Page 17 of Mountain Void

“Joe. From New York.”

“Nice to meet you, Joe-from-New-York. I’m Lorenz.”

Spring icefall release was the worst. People trusted ice that looked solid, never realizing how quickly the spring sun hollowed it out from within.

Lorenz glanced up at the ice face. The ropes were still visible halfway up, slack now, marking the spot where the climbers had been when a section of ice released above them.

It was a miracle they’d landed on this ledge instead of being swept down the full length of the face. There would have been no rescue then, only recovery.

Boots crunched on the ice behind him.

Beau jogged in, one glance at the injury and then at the wall above. “We need to move now. This ledge won’t hold. Ry?”

“Pulse is rapid and thready. I’m not getting much peripherally. I’m staying with him. If he crashes on the line, I need to be here.”

“We’re stable here,” Lorenz said, tightening his hold as the injured climber shifted again. “Bleeding’s slowed.”

Beau nodded once, weighing his decision.

“Ry and Alex, ride with your climber down in the stretcher. There’s a team waiting for you on the ground. Lorenz and I will lower the second victim using the harness.

He knelt beside Lorenz. “You stay with him. I’ll run the system from above.”

Lorenz didn’t bother arguing. He knew his boss. If Beau thought the ledge was unstable, he’d be the last one off it. The fastest way to get Beau down was to get the climber down as quickly as possible.

Lorenz clipped the climber into his harness, checking and rechecking with fingers gone numb from the cold. He kept the man slightly offset, positioning his body so the injured shoulder stayed clear of the wall.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alex, Ry and the stretcher disappear over the edge, ropes feeding smoothly as Beau controlled the descent from above.

Then Beau was back. “On my call.”

“Okay, Joe,” Lorenz said. “You’re going to feel movement. Just stay relaxed and let us do all the work, okay?”

“That’s … great. Because I’m officially done with ice. With mountains. With Europe. I’m getting on the next flight back home.”

Maybe not quite the next flight.

“Save that energy, Joe. You’ll be on your way home in no time.”

The rope took their weight.

Descending with an adult man clipped to your harness was a careful negotiation—gravity pulling unevenly, every movement magnified. Lorenz kept his boots wide, walking the wall in deliberate steps, absorbing the sway before it reached Joe.

A sharp crack split the air.

Ice fractured overhead.

“Down!” Beau shouted.

Lorenz didn’t think. He turned instantly, curling over Joe, pressing him flat to the ledge, one arm shielding the man’s head as ice fragments rained down. Something slammed into Lorenz’s helmet—hard enough to rattle his teeth—followed by a spray of shards across his back.

The ledge shuddered, but there were no more cracks.

“Lorenz.” Beau’s voice sounded rough.

“Are you okay, Joe?” Lorenz asked quietly.

The climber blinked up at him, eyes unfocused. “Still alive.”