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By a miracle, the wind blasts through, taking the storm away in one swift rush. With the air finally clear, I look around for her until I see she’s found a hold at eye level with mine. Her water-soaked face is seeped in pride. We’re on the same level. As it should be.
“Let’s finish this,” she yells.
Working in tandem, her swift eyes and agile hands find cracks in the surface I would have overlooked. When the vertical incline grinds at her clampers, sending her to a screeching slide, I grab her and help her back into good footing.
I get it now. It’s not just safer to work in tandem. It’s fun.
The edge of the top is within inches of my reach. She clears it before I do, and seeing her hand outstretched to help me over, I take it.
It’s over. It's really over.
The officiator waiting for us at the top is pleased to see we’ve survived. “My goodness!” he says, placing wreaths around our necks. “Aren’t we wet!” Looking down, the Cradle is as majestic as I remember. An elegant sweep of peaks draws my eyes to the horizon. But it’s the call of warmth we seek now.
Cradle’s Head rests dreamily at the opposite end of the lake, calling to us with the hope of warm food and clothes. We’re escorted into the lodge where cheers of congratulations greet us all around. Some of the first aspirants are already here.
“No Renxel?” Iara asks, smirking.
“No, not yet,” Devin confirms.
“Are we the last ones back?” A dark turn overtakes the room, I take it no one knows what happened to Thippe. Maxe rushes in seconds later, scanning our faces.
“I heard the doors, is it her?” A wound forms in the pit of my stomach. Now that I've found my fated mate and know what this bond truly means, it has to be burning him up inside.
“Can you feel her at all?” I dare to ask.
“She’s cold.”
Something inside me breaks, and before I know myself, I'm gripping him in a hug. I can't deal with how fate can be so cruel.
Looking over at Iara, I determine that no matter what’s in store for us in the future, I’ll always worry that fate has other plans. Feeling this broken man in my arms, I hate to imagine that I would ever know this pain.
Suddenly, feet can be heard running in all directions. Voices break the worry in the room as questions sound over us.
“How long was she exposed?”
“What’s her heart rate?”
Maxe's face changes quickly into hope as he runs to the doors. She’s hardly recognizable, but it's her.
“Thippe!” He collapses with her on the ground. “I knew it, I knew the fates would bring you back to me. I had to believe.”
Medics pull Iara and me away from the scene to give Thippe the attention she needs.
Silence tugs at my eardrums as I stare at my fated mate from across the lodge.
Seeing Thippe’s life in the throes of death has made everything clear. I won't waste another minute of our lives on needless worries. I’ll be there every time she makes a climb no human has tried before, every time she runs into danger, every time she beats me at this and every game.
Iara’s blue eyes light up. “What are you thinking about?”
I’m thinking about the hope of our future together. I’m thinking about the weight of a promise made before witnesses. I’m wondering if there’s time before the final celebration day to find a small slip of silver to place on her finger.
“Oh, nothing.” I smile, reaching her just in time for a peck on the head before Lila comes in. She saunters in from the dining hall carrying two plates of food. My stomach grumbles as the aroma of freshly baked bread reaches my nostrils.
“Okay, you two,” she says. “Let’s get you fed because this aspirant needs a couple more drinking buddies.”
She walks into the main sitting room where a roaring fire greets us, pulling the remnants of cold from our bones. Iara rushes into an oversized armchair, not hesitating to gulp her food.
In years past, this was the part of the competition I avoided the most. When it was all said and done, I still kept myself separate from the group. But seeing her there, I finally feel like I can belong. If I want to.
