Page 23 of The Bookworm and the Pegasus Tamer

“But what will you do even if you make it down?” he asked, a stubborn light in his eyes. “I know there’s more to you than is initially apparent—that’s been obvious since the first day we met. But you can’t possibly be strong enough to push the filly up on your own.”

Aurelia snorted. “Of course I’m not going to single-handedly push the filly out of the crevice. Even if I was strong enough, I’d be kicked in the face for my troubles. But I heard you tell your men to bring rope and lengths of canvas. If I’m down there, you could throw them down, and I could guide them around her belly and then carry them back up here. Then you could work together with the pegasi to pull her directly upward. I don’t see any other way to get her out.”

Danton looked down at the crevice again, his eyes lingering on the trapped pegasus, and she could see him weakening. He had to let her try because it was the only way.

“Prepare the rope and the lengths of canvas,” he called. “And be ready to throw them down when Aurelia calls for them.” He turned to her. “I’ll lower you down myself.”

She beamed at him. “Thank you.”

He fetched a rope and helped her secure it around herself. When he wrapped the other end around his own waist, using himself as anchor, she wanted to protest. The last thing she wanted to do was accidentally drag him into the crevice after her.

But she didn’t bother to protest. She already knew it would be useless.

“I knew it was a good idea to bring you along,” he murmured as he checked her end of the rope an extra time. “It’s a good plan, Aurelia.”

“Thank you, Danton,” she whispered back, feeling daring.

He smiled, his eyes alight, and she turned quickly away to face the lip of the crevice. The descent had looked frightening enough from solid ground, but it took all her courage to trust in the rope and lower herself toward the first foothold.

She took a moment to pause there, allowing her body to feel the security of the rope around her waist and the stone beneath her feet. Then she reached down for the next possible step.

The process took an excruciatingly long time, her feet feeling blindly for each hold. And there was one point when she couldn’t find one, and she had to trust Danton to lower her down about a foot with only the rope to keep her secure. Even in that short distance, she spun enough to graze her arm against a sharp spike of rock, but she kept quiet, and her feet found a rocky ledge again.

Finally, when it seemed as if she had been descending forever, her feet found purchase on something far larger than a narrow rock ledge. She had reached the bottom.

“I’m down!” she called, and Danton’s face appeared above her.

“You’re all right?” he asked, his eyes somehow finding the red graze on her arm.

“I’m fine,” she called back. “Have them throw down the ropes and canvas. Throw them right on top of the pegasus’s back. They’re too light to hurt her.”

Two long narrow pieces of canvas dropped into the crevice, along with two more lengths of rope. The loose end pooled on the filly’s back, while the men above kept hold of their end. Aurelia picked her way carefully closer to the pegasus, crooning comforting words at the filly as she moved.

Now that she was down below the pegasus, she could see that the filly had become wedged only a short distance above the bottom of the crevice. It had done nothing to help the pegasus so far, but it would help Aurelia. If the filly had been higher up, she would have struggled to get the ropes and canvas around her.

As it was, it would still be a difficult task.

She examined the trapped pegasus from several angles, looking for ridges in the rock just large enough to squeeze her hand between the rock and the pegasus’s side.

“I’ll need you to help me,” she told the creature. “When I tell you, suck in your breath as much as you can manage.”

I will, the creature assured her in a higher, lighter voice than that of either Echo or the black stallion.

Aurelia smiled to hear her words. She had been afraid the young pegasus might be too exhausted and terrified to process her instructions.

“I have two lengths of rope here,” she explained, “and I’m going to pass both of them under your belly. But I’m worried about them hurting you once pressure is applied, so I have some lengths of canvas to place between your belly and each rope.”

Thank you. The pegasus tried to crane her head around to see the ropes but didn’t have enough range of movement to manage it.

“They’ve thrown down the end of each rope and canvas,” Aurelia continued, wanting to make sure the filly understood. “You should be able to feel them resting on your back. I’ll have to pass them all downward between the rock and your side, and then I’ll thread them below your belly before passing them up between the rock and your belly again on the other side so that you can eventually hang beneath the two ends. Does that make sense?”

I understand. A strange sighing sound echoed in Aurelia’s mind. Although I don’t know why I’m in any rush to get out. The elders are going to scold me for weeks.

Aurelia hid a smile. Apparently there were similarities between pegasus young and human children.

Starting on the opposite side of the crevice to the one she had climbed down, she scrambled up to a ledge that was just wide enough to hold her feet and put her on a level with the filly’s head.

“What’s your name?” she asked as she got herself into position.