pull the rope the rest of the way, bringing the harness up to you. When you’re ready, I’ll hold you steady as I lower you. We’ll go nice and slow.”
My stomach twists, and my palms begin to sweat.
“It’s not that far down,” Rhys says from my side. “The mist is deceptive.”
My unease grows as I watch Braith disappear into the cloudbank. The rope continues to slide through the hook, moving at a steady pace.
“Made it,” the knight calls up a minute later.
Rhys is right—Braith doesn’t sound that far away. The rope begins traveling through the hook once more, and the empty harness rises into view.
“Who’s next?” Rhys asks his men.
“I’ll go,” Morgan says. He’s ever the eager one, ready to be back in Draegan, hoping for a skirmish. I gulp as he too disappears over the edge.
Aeron goes after him. One by one, the knights drop into the Chasm. Too soon, Rhys and I are the only ones left.
Rhys hands me my pack. “Pull your trousers on under your dress. You’ll have to bunch your skirt up to wear the harness.”
The thought makes my face go hot. Rhys turns, giving me privacy.
I pull the trousers from my things and look around, making sure we’re alone. There is no one and nothing close to the Chasm except for long, green grass and our grazing horses.
But I’m suddenly struck with that feeling that plagued me in the meadow before Braeton left. It feels as if someone is watching.
I stare across the landscape, searching for movement. A person could hide in the trees at the edge of the forest in the distance, or even in the long grass if they were flat on their belly like a snake, but surely we would have heard them behind us.
Shaking off the feeling, I quickly tug on the trousers and secure them at my waist. I cut them off at the knees not long ago, and now I wish they were their full length.
“All right,” I say awkwardly, balling my skirt at my side. “I’m ready.”
Rhys turns, nodding. He holds out the harness so I can step into it. “We’ll adjust it once it’s on.”
Cabe was the last one to go down, so it’s only a little too large. My cheeks flame as the straps slide over my legs. Oblivious to my discomfort, Rhys fusses with the harness quickly and efficiently. His fingers brush over my thigh as he adjusts the last buckle, and my nervousness is temporarily forgotten.
“How does it feel?” he asks, tightening the strap.
I let out a breathy laugh. “Better than expected.”
Rhys’s hands go still for several heartbeats before he returns to his task. “But does it feel secure?”
Reluctantly, I glance at the ledge. “The harness does. The idea of suspending myself in the air does not seem secure at all.”
Rhys chuckles under his breath and steps back. “You’ll be fine.”
It’s only when he attaches the rope to the harness that I begin to panic. “I’ve changed my mind—I’ll stay in Renove. You’re right. This was a terrible idea, and I—”
Rhys sets his hands on my shoulders, cutting me off. “You’ve made it this far. Don’t let fear hold you back from what you want. You are stronger than your fear—stronger than you’ve ever given yourself credit.”
I huff out a breath, moving my hair from my face. “That’s a lovely speech, Rhys, but you have absolutely no proof of that.”
He laughs, rubbing his thumb on my shoulder. Dropping his voice, he says, “You married me in the dead of night to save your brother. You are brave.”
“Marrying you isn’t the hardship you think it is,” I say, turning from him. “But you’re right—it’s too late to back down now. Let’s do this before I change my mind.”
I tiptoe to the edge, trying to see through the mist. It’s impossible.
“What’s taking so long?” Braith hollers from below. “We’re wasting time.”
“He’s right,” Rhys says. “We must be out of the Chasm by nightfall.”
Fear of spending a night in the rift spurs me on. I step to the edge, just as I saw the others do.
“This first step is the worst,” Rhys assures me. “Once you’re past it, everything else is easy.”
“You promise I won’t die?” I say, not quite joking.
Rhys laughs, getting far too much pleasure from my hesitance. “Would I keep you alive this long just to throw you off a cliff now?”
“Probably not?”
He leans down to meet me at eye level, his dark green eyes warm with humor. I wish he’d look at