He let out a breath. Not being able to see the hooks was unnerving. The rope appeared to be hanging suspended from nothing. And if the hook didn’t hold, Dev would go crashing down through multiple floors like Thisbe and Fifer had done.

Standing on the top step, Dev tied a loop in the other end of the rope. He’d thought about wearing it around his chest to keep his arms free but knew that the rope could rip up the burns on his back, and that sounded awful. So he stuck one arm through it.

After a few deep breaths to steady his nerves, Dev let go of Florence’s arrow and grabbed the rope tightly with both hands. He jumped, emitting a frightened shriek as he dropped. Then he swung wide out over the gaping hole in the floor and sailed up toward the hole in the ceiling. As he neared it, he reached out precariously for the rope. His fingers brushed it, but he couldn’t quite get it before the momentum switched. He began to spin slowly in the air as he swung back down and approached the makeshift wall steps. Trying to right himself, he kicked wildly and managed to push off the wall and build up speed. This time, when he neared Florence’s rope, he was just barely able to snatch the end of it. He pulled the sack through the ceiling, and it swung behind him. “Yes,” he whispered.

When Dev neared the wall a second time, he jumped and grabbed for Florence’s arrow and the makeshift ladder. His fingers connected, but he fumbled and couldn’t hang on. With a wild yell he landed unceremoniously in a pile on the floor as the sack of spells slipped down the center hole. “Ack! No!” Dev lunged for the sack’s rope and got it just in time. The floor creaked and groaned beneath him.

He lay on his stomach, heaving, still gripping the end of Florence’s rope. Then he slid backward across the floor as one might do when stuck on thin ice, trying to reach the shore. After a short distance Dev hit a soft patch. The floor began to groan and crack beneath him, and his body sank a few inches. Panicked, he quickly spread his arms and legs. He stayed as still as possible, praying he wouldn’t break through. After a long moment, he began moving again, sliding a little at a time. Eventually he reached his makeshift ladder. With a breath of relief, Dev held on to a hook and pulled himself to a sitting position. Slowly he reeled in the sack of supplies.