The Binding (36 page)

“Calm down, Lily, or you’ll throw both of us off this wall,”
says Tharin, a little edgy.

I try to look down over my shoulder but see only darkness below me. I turn my head inward, trying not to picture how high we are.

“Tharin?”

“Yes, Lily?”

“I’m sorry, about…about earlier. I didn’t mean what I said. I’m sorry.”

T
harin continues to climb and just when I think he’s still angry with me , he says, “I know, Lily.”

“You do?”
I ask relaxing a little against him.

“Yes, you already apologized,”
he answers.

I stiffen a bit. I already apologized? I try to think back and remember sitting in the snow, waiting for Tolan to return. I remember Tharin showing up and me hugging him and that I was so relieve d to see him. I also remember telling myself that I was going to apologize, but I don’t remember actually saying it.

Tharin stops, leaving us hanging in midair. I hold my breath as he looks over his shoulder at me while I lift my head trying to see his face.

“You don’t remember saying it, do you?”

He waits until I finally shake my head. I feel him sigh, and then continues climbing.

For the rest of the climb Tharin remains quiet, and to be honest I’m not sure what else to say to him. I guess after I apologize d we’re good again, but his silence makes me nervous. Did I say something else to him? This is on my mind when Tharin leaps from the rope to a small ledge. I close my eyes and hold on to him tighter, trying not to scream while praying that he makes it.

As soon as we land, Tharin shuffles against the wall a few more feet until we’
re on a landing that leads inside the rock wall. Once we’re far enough in and move around a slight bend, the sound of the raging wind is distant . Leaning us against a wall, Tharin works at undoing the ropes. He frees my legs and they drop to the rocky floor, but my knees are weak and stiff. He unties my arms, but hold s them until I find my balance. Letting my arms go, he quickly turns to catch me as I lose my balance.

I knew I was cold out in the wind, but being inside and cut off from it, I suddenly feel its shocking iciness in my bones. I start to shake uncontrollably and Tharin quickly takes off the wet gloves, rubbing my hands gently. My teeth start chattering and he blows on my hands looking at me while trying to get the blood circulating again. Finally, he picks me up and quickly carries me down a path taking us into the mountain. We turn a corner and the sound of the wi nd is now completely cut off, there is only the sound of my breathing. I hold on to him trying to steal some of his warmth and realize that he’s just as cold as I am . I look up at his face, so determined and focused on where he’s going, only to see that his lips are turning blue. I reach up and rub at his cheek , which causes him to slow his pace to look down at me. I smile at him, and then lay my head back on his shoulder letting the weariness slip in and take me away.

*

I stand looking down at Lily and make a mental note to myself.
Don’t try and kiss her bef ore she’
s had a full night’s sleep.

I sigh and shake my head before taking off again. With her asleep, I pick up my speed making it to the other side wit hin minutes. The path opens up to a large area, bi g enough for a fire and for all of us to rest comfortably. At the far corner there i s a four—
foot high ledge that Tolan is using as beds for Alorn and Mellis. At the foot of the wall, just below Mellis and Alorn, Phoris is sound asleep in one of the heavy sleeping bags. On the opposite corner , Tolan or Phoris has created a wall by willing it out from the existing back wall, providing some privacy for Lily and Julia. They ’ve also tied a rope and draped it with a blanket at the opening. In the far corner, opposite the opening, is a rocky basin where water from a hidden stream above the cave trickles down , providing us with fresh water. Tolan must have built a makeshift cloth ing rack for Julia . It’s leaning against the extended wall, but close enough to be dried by the fire. Her jeans, shirt and underwear are hanging there , and her sneakers are closer to the fire .

I carry Lily toward the private area where Julia is now sleeping , and Julia’s loud snoring distracts me for a moment. I lay Lily on the ledge next to a thick sleeping bag that is already spread out for her. I quickly begin to remove her clothes, starting with the wraps around her legs and boots. Soon, I unbutton the coat and take it off. I look at her face and she’s white as a sheet, and there is a soft blue coloring forming around her lips. Tolan is at my side and quickly gives Lily something to drink. She takes it slowly, but she doesn’t open her eyes. I start to worry about hypothermia . A s soon as Tolan moves aside, I quickly take off Lily’s shirt …
it’s soaking wet! I leave her bra on for now, and work at her jeans…more buttons .
Why can ’t she wear normal jeans with zippers like everyone else ? S
he has to be the only girl who owns button—
up jeans .
When I finally start to pull them off her, Tolan turns and walks out of the area. As I slip them off , I feel her thighs and they ’
re like ice. Once I get the jeans completely off, I grab a blanket from a small stack next to her makeshift bed and spread it out on the floor. I take another blanket and wrap it around her, then lift her to place her on the floor , as well . I kneel beside her and I start to rub her shoulders, her arms, her chest, her stomach and finally her legs and feet. I reach behind me and grab at a bag left here from our last stay. I start digging inside until I find thick woolen socks and quickly roll them on her feet. Once done, I go back and again rub her shoulders.

Ten minutes later, there is color back i n Lily ’s face and her hands are warm again. She moans softly , her teeth chattering and I know that she’ll be okay. I reach for the bag again and pull out a new pair of gloves and gently slip them on her small hands. Finally, I come to the point where I’ve no choice but to remove her underwear. I sit beside her and I pull her onto my lap making sure to keep the blanket wrap ped snugly. I lift her upper body to me so I can undo the bra hooks at the back. I feel along the strap and I can’t find any hooks .
I run my fingers along the strap again trying to find them . I finally lay her back on my lap and slowly pull the blanket down to see that the bra unhooks at the front. I cover her up and try to unhook the bra through the blanket. It took some doing, but I finally feel the release and relax, letting out the breath I’ve been holding. I carefully remove her bra and toss it where the rest of her clothes are. I take a deep breath and slip my hand under the blanket and with just enough pull, quickly remove her panties and t oss them in the wet pile.

I sit lo
oking down at her face, smiling, pretty proud of myself.
It’s then I realize that it’s suddenly quiet. I quickly pull Lily to me as if blocking her from view. I stare up at the ledge where Julia is sleeping, only to find her awake and propped up on her elbow watching me. She has a blanket wrap ped around her chest, but not high enough to cover the mole on her left breast. She smugly looks at me and starts to laugh at my shock ed and embarrassed face.

“Well, how did Tolan get them off of you?” I whisper a little put off.

“He woke me up and told me to,” she whispers back, still smiling.

“What?” I respond, stun ned by my brother’s annoying gentlemanly manners.

“Uh-huh,” she replies simply .
“
H
e did everything you just did, but when it came to removing the undies, well, your brother was the perfect gentleman. He woke me and instructed me to ta ke them off myself, which I did. H
e also gave me enough time to get under the covers before coming back and taking the wet blanket out.”

I stare at her with my mouth open. I look back down at Lily and realize Julia’s right. How am I going to put her in the sleeping bag without the wet blanket? I stand , lifting Lily with me , secure the blanket around her so her bare skin doesn’t touch the cold rock and place her back on the ledge. I move to the sleeping bag and toss it open with the inside blanket down. I lift Lily and place her in the bag and then move back, returning a smug look at Julia.

“There, she’s in position. I’ll leave now and you can get up and remove the blanket for her.” I bend down and pick up the wet clothes . Turning toward the hanging blanket , I walk out follow ed by Julia’s gleeful laughter. I liked her better when she was snoring.

Tolan is standing near the fire and asks, “Who were you talking to? Is Lily up?”

Ah, time for a little payback .
“No, I was helping Julia out,” I answer as I walk toward the rocky basin.

“Phoris has made a small pool area by the rock basin to wash clothes,” offers Tolan, as he watches me closely. “You were helping Julia?” he asks, looking back at the closed entrance. He faces me again suspiciously and demands, “With what?”

“Oh,” I shrug making my way to the wash area, “she said her shoulders were tight from sleeping on a hard surface and asked if I could rub out the kinks. So I did .
”
A fter a moment’s pause , I add, “Cute mole.”

“You WHAT?”
bellows my brother.
He’s so loud I drop the clothes and grab my head.

Just then Julia pops her head out from behind the draped blanket. We both look her way and watch as she tosses out the wet blanket from Lily. She sees Tolan and smiles at him, but when she sees me her eyes fill with mischief . S
he gives me a knowing smile before disappearing again behind the blanket.

“Tharin,”
seethes my brother, turning to me threateningly.

I laugh
and say, “Relax , b rother, I didn’t lay a hand on your precious Julia.”

“Oh, really? Then what was that all about?”
He flings his ar m out toward the girls ’
sleeping area, an accusing look on his face.

The way he looks standing there is too funny and just too much for me to bear any longer. I bend over laughing, “I swear , Tolan , I was only having some fun. I was trying to find a way to take off Lily’s underwear and Julia laughed at how I went about it, that’s all.”
He looks at me unconvinc ed , so I put up my hands and promise, “I swear!”

Tolan stands there not sure whether to believe me. I guess he finally decides that I’m being honest and he takes a calming breath. He straightens his shoulder and goes to sit near the fi re. We’re quiet for a moment until he looks up at me and asks , “Why didn’t you just wake her and tell her to take them off herself?”

I start rinsing Lily’s shirt as I answer, “Ah, but what fun would there be in that?”

I quietly watch Tolan as he thinks about that for a moment, and then glances back at the draped curtain. He shifts back staring at the fire and quietly curses out loud to himself.

“Damn.”

*

I
don’t know the cause , but I wake with a start. I look about me , not sure where I am and it takes me a minute to get my bearings. Then it comes back to me as I remember Tharin climbing with me on his back and then walking through some sort of tunnel. I sit up to look around me. Nearby, I hear the familiar sound of Julia’s snoring, and I’m somewhat comforted by it. I feel a chill and realize that I’m naked and in some kind of sleeping bag. I get under the covers quickly, seeking warmth inside the comfortable makeshift bed .
Who took my clothes off?
I look ove r at Julia and can see that she’s naked under her covers to o . A sigh of relief escapes me knowing that Julia must have undressed me before going to her own bed.

I look around the room that we’
re in and notice the high ceiling is made of solid rock. Tolan mentioned that there would be shelter , and he must ha ve meant this cave. I watch as shadows dance along the walls and ceiling . I figure that the warmth and light is coming from a fire lit behind the draped blanket. I listen to the quiet accompanied by Julia’s sonorous medley . I let my eyes close, falling back to sleep.

I jerk a
wake again. Something is wrong . I look back at the drape d blanket . I know that no one else senses it but me.
It’s like something , or someone, is calling me, pulling at me. I close my eyes again and breath deeply . I recall Tharin’s words about drifting.

I relax and
inhale calmly , concentrating on nothing else but the here and now. Like waking from a dream, I see myself in the sleeping bag with my eyes closed. I turn toward the draped blanket and t he air is warm on my skin. I look down and realize that beside s socks and gloves, I’m naked .
I throw my arms around myself trying to cover up and I pull back. My eyes fly open . I’m breathing heavily , but once again in my sleeping bag .

I slow my breathing, close my eyes and try again.
I’m standing over myself, watching as I lay with my eyes closed. I move away from the ledge, but this time take one of the extra blanket s and wrap it around me from behind so that I’m holding the corners before me. I cross the ends over my chest and tie them at the back of my neck.
Much better , I tell myself and proceed to go through the draped cover again.