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“There is no need for that,” said Quinn. “I brought this.”

Everyone turned to stare at the little Drell. Reaching beneath his furry pelt, he unwrapped a long length of rope from around his torso, complete with a grappling hook. As he released the spring, the barbs of the hook deployed. He nodded toward Joss’s men. “It’s one of theirs. I thought it might be useful.”

“I’ll never fuss at you again, Quinn,” Diokut chortled. “You can be as rude as you like.”

“Actually, sending Quinn on ahead isn’t a bad idea,” Threldigan mused. “He could probably get past that bunch of idiots on audacity alone.”

“Let’s hope that isn’t necessary,” Dax said. “But we’ll keep that as a backup plan, just in case.” Coiling the rope, Dax was intrigued by the texture of it. Though undoubtedly strong enough to bear the weight of several men, as well as being resistant to knives, it seemed to be made of nothing but braided seaweed. “We should save the big guns for the last minute, Threld. Got any minor distractions?”

“A few,” the magician replied. “Too bad I don’t have any more of those Darconian poppers left. They were very effective.”

Dax nodded, shouldering the coil of rope. “Waroun, Ava, and I will try to get into the temple from the rear while the rest of you stay here and work on the distractions. Stay out of sight as much as you can.”

Threldigan held out his hand. Dax gripped it firmly. “Good luck.”

“Thanks. We’re gonna need it.”

Moving eastward beyond the ring of statues, the way was rocky and uneven. Dax and Waroun had little difficulty, but Ava stumbled a time or two; being barefoot didn’t help her very much. Dax tried not to think about her pain but kept on at a steady pace.

A stone wall had been built along the cliff’s edge to keep the unwary from venturing too close, but this was easily climbed. Upon reaching the top, Dax could see that Joss hadn’t been kidding. The entire eastern side of the island looked as though it had been cleaved from another land mass with a sharp knife. Dax peered over the precipice at the waves foaming against the dark cliff face below.

It was a very long way down.

***

Ava hadn’t realized just how vast the temple was when viewed from a distance, but now, it loomed above them like an enormous glittering spider. She still couldn’t figure out how they were going to reach it without getting killed. The crag was like a pyramid that had been split in half from top to bottom. Viewed from the east, it would have looked like a huge triangle with the temple sitting on top of it. What Dax was proposing was to use the grappling hook to snag the eastern parapet, swing out from the side like a pendulum, and then scale the wall. Ava knew she couldn’t have made it through the boulder-studded slope without breaking an ankle, but this looked downright suicidal.

Dax and Waroun worked on the rope, tying knots in it at regular intervals. “To give us time to rest,” Dax explained.

Ava stared up at the temple and shook her head. It was only about ten meters above them, but it might as well have been fifty. “Are you
sure
about this?”

“Absolutely.” His task now complete, Dax tapped his combadge. “Okay, Threld. Set off the first one.”

Moments later, a sparkling rocket shot into the western sky and exploded in a shower of luminous orange sparks.

Waroun was incredulous. “Fireworks? That’s all he’s got left? Fuckin’ fireworks?”

“Hey, it’s better than nothing. I’m sure it got someone’s attention.” Dax swung the rope, but the hook bounced off the parapet. The barbs hadn’t deployed.

Reeling it in, Dax reset the hook and tried again as another rocket went off, but again, the hook hit and then plummeted toward the sea.

“My, this is encouraging,” Waroun said. “Maybe I should just climb up and secure it.”

“Good idea,” said Dax. “Wrap it around one of the columns—but keep your head down. We can’t risk anyone seeing you.”

“Wait! You need to wear Threldigan’s cape.”

Ava began to take it off, but Waroun stopped her. “No capes. I’d just get tangled up in the damn thing and fall in the ocean.”

Dax handed the hook to Waroun. “I’ll hold onto this end of the rope.”

“You know, I’m surprised none of the Opps are trying to get in this way,” Ava said. “It seems the most logical approach.”

“Maybe not for fish people,” Waroun said. “Now, if they were Norludians, this would have been the tactic of choice.”

“Maybe we should just let you take the stone,” Ava suggested.

Waroun drew back in horror. “No fuckin’ way! It’ll probably kill a Norludian to even
touch
the damn thing. I’m not getting near it!”

“It didn’t hurt me when I touched it,” Dax said. “But it did do
something
to me… Well… maybe you’re right. Maybe you
shouldn’t
touch it.”

“Not
gonna
touch it, so it’s a moot point anyway.” Crawling out to the edge, Waroun reached out with one hand and sucked his fingertips onto the rock face. “Not bad,” he commented. “Yeah, I think I can get up there without any trouble.”

Having said this, he then lost his grip and tumbled over the side. Ava bit back a scream as Dax braced himself for the tug on the rope. She held her breath as Waroun began cursing down below.

“I’ve got hold of the hook!” Waroun yelled. “Pull me up!”

“This is going
so
well.” Dax hauled in the rope, grinning at Ava. “Having fun yet?”

Ava drew in a shaky breath. “Not really. Where is all of that bravery and determination when I need it?”

“Still there,” he said. “It’s just waiting until you
really
need it.”

Waroun’s head appeared at the edge of the cliff. “Thanks, Captain,” he gasped. “I owe you one.”

“Are you okay?”

“A little banged up, but not bad,” Waroun replied. “I must be a real numb nuts fool, but I’m gonna try that again. No rock wall is gonna get the best of
me
!”

“That’s the spirit,” Dax said approvingly. “But this time, you might try crawling further up the rocks here before you try it.”

“And get both hands on the wall before you step off the edge,” Ava added.

Waroun waved and set off again, his sucker-tipped fingers gripping the tumble of boulders while his flipperlike feet seemed to mold themselves to the uneven surfaces. He looked like a bug crawling over gravel in the darkness as he periodically hopped from one slab of rock to the next. After a short distance, he stopped and spoke to Dax through his combadge. “I think I can make it the rest of the way on these rocks. I can still get to the temple and tie the rope.”

Dax voiced his approval, and Waroun continued his climb.

Ava nestled against Dax as they watched Waroun’s progress. “Think that rope is long enough?”

“I certainly hope so, or this isn’t going to work at all.” He checked the coils on the ground at his feet. “It’s not as far as you think.”

Ava could feel her heart pounding, and her hands were slippery with nervous sweat. “How are we going to do this? I’m pretty sure I’m not capable of scaling a wall.”

“No problem. I’m an Eagle Scout, remember? Trust me, living aboard a ship for years the way we did had us literally climbing the walls. I can do it, Ava—you just have to hold onto me.”

“Any other time that would sound appealing,” Ava muttered.

It seemed to take hours, but Waroun finally reached the temple. Dax signaled Threldigan for another diversion.

The magician set off another round of fireworks, even more impressive than the first. Spinning wheels of fire sliced through the darkness, careening toward the combat zone at the foot of the temple steps. Defenders and attackers alike quailed, and Waroun scampered to the nearest column. Looping the rope around the base, he hooked it securely. With a quick wave, he slipped back over the side, disappearing into the rocks.

Ava stared doubtfully at the slender rope. “Do you really think that flimsy piece of seaweed will hold us both?”

Dax nodded. “Waroun gave it a pretty thorough test, don’t you think?”

“I just hope he didn’t weaken it.”

“He didn’t,” Dax said. “We’ll make it.”

“How do you know?” Then it hit her. “Did you have another vision?”

“No,” he replied. “In the first one, I saw you and the stone, and now that I’m here, I realize that you were actually inside the temple.” He gazed down at her, his cat’s eyes glowing in the darkness. “We can do this, Ava. I’m sure of it.”

Ava drank in his gaze as though she would draw strength from it, and perhaps she did. Staring out across the scree-covered slope and then at the wall of the cliff she and Dax would presumably scale, she whispered, “I suppose it helps to know that, but what helps me the most is having you here with me.”

Dax nodded. “We’re stronger together.”

Ava couldn’t help but smile. “Heavier too. I don’t envy you having to climb that wall with me weighing you down.”

“That’s not how I see it at all,” he said. “You give me strength as well as wings.”

She eyed the rope and the distance with less confidence. “I sure hope you’re right.”

Dax pulled on the rope, testing it against his weight. “Feels secure. Climb on, and I’ll tie us together.”

Ava giggled. “Now,
that
sounds wonderful.” Realizing that she might never have another opportunity, her mood changed, becoming more sober. “Dax, if I haven’t said this before, I’m saying it now. No matter what happens, I love you.”

“I knew that.”

“Cocky fellow.” Though her words may have sounded careless, they were anything but. “Do you love me?”

“I believe I’ve already told you that, but I’ll tell you again when we reach the temple.”

“You’d better.”

“Don’t worry. I will.” Giving her a quick kiss, he helped her onto his back and knotted the rope securely around her. Then he moved to the brink and leaned back, bracing his feet for the jump.

Ava wasn’t completely successful at keeping the tremor out of her voice. “Ever done this before?”

“From this angle? No. But I saw it in a movie once.”

“Oh, that makes me feel
so
much better…”

“Get ready to fly,” he said.

And he stepped off the edge.

Chapter 24

The first swoop was fun. But after they hit the wall and spun, crashing into it twice more before Dax managed to regain his footing, Ava was forced to reconsider that assessment. No, not fun at all, she decided, though she did manage to keep from screaming in his ear. He might not have heard her even if she had; the sounds of the battle raging at the temple were barely audible now, drowned out by the wind and the roar of the sea below.

Dax faltered only twice. Once when a bird swooped down to scrutinize the oddity of people climbing the cliff, and the other when a foothold crumbled beneath him. If he had been using any ordinary rope, his hands would have been bleeding, but this seaweed version seemed to offer a firm grip without being abrasive. Ava did the best she could not to interfere, not even looking up when she heard Waroun calling out encouragement; focusing instead on the steady, methodical movements in Dax’s body. It was almost like riding a horse; as he moved, she moved with him, enabling his movements rather than hindering them. So intent was she on the climb that she was startled when Waroun reached out to take her hand.

“I just told Threldy to set off another one,” Waroun said as he pulled her into a niche near the temple’s foundation. Dax followed closely behind her, and Ava heaved a sigh of relief when he was safely on the ground. Unfortunately, their location was still perilous, for though the defenders were valiantly holding their line, the mob had pushed even further into the temple.

Ava stood staring at them for a moment. “It’s almost as if they knew we were coming.”

“Well, let’s not let them down.”

Ava could see the four Aquina stones glimmering from a triangular altar in the center of the temple. There were no guards. Anyone who might have been protecting the crystals was now engaged in the struggle on the western portal.

Threldigan outdid himself this time, setting off a howling, hurricane-force wind that ripped through the temple from across the eastern parapet, pushing friends and foes alike down the steps.

On cue, Dax and Waroun climbed up the foundation, pulling Ava up after them. With the wind at their backs, they raced toward the altar. Three Aquerei saw them coming and battled against the wind to intercept. Dax, however, had the advantage and tackled two of them before rolling to his feet to stun the third with a pulse blast.

“I don’t believe it!” Waroun screamed. “You got him!”

Dax ignored him. “Hurry, Ava!” he yelled. “The stone!”

Ava reached down and pulled it from beneath her shirt. The keystone was already emitting pulsations of intense blue-green light bright enough to illuminate the entire structure.