“There's our starting place,” Beko said, pointing slightly to the west. “A mile that way. Cliff looks textured and cracked; could be easy going to begin with.”

Nomi's stomach fluttered and doubt pressed against her chest. Was she arrogant to believe that she could voyage all this way and then lead a climb to the top? She had rarely climbed before, and when she had it had been on safe, known peaks in the hills north of Long Marrakash. She'd been with experienced climbers then, people who knew the routes they were taking and the risks they would face, and even then there had been accidents.

If anyone fell here . . .

“Which of you has climbed the most?” she asked.

Beko turned and nodded to Rhiana. “Rhiana, you used to do the Painback Cliffs on Mancoseria, didn't you?”

The Serian did not seem happy at being singled out. “I did three rescues from there, yes. Foolish children who thought themselves old enough to take a seethe-gator, mostly. But . . .”She looked up at the cliff and Nomi saw its bulk reflected in her eyes.

“Same techniques,” Beko said. “Just a bit higher.”

“A bit?”

“The light's pissing awful,” Noon said. “What happens when it goes altogether? Do we just hang there till morning?”

Nomi turned her back on the Divide, hoping the gesture would paint her with confidence she was not feeling. “When mid-afternoon comes, we start looking for somewhere to spend the night,” she said. “A crevasse, a ledge, maybe even a cave if we're lucky. We wrap up warm, tie ourselves in and wait until dawn.”

“And if we don't find anywhere?” Rhiana said.

“If that happens, we tie ourselves to the cliff face.”

“And sleep?”

“If you want strength for the next day, yes.”

“What about wildlife?” Ramin asked. “Get stung up there by something like the wasp that got Noon, and piss on all of us.”

“Nobody knows the sort of things that live this far south,” Nomi said.

“Exactly,” Ramin said. “It's always gloomy here, even when we can see sunlight on the ground to the north. Always dusk.

Creatures that come out at dusk . . . sometimes, they're not too nice.”

Nomi felt a twinge of annoyance. “You think there are things up there worse than your seethe-gators?”

“I doubt that,” Ramin said, standing straighter.

“Then that's why you're here,” she said. “Because you're all warriors and I'm not.”

“I'm glad this is all so well planned,” Rhiana said, and Nomi almost cursed. But then she recognized her own annoyance for what it really was—embarrassment. If Ramus were here he would probably have better answers for these questions. Nomi had essentially followed him, because he was one of the best.

What did that make her?

“We go now,” Beko said. “We leave the horses here and walk until we can't walk anymore. Then we climb. The only way is up.”

Nomi smiled, and thought, I hope so.

Chapter 15

Chapter 15