch without waiting for Ledin to advise her on placement, and mistook a dark shadow for a foothold crevice. Next thing she knew she was dangling helplessly off her rope, and looking straight down at the floor of the cavern far below. Her stomach turned right over, and she gave a gulp.
    “Close your eyes, Diva.” Ledin’s voice was gentle and reassuring. “Now, I am already alongside you. I am going to right you, and I don’t want you to do anything. Just let me pull your hand. Do not try to help in any way at all, please.”
    Although her instinct was to grab at him wildly, Diva forced herself to obey, hanging there in limbo while he tried to figure out how to place her back onto the rock face. At least the rope was holding, she thought to herself. She could taste bile in her mouth, and forced back the impulse to throw up. She would not allow her body to make her suffer that indignity. But it was a hard lesson to learn, suspended over the abyss, hung by her own stupidity.
    Grace, peering down over the edge, could only see that something was wrong. Her heart almost stopped and she found she couldn’t breathe. It seemed like an eternity of waiting.
    At last Ledin’s slow movements began to right Diva. He drew one hand back towards a good handhold. Then he pulled the rest of the girl’s slack body towards the stone wall, and guided her other hand to a solid crevice. Once that was done, the rest was easier. He manhandled her sideways until one foot clipped into the small dent in the rock, and then nudged at her until the final foothold was attained. Then he relaxed slightly, aware that the sweat was pouring off him, and that he had doubted his own ability to correct the situation for a moment.
    He jerked his head towards the surface, and they began to climb again, a chastened Diva obedient now to Ledin’s every suggestion.
    Grace drew in air once more with a deep breath of relief. They were moving again, and now she could actually distinguish the tops of their heads through the shadowy light seeping down into the black depths. They were nearly at the top of the shaft. She looked down at her own ravaged hands. They were still balled up with worry. Grace uncurled what fingers she had been left with. Sometimes it was harder to watch than to do, she realized.
    DIVA DRAGGED HERSELF over the edge of the precipice and lay panting for a moment in the sunlight. As Ledin finally appeared, and pulled his weary body to safety, she rolled over and gave a smile.
    “Thank you.”
    “You are most welcome.”
    “I shouldn’t have risked that stretch.”
    “No. But you won’t do it again.”
    Diva grinned. “I definitely won’t!” She got to her feet and dusted her bodywrap down. “Let’s go find Six.”
    Grace was looking warily at the sun. “We don’t have many hours before it gets dark,” she warned. “And the wind will be starting up at dusk, remember.”
    Diva gave a toss of her head. “We will have him back long before then. He can’t be that far away, can he?”
    “We need the trimorphs. They are the only ones who can help us find