Restless Soul - Alex Archer [25]
She worked slowly and methodically and was rewarded with the smell of earth and wood. She was nearing the section of wall where they’d spotted roots.
She wasn’t terribly far from the slit she envisioned herself squirming through. But could she free-climb to it in the absolute dark?
She often amazed herself with her physical feats, but the notion of reaching the slit under the current conditions might be impossible. But what other choice did she have? She had to try!
And she was going to use the stretch of earth to help her. She’d dig handholds there to gain a better position to work from and to hopefully retrieve her flashlight so she could get a look at the ceiling.
Luartaro called to her again, but she ignored him. Mind made up and plan conceived, she couldn’t risk dividing her attention at the moment.
Annja felt dirt with the fingertips of her right hand. It was hard packed, but presented a good possibility.
While she couldn’t dig through stone with her sword, she could dig through dirt to make some hand-and footholds. Her mind stretched out and wrapped around the pommel of Joan of Arc’s ancient weapon.
At the same time, she reached up with her left hand and wrapped her fingers around an exposed root. She let go with her right hand.
In that instant she felt the familiar weapon and gripped hard, driving the powerful blade into the earth.
It went in easier than she’d expected. Do it again, she thought, pulling herself up, withdrawing the blade and plunging it in again a little higher. Her arms burned from the exertion of climbing, but she was in too perilous a situation to pay attention to the sensation.
“Annja!” Luartaro called once more. This time his voice was accompanied by a beam of light angling up from below. It wasn’t strong, but it was steady.
The flashlight he’d brought, she realized. He’d found it in the dark and was sweeping it in an arc trying to find her.
“I’m fine,” she finally called back. “Don’t worry about me.” Then she pulled herself higher, tugged the sword free and repeated the motion. This time the blade sunk in even more easily and dirt came free around it, showering her face and stinging her eyes.
The earth wasn’t at all hard packed, and when she wiggled the sword free more dirt came loose. “Hollow. It feels hollow,” she said.
Annja used the sword for digging. It was awkward but effective.
Clumps of dirt and gravel spewed down, and she closed her eyes as she continued to frantically worry away at the wall. Her eyes were no good here, anyway.
There was more than simply dirt. There was a hollow spot behind it. She couldn’t tell how big, though.
Luartaro’s light was too dim to be of any help that way. Still, her spirit soared in hope. Maybe the hollow was just big enough for her to climb up into it. She’d be able to give her arms and legs a rest before she attempted to free-climb to the slit. She might even be able to retrieve her flashlight and use it to get a better idea of her bearings and to see how many pitons she had left.
She worked furiously, digging at the soil with the blade. Dirt and rocks pelted her face. Moments later, she sent the sword back to the otherwhere in her mind and hauled herself up into the niche she’d dug out. She crouched on hands and knees and sucked in several deep breaths. The taste of earth and the river and the scent of her own sweat were strong on her tongue.
“Annja! Where are you?”
She maneuvered around so she was facing out toward the cavern, still on her hands and knees.
Far below, Luartaro’s flashlight was feeble but it faintly reached her.
Her fingers tested the lip of the niche and she cautiously peered over. She couldn’t see him, only the spot of light that was doing little to punch through the darkness.
Carefully, she shrugged out of her backpack and retrieved her flashlight. She turned it on and pointed it down. The beam wasn’t as strong as Luartaro’s,