I don’t think I can do this, thought Sorrel. She had never liked heights. She didn’t look at Bibi, who was silent too.

“Give me the backpacks,” Emrallie said, and Sorrel handed them over. “Is there anything that’ll break inside?”

“The PlAK,” Sorrel said.

“Give it to me.”

Sorrel obeyed, wondering if she would ever see it again. Emrallie tied both packs together and threw them over the cliff. Sorrel did not hear them land. Then the Tribal tucked the PlAK under the harness, turned her back to the abyss and, as if it were the easiest thing in the world, stepped off the ledge.

“Guata,” whispered Sorrel to herself. Emrallie bounced once off the cliff face and then disappeared into the blackness.

“Can you do this, Bibi?”

“We don’t have a choice. She has all our stuff.”

The rope went slack and swung towards her. “Pull up the harness!” Emrallie shouted. Her voice echoed, then died away.

The string brought up the harness and she put it on Bibi, cinching it as tight as it could go. She passed the rope through the metal clip, fighting the urge to do it over and over. She wouldn’t know for sure when it was done right anyway. Without hesitation, Bibi turned her back to the cliff’s edge and stepped off into the air. Sorrel heard her mother gasp as she hit the cliff face somewhere below. Emrallie shouted instructions to her but there was no reply.

Moments later, Emrallie yelled, “She’s down!”

Sorrel pulled up the harness. She edged closer to the cliff, trying to take the strain off the rope by bending her knees. The rope held her, and she understood that the carabiner allowed her to go down at an even pace. She had no idea where such a device could be found. She stood at the edge and stared up at the cliff face, wondering how the Tribals came up from whatever was at the bottom and how her mother had stepped off into space so easily. The sky was becoming lighter.

“Hold the rope below you with your other hand! Let it out slowly. Come down in big jumps,” shouted Emrallie.

She stepped off over the edge. Her eyes became level with the ledge she had been standing on. She pushed off again and the ledge disappeared overhead. With each jump she gained confidence and pushed off harder, calling out in exhilaration and triumph. “Slow down!” yelled Emrallie. Sorrel hit the ground hard and fell over.

“Fool!” Emrallie said. “You’re lucky not to break a leg.”

“That was amazing!” Sorrel laughed out loud and realised she had not laughed liked that in a long time. “How’d you learn how to do that?”

“Long story. Let’s go. I’m tired.”